Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Hinata Shouyou had always been the Karasuno VBC’s ray of sunshine. No matter what happened, they could count on Hinata to smile through it all. When the gym was closed for repairs, when they lost to Aoba Johsai, when they felt overwhelmed in the middle of a game, Hinata had always been the one to help them see the light. It was an unspoken rule amongst the members that they would do anything to make sure their sunshine keeps shining.

Which was why everyone stared at the boy in concern when he walked into the club room, furiously typing on his phone and muttering a soft ‘good morning’ while walking to his locker. Immediate silent alarms went off in everyone’s heads. They watched him continue to type while standing in front of his locker, making no move to put his bag down or get dressed. Suga was the first to snap out of it and call out to the first year.

“Ah- Ah! Yes, Suga-san?”

“Is everything okay, Hinata?”

Hinata opened his mouth, then closed it and looked back down at his phone. Huffing, he typed out something short and stuffed it back into his bag. “Just... Home stuff...”. Well, if their alarms weren’t blaring before that, they were definitely on red alert now. The team knew that Hinata had a single mother, a little sister and a father that left but financially supported them. “Is there anything we can help?” Suga asked, noticing the boy’s furrowed eyebrows.

“I... I don't know, Suga-san. Oto-san stopped helping out at home so Kaa-san started working more. Which is... fine. But this means that I need to take care of Natsu more often. I don’t mind it! I love her. It’s just…”

Hinata took a pause and looked down. The rest could tell that he was getting worked up over the situation with the way his brows were furrowed. He seemed to gather his thoughts for a moment before continuing.

“I have to stay back after class tomorrow and we can't find anyone to pick her up. Even if we did, I can't just let them leave Natsu alone at home! I'm trying to ask my middle school friends but they both have a practice match tomorrow. Anyway, it’s fine! I won't get distracted during practice today, I promise!”

The team took some time to process the words. Mainly because Hinata explained everything so fast that they were sure he did it in one breath. Once they did, everyone held various expressions of concern (or in Kageyama and Tsukishima’s case, frowns).

“Dumbass,” Kageyama started, causing the small boy to tense slightly. “Why didn’t you ask us for help?”

“Aren’t you staying back tomorrow too? Didn't you do worse than me on the science test?”

“That’s not what I meant!”

Kageyama rolled his towel into a ball, threw it at Hinata and ignored the way it made a sound when it smacked him. Hm. He must have left his phone wrapped up in there. Suga sighed and walked closer to the smaller boy, putting his hand on Hinata’s shoulder.

“I think Kageyama meant that you could have asked us; the team. Why didn't you?” 

“Oh, I guess it slipped my mind. I don't want to bother anyone, though. I’m sure you guys already have things planned for tomorrow.” 

Smiling widely, Suga slammed Hinata on the back and stood there as if he did not give his kouhai permanent back pain. At this point, it was a mark of honor to have Suga’s hand print on your back. It meant that he cared.

“Nonsense! You’re not a bother at all, Hinata.”

Somewhere from the back of the room, they heard someone mutter ‘Sometimes’. They decided to ignore the middle blocker.

“Daichi, Asahi and I are busy tomorrow. The third years have a field trip. How about the rest of you guys?”

Hinata looked at his friends and everyone had to look down and check their schedules, even if they already knew their availability. They just wanted to avoid Hinata’s pleading eyes. It was totally unfair for a guy like him to be blessed with such eyes and not even realize it. They often wondered how many people have fallen victim to that look without Hinata realizing he was even doing it. 

Unfortunately, Tanaka had to go home and care for a sick Saeko, Noya had plans with his grandfather, Ennoshita had to tutor a classmate, Narita had a doctor’s appointment and Kinoshita had to work. There was a short moment of stillness.

As though a spotlight was turned on and shined towards the corner of the room, Yamaguchi felt a shiver run down his back when everyone turned to him and Tsukishima. He was pretty sure he saw a halo appear above Hinata’s head.

“I'm sorry, Hinata. Tsukki and I are busy tomorrow. But no one in our class failed the science test. Maybe Yachi is free?”

Clinging onto his last ray of hope. Hinata jumped up, yelled out his thanks and sped out of the clubroom without his shirt. 

Feeling relieved, Suga felt some tension release from his shoulders and went back to getting dressed. However, in typical Karasuno fashion, the tension came back just a few seconds later as he heard their manager scream in the distance. 

Once she calmed down from having a half-dressed teenage boy run straight at her, Yachi was able to hear Hinata's request. As predicted, she was free to babysit. Lacking the ability to control himself, Hinata dropped to his knees and banged his forehead against the floor as he thanked her profusely and promised to buy her five meat buns everyday for a week. 

She didn't have the heart to tell him she was not a fan of meat buns but managed to get him to cut it down to one a day. She figured her mum might enjoy it. Despite that, Hinata was still on the ground and Yachi was starting to panic again. If it weren’t for Daichi walking in and yelling at Hinata for scaring her, she probably would have fainted from the anxiety (again).

A few hours after practice, Yachi received a long text message from Hinata that included his home address, Natsu’s school address, his mother’s phone number, their doctor’s phone number, Natsu’s allergies and a few links to YouTube videos to play incase Natsu got upset and Yachi was not able to calm her down. Yachi’s eyes widened but read everything carefully before replying to Hinata and assuring him for the nth time that she was glad to be helping him.

The next day, Yachi found herself at the entrance to Natsu’s elementary school with a bag of meat buns.

“Oh god, there are so many children...” Yachi started to panic because she had no idea which one was Natsu. She knew what Natsu looked like, but all the children were running around everywhere. She didn't even know where to start. Before she could panic any further, her phone vibrated in her pocket.

hinata 🏐:

yachi-san !!

natsu’s sitting near the gates with a few other kids that get picked up !

i already told her you were coming and showed her a picture of you !

gtg! bakeyama’s going to yell at me for taking so long in the bathroom again !

Now that she knew what to look out for, Yachi found a group of children sitting to the left of the main gates. There were twenty kids sitting on various benches under the trees, but only one of them had orange hair.

A little girl with orange pig tails noticed Yachi the same time she did and waved to the blonde. Natsu smiled and hopped off the bench, saying goodbye to her friends and walked over to Yachi.

“Hi, Natsu-chan! I'm from your brother’s volleyball team, are you ready to go home?”

Natsu nodded and grabbed Yachi’s hand to walk by her side. Natsu’s hand was much tinier compared to Yachi’s own and Yachi knew that her hand was not big by any means. It was adorable .

“Yachi-san, right?”

“Just ‘Yachi’ is okay!”

“Yacchan! My Nii-chan told me about you. He said that you were going to come over and play with me because he had to meet his teacher. Nii-chan told me he had to ask her questions, but I know he failed his test. My teacher makes my classmates that fail our tests to stay behind but I never had to because I’m smart!”

Yachi smiled at how much Natsu talked. She really was a carbon copy of her brother. As Natsu talked, Yachi realized that she didn't actually prepare something to do when they arrived at Hinata’s place. She could help Natsu study, but Hinata already promised Natsu that Yachi would play with her.

‘ Oh god, what did I like to do when I was younger? ’ Yachi thought to herself. She enjoyed dressing up and feeling like a princess. She remembered wearing her best dress and having a tea party with her stuffed animals, calling them her royal servants. Looking at Natsu running ahead of her, she scratched that idea. Natsu was more into sports and jumping around than tea parties and princess hats.

Yachi tried listening for any of Natsu’s other interests on the walk back to the Hinata residence but all the little girl could talk about was her brother, wishing her middle school had a bigger volleyball team and asking Yachi what it was like managing a bunch of boys. 

By the time they reached the Hinata residence, Yachi figured they could play volleyball in the backyard. She was not as versed in the game as ... literally everyone else on the team. However, she had been to enough practices that she could probably toss the ball to Natsu. When they got in, Natsu ran into the living room and sat in front of the TV.

“Yacchan! Let's play some video games!”

Yachi stared at the little girl holding up a controller. Natsu was looking at the older girl with the exact same eyes Hinata had used when he asked her to babysit. It was not fair.

“Uhm, sure! Before that, go and wash your hands! Dirty children don't get to eat meat buns while playing video games!”

She teased Natsu, who then proceeded to jump up and run to the bathroom while chanting ‘meat bun’ over and over again. It reminded her of her brother way too much. ‘ She really is the second version of him, huh. ’

Yachi looked at the game Natsu had pulled out and immediately started looking it up on the internet. She had no idea how to play video games on a controller. Her experience with games ended at the few gacha and rhythm games she downloaded on her phone over the years. She was ashamed to admit that she had never even played Mario Party before.

“I'm ready, Yacchaaan!”

Natsu yelled out and ran to the couch, dragging Yachi along to sit beside her. Yachi didn't have enough time to properly understand the game so she hoped that there was a tutorial or something once they started.

“Do you know how to play this?”

‘ Thank you, Natsu-chan ’ Yachi thought to herself. “Ah... No, not really. I don't play video games at home...”

Natsu knelt beside Yachi and started teaching her how to use the controls. Both Natsu and Yachi tried their hardest in teaching and understanding the game. Despite all that, Yachi still sucked. Both of them kept trying to go on, but having to restart the round every minute was slightly frustrating. Yachi was sure that the meat bun was the only reason that Natsu was not actually getting upset. (That, and the fact that Natsu probably pitied her).

“Hey, Natsu-chan. Do you want to play volleyball?”

Natsu perked up immediately and yelled out how excited she was as ran to her room to grab her volleyball. Yachi giggled at the way Natsu picked herself up so easily. She figured out a while ago that the Hinata family must be the type to not let bad things get them down. Wanting to enjoy the cool breeze outside while waiting for Natsu, Yachi tied her hair up and stepped into the backyard.

The space was small but not too small that they had no room to play. They couldn't exactly run around, but she could pass the ball to Natsu from the porch. Natsu ran out a second later with a volleyball smaller than the ones they had in the gym.

“Yacchan?” Yachi looked down at the smaller girl, who passed her two hair ties. “Could you tie my hair up, please?” 

Damn . Natsu really was blessed with the same type of pleading eyes that Hinata has. Yachi realized then and there that this little girl was going to rule the world and probably break a few hearts while she was at it.

Never one to refuse such a cute request, Yachi happily took the hair ties and put Natsu’s hair up in two ponytail braids. Realizing the opportunity, she even took off one of her own hair clips to clamp down some of Natsu’s stray hairs.

Natsu admired herself in the reflection of the door and called Yachi amazing while she felt the braid. Yachi felt her cheeks go red at all the compliments and prompted Natsu to go on the grass so that she could toss her the ball. Nodding, Natsu hopped off the porch and let her braids fall on her shoulder.

They spent the next fifteen minutes practicing Natsu’s spiking and talked about Yachi’s role as a manager more. 

“I did not know that much about volleyball when I first came in,” Yachi said as she tossed the ball to Natsu. “But I could tell that the boys on the team had something explosive stirring within them. Something that they needed to get out. I saw it in every spike, toss, receive and block. They've gotten better since then…”

Yachi picked up the volleyball that had rolled on the grass and smiled at it. It reminded her of the ones they had in the gym but tinier and cuter. She thought of her boys and how they’d probably have fun playing with it. She wondered if having a smaller ball could help with training. All she wanted was to help them get better in any way she could.

“But I know that they have not explored their full potential yet. Kageyama has not sent his best toss, Hinata has not jumped his highest jump, Tsukishima has not made his hardest block, Yamaguchi has not served his perfect serve and... you get my point. They're amazing to watch. I'm really glad I get to be a part of their journey.”

Natsu looked at Yachi in awe. “My nii-chan says that you and the other manager are really important to the team. Just as important as the ones on court!” Yachi blushed as she got ready to send Natsu another ball.

“That's nice of your brother to say. Does he talk to you about volleyball a lot?”

“So much!” Natsu hit the ball and sent it flying towards the wall again. “It’s almost all he can talk about... Sometimes I wish we could talk about other things… But it’s okay! I love volleyball and my nii-chan loves it too! So I'm okay with it!”

Sensing something behind her words, Yachi frowned and watched the younger Hinata pick up the ball to pass it to her.

“What do you mean by that, Natsu-chan? I'm sure you and your brother talk about other things, right?”

“We do! We talk about video games, our friends, our favorite food and more! It’s just... Some of my classmates talk about how their mums or older sisters do makeovers with them and sometimes they come to school with these really cool hairstyles and I wish... Ah, it doesn't matter! Nii-chan knows how to do the pony tails I like and my mama buys me pretty dresses sometimes!”

“Natsu...”

Yachi started to realize a little bit more about the Hinata household dynamic. They were strong because they had to be. Hinata’s mother worked hard to keep her family afloat and support both her children’s dreams. Hinata knew that and worked extra hard to keep their house in order but also made sure that Natsu had a good childhood.

Then there was Natsu, who was perceptive enough to understand what her role models were doing for all of them and tried not to ask for much. Yachi took the ball from Natsu but instead of tossing it, she crouched down to Natsu’s height.

“Do you wish you did more ‘girly’ things sometimes?”

Natsu looked down at the grass and twisted her little feet.

“A little. But kaa-san is really busy and nii-chan doesn't know much.”

“Well… What if I taught you some of those things?”

Natsu looked up so fast that she almost broke her neck, her eyes wide with wonder.

“Really?!”

“Really! I can teach you how to do different hairstyles and if your nii-san allows it, I'll take you shopping one day! Actually, I think I saw a mini-mart down the street that sells nail polish. Do you want to learn how to do your nails?”

“Yes!” Natsu jumped up on the porch and grabbed Yachi’s hand. “Yes, yes, yes! Please, Yacchan!” 

Yachi giggled and ruffled Natsu’s hair before urging the little girl to grab her coat. Yachi texted Hinata to let him know that they were going out and that she needed to talk to him about something when he got home.

A few hours later, Hinata came home to laughter coming from the living room and a really nice smell coming in from the kitchen. He was quite surprised that Natsu had not run to greet him at the genkan like she usually did but brushed it aside and kicked off his shoes.

“Natsu? Yachi-san?”

Hinata walked to the end of the hallway and peeked into the living area. His heart melted at how happy Natsu looked with her hair in braids and a bow. Yachi was sitting beside Natsu, showing her something on her phone.

“Nii-chaaan!”

Natsu jumped up and ran towards him, but instead of hugging him around his waist, she body slammed him and kept her arms stretched away from him.

“Welcome back! I can't hug you because Yacchan said that nail polish takes foreeeever to dry up and I don't want to get it on you!”

Natsu jumped back and shoved her tiny little fingers in front of his face. All ten of them were painted neatly in orange, perfectly matching the shade of their hair. It was a little surprising that they had polish in Hinata-orange.

“Look, I even did Yacchan’s nails!”

Hinata looked up and saw Yachi’s messy (but dry) nails. Hinata figured she let Natsu do her nails first before helping his sister with hers.

“Wooaaah! Sounds like you two had fun. What else did you guys do today?”

“I can't tell you! It’s girl talk!”

Hinata’s eyes widened but he couldn't help the smile growing on his face. It was nice to see his sister so happy and carefree. He was worried that she would be sad that he had to stay back on a non-volleyball day.

“Well. I can tell you that we stopped by the bakery on the way home from the store. Natsu-chan and I have already eaten but there’s some takeaway and pie in the kitchen” 

“Uwaaaah… So that was what made the house smell so nice. Maybe I should buy it more often...”

Natsu jumped for joy at that, causing the two high schoolers to giggle. Hinata asked Natsu to get ready for bed while he talked to Yachi, causing the little one to pout but complied anyway. She gave Yachi a goodbye hug before running to the end of the hall where her room was.

Before Hinata could thank Yachi for the day, Yachi asked Hinata to sit beside her and told him about what Natsu said in the backyard. Hinata looked down and admitted that he did notice it before. It was why he learnt how to tie her hair in ponytails. Still, he wasn’t very good with those things. Yachi offered to come over more often, not just when Hinata needed a babysitter.

“That would be amazing, Yachi-san!”

Hinata paused and looked like he was contemplating something before asking her for another favour.

“Could you teach me how to do the braids Natsu has on?”

Yachi smiled and offered to teach him a few other hair styles as well. The two of them sat there for twenty minutes, with Hinata trying to follow Yachi’s instructions as he styled her hair. Yachi was talking about some cute hair accessories she had at home that she could give Natsu. As they were discussing bow colors, Natsu walked into the living room in her pajamas, claiming that she wasn't tired and that she wouldn't be able to fall asleep.

The three of them found themselves seated in a line in front of the television with Hinata doing Natsu’s hair, Natsu doing Yachi’s hair and Yachi trying out the game she failed at earlier while trying to guide them on how to braid. It was a night of laughter and bonding until Natsu fell asleep in her brother’s lap. Yachi smiled as she watched her typically loud and energetic friend gently carry his sister to her room. When they disappeared, she focused back on the television screen.

She hated to admit it, but she was beginning to enjoy the game she sucked at.

Chapter Text

“Dumbass! Hinata, dumbass!”

The third years could hear Kageyama yelling at Hinata from outside the club room. Looking up at the sky, Daichi wondered what did Karasuno do to deserve such a rowdy bunch.

No, scratch that. What did he do that led him to become the captain of such a team.

Daichi loved them, but his rising blood pressure was getting concerning. He bet Shiratorizawa did not have to deal with this. He should have gone to Shiratorizwa. Guess it was a little too late for that.

Bracing themselves for what they might walk in on, the three of them stepped in to witness the two of their half-dressed underclassmen standing on opposite ends of the room with Kageyama holding a small towel as if he was about to hit Hinata with it.

“No fighting in the clubroom.” Daichi commands while the other two start to put their bags down.

Kageyama frowned and Hinata took it as an opportunity to escape, hopping to Suga’s side as the setter pulled out his gym attire. Suga noticed that Hinata was cradling his cheek and turned around to scowl at Kageyama.

“How hard did you hit him?!”

“I didn’t! He has a cavity and won't go to the dentist!”

Now, it was Hinata’s turn to receive scowls from the pair of captains. He glared at Kageyama who simply cocked his hip and smirked as if he was saying ‘what now?’ . What a tattletale.

“Why don’t you want to go to the dentist? Do you have a fear of dentists?”

Hinata began to quickly shake his head and immediately stopped, cringing from the pain. Dumb move.

“No, it’s just that my appointment is after practice and okaa-san just told me that she’s going to be home late today. There’s no one at home to take care of Natsu... So...”

“Could you reschedule it for tomorrow?”

“Well... His next available slot is next month...”

A dark aura appeared around the two captains as they turned to face Hinata properly. In that moment, that’s when he knew. He messed up. All three seniors frowned at him and Hinata couldn't even hide behind Suga for protection this time. Daichi started going into captain mode, berating Hinata about taking care of himself and how he couldn’t play volleyball if he could barely open his mouth. Like the saint he was, Asahi nervously spoke up and cut Daichi off.

“You know... We could just watch Natsu for you.”

“Ahhh, it’s okay! I don’t want to bother you guys. I can ask Yachi-san or–”

“No, no, no. We’d love to! Yachi keeps talking about how fun it is to hang around Natsu so the rest of us were wondering when we would get a chance!”

Hinata looked between the three third years and realized that he was fighting a losing game. Sure, Natsu was the main reason he didn't want to go to the dentist... But... Maybe he did have a small fear for dentists too.

He glanced at Kageyama to see that his own partner was glaring at him and any fight he had was extinguished. The three upperclassmen grinned when Hinata agreed and pulled out his phone to send them the text he sent Yachi when she first babysat.

“Hinata.”

“Yes, Daichi-san?”

“You’re only doing tosses today.”

Hinata opened his mouth to oppose but did not control how wide he opened his jaw. He cringed when he felt a jolt of pain go through his gum. Pouting, he silently accepted his fate.

After practice, Kageyama walked with Hinata to the dentist in order to ‘make sure the dumbass didn't try to run away’ and the third years left to pick Natsu up from her school’s daycare center. Hinata made sure to call ahead to let Natsu’s teacher know what was happening so that they did not call the cops on his upperclassmen for attempting to kidnap his sister.

“Wait a minute. If Natsu’s school has a daycare center, why can't she stay there until Hinata is done? Nothing against us babysitting. I’m just wondering.”

“My sisters used to go there. The daycare isn't free, I assume that’s why Hinata avoids having Natsu stay there beyond practice hours.”

The other two nod as they continue their trek. They had a bag of meat buns and some horror movies, courtesy of Suga that lived nearby and ran to grab them. When they asked Yachi what she did whenever she babysat Natsu, she explained that they used the time to do “girl stuff”.

While the three of them could do that since they grew up with sisters or nieces, they figured it was better to let it be their thing. She suggested that they bring over some horror movies since Natsu liked them but she was too scared to watch them with the little girl.

When they arrived at Natsu’s school, the teacher that Hinata called earlier noticed them enter and smiled before she pointed towards Natsu’s direction. She was already standing beside the gate instead of the pick up corner. As they walked closer, they noticed that Natsu’s hair was tied in two (slightly messy) french braids with a bow on each side.

Asahi recognised it as Hinata’s handiwork because he let Hinata practice it on his hair before morning training one day and Asahi kept the braids on for the rest of the day. It wasn’t perfect, but it was adorable. The whole team admired the way Hinata worked hard to be a good brother.

“Hey, Natsu-chan,” Suga greeted the little girl and crouched down in front of her. Surprised, she looked up, then her eyes glanced up even higher at Daichi and Asahi who smiled and waved at her. Despite all three of their friendly demeanor, she looked a little fearful.

“Are you… my nii-chan’s senpais?” Natsu was gripping her backpack straps a little tighter as she looked between the three of them, almost as if she thought that if she took her eyes off one of them, they would kidnap her.

“Yes, we are. Your brother needed to go to the dentist and your mum got caught up with work so he sent us here to take care of you today,” Suga replied with a warm smile. “I'm Sugawara but you can call me Suga. That’s Daichi,” Suga tilted his head to the right and Daichi gave a small nod. '' And the tall one there is Asahi”. Asahi gave the little girl a smile and a wave. Asahi loved children, so his wave was a little too enthusiastic that it seemed to scare the young Hinata a little more.

“Ahh… Thank you for picking me up today Suga-san, Daichi-san and Asahi-san.”

“It's no problem, Natsu-chan. Ready to go home?”

Natsu nodded and stepped forward to hold Suga’s hand. God, she was adorable. Suga had to control himself or he’d squeeze her hand too tight it might break. Daichi offered to carry her backpack for her since it looked pretty stuffed.

Cowering behind Suga, Natsu passed her bag to Daichi while muttering a shy ‘thank you’. He was surprised at how heavy it actually was. In fact, he was confident that there was a volleyball stuffed inside.

Asahi went to stand on her other side and offered to hold her hand. She politely declined and walked closer to Suga’s side. A little heartbroken, Asahi pouted at his two companions who gave him a sympathetic look and passed him their bag of meat buns and movies so that he could feel like he was contributing. They understood their best friend enough to know how to avoid him getting into a slump.

Natsu walked beside Suga’s side in silence as they made their way out, instead of skipping and rambling on about her day like Yachi said she normally did. Natsu looked down most of the time and only glanced up when they were crossing the roads and when Suga asked her what she wanted for lunch. The three upperclassmen were concerned but wanted to wait until they were back at the Hinata household before doing anything.

When they got there, Natsu ran into her room and claimed that she was going to wash up because she got dirty during her gym class. Suga pouted frowned with the other two but yelled out that that food would be ready in an hour. The three of them sat their bags down at the genkan and took their time removing their shoes.

“We scared her, didn’t we.”

“Probably. Hinata, his mum and Yachi are pretty short. We crowded around her earlier when we picked her up so… Yeah, there’s a possibility.”

“Damn.”

Silently, the three of them split into different tasks. Suga went into the kitchen to heat up the leftovers that Hinata left in the fridge, Daichi placed Natsu’s bag by her door then went to clean up the living room while Asahi attempted to set up the movie player.

The three of them did their tasks quietly, only letting the sounds of the food and television fill the air. By the time Suga finished heating up the food, his phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw a message from Hinata.

hinata :) :

hi suga-san !!

there’s a lot of people here and the lady said i might need an extraction :((

i’ll probably end up coming home later than i thought 😞 im sorry suga-san !!

bakeyama said that he can come over to watch natsu if it’s too much trouble !!

Suga chuckled at the rapid fire way Hinata texts. Even through a screen, he could feel Hinata’s energy and personality as if the boy was in the same room as them. The other two heard him and he started explaining the situation to them as he pulled out some plates. All three of them had no plans or a curfew so they agreed to stay until Hinata or his mother came back. Suga let Hinata know the verdict and was not surprised at all at the speed he texted back.

hinata :) : 

thank you, suga-san !!

and to daichi-san and asahi-san !!

oh, i can just text them that. ill go do that now

bakeyama wants to take my phone away before I start spamming you too much because im nervous hahahahahahahahahaaha 

but before i go, how’s natsu ?

Suga contemplated for a bit and let him know that she was getting dressed in her room and the three of them were handling the leftovers. His messages remained delivered, not read and Suga realized that Kageyama must have taken Hinata’s phone. 

The setter set down the fourth bowl of curry on the table, wiped his hands on the apron he was wearing and walked over to Natsu’s door. He knocked twice before speaking.

“Natsu-chan? Lunch is ready. Come out when you’re done but don’t take too long, the food will get cold.”

Suga waited until he heard Natsu’s response before walking away from the door. In the living room, he saw Asahi helping Daichi clean the kotatsu. The television screen displayed the start of his favorite horror movie. 

“You finally figured out how it worked, huh?” Suga joked, having noticed Asahi struggling with the remote earlier.

“Shut up,” Asahi retorted and chucked a stuffed crow at Suga. “It’s different from the one I have at home.”

Daichi was in the middle of berating the anxious man about making messes when Natsu walked out of her room with wet hair and comfy clothes. She immediately noticed the movie on the screen and her eyes went wide.

“Is that Annabelle?”

The three of them perked up at how excited Natsu appeared. She still hid half her body behind the hallway, but she looked brighter nonetheless.

“Yes it is! Yachi mentioned that you loved horror but she was too scared to watch them with you. So, I brought some of the movies I had at home!”

“Uwaaah, can we watch it now?”

Suga frowned and silently communicated with the other two through their facial expressions. They want to keep the good vibe going, but they need to eat. There was an obvious answer that they knew Daichi wouldn’t like.

The captain was obviously trying to think of something- anything that could satisfy all of them. And he came up with… nothing. Well, not ‘nothing’. He considered bringing out the entire kitchen table but felt like it was a little much. Giving in, Daichi sighed and let them do what they wanted.

“Sure. We can bring the food in here and watch it while eating. But, we’re laying down mats and towels. I just finished cleaning the place so I don’t want any messes here, okay?”

“Yes sir!”

Natsu saluted and ran into the kitchen with the three boys gleaming right behind her. Daichi grimaced when his socked foot stepped into something wet and noticed that Natsu’s hair was still dripping. Before he could say something, Suga put a hand on his shoulder.

“I got it, go grab some food and join them in the living room.”

Asahi and Daichi carried the food while Natsu held as many table mats and towels as she could. The three of them worked on covering the table and any other surfaces that they could spill on before settling down on the couch instead of using the kotatsu. Daichi was sitting on one end of the couch while Asahi was sitting on the other end with a gap in between them. 

Natsu was hesitant to sit down, still a little scared of them. Luckily, Suga walked in that very moment and sat in between the two boys. His bright, white aura was fighting against the two dark and sinister ones that started radiating from both his left and right. It was almost like he could hear them silently yelling at him for taking up the space they obviously reserved for Natsu.

“Come here, Natsu.”

Suga gestured to his lap and pulled out a towel and a comb. The little girl complied and let herself be lifted up and plopped down on the silver haired boy’s lap. He began to gently towel her hair and brush it out while Asahi started the movie. 

The three of them ate their curry and meat buns as the movie began. Natsu was visibly excited and squealed anytime the cursed doll popped on the screen. Daichi was simply entertained by the movie. He wasn’t a huge fan of horror but he didn’t mind it either. He was just glad that Natsu was enjoying herself. Suga, however, loved horror movies. He started listing out facts that he knew about the movie and Natsu loved them. Asahi though...

Asahi was terrified.

The ace sat completely still and silent. He gripped his bowl of curry with such force that it was a miracle it didn't shatter in his hands. His whole family did not like anything in the horror genre, so he never had that issue at home.

During team movie nights, Daichi tried to balance out the different genres and the one time they chose a horror film, Asahi was at home nursing a cold. He really did think he could handle watching it for Natsu but was proven wrong almost immediately.

After another ominous scene that left him with permanent goosebumps, Asahi decided to start eating. He thought that the (now room-temperature) curry would be able to soothe his nerves. With every bite he took, he inched the bowl closer to his face and used it to shield his eyes from the screen.

He glimpsed to his left to see if the others were scared. They weren’t. In fact, they looked excited and Asahi hated it. At least Daichi looked passive enough that Asahi could pretend that their captain was scared too.

Asahi made the mistake of taking a glimpse at the screen right as a jumpscare popped on. He yelled and jerked in his seat, causing some of the curry to spill on his lap. Luckily, the towel that Daichi insisted they put on their laps caught the curry.

“You know, Asahi. I insisted on the towels because I thought Natsu was going to spill the food, not you.”

“Shut up!”

Suga snickered as he passed Asahi some tissues to clean himself up. At least it gave Asahi an excuse to look down at his lap instead of the screen. In the corner of his eyes he saw Natsu silently looking at him. Asahi felt his cheeks go red and tried to ignore the little girl’s stare. 

“Asahi-san?” ‘ Well there goes that ’ he thinks.

“Yes, Natsu-chan?”

“Are you scared of Annabelle?”

‘Extremely so, yes. Very much- ’ “A little bit...”

Natsu wiggled her way out of Suga’s lap and crawled onto Asahi’s one instead. Surprised, the taller one placed his bowl and dirty towel on the table so that the curry would not transfer onto Natsu.

“I'll protect you then!”

Asahi felt his heart burst in his chest. The little one was too wholesome and precious for his fragile heart. He tried to ignore the glare Suga was sending him in favor of thanking Natsu and adjusting her so that the two of them were more comfortable.

For the next half of the movie, Suga and Natsu were still exchanging horror facts and talked about their favorite horror moments while Daichi participated in topics that he could relate to. Except this time, Natsu ‘protected’ Asahi from the jumpscares by covering his eyes.

Never mind the fact that she tended to do it after the scare, and on the rare occasions that she covered them in time, he would still jump from the loud noise. At least Natsu felt some kind of accomplishment from ‘protecting Asahi from the scary monsters’. Suga and Daichi silently chuckled when it happened. Asahi was their best friend and they loved him but dear lord he was scared of everything and anything.

By the time the movie was over, Asahi was so pale that he looked like he was about to pass out. Unfortunately for him, Suga and Natsu were ready to watch the next haunted doll movie. Daichi excused himself to go and wash the bowls and clean up the kitchen. Asahi tried to escape with him but Natsu was insistent on having him around for their movie marathon.

‘ Marathon?! ’ Asahi thought to himself. Sure, they brought a lot of movies but it was so that they had choices. ‘ Maybe Natsu will get tired soon and she’ll take a nap... ’

Wrong. Again. They finished the next movie and were moving on to the third. Natsu and Suga had way too much energy and enthusiasm for a movie that nearly sent Asahi into a heart attack. Daichi was not even back yet and Asahi was confident that his best friend was pretty much remodeling the whole kitchen. Daichi came out at one point to pass them drinks and he was wearing an apron and two rubber gloves meant for cleaning. Asahi sighed and resigned to his fate.

The worst part about the third movie was that the sun started to set halfway through it. When Daichi popped in to turn on the lights for them, both horror fanatics yelled at him to keep the lights off for the ‘ambiance’. Suga and Natsu loved it. Asahi hated it.

He had never felt so many opposing emotions at once. On one hand, he enjoyed spending his time with his best friends and Natsu was adorable. On the other hand, he had never felt that much fear in his life. He had half a mind left to go home and burn every doll in his house. Screw the fact that his sisters will definitely throw him out.

The only reason Asahi did not run into the kitchen and cower in the corner was the little ball of sunshine on his lap. Natsu never forgot about him and was constantly comforting him. Despite not actually shielding him from the scares, she was his biggest protector. She kept trying to include him in her conversation with Suga and started asking Asahi questions about himself. 

Him and Suga told her about their volleyball positions and experiences. She was amazed by the fact that Asahi was the ace of Karasuno. She couldn't believe she was the ace’s protector . She found it really cool that Daichi and Suga were captain and vice captain, especially with her brother on the team.

“I'm the more well-behaved one between us! Okaa-san said so!” she exclaimed. The two of them agreed. Asahi was especially proud when she said that she wanted to be a wing spiker. Her team’s ace, actually. 

“Your mum will have a handful, huh? I wonder what it’s like to have two volleyball obsessed children.”

“I think it’s tiring. Kaa-san works a lot for us. That's why nii-chan and I need to be really good so that someone can help us! Nii-san said it’s called... Uh... Searched? No...” Natsu smacked her lap a few times until her face lit up. “Scouted! And I want to get a scholarship! The one Yacchan talked about! Nii-chan and I will go to the ‘lympics and kaa-san can rest!”

Suga and Daichi went quiet at what she said. No one in their team was a stranger to the strength of the Hinatas. Natsu was nowhere near college and she was already thinking of how she was going to get there.

Not just her, but her brother as well. The two upperclassmen praised the little girl and were about to ask her more about her passion for volleyball when Daichi spoke up from behind them, scaring the three on the couch (Asahi more than the other two).

“Hey, Natsu-chan. What if we trained you?”

Natsu turned around and leaned over Asahi to face Daichi with wide eyes. The other two turned to him as well, slightly surprised at the small upgrade to his outfit (a headband to keep his hair back and two towels sticking out both his pockets).

“Uwaaaaah! Really?!”

“Of course. We won't be able to do it often but whenever we come over we could spend some time helping you. None of us are leaving Miyagi after our third year so we’ll be in the area. Besides, you want to be the ace, right? Who better to help train you than our very own ace right here?”

Natsu’s face brightened up as she rocketed off Asahi, hopped over the back of the couch (giving both Asahi and Suga heart palpitations) and jumped on Daichi, wrapping her arms around him.

“Thank you, Daichi-san! I'll be your best disciple!”

‘ Disciple, huh? ’ Asahi thought. ‘ Hinata must have told her about Bokuto, then. ’

Daichi ruffled her hair and told them it’s almost time for dinner. Suga (silently) swore and rushed into the kitchen to throw something together for dinner. He was no stranger to cooking since he had to help his dad cook a lot.

Except, there were four of them and three of them had large appetites. There wasn't much inside the fridge or cupboards for him to cook. Even if there was, Suga felt bad using up most of them to make a meal for the three of them. Making a decision, Suga rushed out to the living room and grabbed his wallet.

“I'm going to head over to the store down the street and buy some ingredients for dinner. Is there anything specific you guys want?”

“Milk! The one nii-san gets all the time!”

Suga mentally noted down Natsu’s request, assuming she meant the milk packets he saw Hinata and Kageyama get all the time. He grabbed his coat off the racks and put his shoes on. The other two told him to be safe as he stepped out of the door and rushed off.

Natsu turned back to the movie and Asahi realized that he was left alone with the little girl for the remainder of the movie. He looked desperately to Daichi, who just shook his head and made his way back to the hallway. “I'm doing laundry,” he said as he turned the corner.

“Laundry?!”

“I asked Hinata first. Don't worry.”

Asahi sighed for the umpteenth time and turned back to the television. Natsu was still talking to Asahi as the movie played but he could tell that she was slowly losing some energy. It made sense. After all, it was dark outside and they did have a very energetic horror movie marathon.

Suga arrived in record time and dashed into the kitchen, but not before passing Natsu a milk packet. Asahi recognised it as the one Kageyama drank a lot and wondered how his two underclassmen were doing at the dentist.

Specifically, if Kageyama stayed up until that point. Considering that none of them have gotten any texts from Hinata yet, he was probably still with the orange haired boy.

By the time Suga was done with dinner and called everyone to the kitchen, Natsu had not talked for fifteen minutes. She was just silently sipping her milk and watching the movie with a neutral expression. Which… somehow, also terrified the ace.

Natsu jumped off the couch and walked to the kitchen, stopping at the doorway for a second then continued making her way to the table. Asahi could understand the pause, the kitchen did look remodeled.

The Hinata household was not a mess to begin with, but Daichi still found a way to tidy it up even more. Boxes and containers were repurposed to organize the different spices and seasonings that were on the counter, the plates were very neatly stacked in the cupboards and every surface was practically shining. Looking around, the genkan and hallways look spotless too. Asahi was sure the bathroom and laundry room were in the same state. 

“Daichi–”

“Don’t.”

Well. Okay, then.

The four of them worked on setting the table. Natsu silently admired the way her utensils shined in the light while Asahi made a mental note to invite Daichi to his place one day. Soon enough, they were seated around the table and about to dig into their omurice when Natsu spoke up.

“When is nii-chan coming home?”

“Ah, we aren’t too sure. He isn’t replying to us. Don’t worry, Natsu-chan! We’ll be here until he gets home and I saved him a bowl for dinner.”

Suga smiled sweetly at Natsu, who turned even more gloomy at the response and looked back down at her food. She started eating slowly and the three upperclassmen realized that she missed her older brother. It was quite late. Even if they had one of their late practices that day, Hinata would still have reached home earlier than then. 

After dinner, Daichi asked Natsu to wash up and get ready for bed, to which the little girl complied. He then took it as an opportunity to clean up the living room and carried a bucket of supplies out of the kitchen. Suga asked Asahi to help with the dishes while he tried to contact Kageyama. 

Thankfully, the setter responded almost immediately.

kageyama >:3 :

he’s not done.

dumbass had another bad cavity so they’re pulling that out too.

it was crowded earlier so we ended up getting the last slot of the day

ill walk him back later

he’ll be loopy.

Suga’s brows furrowed at that. Natsu would be asleep by then. She won’t be happy when she finds out that her brother would not be able to say goodnight to her that day. He thanked Kageyama for the update and saw the boy send two more messages before going offline.

kageyama >:3 :

natsu sleeps better when hinata is in the room.

she doesn’t like the dark.

Suga pocketed his phone, wondering how Kageyama knew that but assumed he picked it up from the many times Hinata talked about Natsu. It made sense, they were best friends after all. He went over to the sink and helped Asahi with the dishes and filled him in on what Kageyama sent. 

“Dang, Natsu won't be happy about that.”

“No, she wouldn’t. Especially since she’ll be asleep by the time he does get home.”

“Nii-chan will be home really late?”

The two turn around in surprise to see a little Natsu standing in the doorway with her hair dripping and a towel in her hand.

“Natsu-chan! How long were you there?”

“Since you started helping Asahi-san. I was going to ask you to help me dry my hair...”

Suga dried his hands and ushered Natsu into her room, leaving Asahi to do the dishes. Daichi walked in after them, frowning when he stepped in the puddle Natsu left behind.

Asahi and him finished tidying the place and went into Natsu’s room to see if the little girl fell asleep in the last fifteen mins. As expected, she was still awake but at least her hair was dry.

Natsu was sitting in the corner of her room, rolling a volleyball towards the wall and letting it bounce back to her. Suga was sitting quietly behind her when they walked in. He turned to them and gave them a slight smile.

“She doesn’t want to sleep til Hinata gets home.”

The two of them understand and sit near Natsu too. The little girl seemed content with ignoring the three of them in favor of playing with the ball. They were holding a silent conversation behind her, figuring out what to say when the little girl spoke up and broke the silence.

“I have to sleep, huh?”

Suga looked back towards Natsu, who still faced the corner but she was holding onto the volleyball instead of rolling it. “Yes you do, Natsu-chan. It’s late and you have school tomorrow.” Natsu was silent for a few more moments before speaking up.

“I miss nii-chan.”

“We know Natsu-chan.”

Natsu slumped forward before standing up and walking to her bed, not making eye contact with any of them. She climbed in bed but sat up on the blanket instead of laying down under her covers.

“I don't like sleeping alone... Or the dark.”

Suga smiled gently and moved to sit beside Natsu on her bed. He smoothed out her unruly hair, allowing her to look up and face him.

“We’re not going to leave. We’ll stay here until you fall asleep and until your brother gets home. We’ll keep the lights on until you fall asleep.”

“Yeah, Natsu-chan. You protected me from the monsters in the movie earlier. Now it’s my turn to return the favor.”

Natsu finally gave in and crawled underneath the covers. Suga moved to sit beside her bed instead of on it while the other two got comfortable in other parts of her room.

“Thank you Suga-san, Asahi-san and Daichi-san.”

“Goodnight, Natsu-chan.”

The three of them sat in silence. Suga was still using his fingers to comb through Natsu’s hair, Asahi was slowly flipping through one of Natsu’s textbooks and Daichi was on his phone. They zoned out for a few minutes and thought about random things until Suga and Asahi felt their phones vibrate.

They pulled it out to find a picture that Daichi sent them. In it, Asahi was gripping the side of the couch like his life depended on it while Suga and Natsu were laughing at whatever was happening on screen.

asahi <3 :

DAICHI!

suga <3 :

lolol asahi ur a coward

asahi <3 :

shut up, sugawara.

Suga snickered silently and sent a video he secretly took when he knew a jump scare was coming up. Asahi looked mortified and on the verge of tears.

asahi <3 :

you guys are assholes.

suga <3 :

you love us

asahi <3 :

no i don't.

daichi <3 : 

no he doesn’t

after all

we’re not karasuno’s libero.

asahi <3 : 

OH MY GOD SHUT UP

Asahi retaliated with two pictures. One of Suga staring at Daichi as he jumped up for a spike and one of Daichi blushing when Suga hugged him from behind.

daichi <3 :

you bastard.

suga <3 :

this means war, azumane.

The three of them spent the next hour engaged in a silent battle while a young Natsu fell asleep amidst the chaos.

Not soon after their battle ended, the three of them heard a noise coming from outside. Checking to make sure Natsu was asleep, they turned off the lights, left the nightlight on and crept out of the room. They found out the source of the noise standing at the genkan.

“Hinata! Kageyama!”

Hinata was leaning against Kageyama and kicking his shoes off while Kageyama had an arm around the small boy. It was obvious to the three upperclassmen that Hinata was definitely still feeling the effects of laughing gas. He seemed to be lucid enough to be conscious of his surroundings.

“Suga-san! Oh my god, I'm so sorry for taking so long!”

Hinata starts to move forward in a bow but loses his balance and almost falls head first into the floor if it weren’t for Kageyama catching the young boy. In typical Kageyama fashion, he called Hinata an idiot and started berating him for being stupid. Hinata argued back but not for long since he wanted to ask the three about their day with Natsu.

Daichi got everyone to settle down in the kitchen to catch up so that Hinata and Kageyama could eat dinner. The older Hinata excused himself to check in on Natsu while Suga went to heat up the food for his underclassmen.

While he was gone, Kageyama updated them on Hinata’s procedure and that the boy was not allowed to play volleyball for two weeks or until whenever the hole in his gums healed up. Frowning, Suga pulled out some miso soup to heat up for Hinata and let Kageyama have the omurice.

“Hey,” Hinata spoke up when he finally came back. “Did you guys... Clean up my whole house?”

“Not us, Daichi.”

“Daichi-san!”

Daichi claimed that he did ask Hinata before doing any of it. He just left out the fact that Hinata didn't respond since he was too busy with pliers in his mouth. The five of them sat around the table as the third years told them about their day with Natsu, complete with pictures and videos. They made sure to let Hinata know about their promise to train Natsu, and about her gloomy state before she went to bed. 

When they were done catching up, Kageyama stood up to clean his bowl and announced that he was heading off. It was late and they all had morning practice so the third years decided to head off with Kageyama. 

As they were putting on their shoes at the genkan, Suga slipped and crashed into Asahi. He looked down and noticed how shiny the floor was, then glared at Daichi who mumbled that he may have over-waxed the floor. Hinata spluttered at that, exclaiming that even he didn't wax the floor. He just mopped it.

“Wait- Daichi-san. What exactly did you do today?!”

“Just some simple chores.”

“... What kind of simple chores?”

“Dishes, took out the trash, cleaned the windows, wiped down most of the surfaces, swept and mopped the floors, scrubbed some walls, dusted the shelves, rearranged some stuff in the living room around, organized things that were lying around, raked the backyard, watered the plants outside, cleaned out the fridge, stocked up on anything I threw away, cleaned the fans, cleaned the bathroom, cleaned your room-”

“MY ROOM?!”

“-and did the laundry.”

“YOU DID LAUNDRY?!”

“Only yours, of course. I would never touch your mother’s or Natsu’s. That’s a little much.”

“YOU DID MY LAUNDRY?!”

Chapter Text

karasuno crows (caw caw)

sunshine :

guys !! could someone babysit natsu today ?

im so sorry it’s so sudden !!

me and my mum have to meet my dad in tokyo

and our babysitter caught a cold so he had to cancel this morning !

again, im so sorry 😭🙏

captain crow:

Don't apologize, Hinata.

I’d go but I’m not in Miyagi right now… Is there anyone else free today?

eh no :

I can come over, Hinata.

freckles :

tsukki and i can’t make it… sorry, hinata !

lightning :

do you hear that, noya-san?

thunder :

ooo yes i hear it ryuu

lightning :

it’s the sound of our kouhai needing us 😎

thunder :

shouyou, your awesome senpais are here to save the day 😎

sunshine : 

ENNOSHITA-SAN !! TANAKA-SAN !! NOYA-SAN !! 😭😭😭

lightning : 

we’ll teach her how to fight so she can ward off evil boys at her school 🔪

thunder : 

ill teach her how to do my signature move 😎

ROOOOLLLLINGGGG

THUNDEERRRRR

😎😎😎😎

sunshine : 

SO COOL SO COOL SO COOLLLL

captain crow : 

…

salt : 

someone save natsu from those idiots

king : 

^^^

captain crow : 

@eh no  

Ennoshita… please.

eh no : 

On it.

Ennoshita walked up the hill heading to Hinata’s house while reading through the list of need-to-knows about babysitting Natsu that Hinata sent the group chat.

Initially, Hinata sent it to the three of them individually but when Hinata made a comment about how he sent the same message to the third years and Yachi, Ennoshita told him to send it in their group chat so that he would not have to keep doing it. 

After twenty minutes, he finally reached the top of the hill. Ennoshita was not out of shape but he did feel a little winded. He could not believe Hinata rode his bike to and from school everyday. Ennoshita had to take a bus to the bottom of the hill then walk his way up to Hinata’s place.

He remembered Suga asking Hinata in the club room why did the boy cycle to school everyday instead of walking down the hill then taking a bus to school and Hinata explaining that he enjoyed the long ride and it allowed him to release some energy before school. Ennoshita felt that there was probably something more to it but did not want to breach the subject in case it was personal. 

Not to mention, from the way Hinata talks about Natsu, one would assume that he would want to get home as soon as he can so that he could spend time with her.

He was snapped out of his thoughts by the honk of a car driving by. He noticed that he was almost right in front of Hinata’s place and the car that drove by him was Saeko’s van. Sighing, he walked up to them and prepared himself for Tanaka and Noya’s energy.

“Chikara! How are you doing?”

“Good morning, Saeko-san. I’m alright, just preparing myself to spend a day with these two.”

“HA! Good luck. Ryuu’s got a bunch of ideas on what he wants to do with the kid. Do me a favor, don’t actually let him teach her how to fight. I did that to him and look at him now”

“Nee-saaaaan!!”

Saeko guffawed and slapped her little brother’s back as he got out of the van while Noya hopped out the back with two bags in his hands. She told them to be safe, not stupid and drove off to work. 

Ennochita turned to the two best friends to remind them that they were going into one of their underclassmen’s houses so they should try to keep any messes to a minimum when he noticed Noya looking nervous. He called out for the shorter boy and asked him what was on his mind.

“Ahh… Well, I’m not very good with kids…”

“Really? Don’t you have three sisters?”

“Three older sisters. I know how to take care of babies but once they start talking, I’m clueless.”

Tanaka slung his arm around his best friend and assured him that he did not have anything to worry about. According to him, children were easy to handle. Just make sure they’re fed during mealtimes, keep them from hitting their heads, don’t give them too much sugar and keep them entertained for as long as one can. 

Ennoshita was surprised at how accurate Tanaka’s advice was. Then again, Tanaka was known for being very protective of people. It made sense that he knew how to take care of others too.

“Besides, you’ve got me and Chikara right here! Don’t worry ‘bout it!”

Tanaka slung his other arm over Ennoshita, pulling the taller one to his other side. Together, they walked over to Hinata’s door and pressed the doorbell. Almost immediately, Hinata opened the door. He was already dressed to go out. Behind him they could see Hinata’s mother kissing Natsu’s head and exchanging goodbyes.

“Ahh, you guys are here! Perfect timing! Come in, come in!”

Hinata moved to make space so that his three upperclassmen could step onto the genkan. As they did, they greeted Hinata’s mother who smiled and thanked them for watching over Natsu while they were taking their shoes off. 

Natsu cautiously walked closer to them and stared at the three guests. Ennoshita was the first to wave and smile at her as he stayed seated. He remembered the story of how the third years met Natsu the first time and how they towered over her.

“Hi, Natsu-chan. I’m Ennoshita, the bald one here is Tanaka and the short one there is Noya.”

“Oi! I’m not bald!” “Oi! Who are you calling short?!”

Natsu giggled and introduced herself to the three of them even though they all knew who she was already. Hinata’s mother smiled at the interaction and tousled Natsu’s hair.

“I know it was very sudden. We had someone who was going to come over to watch Natsu but he woke up feeling sick today and did not want to risk spreading it to Natsu. He’s such a sweet boy. But, thank you so much for taking over T-”

Hinata’s mother was cut off by her phone ringing. She pulled it out of her pocket and scowled before putting it back in. Hinata must have known what it was because he frowned as well and opened the door for him and his mother to head off. 

Before stepping out, Hinata’s mother let them know that she cooked bentos for them and that they were sitting in the fridge. Hinata bent down to give his little sister a kiss on the top of her head and told her to listen to his upperclassmen. The two of them bid their goodbyes and left their house.

According to Hinata’s text from earlier, Natsu had homework to do before she was allowed to play or do anything else. Despite Natsu being a lot younger than them, Ennoshita did not have much confidence in neither Tanaka nor Noya tutoring the little girl. He figured he’d take charge with that and let Tanaka and Noya take charge of play time while he supervised.

“Natsu-chan, do you have any homework to do?”

“Yes, Enno-san! I need to write about my favorite hobby in English! But don’t worry, it won't take too long! I already know what I’m going to write about!”

“Oh? And what is your favorite hobby?”

“Volleyball!”

Of course. How could it be literally anything else? Ennoshita was not surprised in the slightest. It seemed that both Hinata siblings lived and breathed volleyball. However, her nickname for him was very cute and it threw him off guard. Something about Natsu reminded him of his little brother, but maybe it was just because both Natsu and his brother were younger siblings of the same age. 

‘Maybe I should organize a playdate one day…’

Natsu grabbed his hand and pulled him up to bring him to the kotatsu where her homework was laid out. Before settling down with Natsu, Ennoshita asked Tanaka and Noya what they wanted to do while Natsu was studying. The two of them put their fingers to their lips and winked at him.

“Nat-chan! Could we use your kitchen?”

“Sure, Tanaka-san!”

The two boys grinned and walked into the kitchen, disappearing from Ennoshita’s sight. He tried to qualm the feeling of dread that arose in his stomach once they turned the corner. “Don’t make a mess! You know Daichi-san will be pissed!” he yelled out, hoping that the two of them heard him.

Studying with Natsu turned out to be smooth sailing. Maybe it was because he was used to tutoring Tanaka and Noya, or maybe Natsu was smarter than the rest of the peers in her grade because she finished her short essay in record time.Ennoshita spent most of his time advising her on how to improve the essay and correcting the grammatical mistakes rather than guiding her on how to write the essay. 

Natsu’s essay was an interesting read as well. She talked about how she started playing volleyball with her brother once she started walking. Except, it was barely volleyball at that point. It was mostly them throwing the ball at each other. She learnt what volleyball actually was when her brother started playing with others and he would teach her what they taught him.

While she loved playing with her brother, she mentioned that she had a lot of fun playing it with her brother’s friends too. She wished that her school had a proper volleyball team but she didn't mind that they didn’t. As long as she had someone to set for her, she was happy.

After an hour of working on the short essay, Natsu was finally done. Ennoshita praised the young child, who sparkled and glowed with every word. Just like her brother, praise seemed to energize her even more. Before he could suggest that they study another subject, there was a loud thud behind them.

“CHIKAARAAAAAA!”

Well, his peaceful moment was ruined. The spawn of Satan had arrived. Tanaka walked up to them and saw the completed essay on the table. Grinning like a shark, he patted Natsu’s hair and joined in on the praise.

As Tanaka ruffled the little one’s hair, Ennoshita noticed that his arms were dirtied with some kind of white powder. Looking closely, so was his hair and shirt. Realizing that Daichi was definitely not going to be happy about it, he made a mental note to clean up so that the place was spotless for whenever his upperclassmen went to babysit next.

“Since you’re done… How would you like to have some fun?”

“UWAAAAH!! YES YES YES!!”

“Heh,” Tanaka chuckled and bent down to Natsu’s level. “Tell me, Nat-chan. Do you like cookies?”

Natsu lit up again . Any brighter and she could be classified as a star. Before she could answer, Tanaka picked her up and carried her to the kitchen, making airplane noises and swinging her around as he walked. Ennoshita, completely ignored by the two of them, sluggishly stood up and stretched. He may be fit from playing volleyball but his back was not like what it used to be. Maybe he was getting old.

Ennoshita walked into the kitchen and was pleasantly surprised at what he saw. The kitchen was not a total wreck after all. Noya was wiping down the counters, probably cleaning off the white powder Ennoshita saw earlier. At the sink, Tanaka was holding Natsu up as she sang a song while washing her hands. Listening closely, Ennoshita remembers hearing Hinata hum the same song when he washed his hands. If it weren’t for the age difference, he would think the two of them were twins.

On the table were a few bowls filled with different baking needs. He could tell everything was already measured and segregated into dry and wet ingredients. There were towels and mats lying around the tables, chairs and counters. On the floor, newspapers were scattered in order to catch any possible spills. Even the oven was already turned on and pre-heating.

Turning around, Tanaka caught Ennoshita staring. He smirked and let Natsu down, asking her to put on her apron while he went to go talk to Ennoshita.

“What’s on your mind, pretty boy?”

“Don’t call me that. I’m just surprised you guys didn’t cause a hurricane in here.”

“Please, Daichi-san would have killed us. Then Asahi-san would be really sad that Noya-san is dead and I can’t handle a sad Asahi, not even from the grave.”

Tanaka pulled Ennoshita to the table and passed him a piece of paper with two recipes on it. One was for a batch of chocolate chip cookies and another was for brownies.

“Hinata said that he started buying more treats from the bakery when he could because the two of them like how the house smells whenever they bring over freshly baked food. So, Noya-san said that it’s our jobs as his upperclassmen to one-up the bakery and make better-smelling food!”

Ennoshita was impressed. The two boys had really put thought into it. He almost felt bad about the ‘spawn of Satan’ comment until he remembered that Tanaka literally jumped off the second floor just last week, causing Daichi to get mad and have all of them do laps. All because he was in a hurry to get to class and pass by Shimizu in the hallways. 

Something jumping up and down in the corner demanded his attention. One would think it was Natsu, but instead it was Tanaka. He was taking a bunch of pictures of little Natsu in her little apron to send the Karasuno group chat.

Ennoshita knew it for a fact because he could already feel the vibrations in his back pocket. Sighing, he went up to them and smacked the back of Tanaka’s shaved head and told him to stop spamming the groupchat.

As Tanaka lifted Natsu to sit on the chair (which she could do by herself but Ennoshita felt like Tanaka just likes to carry little people), Ennoshita took notice of the lack of a certain someone’s voice.

Turning around, Ennoshita caught Noya trying to tiptoe out of the kitchen. He grabbed the back of Noya’s shirt and saw the boy’s shoulders and hair raise up like he was electrocuted. God, it was like he was dealing with a cat.

“Trying to escape, Nishinoya?” 

Ennoshita held the shirt tighter and lifted the smaller boy to set him down at the table. The libero huffed and crossed his arms, trying to look anywhere else other than the little girl at the table. Thankfully, she was too distracted by the ingredients to notice Noya’s reluctance. Bending down, Ennoshita whispered into Noya’s ear. 

“If you keep this up, Natsu is going to think you don’t like her and she’ll be sad. And if you make Natsu sad, I’m going to tell Asahi.”

Noya froze. He could feel an evil aura radiating from behind him. It was then when Noya realized that Ennoshita was going to be their next captain, because it was the exact type of aura he felt from Daichi and occasionally Suga. 

Nodding, Noya slowly looked towards Natsu and Tanaka while they started to mix the dry ingredients together. He did not try to initiate conversation, but passed them the ingredients they needed and replied when either of the two addressed him.

It wasn’t much, but Ennoshita would take it. In the last two years, he had learnt a lot about compromise when it came to those two.

Letting the duo take the wheel during their baking session, Ennoshita decided to do the dishes while also keeping an eye out on the three of them. He trusted Tanaka to be responsible enough to keep Natsu safe, but then again, there was no guarantee when it came to those too. If this was an anime, Natsu could end up in the oven if he took his eyes off them for one second.

The newspapers were a good call. As they were mixing the ingredients, a good amount of flour dropped to the floor. Noya subtly guesstimated how much flour was lost and sneaked it back into the mixture when Natsu was not looking. Tanaka winked at his best friend over Natsu’s head, sending him a thumbs up. He knew that Noya was uncomfortable with children, so he appreciated the effort.

The chocolate chip mixture was (mostly) a success. Ignoring the fact that there were too many chocolate chips mixed in and the fact that Ennoshita had to talk them out of just pouring the whole mix onto the pan and making one pan-sized cookie, it went smoothly. Noya placed the pan in the oven while Tanaka and Natsu got started on the brownies.

Feeling his stomach grumble, Ennoshita realized that it was almost lunch time. He pulled Noya aside to take over the dishes while he went to heat up the bentos that Hinata’s mother made for them. She prepared them in microwavable containers so Ennoshita decided to just chuck them in the microwave. 

With the oven running, he did not want to turn the stove on as well. Besides, he could cook them something for dinner if they wanted something freshly cooked. Instead of standing around and staring at the microwave as it runs, Ennoshita pulled out some oranges from his bag to make them orange juice.

In the middle of squeezing out a second cup, there was a loud yell that pierced the peaceful atmosphere of the kitchen. Panicked, Ennoshita dropped the orange and turned to the table where Natsu was. Thankfully she was unharmed and so was Tanaka. They had more stains on their clothes than he would have liked but they were still breathing. That left only one person.

Noya was crouched beside the open oven and holding his left arm out in pain.

‘Shit,’ Ennoshita cursed to himself, immediately grabbing a clean towel to pull out the tray of cookies and close the oven. “Noya?” Ennoshita crawled closer to the small boy who was hiding his face in the crook of his arm. He knew the libero enough that Noya was trying to hide his pain. He hated making his friends worry.

“I’m okay. It was just a little hot.”

Frowning, Ennoshita gently took the arm that Noya held out in a vice grip and turned it slowly. There was a very angry red mark on his forearm but it did not look like it broke the skin. Noya probably would not be allowed to practice for three days but it was not as bad as Ennoshita thought. It did look extremely painful though. “C’mon.” Ennoshita ushered Noya up from the floor and brought him to the sink. Noya was still looking down and away from the other two in the room.

“This is going to hurt a little.”

“That’s fine.”

Turning on the tap and putting his own hand under the water to test the temperature first, Ennoshita mentally ran through what he knew about burns. Run them under cool water, check for blisters, spread petroleum jelly or burn lotion on it and then wrap the area up with a nonstick bandage. Glimpsing at Noya’s arm, Ennoshita noted that there were no blisters which meant that it was a first degree burn. The water was at the right temperature so he guided the burn area to the faucet.

“Alright.”

Ennoshita felt Noya’s arm tense up as soon as the water made contact with his skin but did not let any other part of his body do as much as a flinch. Pushing down the sudden thought of ‘ wow, his muscles are really solid ’, Ennoshita focused on the next step.

Unfortunately, he did not have any burn lotion or petroleum jelly and he doubted that Tanaka or Noya brought any either. With the amount of scraps and bruises Hinata gets on a daily basis, it was safe to assume the family had a first aid kit lying around somewhere. He really did not want to snoop around their house, though. This left him with only one option.

“Natsu-chan?”

“Yes, Enno-san?”

Ennoshita could hear the worry in Natsu’s voice. He figured by the lack of noise behind him that the two bakers stopped their mixing when Noya got hurt and have been watching in silence since. Cranking his head back a little, he faced the little girl sitting on Tanaka’s lap. She looked concerned but not worried sick, which is something he could not say about Tanaka.

“Do you guys have a first aid kit?”

“Yes! Nee-chan always gets hurt and Kaa-san said that band-aids don't fix all boo boos! Okaa-san and nee-san refill it every month!”

“That’s wonderful, Natsu-chan. Could you go and get it for me, please?”

He smiled when she yelled out an ‘affirmative’ and he wondered where she learnt that word. ‘Probably from Suga when he talks to Daichi…’ . 

She hopped off Tanaka’s lap and ran out the kitchen. Tanaka announced that he was going to follow her in case the kit was too heavy while already chasing after the little one.

Turning back to Noya, Ennoshita finally got a look at Noya’s face. His cheeks were red and he was frowning. Honestly, Ennoshita expected to see some tears but there weren’t any. The boy was clearly upset about something though.

“Okay. It’s just you and me for about a minute or two. What’s wrong?”

“...I didn’t want to bring attention to myself. Now I ruined their baking and looked weak in front of them… Maybe I even scared Natsu…”

“Okay. And?” Ennoshita frowned and let go of Noya’s arm now that he was not curling in on himself again. He settled both his palms on his hips and turned his whole body to face Noya. “Does it look like their baking experience is ruined? The cookies are perfect and the brownie mix is almost done. Natsu looked more concerned than scared. I bet she would have come over to check on you too if it weren’t for Tanaka’s arm around her. You aren’t being weak, you’re being human.”

“But I don't want to worry her. Or Ryuu. That’s what I want to avoid .”

“If Tanaka cut his finger, would you worry?”

“Yes, but-”

“If Natsu scraped her knee, would you worry?”

“Duh. But-”

“If I got my head sliced off right now, would you worry?”

“No, because I kind of want to do that since you keep cutting me off…”

Ennoshita smacked the back of Noya’s head. In retaliation, Noya used his uninjured hand to sprinkle some water on Ennoshita.

“Shut up. Anyway, do you see my point? When someone gets hurt, the people close to them worry. It’s not a weakness, it’s human . Instead of avoiding it, how about just helping people worry less .”

“How would I do that?”

“By not suppressing how you feel. We can tell when something’s wrong, by the way. In case you didn’t notice. So if you let us know what’s going on we wouldn’t be so concerned about what is wrong and we can even help you with it.”

Noya huffed and turned back to his arm under the water. Knowing he won, Ennoshita smirked and let his hands fall back to his sides. Just in time, too. Both Natsu and Tanaka walked in with the very large first aid kit. Thinking more about it, it made sense. Hinata was very clumsy.

“Thank you, Natsu-chan. How about you and Tanaka-san finish up the brownies while I fix up Noya-san? Then I’ll go buy ice cream from the store so we can eat the hot brownies with something cold. Does that sound good?”

“Yes, yes, yes!” Natsu was jumping again.

Ennoshita grinned and messed her hair a little before tugging Noya to walk out of the room with him. He made sure to give Tanaka a look to be careful in the kitchen, to which the bald eagle saluted. It amused Ennoshita how he looked like a soldier on a mission. They were just making brownies.

In the living room, Ennoshita treated Noya’s wound. It was already starting to look better, which was a good thing because god knows Hinata would freak out if Noya got seriously injured at his house.

Though, Ennoshita convinced Noya to use his right hand to text Hinata an update. Ennoshita figured having Noya admit to Hinata that he got hurt was a step in the right direction about opening up more. Again, he tried to ignore the slight headache he felt when his phone started vibrating non-stop in his back pocket. He didn’t need to check to know it was Hinata asking about Noya.

By the time he was done, Ennoshita heard the oven close. He had about 25 minutes to get the ice cream, maybe 45 if he accounted for the time it would take for the brownies to cool. Seeing as though he does not know how long they’ll be babysitting, he figured he should probably buy some ingredients for dinner. 

Doing some calculations in his head, Ennoshita noticed that cooking for four would take a lot of ingredients and it did not look like the Hinatas had a grocery trolley in their kitchen. He did not want to have all four of them go to the store together because that would simply be inefficient. He couldn’t leave Natsu home alone and Noya would not be able to help carry the groceries anyway so there was only one option left.

“Noya, stay here with Natsu. I’m going to take Tanaka to the store with me.”

“What?! Why?!”

“Groceries are heavy.”

“I can come!”

“If you strain the arm I just spent fifteen minutes wrapping, I will push you in front of a moving car.”

Ennoshita did not give Noya a chance to respond, instead going into the kitchen to check on the two. Natsu was licking the spoon they used to mix the brownies while Tanaka had his whole face inside the bowl. Of course. It wasn’t like Ennoshita could leave Tanaka alone for more than ten minutes. This just cemented the idea of taking Tanaka to the store with him.

Smacking the back of Tanaka’s head, he told them his plans and that Noya was going to play with Natsu while they were gone. Natsu was absolutely delighted to spend more time with the other boy but Ennoshita caught Tanaka’s worried expression. He didn’t give Tanaka a chance to oppose and shoved him to the sink to wash the brownie mixture off his face. Giggling, Natsu stood up to hop off her chair.

Ennoshita forgot about her tendency to hop off high places and nearly spasmed when the chair tilted as she kicked off. It did not fall over and she landed perfectly, running off to the sink to wash her hands as if she didn’t almost break her neck. It was moments like these that made Ennoshita fear for the time he had to become the new captain. Tanaka, Noya, Hinata and Kageyama were more unhinged than any five year olds out there.

Glancing towards the oven, he made a mental note of how much longer they had until the brownies were done. It was not that much time but he already knew what he was going to buy and exactly how much they were going to cost. Being the only financially responsible sibling meant that he was in charge of groceries at home and was very familiar with common grocery items.

“Lost in thought, pretty boy?” Tanaka’s sultry voice was right beside his ear, earning him a smack to the face when Ennoshita turned in shock. “HEY!” Tanaka held a wet hand to his cheek and stared incredulously at his teammate.

“You scared the shit outta me. Serves you right.”

“You could literally see my reflection on the oven! You're the one daydreaming! What were you even thinking about?! Thinking about me, ay?”

Ennoshita flicked Tanaka on the forehead then looked behind him. Natsu was nowhere to be seen. Tanaka let him know that she went to the bathroom, adding that he would have known that if he wasn’t so lost in thought about god knows what. Ennoshita had half a mind left to not shove the wing spiker in the oven right then and there.

“I’m done!”

The two turned their heads to see Natsu skipping to the entrance of the kitchen. With a seven year old present, Ennoshita shoved down his murderous tendencies and ushered the two out of the kitchen.

Grabbing his coat, Ennoshita asked Noya and Natsu to clean up the kitchen while they were gone. He figured that it might help Noya have something to do instead of sitting around awkwardly in the living room. Plus, it wasn't like Noya’s arm was broken. Glancing at the two, he confirmed that it clearly wasn’t since Noya and Tanaka were doing some complex handshake before parting ways.

They said their goodbyes and closed the door behind them. As soon as they heard the lock from the inside, Tanaka took off in a brisk walk causing Ennoshita to chase after him.

“What’s the rush, Tanaka?”

“I don’t really want to see what happens if we leave a ‘can’t handle kids’ teenage boy with a ‘jumping off the walls’ little girl for too long. Either one of them will end up crying or something’s gonna break.”

For once, Ennoshita agreed with Tanaka’s statement. He sped up the pace.

“Come on, Noya-san! Let’s clean the kitchen!”

Noya mumbled a ‘sure’ and walked into the kitchen behind her. She collected all the things that needed to be washed and dumped them into the sink. Noya silently thanked Tanaka for not choosing any of the glass or porcelain bowls to mix the ingredients.

Ennoshita took care of most of the dirty dishes as they were baking, which meant that Noya and Natsu only took five minutes to empty the sink. Natsu sat in front of the oven and watched the brownies bake while Noya cleaned up the newspapers on the floors and chairs. With Natsu’s back to him, Noya watched the little girl and started to wonder what he could do with her that wouldn’t end in pain or tears.

“Are you done, Noya-san?”

“Y-Yes, Natsu-chan.”

“Yay!” She jumps up from her crouching position and beams at Noya. “Can we watch TV?”

Yes, that was definitely something he could do with her. He was ashamed that he didn’t think of it sooner. He couldn’t believe he thought of playing ‘hide and seek but leave her hiding’ before he thought of watching the television.

“Of course, Natsu-chan.”

As soon as Noya gave the affirmative, Natsu ran out of the kitchen. Noya heard the television turn on and sighed in relief. He grabbed two cookies before following her, ignoring the Ennoshita-like voice in his head telling him that they shouldn’t have desserts before their meals. He was a rebel like that.

When Noya got to the living room, he saw that Natsu had picked out a sports anime. A volleyball one. He thanked whatever entity was out there that even the stuff she watched was something he could relate to so that if she did speak to him, he would know how to respond. Which was exactly what happened the second he sat down.

“You play with my nii-chan, right?”

“Yes I do,” he mumbled and passed her one of the cookies before edging closer to the other side of the couch. “I’m the libero.”

“Oh! You’re the cool one my nii-chan likes! I think liberos are cool! You go zoom and zwaam and everyone goes gwaaaah ! One day, I want to watch you play!”

Noya flushed from all the praise. Typically he’ll take it in stride and play it up. Especially since he was pretty sure he had heard those exact words from their Hinata and he did his usual ‘awesome senpai’ routine. But in the small living room with only him and a little girl that he was so worried about scaring away, he suddenly didn’t feel like creating a display.

“Maybe next time. I can’t play for a while…”

“Oh. Because of your boo boo?”

“Yeah…”

Natsu pouted then turned to pay more attention to the show in front of them. The main character was teaching his little sister how to play volleyball on their back porch. Noya considered teaching Natsu how to receive a ball or do his ‘rolling thunder’ move since he was pretty sure the others helped her with spiking and serving more than defensive moves. Maybe next time.

The silence did not last for too long, though. As was expected with a young child that had Hinata’s DNA.

“Was it scary, Noya-san?”

Noya glanced to his left. Natsu was still fixated on the television but her hands were fiddling with the remote.

“What was, Natsu-chan?”

“Getting burned.”

Noya saw her worriedly look at his bandaged arm for a split second before turning back to the television. He could tell that she wasn’t paying as much attention to the screen anymore.

“It was and it hurt, so don’t do something stu- Uhm. Dumb. Don’t do something dumb like me.”

“I won’t. I promise. I’m small so nii-san says that I need to take care of myself more, especially since I'm a Hinata. Kaa-san cuts her finger a lot when she cooks too.”

Oh God. Of course it ran in their blood. No wonder they had a massive first aid kit.

“It was so scary and it looked like a really bad boo boo but you didn’t even cry! You’re so strong, Noya-san.”

“Natsu-chan, I-”

“You’re like nii-chan and kaa-san!”

“They burn themselves often?”

“No. They’re in pain a lot. They always try to hide it from me… They try to protect me from being hurt like them. Like superheroes! And superheroes are cool! You’re like a superhero, Noya-san!”

Noya’s eyes shined and felt a slight pout form on his face from how wholesome and sweet Natsu was. The libero took a second to gather his bearings and stood up from his curled position on the couch. He crouched down in front of Natsu to get on her level (he didn't have to crouch much) and roughed up her hair.

“Thank you, Natsu. I hope you don’t try to hide your feelings, though. Little kids should never hide things from their big brothers and mothers.”

“Of course! I always tell nii-chan when I'm sad. Sometimes I wish he was sad around me more… I don’t like it when he’s sad in his room because I'm not there to give him hugs. You too, Noya-san! I’m not scared! When you’re hurt you can cry! I’ll be there to give you tissues and kiss your boo boo!”

Natsu took Noya’s hand that was still on her head and brought it down gently, as if Noya had a broken bone and not a first-degree burn. She kissed the bandage that wrapped his burn then rested her cheek on his palm.

“Nii-chan says that you're his team’s guardian angel, but he never told me if you had one. Do you have a guardian angel too, Noya-san? Because I can be yours!”

That was it. That was what made Noya crack. Nevermind the fact that she had gotten ‘guardian deity’ confused for ‘guardian angel’. It just made the entire thing more wholesome. He’d have to tell Asahi that his position as Noya’s protector had been taken over by a little girl with the brightest eyes he had ever seen. In less than a second, Noya sprung forward and hugged the little girl. He really hoped that she didn’t notice the slight watery shine in his eyes.

“I’d love to have you as my guardian angel, Natsu-chan. I’ll be yours too.”

“Yay!” Natsu circled her arms around him and he could feel her jump in her seat. “I have so many guardian angels, no one can ever hurt me!”

“And no one ever will.”

Noya made a silent promise that he would do anything to protect this little ray of sunshine. He could always just apologize to Daichi and Suga later if he ended up in jail but it would be worth it.

After their little moment, Natsu became engrossed in her show again. Apparently the main character snuck into a different school’s training camp even though he wasn’t invited. Noya really hoped none of the Hinatas would take inspiration from the main character.

At some point, Natsu ended up on Noya’s lap while he had his arms around her little waist, resting his chin on the top of her head while they watched in silence. They did not talk much afterwards, both pretty interested with what was happening on screen.

The only time they untangled was when Noya went to take the brownies out of the oven. Natsu followed him to make sure that he did not hurt himself again since it was her job as a protector. He attributed the warmth in his chest to the oven instead of the little angel behind him. When they were back on the couch, Natsu jumped up on his lap and they returned to their position.

They were still sat like that and watching the next episode when they heard the sound of keys jingling and Tanaka and Ennoshita coming in. Noya could tell that they were panting and rushed through getting their shoes off. They were five minutes later than they said they would take, which probably explained why they sounded disheveled.

“Sorry! Sorry, Tanaka couldn’t control himself.”

“Me?! Oi, you’re the one who–”

The two stopped at the entrance of the living room, staring at the sight in front of them. Noya grinned at his teammates and gave them a wink. Natsu finally noticed their presence and hopped down from Noya’s lap to jump on Tanaka, yelling out a ‘welcome home’ as she did so. 

“Did you guys have fun?”

“We had so much fun! We cleaned and watched anime! Noya-san even gave me a cookie!”

Noya looked away from them but he could still feel Ennoshita’s sharpened glare. Before he could say anything, Natsu announced that she was hungry and unknowingly saved Noya from certain death. Ennoshita urged them all into the kitchen and pulled out the bentos while Tanaka and Natsu packed up the groceries.

“Noya,” Ennoshita beckoned the libero to the table, away from the other two. “So, did you get over your fear of children?”

“I don’t have a fear of children.”

“Lie.”

“Fine. No, I didn’t. But… She’s okay, I guess.”

Cheeks red, Noya walked away from the table to grab some chopsticks. Ennoshita smirked. Natsu could really win the hearts of anyone.

If someone were to walk in on the four of them having lunch, they would describe the scene as incredibly domestic. Ennoshita was sitting at the head of the table and listening in on the conversation with a smile while eating his brownie and ice cream mix after having finished his bento faster than the others. Tanaka and Natsu were the slowest eaters, mainly because they kept talking in between bites, complete with grand hand gestures to emphasize their points. Noya was sitting between Ennoshita and Tanaka, silently finishing off his bento but contributing more to the conversation than he would have an hour ago.

After lunch, they settled back on the couch to continue the show that Natsu and Noya were watching while the other two were out. Natsu didn’t hesitate to climb on Noya’s lap and settle herself underneath his chin. Tanaka and Ennoshita didn’t mind that she didn’t even consider cuddling with them when they saw how happy it made their friend.

“It’s good that Mr. Socially Awkward here doesn’t scare you, Nat-chan.” 

“ Oi! ”

Noya threw a cushion at Tanaka’s head, knowing that his best friend could not retaliate since Natsu was on his lap and not Tanaka’s. Natsu turned away from the television for a moment to give Tanaka a weird look.

“Why would I be scared of Noya-san? He’s shorter than my nii-chan and my nii-chan is harmless. So what can Noya-san do?”

Ennoshita snorted so hard he felt the water he was drinking go up his nose and back into the cup.

“Also, the tall Jesus guy looked way more scary but he was really nice! So, Noya-san can’t be that bad even if he was taller!”

Now, all three boys were laughing at her description of Asahi. Noya couldn’t wait to tell him about this during their late night calls. He asked Natsu if she wanted to hear more stories about Asahi or their other friends outside of volleyball practices and she happily nodded. It was like watching a puppy wag its tail.

They talked and watched for hours. Even when Ennoshita had to go and make dinner, they never stopped. Ennoshita wasn’t even surprised that the three of them managed a constant conversation while also paying attention to the show. He had accepted that their attention spans were like no other.

Again, he felt awfully domestic as he chopped the vegetables in the kitchen with the sounds of laughter and the television in the background

When he was done, he walked out to call them in for dinner but paused at the sight. The three of them were in a cuddle heap at the end of the couch with Natsu on Noya’s lap, Noya on Tanaka’s lap and Tanaka’s arms around them both. He knew that the two best friends have always been affectionate and comfortable around each other, but the scene in front of him was downright wholesome . He even noticed a gap beside Tanaka that he knew was reserved for him.

Ennoshita subtly snapped a picture on his phone and sent it to the group chat before making his way back to the kitchen. He decided to just move their food into bowls so that they can eat it on the couch instead of untangling and eating at the table.

A ping from his phone distracted him from his task and he saw that most of the group had saved the picture he sent and Hinata replied.

karasuno crows (caw caw)

sunshine :

gwaaaah that’s so cute! 

kinda dont want to go home anymore so you guys can continue your moment ><

eh no :

I made tamago kake gohan

sunshine :

…

telling my mum to break the speed limit brb

captain crow :

Hinata, no .