Chapter Text
It started with “I’m counting on you.”
Of course, Hinata’s reaction at the time had been to completely shut down, his brain pausing function, face burning red and even his hair glowing in embarrassment because not only was he under so much pressure, but their gorgeous manager had looked at him with kind eyes and a hint of a shy smile, a light blush dusted over her cheeks.
Kiyoko Shimizu was beauty personified – perfection – and Hinata Shouyo was a teenage boy who short circuited very easily.
Kiyoko had withdrawn her hand from his shoulder with a tiny sound of surprise, dainty and cute and – Hinata was smitten. The crush he’d once had on a girl in his class? Gone. The crush he’d had on Izumi back in middle school? Shattered. That crush on Koji that lasted two months? Obliterated.
From that moment on, Hinata knew he was screwed. His new found revelation, along with the immense pressure - I want to impress her! - had him going batshit crazy all over the place. He completely gave in to the pressure, until Kageyama scared him back to his senses, and Tanaka lectured him on team play.
For the time being, he could put his new attraction aside. It worked well. They won 2 sets against Aobajosai, ranked 4th in the prefecture. It could have gone very differently in either direction, had Hinata been playing correctly from the beginning, and Oikawa present the whole game.
Hinata was both moved and confused by Takeda’s speech, but part of that was probably because he kept losing track of the words, his gaze drifting over to the manager standing just off to the side. It was only when the team were collecting their water bottles and gathering their items that Hinata had another encounter.
“Hinata-kun.” He screeched as he straightened up, twisting around on one foot and losing balance and tripping backwards over the bench. Kiyoko blinked, looking down at him with wide eyes, pink lips parted into a small ‘oh’, before her brows furrowed in concern and she extended her free hand, the other holding the water bottle Hinata had been searching for.
“Are you alright?”
“Y-YES. SORRY.” He bolted up, unsure as to why he saluted. It took two seconds for his entire body to blush, from the burning in the tips of his ears to the warm flush of his arms. Once more, Kiyoko leant back a little in surprise, but then she giggled - giggled! - and smiled. She pressed the empty water bottle into one of Hinata’s hands and all he could think about was how soft her skin was and how gentle her touch was and her laugh was so cute-
“You left this near the pole~.”
“Y-Y-Yes! Th- Thank y-you!” A stuttering mess, he felt like his brain was about to melt into liquid mush and he’d become a puddle right in front of the first girl he had truly noticed in high school.
“Oi, dumbass! Hurry up!” He never thought he’d be happy to hear Kageyama insulting him, but here we was, thanking and praising every god in the sky and angel in heaven, and quickly looping the strap of his back over his shoulder. He bowed politely to Kiyoko, before springing over the bench he had previously fallen over and sprinting over to Kageyama.
Kiyoko raised a hand to cover her mouth, a grin growing behind it and a small huff of amusement escaping. The newbie’s were entertaining, that was for sure, and Hinata was like a bright ball of sunshine that somehow made her feel lighter, warm from the inside.
Her heart skipped a beat, stuttered.
Oh. She quickly looked around to see if anyone had noticed the wobbling smile on her lips and the way her cheeks started to dust pink. Kiyoko wasn’t stupid, she knew exactly what was happening and why she was reacting this way – feeling this way.
Still, best to keep it quiet. After all, Hinata was only a first year. There was no way she would be able to acknowledge the little stutter of her heart or the heat simmering under her skin, considering how certain she was that the feeling would go away in due time.
It was only a crush.
“Shimizu! Can you help us loading the bags?” She almost dropped her clipboard, a sound of surprise slipping out her lips as she caught it, then turned to Daichi. She tried to play it off by tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, but she knew he had caught the fumbling when he raised an eyebrow with half amusement, half concern.
“Did I surprise you?”
“A little.”
“Distracted?”
“N-not much.” She stuttered, internally sighing at her own voice betraying her, but Daichi didn’t ask questions. He pat her shoulder, warmly chuckling.
“Try not to think too hard. We’ll cover it all in the review back at the school.” As Daichi jogged back to Suga and their bags, Kiyoko started walking towards the car park, elegant in her strides, as if she was gliding.
That annoying strand of hair came loose again, and she tucked it behind the frame of her glasses with gentleness. As her fingers brushed over the shell of her ear, she softly giggled, remembering just how red Hinata’s ears had been when he’d tripped over the bench.
‘Cute.’ Sunlight glinted in the lens of her glasses and she noticed fingerprints all over them from where she’d been relentlessly pushing them up during the practice match, not wanting to miss a second.
Silently, she pulled them off and started cleaning them on her uniform shirt, still walking and barely recognising her feet, blobs of white and black – her shoes and socks – swinging like a pendulum against a white floor that turned to wood and then carpet and-
... Where was she?
She stopped, putting her glasses back on and - ‘oh no’ - she was so lost. Kiyoko Shimizu was lost in the middle of a school she had never been to before. Aobajosai was a maze, and she had strayed from the only path she knew. She felt like the lamb walking into the lion’s den. And it seemed like the lions were out hunting. That is to say, she couldn’t see anyone nearby.
Then – A slight murmuring. It was distant, but any voice was better than none, as long as there was someone who could help her find her way out. Hopefully before the minivan departed. Clutching her clipboard tighter, she headed towards the voices.
She hope it wasn’t someone perverted, or someone who would hit on her. Honestly, Kiyoko was exasperated with those types. They were everywhere, and they never got the message that she wasn’t interested. If she was looking for love, then it would definitely not be someone so blunt and sleazy, hitting on random girls and hoping to get ‘lucky’.
She hoped it was someone from the volleyball team they’d just played. They seemed respectable and- Kageyama! Close enough to make out the words, she was sure she’d heard someone say Kageyama! Picking up the pace, her shoes tapped a quiet rhythm on the floor. Musically-inclined, she could imagine a tune to it, her footsteps a metronome as she headed towards the-
“Bathroom, bathroom, bathroom, yay~! Who am I? The one they’ll call the Ace!” That was not her song. But it was a voice she recognised. She muffled a laugh with both hands, pressing against a wall at Hinata’s loud and tuneless singing, bright and happy and sunshine.
If his lyrics were correct, then just ahead was the boy’s bathroom and Kiyoko wasn’t sure she wanted to go near there. In fact, she definitely didn’t. Patiently, she waited, back against the wall and eyes closed, her head tilted up to bathe in the warmth of golden light coming through the hallways windows.
“Hey, did you cry~?”
“I did not!”
“Kageyama-kun, you can’t fool me~.”
“Shut up, dumbass!”
“G-GAH! OW!” Amused, Kiyoko followed them at a distance. It was only when the exit of the building came into view and she was assured that they weren’t also lost that she picked up her pace. Falling into step alongside them, she held back a grinning smirk at how they jumped at her sudden appearance.
“Hinata-kun, Kageyama-kun, good work today.”
“Thank you.” Kageyama nodded as he said those words, genuinely grateful for the compliment, but Hinata fumbled and stuttered and tripped over his words.
“You- You too! I mean! Yes! No-! Thank me! Thank you!” Finally getting the words out, Hinata sighed with relief. His chest felt strange. It was the same as a crush, but more... Well... Unexplainable.
All he knew was that when he held the door open and Kiyoko nodded at him in thanks, he felt his heart squeeze and bubble like a boiled kettle.
If this was truly his first high-school crush, it was deep.