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The sunshine is so bright it bounces off of Hinata’s hair, causing it to be a fiery red instead of gentle ginger. Y/N was recruited to practice with him and Kageyama, even though he’s not doing much besides tossing the ball for Kageyama to set. He enjoys being included, though, no matter how many times they make him do it.
“One more time,” Hinata says as he gets the ball and throws it to Y/N, who catches it with ease. He may not be a volleyball player, but he’s played baseball for most of his life. Several university scouts were at Interhigh Prelims. Hopefully, they come to Nationals to watch him.
“You mean a hundred more times,” Y/N says with a small laugh. Hinata flushes somewhat, but it’s hard to know if it’s from being caught or from the sun. Y/N doesn’t care what he’s from; all he cares about is how cute it is. “I don’t mind as long as we get something to eat after.”
Hinata perks up slightly, probably since Y/N isn’t complaining. “Okay! We can do that!”
Y/N chuckles slightly while Kageyama lets out an exaggerated sigh. “Can we go back to practicing?” Kageyama asks, and Hinata looks at Y/N expectantly.
“Yeah, yeah,” Y/N says as he rolls his eyes. “Get into position.”
Y/N faces the struggle of knowing he likes Hinata and wanting to spend more time with him, because Hinata will spend time with him. He will include Y/N in any plans previously made, even if he doesn’t tell anyone else beforehand. He likes being next to Y/N when it calls for it, and sometimes when it doesn’t. It makes the struggle even worse, because it only encourages these feelings.
Y/N is trying to get to class after going to the bathroom when he runs into Ennoshita. He doesn’t really know him, but they see each other when Y/N and Hinata can walk home together. Ennoshita always gives them a look when it happens, and Y/N hasn’t figured out what it means.
“Oh, I’m sorry, Ennoshita-senpai!” Y/N says as he reaches out to grab him to stop him from falling. “I wasn’t watching where I was going.”
Ennoshita catches his balance as he laughs. “No, you’re okay. I was in a rush,” he says as he waves his hand to dismiss it. “Are you okay?”
Y/N nods. “Yeah, just fine. Maybe a little freaked out, but fine.”
“That’s good—not that you’re freaked out, but that you’re fine,” Ennoshita says, and there’s fondness in his eyes. “Can’t have Hinata getting upset if you got hurt.”
There’s a pause as Y/N looks at him. He goes to ask what Ennoshita means, but the bell chimes, and they’re both parting without saying goodbye. Y/N chalks it up to simple teasing since he’s only vaguely connected to the team through Hinata. He’s pretty sure his own captain would act similarly with Hinata, but it’s a little different since his captain knows he likes guys, while Y/N doesn’t even know if Hinata likes guys. It’s never come up in conversation, and Y/N doesn’t want to just bring it up randomly.
“There you are, L/N-kun,” his teacher says when he gets to the room. “I’m assuming you have a good reason for being late?”
He nods. “The line for the bathroom was a mile long.”
Several of his classmates laugh, but his teacher is not amused like they are. However, she doesn’t assign him detention or anything. She just sends him to his desk and starts class. The moment she starts talking about English, he zones out and stares out the window. Because, honestly, when will he ever need to use English? He plans to stay in Japan for the rest of his life.
He thinks back to Ennoshita’s words, and he still doesn’t understand. People say that it’s easier to understand after the fact, but it’s after, and it’s still weird. Maybe it’s best to shrug it off, because what’s the point in worrying over it? All it’ll do is make him anxious and take up too much of his time. That’s how he typically deals with feelings, and it’s worked so far. He’s nearly 18 and life has been fine so far.
Yet he still thinks about how Hinata’s hair had resembled fire last Sunday, and how it’d be an honor to be burned by him.
Y/N only met Hinata because he was getting tutored by someone in the honor class while Hinata was. They ran into each other in the hallway one day, and Y/N asked if Yachi could help tutor him when Kumiko ended up not being there. It’s still something that happens—tutoring. Hinata goes in there for Yachi while Y/N goes for Kumiko. Small waves from across the room and Kageyama having to tell Hinata to focus. It’s familiar and nice, but Y/N will never say that.
“Did you not pay attention in English again?” Kumiko asks, and she looks over his homework. He presses the side of his face into the desk.
“Is it really that noticeable?” he asks, his voice slightly muffled.
“It’s really that noticeable.”
He looks up to see her stern look that means she may tell Seiji about it, and if she tells Seiji, then he’ll tell coach Y/N needs to study for English instead of practice. He’s done it before, and it was terrible then. It’ll probably be worse now with Nationals coming up. Coach will lecture him until Y/N lies on the field, wishing for death.
“What’s up?” Kumiko asks, and he moves to rest his chin on the desk. “I’m not saying you’re the best at school, but you aren’t usually this bad.”
“Ouch, you know just what to say,” he says, and she gives him a pointed look. “Okay, okay. I’ve just been… caught up in my head.”
She tilts her head, her black hair getting in her face. “Worried about Nationals?”
Y/N shakes his head. “No, never.”
If anything, Inter-high makes the most sense to him. He transferred from Seijoh to Karasuno when his mother lost her job and his father had to relocate for his. Karasuno is objectively cheaper and closer to home. Seijoh was going to pay the tuition, but they don’t have dorms. It just seemed easier to transfer than to commute nearly two hours every day.
“Do you ever like someone so much that it’s confusing?” he asks, and her expression softens as her eyes flicker over to Hinata. He presses his face fully against the desk. “Fuck.”
“No,” she says quickly. “No, don’t worry. I just—I noticed that you’re different with him than everyone else, which is okay. I just…” she pauses. “I just thought you guys were already dating.”
He looks up at her, and her expression is so genuine. “What?”
“As I said, you’re different with him—nicer and affectionate—and he clings to you a lot, so I thought maybe you two were together,” she says, and blush covers her face. “I promise no one else knows unless you said something. It’s just something I look for.”
“Gay guys?” he asks, and she’s scarlet now.
“No.” She bites her bottom lip. “Romance.”
He sighs as he presses his cheek to the desk again. Now he can see Hinata, who keeps glancing at him until they make eye contact. Hinata quickly looks away, ears tinted pink, and Y/N smiles a little. Hinata is so cute, and it pulls at Y/N’s heart a little.
“We’re not together, and I doubt it’ll ever happen,” he says, and it’s easier not looking at Kumiko when he says it. “So please teach me the English I did not pay attention to.”
She sighs, and he knows there’s a sad expression on her face. Kumiko feels so much for everyone, which is how he convinced her to tutor him. He’d rather she only pity that he struggles to concentrate during class than pity his nonexistent love life.
“Alright, but you have to lift your head up first.”
The issue with Kumiko knowing Y/N and Hinata aren’t dating is that she now tells him to just confess. She does it at the worst times—during practice, while she’s tutoring him, when they’re leaving campus. He’s appreciative that she’s not homophobic, but he also wishes she’d chill out. The baseball team is preparing for Inter-high coming in November, just a little over a month away, so romance is not in the forefront of his mind.
“He looked at you all throughout lunch today,” Kumiko says, and Y/N refrains from hitting her. It’s not good to hit anyone, let alone a girl 12 centimeters shorter than you.
“Because you were being so loud,” he says as he grabs his bat. “Which was embarrassing for you and me.”
She frowns. “I’m sorry, okay? I just wanted to see something.”
“See that he’d look if you’re talking to me?” he asks, and she nods. “Maybe next time, try to be quieter to see if it works out.”
“Okay,” she says softly when someone walks past them. “I just think you should tell him. He’s not the kind to be weird about it.”
Y/N looks at her. “And how do you know that? Have you had a meaningful conversation about this with him?” She opens her mouth, but he puts a hand up as he sighs. “I really appreciate that you’re trying to help me, Kumiko-chan. But I can manage on my own.”
Her expression falls, and he feels like an ass for a moment. “It’s just—I think the volleyball team thinks you’re dating. I’ve heard them saying your name, and Hinata-san blushing bright red.”
“That doesn’t mean anything.”
“It could, though!” Kumiko says, and her fallen expression brightens up a little. “Just think about it?”
“I won’t,” he says, even though he probably will later.
She laughs a little. “Whatever you say.”
“What are you two doing?” Seiji calls out, closer to the field than they are. “Get your asses to practice.” He squints slightly. “Oh, sorry, Kumiko-chan. Didn’t mean to yell at you.”
She rolls her eyes. “Yeah, yeah. Just keep going or else I’ll tell Maeda-chan on you.”
Seiji pales at hearing the third year manager’s name before hurrying off to the field. Y/N laughs in his hand, trying to make sure Seiji can’t hear him.
“You’re so mean,” Y/N says, and Kumiko shrugs.
“Maybe he shouldn’t yell at me.”
Hinata is waiting at the gates when Y/N gets out of practice. His hair is still slightly damp, so he’s not been waiting long. It’s strange, though, to see him standing there with his bike all alone. Y/N picks up his pace to a light jog to get to him faster.
“Hey, what’re you doing out here?” Y/N asks, and Hinata bites his lip.
“Can I walk you home?” Hinata asks instead of answering his question. Y/N stares at him as he slowly nods.
“Uh, sure,” Y/N says, because Hinata has never asked him before. It’s always been them just doing so since it’s on his way. They start walking, the silence slightly suffocating. “Are you okay?”
Hinata looks at him. “What?”
“Are you okay, because usually, right now, you’d be talking about practice or class or your sister.” Y/N looks at him, and how warm Hinata’s eyes knock the breath out of him. “Just—are you okay?”
“Are you dating Kumiko-chan?” Hinata asks, and Y/N’s eyes widen as his mouth opens.
“What?” Y/N asks before blinking, trying to take it in. “Am I dating—what?”
They come to a stop, and Y/N’s teammates will slowly make their way to them in less than five minutes. He doesn’t want any of them overhearing this, because if any of them even said Y/N could possibly be dating Kumiko, Maeda and Seiji would kill him.
“It’s just—you’re always around her,” Hinata says, looking away. “I know she’s tutoring you, but you’ve been sharing food with her, and I saw how close you were with her when you guys were walking to practice.”
“Kumiko-chan is just my friend,” Y/N says, making it sound final. “I could never be with her. That would just be weird since she kinda feels like a sister to me.” Y/N pauses. “Think about it like you dating Yachi-chan.”
Hinata’s nose scrunches slightly. “Yachi is like my best friend. That’d be weird.”
Y/N nods. “Yeah, that’s what I’m saying.” He moves his head to get Hinata to look at him. “Are we good now?”
“Yeah,” he breathes out as he grips the handles of his bike. “We’re good.”
This time, when they start walking again, Hinata fills the silence. He talks about Nishinoya convincing a first year to scream ‘rolling thunder’ and how silly it was. Hinata quickly clarifies that it’s silly when anyone but Nishinoya does it. Y/N only nods, because he knows very little about anything Hinata is telling him.
“Do you like anyone?” Hinata asks, and Y/N looks at him again. They continue walking, and Hinata isn’t looking at him.
“Why?” Y/N asks, which he hates when people do this to him—answer a question with a question, but it’s so bizarre for Hinata to ask.
“Well, I thought you and Kumiko-chan were dating since that's what it looked like, but if you’re not, then what does it look like?”
Y/N likes Hinata, but he doesn’t really treat Hinata much differently than he does anyone else. Maybe he’s a little nicer to him, not teasing him as much, but it’s still the same. He’s never felt like he needs to act differently around those he likes because any special privileges aren’t blaring. He’s more willing to listen to the person and not get annoyed by a conversation going on for too long. That’s probably really the only major privilege if that can be seen as one.
“I don’t know,” Y/N says with a shrug. “I’ve never dated anyone before.”
Hinata looks at him, eyes intense, but neither of them slows their pace. “But have you liked someone?”
Y/N heart stops, and he doesn’t know what to say. There’s lying, which is the easy option, but it’ll feel shitty doing that to Hinata. He’s never been a big fan of lying since his mother has always stressed the importance of honesty. She did it so much when he was younger that she couldn’t scold him too much when he admitted to doing something wrong. He’d been honest, like she taught him to be.
“Yes,” Y/N says slowly. “I have.” Hinata doesn’t say anything. “Have you?”
Hinata looks away from him as he nods a little. “Yeah, I do.”
Then it’s quiet between them as they pass by the volleyball team, who give them looks that Y/N doesn’t fully understand. He thinks about what Kumiko said earlier, but he doesn’t let it hold any actual truth in his chest, because he can’t afford to get his heart broken this close to Inter-High.
“Do I know her?” Hinata asks after they’ve passed his team. Y/N looks at him again. “The person you liked.”
Hinata doesn’t know the other people Y/N has liked. They’re all from Seijoh or junior high, and he doesn’t even remember all of their names. He wonders if one day it’ll be the same with Hinata, but something tells him it won’t be. Hinata isn’t someone who’s easily forgotten.
“No,” Y/N says, because it’s not entirely a lie. It just sits on the boundary of truth and lying. “Do I know the person you like?”
It takes a moment, but Hinata nods a little. “Yeah, you do.”
It’s strange not experiencing Hinata’s bright, cheery self, but Y/N doesn’t push. He’s never been one to push and push until answers are given. It’s not his place. He and Hinata are friends, but they’re not obligated to bear their souls to each other if they don’t want to. But he wants Hinata to right now. He wants to know who Hinata likes, and if Y/N has lost a chance he never even had.
“Who is it then?”
Hinata’s hair is getting longer, framing his face differently, sometimes even covering it. Right now, Y/N can’t see the entirety of him. He can’t see the entirety of Hinata’s expression, even though he needs to. Something claws at the inside of his chest, begging to be freed, so he can see Hinata clearly. See the way his eyes widen or narrow, and how his mouth presses into a firm line or smiles. It’s torturous not seeing those things.
“I can’t tell you,” Hinata finally says after a minute. “I want to, but I can’t.”
“Are you dating her?” Y/N asks as panic creeps up his throat, beginning to come out. “Is it a secret relationship type of thing?”
Hinata looks at him again, and his expression is so unreadable that Y/N forgets for a moment who the boy in front of him is. “No, I’m not dating him. I’m just… I’m just not ready to tell you yet.”
Him.
The word dangles hope in front of Y/N’s face. It also makes his stomach churn with nervousness, because he wants to be who Hinata is talking about. He wants it so bad that the idea of it not being him leaves a bitter taste in his mouth he needs to wash out.
“Oh,” Y/N says before slowly nodding. “Okay.” He pauses. “You know I don’t judge you or anything, right? It’d be a little messed up if I did.”
“It would?” Hinata asks, and they’re standing in the street again. There’s no longer the threat of their teams finding them since they’re too far away for that. Y/N could confess right now without that fear, but there’s more to fear than just the consequences of people finding out his feelings.
“Yeah, since I like guys too.”
It’s quiet for a minute, the breeze making Hinata’s hair sway a little. Y/N shouldn’t be worried, because Hinata just confessed the same thing, but he can’t stop it. His nerves cause his skin to tingle, similar to right before big games. He’s always felt it’s silly to get nervous before games, because it should just be a representative of what you’ve been working on all these months—years. However, he’s never been immune to feelings, just like right now.
“Really?” Hinata asks, and Y/N nods without saying anything else. “So, all of your crushes have been guys?”
Y/N shakes his head. “Not all of them.”
It’s hard to navigate what he’s meant to say right now, because he’s never been open like this. Seiji knowing he likes guys happened because Y/N found Seiji holding the boys’ basketball captain one afternoon. The confession came out once Seiji’s boyfriend left them alone, and then Y/N ended up crying and apologizing. Not his strongest moment, but he doesn’t consider it his weakest either.
Hinata nods a little before gripping the handlebars of his bike. “Let’s get going. Don’t want to miss out on dinner,” he says, and there’s a brightness in his voice that doesn’t entirely reach his eyes.
Y/N nods, though. He doesn’t push, but the desire to only grows. Hinata fills the rest of the way with chatter about school and practice while Y/N asks questions just to hear him talk more.
“Are you here for me to tutor you or to stare longingly?” Kumiko asks, and Y/N blinks as he looks at her.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he says, even though it’s definitely a lie. It’s been hard not looking for Hinata since he walked Y/N home the other night. He may hate lying, but it’s Kumiko, and it’s not too deep.
She gives him an unimpressed look. “So you’re denying that you’ve been giving Hinata-san heart eyes the last three days?”
Y/N rolls his eyes, but the back of his neck heats up. “I’ve not been doing that.” After a moment of silence, Kumiko just staring at him, he speaks quietly, “It’s not that noticeable, right?”
“It’s not,” Kumiko reassures him, which makes it easier to breathe. “But you’re slowly just becoming more and more obvious about it. Keep it up, and he’ll know by the end of the week.”
He looks away from her but stops himself from looking at Hinata, who is wearing a hoodie today. It’s unfair that Hinata looks so cute and Y/N can’t do anything about it but stare helplessly. He considers his staring helpless, because it’s how he feels. He feels helpless to this feeling bubbling up in his stomach, wanting to come out of his throat as word vomit.
“Would you believe me if I told you I’m trying to not be obvious?” he asks, and she hums slightly.
“Yeah, but only because I know you, and this is not your style,” she says, and he looks at her with a tilt of his head. “If you’re about to ask me what I mean, then I mean you’re just direct. You don’t like beating around the bush, even though you do it sometimes, and you don’t like being in conversations that last longer than they’re meant to. It’s why I figured out you like him.”
Y/N stares at her, lips parted slightly. “Oh.”
Kumiko rests her cheek against her palm. “There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s okay to know who you are and what you want, but it’s also okay not to know.” She pauses. “You’re just in that weird in-between stage right now.”
“And how do I get out of it?”
She shrugs. “I guess either confess or get over it? I don’t know. I’ve never had a crush before. That’s what they do in shoujo manga at least.”
Y/N rolls his eyes, slight annoyance flaring up in his chest. “Very helpful.”
“Hey,” she says, not loud by any means, but louder than she’d been speaking. Thankfully, no one looks their way as she pushes his shoulder slightly, her hair moving with the motion and getting into her face. “You’re the one who came to me.”
“Uh, no,” he says flatly. “You kept asking me, and—”
“I only asked once!”
“Not true! You tried to ask me this morning during practice when I was barely even—”
“No, you’re just lying now!”
“Everything okay, L/N-kun? Kumiko-chan?” Hinata says, and they both look at him. He’s next to their desks, and several people are looking at them now.
Y/N and Kumiko share a look as Y/N nods. “Yeah, doing great,” Y/N says, awkwardness poking at his skin like a knife. “Sorry, we didn’t realize we were getting loud.”
“Yeah,” Kumiko quickly says. “Just caught up in the moment.”
Hinata smiles, and it’s genuine. It’s not awkward or hesitant, and it helps the tension in Y/N’s shoulders seep away a little. The pressure no longer making it impossible to breathe.
“It’s okay,” Hinata says, still smiling and only looking at Y/N. “I was really just coming over here to ask if L/N-kun wanted to walk home together.”
Y/N’s eyes widen slightly before he nods. “Yeah—yeah! That sounds great. Want to meet at the gate?”
Hinata nods. “Yeah, sounds great.” He pauses, just looking at Y/N, before pointing over his shoulder at Yachi. “I’m gonna go back over there to finish tutoring.”
“Okay,” Y/N says, unsure of what else to say. “I’ll just stay here.”
Hinata giggles a little, and Y/N nearly grabs at his chest because of it. He doesn’t know how much of having a crush he can stand, especially when he’s acting like this. It’s not realistic to function like this, because how is he meant to focus on anything with Hinata in front of him?
Y/N watches Hinata walk across the room before he slowly looks at Kumiko, who has a pitying look on her face. He wishes she could just pretend to be blind when he embarrasses himself. It would make everything easier.
His face is already warm, but his cheeks burn. “Just help me with math,” he mumbles.
Kumiko bites her lip, clearly holding back her laughter. “Of course.”
Hinata is not waiting at the gate but instead, is walking toward the baseball field as practice gets out. He doesn’t have his bike, meaning he wasn’t waiting before coming, which is good. Practice went a little longer than usual, and Y/N hadn’t even thought about Hinata needing to wait.
“L/N!” Hinata says, and Y/N smiles at him, making it easier to feel some of the dirt on his face. He doesn’t always get covered in dirt during practice, but today was different.
“Hinata-kun,” Y/N says as he jogs over to him. “I thought we were meeting at the front gate?”
Hinata nods. “Yeah, but I just wanted to see you sooner.” He pauses, timid. “Is that okay?”
“Yeah!” Y/N blurts. “Of course! It’s just that walking over here is out of your way.”
“It’s okay.” Hinata’s smile is bright. “Doesn’t bother me.”
Y/N’s face feels hot, no longer from overworking himself at practice. Hopefully, he can get away with the idea of it being because of practice. He doesn’t need to experience any more embarrassment than he already has. Lunch was bad enough.
“Just give me a minute to change and everything,” Y/N says, and Hinata simply nods. “I’ll be super quick.”
“Okay,” Hinata says, still smiling. “I’ll wait near your clubroom?”
Y/N nods. “Yeah, great. Sounds great.”
They walk that way together, and Y/N’s teammates keep giving them looks, but they’re not saying anything. Y/N prays they continue to not say anything, because he can’t deal with that right now. He’s too tired and nervous to even start trying to talk about it. Although, if someone says something, he imagines Seiji will shut it down.
Hinata stops a little way from the clubroom, and Kumiko is instantly at Y/N’s side. “Why is he here?”
Here as in walking with Y/N away from the front gate instead of waiting there.
Y/N looks at her with slightly wide eyes and a frantic voice. “I don’t know. Like he just showed up, and I wasn’t prepared for him to just show up. I know practice ran a couple minutes late, but I didn’t think it ran that late.”
“You’re right, 10 minutes isn’t that bad,” she says, and he nods. “Maybe he hadn’t planned on ever actually meeting at the entrance? Maybe he just said that?”
“But why?”
Kumiko simply shrugs, which is incredibly unhelpful. She’s meant to be somewhat helpful right now. Not that she’s been super helpful this entire time.
Y/N shakes his head. “It doesn’t matter. I need to get cleaned up fast, so he doesn’t wait too long.”
She laughs slightly. “Alright. You do that.”
Thankfully, no one says anything. It makes it easier to be quick, but he wishes he was quicker when he sees someone talking to Hinata.
Akira.
An unfamiliar feeling bubbles in Y/N’s stomach at the sight. It’s a mutual feeling of dislike that Y/N experiences with Akira. It started at the beginning of the year when Y/N took Akira’s spot, so Akira started trying to sabotage him to get his spot back. The issue is that it’s impossible to get a third year in trouble when you’re just a second year. Sure, Seiji noticed, but their coach doesn’t care.
“So, you’re part of the volleyball team?” Akira asks, and Hinata smiles brightly.
“Yeah! I’m a middle blocker, but I love spiking!” Hinata says, and Akira has the same confused expression that Y/N probably has whenever Hinata talks about volleyball. (However, Hinata doesn’t always understand what Y/N is saying when the discussion of baseball comes up.) “We’re heading to Spring Inter-high in January!”
Akira nods. “We’re going next month.” He has that annoying smirk on his face that Y/N constantly wants to punch off. “First time in a while, thanks to me.”
Hinata’s brows furrow slightly. “But I thought L/N took your spot?” There’s genuine confusion in his voice, and Y/N bites back his laugh. It’s then that Hinata sees Y/N, and he brightens up. “L/N! You’re done!”
Y/N smiles back at him, and that unpleasant feeling in his stomach fades away. “Yeah, sorry for the wait.”
“It’s okay. I was keeping him company,” Akira says, and Hinata’s nose scrunches slightly. Y/N looks back at Hinata.
“Again, sorry for the wait.”
Akira glares at him, and Y/N can hear the beginning of a rant about Y/N being disrespectful on the tip of Akira’s tongue. He loves lecturing Y/N until Y/N is ready to sleep on the ground in front of him.
“It’s alright!” Hinata says, causing both of them to look at him. “Let’s just get going, okay?”
Y/N nods. “Yeah.” He looks at Akira. “Bye, Akira-senpai. See you tomorrow.”
Akira rolls his eyes. “Yeah, see you tomorrow.”
It’s when they’re away from Akira that Hinata looks at Y/N again. “Is he always like that?”
Y/N’s brows furrow as he looks at him. “Like what?”
“You know…” Hinata looks away, suddenly shy. “Full of himself?”
Y/N can’t stop himself from snorting, unable to even try to bite his laughter down. “Yeah, he is, especially when it comes to me.”
“Because you became a starter?” Y/N nods. Hinata looks at the ground. “I don’t get that. Last year Kageyama got the starter spot over Sugawara-senpai—the vice captain—but Sugawara-senpai never got upset with Kageyama. He saw how Kageyama was a good fit, which was more important than him being a starter.”
Y/N sighs. “Yeah, well, not everyone is like that, even though that’d make it all easier.” He shakes his head a little. “It’s fine. I’ve gotten used to it.”
“You shouldn’t have to.” The words are firm. “It’s not right.”
Y/N pauses, nodding a little. “Thank you, Hinata-kun.”
“Hinata.”
“What?”
Hinata’s gaze is intense, warming Y/N’s face even without him looking at him. “You can call me Hinata.”
“Okay,” Y/N says slowly. “Thank you, Hinata.”
Hinata’s smile is so, so bright. “Of course!”
It’s quiet for a minute, but it’s not awkward. It’s calming and makes it easier for Y/N to breathe just a little. They don’t always need to be talking, which is nice since Y/N isn’t always the most talkative. He can talk more than some people, but he’s fine sitting in silence as much as he’s fine with talking.
“Did Akira-senpai talking to me bother you?” Hinata asks, and Y/N nearly stumbles over his feet.
“What?” Y/N chokes out slightly. He hadn’t thought it was obvious, but maybe it’s more that he doesn't like Akira, and Hinata noticed that.
“You just seemed to not like him talking to me,” Hinata said before imitating Y/N’s previous expression. “You looked all grumpy and like you wanted to tear us apart.”
Y/N clears his throat slightly, avoiding looking at Hinata. “I mean, I don’t really like Akira-senpai all that much, which you know.”
“But it was more than that, right?”
Hinata’s voice is cheeky, and Y/N hates it. He hates that he feels like he’s been caught in something he wasn’t prepared for. Maybe Hinata isn’t referencing any kind of romantic feelings. Maybe he’s just teasing him.
“Uh, I don’t know what you mean,” Y/N says, but it’s awkward and unconvincing. He wants to die right now from embarrassment.
“I think you do,” Hinata says, but his confidence isn’t as strong this time. “Or at least that’s what everyone else is saying.”
Y/N looks at him, and Hinata’s gaze is no longer intense. It’s actually no longer on him, burning his skin. He’s staring at the feet as they walk. He doesn’t look discouraged, but he definitely looks nervous.
“I really don’t know what you mean now,” Y/N says, even though he has an inkling. Playing dumb never hurt anyone too much, though.
Hinata looks at him, unsure but determined. “Do you like me, L/N?” He pauses. “You know, do you like, like me?”
Y/N’s heart completely stops. He’s been caught, and he doesn’t want to lie his way out of his one. Not that he really wants to tell the truth, either. He’s confused whether Hinata is being serious in terms of being interested or if he’s about to make fun of Y/N—not that Y/N thinks he’s that kind of person. He’s just worried.
Y/N pulls Hinata off to the side, they’re nearly to the entrance, but they need to have this conversation before they get too far and are stuck walking the same direction the rest of the way. That doesn’t like utter torture that Y/N can’t stand. He just hopes they can remain friends after this.
“Yes, I do,” Y/N starts before taking a deep breath in, looking away from Hinata. “And I understand if you’re not interested—I would never force that on you—I just hope we can stay friends? I’m sorry if I’ve made you uncomfortable at any point as well, because that wasn’t what I was trying to do at all. I’ll even try—”
“I like you too, L/N,” Hinata cuts him off, and Y/N freezes before looking at Hinata with wide eyes.
“You do?”
Hinata nods. “I do, and have for a while, but I couldn’t tell if you liked me, but everyone on the team kept saying you do. Then you said you liked guys, and Noya-senpai told me things he does if he likes someone or things people do to see if someone likes them.”
Y/N blinks. “Today at lunch,” he says slowly. “Was that you trying to see?”
Hinata nods, looking away slightly as his cheeks turn pink. “Yeah, and you were cute! Yachi even said she thought you acted like you like me, so I thought I’d come straight to you after practice.”
“Did you talk to Akira-senpai first?” Y/N asks, and Hinata shakes his head.
“No, he talked to me, but you kinda gave it away when you saw us.”
Y/N slowly nods as he lets a deep breath out, trying to process everything. “So, you like me?”
Hinata looks at him. “Yeah, and you like me.”
“Yeah, I do.” Y/N pauses. “What does this mean?”
“That we like each other?” Hinata asks, and Y/N wonders if that’s stupid for Hinata to say, because it’s not what Y/N meant, but it’s also not false.
“I meant like—are we dating?”
Hinata’s eyes widen comically big, which has Y/N panicking that he said the wrong thing. He doesn’t know if he can survive saying the wrong thing right now. Kumiko will ask him tomorrow what happened, and Y/N will either have to lie his ass off or get harassed by her. He’s unsure which one is worse.
“I mean, we can if you want to,” Hinata says, voice a little softer. “I’d like that.”
Y/N smiles a little. “You do?” Hinata nods. “Me too.”
Hinata’s smile is wide and bright, and Y/N wants to capture it in a photo so he never forgets it. “Really?”
“Yeah, really.”
They’re quiet for a moment, just smiling at each other. It’s cheesy, and Y/N should feel some level of embarrassment from this, but he can’t find it in himself to. He’s too happy to be embarrassed. Way too happy.
“So, we’re boyfriends?” Y/N asks, and Hinata aggressively nods.
“Yeah! Boyfriends!”
When they hear Y/N’s team making their way there, they both hurry to leave through the entrance. Y/N just doesn’t want to deal with stares or questions, and leaving is just the easiest thing to do right now. Once they get far enough away, Hinata’s fingers reach for Y/N’s at their sides, and Y/N makes the final move to hold hands and intertwine fingers.
Tomorrow, when Kumiko asks what happened, he’ll figure out how to subtly drop the fact that Hinata is his boyfriend—that her suffering as he pined was worth it. Right now, though, he focuses on how warm Hinata’s hand is within his own, and how hard his heart beats from excitement.