Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Hinata had always been a very lonely child for reasons even he himself did not know, nor understand. That wasn't to say he was physically alone or particularly isolated from others, no, rather it was the exact opposite. In fact, Hinata had generally always found himself surrounded by others whose love and friendship he cherished a great deal. The thing was though, to cherish was different than to form a bond, and despite most grouping them together as one in the same, that difference is what made Hinata as lonely as he was. Hinata had always cherished the friends he'd made, but he had never formed an attachment to them and he had never truly held that true emotional bond which always seemed to evade him, just beyond reach.

It was odd in a sense, for he could always tell the exact moment when others formed that elusive bond with him. A sudden, 'Hey, can we talk?' Followed by particularly emotional conversations of which he'd silently listen and provide comfort with company. A sudden gift on a holiday that they had spent weeks thinking about, fearful that they may have picked the wrong thing. A face of relief, happiness, and instant relaxation when he returned from a few sick days out. There were many different instances of this bond being formed with him, but never any of him forming this bond with others. He'd done many things of which he thought would help in aiding this bond to form though. From memorizing others' likes and dislikes, to checking on sick friends after school, to sharing things like his odd fear of heights despite his dreams to soar on the court, Hinata went to great lengths to form this bond and the results were always found in the negative.

It wasn't like things were always like this though. He could easily recall his bond with several people throughout kindergarten and elementary, but after fifth grade passed all that changed in but an instant. He still couldn't pinpoint the exact time, but what he could distinctly remember was approaching an old elementary friend on his first day of school. The two began talking, reminiscing on the past and questioning each other about the summer. By the end of the conversation, Hinata walked away with a bright smile and the severed string which used to bond them together.

"Shoyo! Breakfast!" Called the ever familiar and comforting voice of his younger sister who reminded him everyday that he was not completely incapable of that bond, shown by the tight string which joined them at the hip. Perhaps it was because they were family, but the string with his mother was thin and flimsy, so he couldn't exactly say that either. Nevertheless, Hinata quickly gathered the rest of his things for his first day of highschool and jogged out of his room to the dining room table where his mother finished setting down the last plate of food. "Morning, mom," Hinata spoke out softly as his eyes shifted to count the number of plates on the table before he smiled sadly to himself. There were just three, good. "Did you sleep well? Take your medicine?" He questioned her as he always had while his younger siblings climbed into her chair to begin eating before everyone else even sat down. 

"Ah, good morning, Shoyo," His mother smiled slightly, looking a bit frail, but stable nonetheless. "I slept okay, a few wake ups but fine overall, and yes. Thank you for sorting it for me yesterday, it was very helpful." She pulled out his seat as she spoke to which he smiled and bowed his head a bit in thanks before shaking it as he took his seat. "Course, ma, anything to help." With these last simple words, he waited for her to sit and then began to join his sister in clearing his plate with their mother eating at a slower pace but eating nonetheless, which was all he really cared about. He had been the first to finish, much due to the fact that Natsu chose to have a heaping load of seconds, and took a quick moment to kiss them both on the forehead before departing as to not be late. 

The cool morning wind felt wonderful against his skin as he rode his bike carefully down the hill, taking in the sights of the nature around him which shifted to a more urbanized space as he entered town and neared his new highschool. He wondered if his streak, or lack thereof, would continue on at this school or if he'd find sudden change. He hoped for the ladder, but throughout his life, albeit shorter than others, he had learned not to get his hopes up too much, especially regarding others and himself alike. Parking his bike at the rack, he locked it down and with a deep breath he put on his brightest smile and ventured through the doors, followed by and following many other students all filing into their respective classes. He had already earned a few looks from others, though they were not negative and mostly just plain curiosity of his new and unique appearance compared to others due to his soft orange hair and gentle features.

He hadn't focused on them much though. and instead quietly made his way to class only to be stopped by a girl looking rather panicked and near tears as she ruffled through her bag. "Uhm, excuse me?" Hinata spoke up in a soft tone as to not frighten her, though was still met but a jump followed by a clumsy bow of apology. "I'm so sorry! I d-didn't mean to block the way! Please forgive me!" She stumbled with tightly closed eyes, making even Hinata get affected with her obvious nervous panic attack. "No, no. I was just wondering if you were okay? Did you lose something?" He tilted his head and scratched his cheek a bit as he then watched her look up with surprise from his concern. 

"U-uhm! Well…Yeah. I tried to make sure I had everything I needed before I left but I forgot my uhm…my…lucky pencil…" She spoke sheepishly and with cheeks red from the embarrassment of the childish statement that made Hinata hum in thought. She knew it was stupid, that he'd probably laugh at her for something so small, but it really meant a lot to her. "Hmm…well this may not be your lucky pencil, but here." Hinata spoke, taking the girl aback as he pulled a character pencil from his bag. To him it was just the chibi version of some anime character which his sister was oddly enamored with, but to the girl in front of him, it was an omen of great fortune. The pencil looked exactly like her own which she had been missing and she had to stop herself from breaking into tears as it was handed to her. 

"T…Thank you so much!" She smiled brightly now, finding her heart skipping a beat as it was returned by a warm smile from the boy before her. "Of course, I hope it provides as much luck as your own does." His voice was light, calm, and comforting. It easily eased her mind and caused her to slowly nod along with a newly founded relaxation. "Well, good luck!" He offered a thumbs up in the end then took his leave with the girl only watching him depart like an angel had just visited her and left before she could say any more. He left so quickly, in fact, that he even failed to notice the glittering string which stretched out from the pencil and connected to his pinky finger.

“Alright class, settle down. We have a new student I’d like to introduce,” Spoke the calm and already tired voice of the class 1-1 teacher, Mrs.Suzuki, “Come on in.” She thus turned her attention to the door, followed by the other students who grew quieter in heavy curiosity as to their new classmate. Would it be a girl or a boy? Would they be attractive? What was their personality like? Where would they rank in the school? Had they already decided on a particular club to join? All of these questions floated about the slightly tense air as the door slid open and revealed, an angel? “Hello…” One soft voice managed to encapsulate the entire class at once as a boy with shoulder length peachy orange hair entered the room. With this entrance alone a few things could be confirmed about the new student. he was a guy, but with features androgynous enough to easily pass as a girl, He was in fact very attractive in a soft and cutesy way, and most importantly, he was most definitely some sort of angel. What was the name of this angel?

“Please introduce yourself to the class.” Mrs.Suzuki came in clutch as the young man nodded at her request, providing an avenue for the question on everyone's mind. Nice. “Hi, my name is Hinata Shoyo. It's nice to meet you, I’ll be in your care.” Hinata bowed with his hands together as they held his bag in front of him. Hinata Shoyo, what a fitting name for such a being. ‘The Sun’ and ‘Fly’ all neatly tied up into the perfect name just for him. “Hinata, you can take that seat in the third row, by the window.” Even the teacher offered him a gentle smile as she gestured to the seat in question, leading to a smile from him in return. “Thank you, miss.” With a final quick head bow, Hinata made his way to his newly assigned seat and settled into the desk while placing his bag flush to the side of his chair. At last it was time to truly begin his first day at Karasuno. 

Chapter Text

The first half of the school day passed in a slightly surprising fashion for the teen tangerine. Not because anything particularly eventful happened, but rather because of all the new people who'd approached him randomly in the hall and class. In middle school his friends used to always refer to him as the popular kid, able to befriend anyone, but, with his lack of true emotional connections with others, he failed to truly believe in their words of praise. In the end, he’d assumed himself to be an average student with good grades and a simple knack for making others smile. He truly had no clue that he'd get as much attention as he did, or why he got it in the first place, but he happily accepted it and was friendly towards all those who spoke to him, leading to a new rumor sprouting and slowly spreading throughout the school: The sun had descended from the sky and became a high school boy.

"Thank you, miss." A polite smile and bow of the head came from the orangette as he took his lunch tray from the older woman behind the counter who couldn't help but smile in return for his simple politeness. The majority of high schoolers actually weren't very bad, at least not at Karasuno, but most tended to sort of just ignore her and a few even acted antagonistic when an item on the menu wasn't to their liking. For these reasons, it was a breath of fresh air to have a student offer thanks and gratitude towards her directly for once, adding yet another person to his roster of favorable impressions. Of course, Hinata himself hadn't really realized that though, with his main focus being on refueling his energy spent in the athletic field earlier that day and his politeness just being another aspect of his natural personality.

With it being his first day, Hinata hadn't yet gotten the chance to really get into any extracurriculars and so he was stuck with basic exercises and running the track, which depleted his energy a great deal. It wasn't that much of a negative thing though, at least not for him. In fact, he held a rather odd enjoyment of these sorts of strenuous activities due to being somewhat of a 'former athlete' all the way back in elementary and middle school. Back then volleyball was basically his entire life. Hell, he'd even slept with his 'lucky ball' which was basically just the first ever personal ball his mother had gotten him for his birthday. Nowadays that ball had been stored away in his closet, simply collecting dust, but he truly found his utmost joy when playing. Unfortunately, though, he'd slowly played less and less as middle school went on. 

In the beginning, he was utterly jumping up and down at the thought of being able to play with a fully formed team for once, but, much to his disappointment, he'd quickly found out that his particular school didn't have a male team. He was truly heartbroken at the time, even begging his mother to switch schools all to no avail. With the small amount of luck he had, he was able to play a few practice games with the girls' team,  mostly due to his height being on the shorter side, but even then they were never real matches and so his excitement eventually faded as he hit a wall far too early for any athlete really. In the beginning, he'd hoped to gather a group of friends to try to form a club on his own, but sadly none of them really shared his interest, enthusiasm, or talent for the game. They humored him with a few silly games but they never truly took it seriously and so he just stopped asking. 

None of this was to be put against them though of course. Hinata himself even zoned out a bit when they raved on about things like building ship models or discussing their debate topics for the week, but it was incredibly disheartening when coupled with the fact that he hadn't really hit a growth spurt yet. Even now he was still short, and though he felt himself flying higher with each jump, he simply couldn't match the height of others once brought back down to the solid floor and sometimes he even flew a bit too high for the ball to reach. All in all, his love fizzled out with time and stacked odds until he really only found himself playing by himself in his free time, which was more like meaningless practice without a mentor to critique him. Plants could only grow with the careful cultivation of others and at the moment, he was a dying sapling.

"Oh wow, I didn't know they were serving curry today! Now I wish I hadn't brought my own." A familiar voice suddenly spoke up from beside him, instantly breaking him away from his current thoughts and making him realize just how far he'd gotten in his own mind. He truly hadn't even realized he had sat down and started eating with how far he'd gone into auto-pilot. Such things aside though, his gaze turned to face the person who appeared beside him, revealing the very girl who he'd previously met that morning over her missing pencil. Luckily enough, she didn't seem nearly as troubled as she was before and was even happy enough to begin laughing at her own words despite his overall silence from being caught off guard. 

Naturally, this did make it pretty awkward with the longer the laughter went on though, until it dissipated into a nervous apology, "Ah! I'm sorry, I just approached you out of nowhere, and before I didn't even tell you my name! Gosh, I'm so stupid!" She began to chastise herself, allowing Hinata to fully catch up with the current events enough to quickly shake his hands and head in gesture. "Oh, no! You're fine, I was just spacing out a bit so you surprised me, that's all!" He did his best to calm and reassure her, much to her own relief as she smiled and nodded in understanding before nervously looking to the seat beside him. "Can I-" She began, though was cut off as he brightly smiled and patted the seat beside him. "Please, have a seat!" His never-ending friendliness acted as her savior once again, leading her to quickly sit beside him with her boxed lunch. 

"Thanks so much, I was scared I'd have to sit alone. Making new friends isn't really easy haha…" She pushed up her glasses as she opened up her lunch while speaking to which Hinata nodded in small agreement while peeking at what she brought. From the looks of it, it was a very cutesy lunch with things like tako sausage and even a little message on her omurice which he didn't read for privacy's sake. "Yeah…uhm, so, what's your name…?" Hinata finally posed the question which neither of them seemed to answer even as she previously called it out. "Oh! Geez…stupid stupid. I'm Nishinoya Mina! Nice to meet you…?" She left the end open-ended for him, allowing a small bit of laughter to leave him in the face of her overly self-critical nature. "I'm Hinata Shoyo, nice to meet you too!" He joyfully returned the greetings, sending off practical fireworks in her heart from his smile alone. “Ah, as for my lunch, I just forgot to grab my own this morning. I’m a bit picky with food so I usually bring my own too.” Hinata chuckled a bit at his own small mishap before looking down at the lunch before him, “Luckily they actually had something I liked!” He smiled to himself as he said this while Mina nodded in understanding.

Much like him, she was also quite sensitive when it came to things like food or even the sequence of completing certain tasks, so she understood completely and was actually rather happy to find something in common with him. “Yeah, That’s why I bring my own too. Some textures of food just make me wanna shrivel up so my grandpa has curated a special menu for me! I dunno what I’d do without him and my brother…” Mina spoke a bit wistfully, a small smile on her face as she pictured her family in her mind. Both her grandfather and brother could be a bit intense sometimes, but she truly wouldn’t have it any other way, even if some of the things they did set her off sometimes. “Oh, you have a brother?” Hinata followed up her words with a question as he slightly tilted his head to the side in an oddly adorable fashion. 

“AH! Yes! Ahem, his name is Yuu. He’s actually a second year here, hence why I’m here too haha…” She began with a small slightly awkward laugh before her entire face brightened up at once. “Also, he used to play on the Karasuno volleyball team! He played as libero and he’s seriously super good! He stopped recently for personal reasons, but I’m hoping he picks it back up…” She went on for a bit before looking away with slight embarrassment as she clenched and unclenched her fists for a moment. “Actually I really wanna join the girls' team, but I’m nervous…” Sighing with her admittance of fear, Mina was surprised to feel Hinata’s hand on her shoulder. “I think you’ll do great! I used to play a lot and you totally have the height and build for it!” His words were brighter and more encouraging than before, as if holding a particular interest in the subject which brought more emotion to his statement. For this. She was exceptionally grateful and couldn’t help but smile with small tears in her eyes. 

“You really think so?’ Her voice was filled with hopefulness to the truth of his words, further solidified as he rabidly nodded with a new shine to his eyes. “Definitely! I believe in you!” Hinata continued the hype much to her happiness and even slight embarrassment from the energy of his encouragement compared to her own feelings about her capabilities. “Thanks a lot, Hinata…Uhm, are you planning on joining the boys' team? I heard they’re down on members and currently recruiting! Since you have some experience I’m sure it’ll be a breeze to get in!” Mina attempted her best shot at returning his shining encouragement, resulting in the boy's shock this time around. In truth, he knew about the team but sort of psyched himself out of trying out for it. He was sure that his height would be the first thing they saw, and that aspect of him wasn’t exactly favorable to the sport. Besides, he hadn’t actually played in so long, much less participated in a legitimate game. Could he really get in if he tried, or would he be turned away at the door all over again? He wasn’t sure, and that uncertainty made him nervous. 

Mina had dealt with self-doubt and sensitivity for most of her life, so when it came to the current face Hinata made in return to her question, she automatically assumed his thoughts weren’t nearly as bright as before. So, with him helping her so much in mind, she decided to speak up again. “I really think you should give it a shot! If we both get in then we can represent the school's teams together! Wouldn’t that be awesome?” She gave her best dazzling grin which actually built up a smile on his face once again. “Yeah, that would be awesome! Okay! I’ll check them out after school as long as you try out for the girls' team too!” He resolved himself and held out his pinky to confirm their promise of which she happily hooked hers around his. “It’s a promise!” Mina could practically feel the incredible determination and passion forming around them in this promise. This feeling nearly swallowed Mina whole while simultaneously reigniting a long dulled flame in Hinata for it marked only the very start of their soaring futures. This step may not have ended in a way that both of them would’ve expected, but it would be the step that shaped their futures and them alike into something truly amazing. 

Chapter Text

Hinata was more nervous than he’d ever been before. He never exactly had much trouble talking with others, but something about the current circumstances caused his nerves to shoot through the roof. He knew how he’d come off from the very start, just some inexperienced shorty with the far-fetched dream of becoming a spiker, hell, maybe even the ace if he really got lucky. He could already picture the questions that’d come his way. They’d probably ask if he was trying for libero considering his height and then once they’d learned he wasn’t very good at that position in the slightest, they’d give him that ever-familiar look. It was a look that always painted the same mix of thoughts on their face. Bewilderment, doubt, and, most importantly, pity. They pitied the awful sight of someone with a dream of impossibility. The dream that the runt of the nest might just be able to fly the highest. Closing his eyes, Hinata looked down at his opened palms and squeezed them both into a tight fist. There was no backing down now as he had already made a promise, and going back on his word was simply something he’d never do. Failure would always come to those who never even attempted to succeed, and the whole point of the promise wasn’t to make it, it was to try. So that’s exactly what Hinata would do.

When he pushed open the gymnasium door, Hinata expected to face a lot of things. Questions, strange looks, a pause of slightly awkward silence, maybe even a tryouts match. What he had failed to expect though was that of a volleyball that had been hurled straight at the door and, in the consequence of timing, his face. Before he could even step one foot inside, his body was completely launched back by the pure force of the object, and in a matter of moments he found himself on the ground with a bruised backside, a bloody nose, and a circular red mark upon his face. He barely had time to even register what had occurred before everything rushed to him at once and his hands flew to hold his face in pain. He was a bit of an accident-prone kid, so. in a form of strange luck, the injury didn’t hurt too bad, but that didn’t stop the bit of tears that formed in the corners of his eyes. “Ahhhh! Are you okay!?” A voice suddenly shouted before he could hear several footsteps followed by the sight of two students, likely a part of the team since they seemed to be older than him. The one that shouted sported a buzz cut, a slightly delinquent look, and no shirt to be found while the one beside him looked to be the opposite with short gray hair, kind soft feature, and a proper practice uniform. “Ah…Yeah, I think so…” He finally managed to speak while gently feeling his nose with relief that it hadn’t seemed to be broken. To think his first experience with the team would be a ball to the face, perhaps it was the world’s wake-up call. 

“Well, would you look at that, your barbaric ways have managed to injure an innocent girl. Everyone give it up for the king, long may he reign.” A voice built for sarcasm and instigation echoed from further inside followed by one full of a mix of frustration, annoyance, and nervous shock. “I was trying to hit you not them you asshole!” The next voice that came was one like a parent who’d finally gotten fed up by their children bickering over a toy neither really wanted in the first place. “I’d suggest both of you knock it off or neither one of you will make it on the team…” The slight growl to the words along with small winces from the other two gave Hinata a clear picture of what had occurred even as his vision was somewhat blocked by the two members checking on him. Wait a minute. Did they just refer to him as a girl? He wasn’t even wearing the female uniform, how did they manage to mistake him for a woman? Was he really that feminine? He knew that he could pull off looking like a girl if he really wanted to, it was part of the reason for his current part-time job, but surely he looked somewhat masculine in uniform. “I’m so sorry miss, I promise we’ll thoroughly lecture our underclassmen. You seem to be new, the girl’s sports meet in the morning, I’m afraid you’re a bit too late today.” The fittingly calm and kind voice of the gray-haired guy spoke directly to him now as he handed him a handkerchief, confirming his dreaded suspicions and causing him to quickly shake his head.

“No no, I came to the right place. This is the male volleyball tryouts, right? I came to try for the team.” Hinata finally cleared up their misconceptions of both his gender and intentions as he held the cloth to his nose which slowly began to calm down. It’d surely be sore and probably a bit swollen later, but at least it’d stop bleeding so much. A pure silence of shock and confusion washed over the room after his declaration, only broken by the sound of a door as three new faces popped inside from the changing room and looked around with confusion as to the mess going on at the moment. This break is what allowed the bald delinquent to shout with disbelief. “You’re a dude, dude!?” His voice echoed through the space, much to the annoyance of many of the other members and specifically the one beside him who roughly slapped the back of his head in return for his unnecessary volume and sentence as a whole. “I’m sorry, we made a mistaken assumption and my friend here is an idiot. Nice to meet you! I’m Sugawara Koushi and this bald idiot is Tanaka Ryunosuke” Sugawara offered a warm smile followed by a hand that Hinata happily used to pull himself up. “Hey! I’m not bald!”  Tanaka quickly defended himself in the midst of rubbing the back of his skull while a new face approached. “So then I guess you’re just an idiot huh? Hello, I’m Sawamura Daichi, the team captain. Nice to meet you.” He sounded to be the one who lectured the other two fellow tryouts moments before, and his appearance fit the team captain rather well. Not only did he look experienced and tough, but he also held an air of responsibility and seemed dependable. 

“Oh, uhm, hi! My name is Hinata Shoyo.” He finally gave his own introduction, followed by a short bow of respect towards his, hopefully, future teammates. It was a bit odd, the fear and anxiety he had before seemed to have instantly melted away from this small bit of interaction so far. He couldn’t exactly understand what he was feeling at the moment, but something about this less-than-perfect first introduction put him at ease. Perhaps it was because nothing else could probably go as wrong as a ball hitting him in the face. He wasn’t the best at volleyball, that was for sure, but he couldn’t picture willingly or accidentally hitting himself in the face with the ball. “Great! Come on in, I’ll introduce you to the other newbies.” Daichi chuckled and gestured for him to follow as he turned and waltzed back inside, quickly followed by the organette who could only be described as having stars in his eyes for the possible future to come. “The tall and lanky blondie is Tsukishima Kei, the one to the left with the spinach-green hair is Yamaguchi Tadashi, and the last one on the right with the permanent look of constipation is Kageyama Tobio. You three, this is your new fellow tryout, Hinata Shoyo.” Quick and humorous introductions were given, causing a bit of amusement from the shortest of the four and lack thereof from the other three. Such amusement didn’t find itself lasting very long though as the tallest of the group seemed to look annoyed by him while the black-haired one scowled and the green bean seemed to glance him over with both pity and doubt. These were the looks that Hinata had been waiting for, looks that made his eyes avert to the ground and a glimpse of sadness appear on his face.

To be obviously singled out hurt a rather great deal, but the voice of the captain and a hand on his shoulder lifted his spirits back up in but a matter of moment. “Hey now, relax. All Four of you have an equal potential of joining us. They don’t call us the home of the tiny giant for nothing, chin up! And you three, points off for scaring another newbie! Not very team player of you.” His words were warm and encouraging, bringing a smile brighter than the sun to his face as he quickly nodded and straightened out his posture a bit. That’s right, for as many people that didn’t believe in him, there were others that did, and that was all that truly mattered. Whatever it took, he was going to show off his true skills and potential, and using that he’d make not only the team but nationals as well. “Thanks so much!” His voice was light and melodic, while his words were far too genuine to even tease at being anything other than the utmost gratitude. It was this, coupled with a smile to kill, that sent an invisible wave over the entire gym, much to the lack of awareness from the very cause of it. The young teens may not have fully realized it just yet, but they were in for quite a large amount of situations with this very ginger at the center of them all.

Chapter Text

           Hinata still couldn’t exactly wrap his head around what happened. That wasn’t to say anything was wrong with his memory, rather the exact opposite, he remembered it all. He remembered how the ball felt against his palm, the sweet burn of rubber to flesh. He remembered his feet leaving the ground, elevating him to heights of which he could only catch a glimpse of in the brief moment of opening his eyes above the net. He remembered the sound of a loud and familiar collision of ball to floor, vibrating in a wonderful echo like music to his ears. He remembered, but he didn’t know how he did it. Hell, he didn’t even realize he could jump that high, move that fast. “Earth to Hinata!” The sudden sound of the growingly familiar voice of his nearly bald teammate brough the orangette out of his own mind in a sudden shock. He had only been staring at his palm for a matter of seconds, but it felt like hours had passed by in the midst of his rapid thoughts. He quickly looked at Tanaka nonetheless and forced on a small and quick smile onto his face while slightly cocking his head to the side. “Uhm… Yes?” He could practically feel his heart trying to leap out of his chest from the pure adrenaline that hadn’t yet seemed to calm down. Just what was that feeling? More importantly though, would he be able to feel it again?

          “That was fucking awesome! I didn’t know you could do all that!” The boisterous and bright tone of the older boy made him feel oddly bashful as he softly laughed at the overall bluntness of his words. It was very easy to tell from the very start that Tanaka wasn’t one to beat around the bush or apologize for who he was. Confident, headstrong, and perhaps a bit too loud for his own good, yeah, that’s how Hinata would best describe him. “Language you oaf. You’re setting a bad example.” The second slowly familiar voice came from the opposing side of the net to which Tanaka groaned in exasperation and nodded, hinting that this wasn’t his first time being lectured over his colorful choice of words. Hinata found it all amusing enough though as another giggle slipped past his lips and seemed to cause a momentary silence to fill the gym before the captain cleared his throat. “Ahem… He is right though, what you just did there was nothing short of amazing. I didn’t know people were capable of moving that fast…” He let out a deep chuckle which made Hinata smile shyly while raising a hand to rub the back of his neck. He wasn’t sure how to even say that he also had no clue that he was capable of that, but then again he supposed that he could just outwardly say that, huh? “Truth be told, I really didn’t realize I could do that either, haha… I haven’t played volleyball in a while, so I’m just happy I’m not dragging the team down…” He took a breath after speaking, it made him oddly nervous to say that aloud. They wouldn’t reject him from the team just because he lacked experience, right? He hoped not.

          “Wait… So you haven’t played in a while and still managed to do that? Wow I… Hinata, pardon my asking but were your eyes really closed or was that just my imagination?” Daichi’s response made him straighten his posture in reflex. He closed his eyes? Yeah… That's right, he did close his eyes. Why did he do that anyways? It was because of the scary but helpful words of one of the more frightening fellow freshmen, wasn’t it? The setter, the guy who seemed to have a permanent glare on his face, the one who refused to send him the ball for most of the game. Why did he even send the ball to him this time? He was glad to have scored the point but-. “...Yeah, my eyes were closed.” His words slipped out before his thoughts could even catch up and finish, leading to another wave of silence followed by quick footsteps which echoed behind him. He flinched a bit, but before he could even turn around he had felt the grip on his shoulder then heard the sound of a very disbelieving voice which didn’t seem to hold the ability to be anything less than overly aggressive. “You just did a quick with your eyes closed? Why didn’t you tell me you could do a quick? Why were your eyes closed? How were your eyes closed?” His questions fired off like bullets and caused Hinata to sweat more than the game did. This guy really was too intense for his own good wasn’t he? 

          Luckily enough for his own sanity, Captain Daichi intervened rather quickly and pried the boy's hand off his shoulder, enabling his ability to back away to a more comfortable distance while he fumbled out the best response he could give. “Uhm, if it helps ease your mind any, I don’t even know what a quick is nor how I did it… I kinda just followed your advice and trusted that the ball would be there when I swung.” His hands moved in different little gestures as he spoke, a habit he had formed whenever he was nervous or excited about something. Naturally, in this case, it was the former. As he finally managed a response though, he found himself coming into his own realization: he didn’t just put his trust in the ball, he put his trust in Kageyama. The ginger blinked for a moment, staring down at himself first, then the ball, and finally the awfully scary setter. That’s when he saw it, a string. It was thin and weak, nearly transparent in color too, but it was a string nonetheless. He formed a bond. A bond through trust, A bond through volleyball. 

          “Tsk… Is spacing out just some sort of medical condition for you or what?” Kageyama’s voice brought him back once more as he went red with embarrassment and quickly shook his head. He supposed he did space out a lot, didn’t he? But it had never been this bad or frequent in the past, he just had a lot on his mind in the small amount of time he’d spent within the gym. “Sorry…I just, uh… It’s nothing.” He narrowed his eyes, reaching up to rub the back of his neck yet again. His mom always called that out as a self soothing mechanism. Geez, he really needed to calm down, didn’t he? He dropped his hand quickly and glanced back to the others to catch all eyes on him at once. It felt awkward, being the center of attention, and caused him to go stiff which the others seemed to take quick note of as they looked away. As usual, Daichi came to the rescue shortly after that as he clapped his hands together and returned to his former position on the other side of the net. “Welp, games not over just yet! Let’s finish this!” Hinata quickly understood why Daichi was Captain a while ago, but this moment further cemented that thought as the entire air of the gym seemed to gather and shift out of that awkward silence with just one sentence. How cool.

Chapter Text

Omniscient POV

         The gym was quiet. Not in an eerie or bad way, but in a way clearly noticeable to even the three most recent members of the Karasuno Crows. Three, not four, as the fourth most recent member acted as the entire reason for the silence without even seeming to recognize that. Those around him picked up on it instantly though: the odd and enticing energy that was practically oozing from the ginger in their midsts. What was it about him that was so captivating in the first place? This was the main question on everyone’s minds, even that of those stuck in a more emotionally stunted period of their lives. Perhaps it was his hair and the way it stood out so much in comparison to most of the other members. Sure, Yamaguchi’s hair was about as green as seaweed and Sugawara had the silver of someone in later years, but it didn’t compare to the soft yet bright orange which seemed to naturally sprout from his scalp. If not the hair though, then perhaps his androgynous features which had them mistaking him for a female when he first showed up.

         Hinata smiled at the team manager who just finished getting his measurements and that’s when it finally clicked. His smile . It was a smile so soft and yet so packed with warmth that it was nearly overflowing, even Tsukishima couldn’t stop staring for a moment. How could someone just smile like that? That was the next question which flowed over the minds of just about everyone in the gym, even Kiyoko who was in the middle of conversation with the boy. She bore the main brunt of its inconceivable effect which made her heart slightly race and warm in her chest. It was a feeling that she usually only got around girls, but then again he did have a certain feminine charm to him. What was she thinking? She had just met this boy and yet she was already overwhelmed by the pure charisma which he exuded. Damn. Where did this kid come from anyways? Yet another question to fill their minds regarding the freshman.

         Question after question filled their minds and each of them somehow involved their latest teammate. Most of all though, they just wanted to know more about him. What kind of music did he listen to? What was his favorite color? What did he like to do for fun? How did he manage to remain so oblivious to the fact that all eyes were centered on him and him alone? Well, maybe that last one was because the moment he looked at them they all quickly shifted their gazes away in an almost horrendous attempt to act normal. Tanaka even had the most idiotic idea to start whistling ever ‘nonchalantly’ which earned him a well deserved smack to the skull by Daichi. He winced and held himself back from glaring and earning another one. That’s when Hinata giggled and slightly cocked his head to the side, “Is something wrong?”

         “Nope.” Daichi’s response was quick and soon followed by the harmonious agreement of the other members, some a bit quieter than others. Damn, that giggle was a melody to the ears, a healing tonic to the soul, a– It was a nice laugh. Sugawara was the first to clear his throat after the somewhat awkward moment shared amongst the team members. “Well! Welcome to the team again, everyone! I think this year is gonna be our best one yet with you all joining us!” He flashed a grin alongside one of his signature thumbs up to which Tanaka roared with boisterous laughter. “Be prepared ‘cuz this senpai’s gonna work you all to the damn bone! Muahahaha--! AH–!” Yet another hit which made him question his decision to buzz off his hair had landed on his neck this time, the burn leaving him to grind his teeth with frustration.

         “Stop scaring the newbies you weirdo…” Ennoshita sighed with exasperation, though the amusement was clear in his voice before he yelped as the other male fully tackled him in a flurry. The rest of the team backed away as a result of the sudden wrestling match, each adding their own input to the display, be it in the form of filming the ‘fight’, commentating, or just sighing. Daichi, though, nearly had a full body shiver as he felt his sleeve gently tugged on before a whisper met his ear. “Is this a regular occurrence?” His eyes fluttered before he could even register the actual question and his earlobe felt oddly warm. Managing to blink a few times though, he managed a chuckle and knew better than to actually turn his head or else he might just have a heart attack from how close the ginger was to him at the moment. “Yeah…you’ll get used to it.”

Two Weeks Later

Shoyo’s POV

         Shoyo almost felt like he was living in some alternate universe over the past two weeks. To be honest, he hadn’t even expected to be allowed onto the team, quite the opposite really. Sure, he wanted to put his best efforts into actually joining, but he ultimately had expected nothing but rejection for his limited abilities and knowledge regarding the game. That’s not what happened though. Instead, not only did he have a full official uniform and jacket, but he also had somehow formed interconnecting strings, bonds, between himself, the ball, and his various teammates. He didn’t know how any of them happened, truly, but he knew that they did and he knew that each and every practice those stings seemed to become ever clearer in his mind, stronger.

         The first was with Kagayama during tryouts, the one to break his long streak and send him down the rabbit hole all over again. It wasn’t like he didn’t recognize why it came to be, trust. Instead, it was the deep and dreadful realization that he hadn’t ever actually trusted anyone for years now, and that kind of frightened him. Not his childhood friends, not his teachers, and sometimes, not even his own mother. He hardly trusted anyone at all and yet he so easily placed his trust in Kagayama, that the ball would somehow reach his hand and then he would score. Then, it happened. The ball did reach his hand and he did score a point. That follow through, that simple confirmation that his trust resulted in something that set off fireworks in his mind and his chest, that’s what made the string. From him, to the ball, to Kagayama.

         After that was Daichi during a pep talk and explanation regarding saves which he was still rather terrible at. Next came Sugawara while Kagayama was far too busy taking a bathroom break to practice serving with him. The older boy was a lot different in the way that he served, calmer, less…aggressive to say the least. Tanaka was after that and a bond he actually formed outside of the gym for once. They were going off to get some snacks and drinks for the rest of the team from the vending machine, and while standing out there Tanaka started talking about his passion for volleyball. His words from that moment still lingered in Shoyo’s mind even now; “Volleyball is like a special relationship, you know? When the ball is on my side of the court, it trusts me to keep it in the air. My role is to get it over the horizon, not let it fall until it crosses that net to the other side. It’s not just trusting me though, it’s trusting everyone on my side with me, so I gotta trust ‘em too. We all gotta put in the work together, but the other team is doing the same thing. It's…exhilarating.”

         It was exhilarating. The ball smacking his palm, the floor acting launching him to fly, the jumble of sounds like white noise in his ears. He loved every bit of it, adored it. It made his heart race and his head spin. It made him happy. “Guess what!” A familiarly excited voice snapped Shoyo out of his own mind as he suddenly blinked and looked up to the very girl who pushed him into this journey of excitement to begin with, Mina. To say he was grateful for her was an understatement to say the least, though he wasn’t exactly sure how to thank her yet. Maybe he should make her a cake? Did she even like cake? He wondered if there was a way he could ask without tipping her off about the idea. Wait, he was spacing out again, wasn’t he?

         “What’s up?” The reply finally found him around ten seconds after the initial question, resulting in a bright grin from the girl who seemed to be getting more and more used to his slips of mind. Well, at least she didn’t really call him out for it this time around. She sat her lunch tray down next to his and slid into the seat beside him as usual, earning a few looks from other students which Shoyo still couldn’t quite understand. Then again, he didn’t often understand a lot of things others did sometimes. That was neither here nor there though, he was more curious about what had Mina so excited. She even did that little bouncing in her seat thing to show off her pure thrill for whatever news she had. 

         “My brother’s finally back from suspension! You know, the one I told you about being on the team?” The sparkles in her eyes told Shoyo all he needed to know already as he quickly recollected the memory in his mind and nodded. He was the reason why volleyball was brought up to begin with which ultimately led to the two trying out for the designated teams. In a way, he should probably thank the guy for having his sister look up to him so much. If she didn’t, then perhaps Shoyo would’ve never tried out for the team in the first place. What a funny thought. Huh, he wondered what he was like anyways.