Work Text:
As Tetta walks home from cram school, he suddenly feels a cold splash hit his nose and he looks up in surprise at dark, cloudy skies.
“Oh, no,” Hinata says from beside him, holding a hand in front of her with her palm facing upwards. “I didn’t think it would rain today… what do we do?”
Neither of them had brought umbrellas, and they still have most of the walk left. “It’s only a little bit right now,” Tetta says hesitantly. “Maybe we’ll make it back before it gets worse.”
She nods and they continue along, Hinata filling the space with chatter while Tetta comments now and then, but it isn’t long before they have to take cover under a store awning. Rain pelts the ground, ricocheting and wetting their shoes. As it gets stronger, the sound becomes a continuous whisper, along with the rustle of the wind in the trees.
The cold cutting through the fabric of his clothes makes Tetta grimace. He never does well with this kind of weather; it makes him feel weak and irritable and all he wants is to go home.
“My parents are at work right now,” Hinata says, pursing her lips. “Is there anyone who can pick you up?”
Tetta shakes his head. Only his nanny would be available now, but she can’t drive anyway.
“Alright, then.” Hinata puffs up, determination on her face. “We’re gonna run for it, Kisaki-kun!”
“Wait, what?” Tetta starts, but he only has a second to be bewildered before Hinata grabs his hand and tugs him down the sidewalk. “Hold on—” he tries, but the protest dies in his throat when he realizes how soft and warm Hinata’s hand is.
He lets her drag him with her, watching his feet so he doesn’t trip. Rain hits his glasses, droplets distorting his view and making it impossible to see anything except for the pink blur of Hinata’s hair. Their shoes hit the pavement loudly, and Tetta is glad he decided to wear long pants after he accidentally steps in a puddle and splashes water up his legs.
The way home feels so much longer than usual, and just as breathing in the cold air starts to become difficult, they come to a stop. Tetta bumps into Hinata’s back and pulls away quickly, muttering a quiet apology. He takes his hand back reluctantly, removing his glasses so he can wipe them off on his shirt.
“Phew,” Hinata says, rubbing her wrist across her face. “We made it!”
Tetta doesn’t know if he’d call getting drenched in rain ‘making it’, but he’s not going to say that. He just nods, putting his glasses back on and looking around. That’s when he realizes that he’s somewhere unfamiliar.
“I just ran back to my house without thinking,” Hinata says sheepishly, trying to squeeze water out of her ponytail. “But it doesn’t look like it’s getting any better, so you should just come over!”
He’s never been to Hinata’s house before. They live in the same neighborhood, but on different streets. There’s never been an opportunity for Tetta to walk Hinata all the way home.
“A-Are you sure?” he stutters, hands tightening around the straps of his backpack. “I don’t want to intrude…”
“Don’t worry! I bet my mom left food in the fridge, and we can dry off, too. Unless your parents want you home?” Hinata tilts her head at him, but he doesn’t think she’s expecting anything from him, so it would be easy to make an excuse and say he has to go.
But he wants to stay. He really wants to stay.
Tetta shuffles in place, looking away uncomfortably. “I can stay, if you want…” He’ll just have to remember to call his nanny and tell her he’ll be late.
“Yay!” Hinata cheers, grinning at him. “I haven’t had a friend over in a while, this will be fun!”
A friend. Tetta’s face grows warm and he can’t help but smile a little bit, chewing on the inside of his cheek. He shivers in place while Hinata unlocks the front door, and the warm air that flows over him as it opens soothes his goosebumps. His heart pounds a little harder than it usually does when he’s around Hinata.
“Where’s Naoto?” Tetta asks, secretly hoping he’s not at home. He follows Hinata’s lead, toeing off his shoes in the entryway and setting his backpack down against the wall.
“Oh, he’s still at his club meeting! He won’t be home for a while, I think.”
Tetta hasn’t ever been this lucky. Even top scores on national mock exams don’t make him feel this way.
She hangs up her jacket and gestures at Tetta to do the same, so he does. His hair sticks to his face uncomfortably and he tries to swipe it away, but his hands are damp too, so it doesn’t help much.
“Oh, right, let me get towels!” Hinata skips down the hall out of sight, then returns with two big fluffy towels bundled in her arms. She hands him one with a repeating clover design on it.
For a moment, he just watches while she takes her ponytail out and drapes her towel over the top of her head, squeezing it to absorb the moisture. Before she can catch him looking, Tetta follows suit and dries his head vigorously.
“Ah, your hair is going to get all frizzy like that!” Hinata reaches out and grabs his hands to stop him from moving, and Tetta goes stock still. Readjusting her grip on the towel, she pats at his head more gently, draping the towel around his neck when she’s satisfied. “You have nice hair, Kisaki-kun.”
“Thank you,” he says, blushing furiously from the proximity and being complimented. He hopes he can pass the redness off as a result of the cold, because Hinata’s cheeks are rosy too and that must be the reason why.
When she finishes drying off as much as she can, she shakes out her hair and wraps the towel around her shoulders like a shawl. Tetta blinks at her. He’s never seen her with her hair down before, and it frames her face cutely. He wants to touch it.
“Hmm, are you hungry?” They’ve been standing in the hallway this whole time, but she finally steps further into the house and heads for the kitchen. Tetta drifts a few steps behind her while she peeks into the fridge. “Ooh, there’s leftover curry.” She pulls out the container and sets it on the counter, then steps over to the rice cooker. “And Mom made rice!”
Tetta’s stomach growls quietly. He does usually eat when he goes home after school, and curry with rice on a rainy day—or any day, really—is one of his favorite meals. He doesn’t want to ask for it, though, but Hinata seems to read his mind as she brings out two bowls and starts scooping out equal portions to heat up.
Soon enough, Tetta is seated at the dining table with a hot serving of food and a cup of tea he hadn’t even noticed Hinata brewing. When he takes a tentative sip, the liquid soothes his throat and warms him up from the inside. He sighs in contentment almost involuntarily.
They eat mostly in silence, but it isn’t awkward or uncomfortable. Tetta doesn’t feel unwelcome even though he’s in an unfamiliar place. The only weird feeling is that of being alone with Hinata for the first time ever, sitting right across from her in her own home.
He tends to eat quickly, so he finishes before Hinata does. Feeling antsy waiting for her, he decides to get up and wash his dishes at the sink.
“Oh, you don’t have to do that, Kisaki-kun,” she says, pausing with her spoon halfway to her mouth.
“It’s okay,” he shakes his head, giving her a small smile. “I want to.”
Hinata just looks at him for a moment, and he can’t help but wonder what she sees. “Okay,” she nods, grinning happily. “You’re so polite!”
Tetta ducks his head, looking down at his soapy bowl instead. Why does she keep complimenting him? Does she want something? Hinata has always been nicer to him than anyone else has, and he can’t figure out the reason.
The naive part of him hopes it’s just because she likes him. But he’s heard the things people say. That he’s creepy, that he’s heartless. Why? Because he’s smart and he studies hard? It’s not fair, but he’s understood for a while now that people can be cruel. He isn’t seeking anyone’s approval, anyway. It just feels good to have Hinata’s attention.
He jumps when he feels a presence at his side, turning his head to see Hinata. She’d finished eating while he was thinking, and she takes the clean dishes from his hands to set them on the drying rack before taking care of her own. She hums while she washes them, whistling now and then, and Tetta loses his sense of self restraint as he observes her profile.
Before he can rethink it, his hand reaches out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. It’s soft and almost slips through his fingers, but moving it aside reveals the side of her face with the birthmark near her lips. Her gaze flicks over to meet his and he pulls away immediately.
“S-Sorry!” Tetta gasps, clutching his hand to his chest and only then realizing he hadn’t even dried it. He decides to lie. “There was a piece of rice.”
Hinata looks at him curiously for a second and then nods with a smile. “Thanks!”
She finishes washing up while Tetta’s heart rate goes back to normal. He shouldn’t have done that, but he couldn’t help it. He’s glad Hinata’s not mad.
Looking out the window, the rain is still coming down hard and the sky has only gotten darker. It seems like this will last for a while.
“We could do some homework together,” Hinata muses while drying her hands. “I’m a little behind in English.”
Tetta nods, relieved she’d suggested it. He’s not behind, but he wants to get a head start on his math homework and see if he can start reading the next chapter in his textbook. He’s pretty good at English too, so if Hinata gets stuck, she can ask him for help.
Hinata swings back to the entryway to pick up her bag and Tetta’s, handing it to him.
“Where are we going?” Tetta asks, confused.
“My room! My books are in there, and it’s usually a little warmer too for some reason.”
She doesn’t second guess herself before going down the hall, so all he can do is follow her.
Tetta doesn’t know how she can so confidently invite him into her space like this, but it must mean she trusts him on some level. He’s not sure what to expect when he enters; he’s never been in a girl’s room before.
The first thing he notices are trinkets on every surface. Along the windowsill, there are little glass figurines of dolphins in varying shades of blue and green and white, posed gracefully as if captured mid-dive. There are some scattered papers on the desk, which Tetta realizes is piano sheet music when he peers closer.
He remembers Hinata talking about music classes before, but wasn’t sure if it was just because her parents enrolled her in it or because she really liked it. Maybe one day he can hear her play.
There’s a mostly filled bookshelf against one wall, with titles Tetta recognizes and many he doesn’t.
“Helen Keller?” Tetta asks, surprised when he sees a whole row of her novels.
Hinata looks up at him from setting out her homework on the low table, seeming a little embarrassed. “Oh, I’ve been working on reading her books. Do you know about her?”
Tetta knows a little, but he’s more interested in hearing about it from Hinata, so he shakes his head.
“I learned about her in school, how she couldn’t see or hear but still accomplished so much.” She comes up to the shelf and pulls out a book titled The Story of my Life and runs a hand over the cover. “I thought it was really inspiring, so I wanted to learn more about her and ended up borrowing books from the library. My mom bought me some for my birthday last year, too.”
Tetta also thinks it’s incredible that people can make the best of their circumstances and surpass expectations with enough determination. It’s the kind of strength he admires, and knowing that Hinata feels similarly makes him feel stronger, too.
“They’re kind of hard to read, though, so I’m going slowly. This one is her autobiography.” There are a lot of sticky notes sticking out from the pages of the book. Before now, Tetta didn’t know anyone else that took notes on the things they read like that. He thinks maybe she’d be interested in his book collection, too.
“That’s really cool,” he says honestly. He runs his fingertips lightly over the spines of other books on the shelf, committing interesting titles to his memory so he can check them out later and talk with her about them.
“Naoto and I both read a lot,” Hinata says, returning to her homework on the floor. “Our dad is really serious about our studies, so I guess it just became a habit! He used to pick out our books for us,” she laughs. “I’m glad he lets us choose, now.”
“I like reading, too.” Tetta pulls out his math workbook and props it open on his knees, cross legged on the ground.
Hinata hums in acknowledgement. “I always see you with your head buried in a book, even when the teacher gives us breaks! Maybe if I read even more, I could be as smart as you, Kisaki-kun.”
“You’re already smart, Tachibana.” He chews on his lip. It’s true, he always checks her scores along with his when they get posted, and she’s always in the first column of students like him.
“Aww, but it must be nice to always get the top scores! You probably could go to any school you wanted to.” She props her chin in her hand, not looking discouraged, but thoughtful.
Tetta tries to hide his frown. “I don’t know.” He’s never sure what to say. His parents will probably just send him off to the best elite school they can find. Sometimes he thinks about what he might be missing out on because of all the time he spends on studying and can’t help but wonder what would happen if he stopped. But some habits are hard to break.
“You’ve got a lot on your plate, don’t you?” Tetta looks up from a long division problem to see Hinata watching him, honest eyes fixed on his.
“It’s normal,” he murmurs, averting his gaze. Staying focused in school and excelling is how he’d been told his parents came to success. If he follows the same path and stays out of trouble, he could expect the same. Other kids might be mean, but adults like that he’s smart and polite and keeps to himself. It’s easy for him, so he doesn’t mind it that much. Better not to draw unwanted scrutiny by acting out.
“Just don’t forget that you’re a kid, too, okay?”
Tetta doesn’t know what to say to that, so he just nods. That response should satisfy her, even though he doesn’t plan on changing anything about what he does. She looks away after a moment, letting him breathe, and they work in silence for a little while.
“Kisaki-kun?” Hinata eventually asks, looking frustrated. “Can you help me with this?” She slides her English homework closer to him, pointing at a page of sentences to translate. “I’m still having trouble with subject, verb, and object order.”
Tetta nods, trying not to look too eager. “It's not that different from Japanese. Just switch the verb and object.” He takes the opportunity to lean in closer as he explains—just a little bit. The ends of her hair brush his shoulder. Hopefully, Hinata is too focused on the words to notice the tremor in his hand.
She purses her lips, eyebrows scrunching. “What do you mean ‘switch’?”
The translation feels obvious to him and he isn’t sure why it’s not so clear to her. Grabbing her pencil, he circles the characters for ‘apple’ and ‘eat’ in the first Japanese sentence. “If you swap the positions of these, then it’ll be right.”
Hinata nods, taking the pencil back from his hand and tapping it against her nose in thought. Tetta watches the repetitive motion and the way the eraser presses into her skin. “I… eat… apple,” she sounds out as she writes. She glances up at him for approval.
It’s a nice look on her, curious and uncertain, but he shakes his head. “That’s not it. It’s missing something.”
She hums to herself, thinking about it. “An apple. I eat an apple,” she says in English.
“Mhm,” Tetta confirms, glad she had picked it up fairly easily. “The other ones should be basically the same.”
Already beginning to translate the next sentence, she looks more confident. “I think I get it.” Filling out a few more, Tetta approves each one with only a few corrections.
“Thanks for explaining it to me, Kisaki-kun,” Hinata says. “You really helped me out!”
Another compliment. It surprises him; he’s always called a know-it-all when he tries to explain anything. No one ever wants explanations, anyways. They just want their homework done by someone smart who can do it fast. Tetta has just enough pride to refuse them, but that wasn’t always the case.
“I didn’t do that much,” he shrugs, trying to brush it off. “You figured it out quickly.”
“It’s all thanks to you!” Her smile is the most genuine one he’s ever seen.
Ah. Tetta doesn’t know how he’ll survive much more of this.
For a while, the only sounds in the room are the scritch-scratch of pencils and rain pattering against the window. Tetta finishes the lesson he’d been assigned this week and starts reading the next, but eventually gets distracted when his eyes keep flickering up over and over to see what Hinata is doing.
She’d tied her hair back up to keep it from getting in her eyes, and she fidgets a lot. Tapping the end of her pencil against her forehead, drumming her fingers on the table, drawing squiggles on the paper while she thinks. She hums softly to herself, like she had while washing dishes, and it makes Tetta wonder what she sounds like when she sings.
Eventually, she sets her pencil down and leans back on her hands, tilting her head side to side. “Ahh, I don’t want to study anymore!”
Looking at the clock, it’s been almost two hours since they had gotten here. Tetta is a bit tired as well. The rain outside sounds quieter than it had earlier. His chest pangs; he doesn’t want to go home just yet. He wants to learn more about Hinata, in this place where there’s no one else around to judge him and he doesn’t feel like he has to hide.
He wants more of Hinata being focused on him, and only him.
The sound of a lock clicking and a door creaking open from outside the room startles Tetta out of his thoughts, and he stiffens in surprise.
“That must be Naoto!” Hinata says, sitting up. “Maybe a clubmate’s parents drove him home, I hope he didn’t walk back in the rain.”
Tetta’s heart sinks in his chest. It looks like his time alone with Hinata is over, whether rain or shine. He looks down at his worksheets on the table and begins gathering them together, neatly placing them back into a folder before putting it into his bag.
“Oh,” Hinata says, looking at him. “You don’t have to go! Naoto won’t care.”
“That’s okay,” Tetta replies, kicking himself internally. He doesn’t have a problem with Naoto, really, but he’s already getting the feeling of unwanted eyes prickling against his skin. It’s one thing to be stared at in school, but in someone else’s home, he really is intruding. “My parents want me home soon,” he lies.
“Nee-san!” a voice calls from the hallway, getting closer. “I’m home! Is there food?” Naoto’s head pops into view from the doorway, and he blinks in surprise at what he sees. “Oh, hi, Kisaki-kun.”
Tetta feels his cheeks warm like he’s been caught doing something wrong. “Hello.”
“There should be just enough rice and curry,” Hinata says to her brother’s question.
“Okie-doke,” Naoto says easily, popping out as quickly as he’d popped in. When Tetta finishes packing his bag and looks back up at Hinata, her cheeks are pink for some reason.
“Are you okay?” he asks, peering at her curiously.
“I’m fine!” she squeaks, shaking her head and standing up, leaving her homework strewn on the table and floor.
“Okay.” He’s doubtful, but he doesn’t want to push. “Well… I should go.” It surprises him how much he hates saying it.
Hinata nods as Tetta stands up, brushing his hands on his pants. He takes what he hopes is a subtle glance around at the room, wanting to commit it to memory in case he never gets this chance again.
He remembers his politeness, just barely. “Um, thank you for having me.” The words come out awkwardly as he bows slightly. The unexpected interruption had shattered whatever sense of comfort he’d fallen into.
“Don’t worry about it!” Hinata says quickly, shaking her hands in front of her. “It’s not like I would’ve left you in the rain, y’know?”
But she could have, if she really wanted to. It’s not as if she owed him anything… and even if she had, now Tetta is the one in debt to her. Or maybe they’re even, because he helped with her homework? He isn’t entirely sure.
Regardless, he nods and thanks her again, following her out to the main room once again. Naoto sits at the dining table where Tetta had sat not long ago, eating the same food, drinking the same tea. He tries to imagine what it looks like when Hinata sits there with him, or when their parents do. He can almost hear the imaginary conversations of what their days were like, the clatter of dishes as they share plates.
At home, he always eats his meals alone, quietly.
Naoto looks up from his food as if feeling Tetta’s eyes on him, and Tetta doesn’t look away quickly enough. “Are you leaving, Kisaki-kun?”
“Ah, yeah. Sorry for intruding.” He bows to Naoto too, and feels silly when he remembers they’re the same age. Naoto just nods and shovels a spoonful of rice into his mouth.
Hinata doesn’t speak as Tetta methodically puts on his shoes and coat, swinging his backpack onto his shoulders. It makes him nervous.
“Uh—”
“Um!”
They speak at the same time, staring at each other wide-eyed. “Sorry,” Tetta mumbles.
“You should come over again, Kisaki-kun!”
Tetta wonders if he’d heard her correctly. Today had been a random turn of events, but to be invited on purpose…
“That… that would be nice.” He can barely meet her eyes, but he tightens his fists and finds his words. “Y-you could come to my house sometime, too, if you wanted to…”
“Really?” Hinata asks, eyes lighting up. She leans forward with a grin. “Do you promise to let me look at your books?”
Tetta can’t help but blush; does the idea of it really excite her that much? He nods mutely, trying to smile back. “If that’s what you want.”
“Okay, then. Next time!”
The promise of a next time is more than he could have hoped for. It almost makes him dizzy, so he decides to leave before it can get any worse. Opening the door, Tetta peers up at the sky, surprised to see clear, dark blue as it begins to fade into night. The only signs of the storm that had come and gone are the dark clouds retreating behind the distant mountains.
“Bye, Tachibana,” he says, giving her a short wave.
“See you at cram school next week! Bye-bye!” She waves at him cheerfully, smiling with her eyes closed and one hand tucked behind her back. Tetta can’t help but think how cute she is.
As he walks, avoiding the many puddles in the road, his mind drifts to indulgent thoughts. Ones where he imagines Hinata in his space, in his room, among his things, and becoming a part of it. Maybe she would ask to borrow a book and he would let her, because he trusts her to bring it back in good condition—and it would be a reason for her to come back.
His hands squeeze tightly around the straps of his backpack, and his stomach flutters. Tetta purses his lips closed against the smile that threatens to break free, taking the last steps around the block to his own home faster until he’s nearly jogging. He’s already out of breath by the time he makes it back, but he hardly feels the burn in his lungs.
It doesn’t matter if everyone else scorns him, as long as Hinata still looks his way. To be able to bask in that sunlight would make it all worth it.
—