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By the time Ukai got home from practice, showered, and buttoned up his least wrinkled shirt, he had approximately twelve minutes to get to a restaurant that was twenty-five minutes away from his apartment. The second he buckled himself into his car, his foot was already flooring the gas pedal. Tonight was his third date with Takeda, and he was determined to, somehow, be punctual.
Ukai was drumming his fingertips impatiently against his steering wheel at a red light when, finally, he begrudgingly accepted the fact that he would not arrive on time to his reservation. All because, out of the corner of his eye, a familiar tangle of red hair sat aimlessly on the sidewalk. The light turned green, and the blonde sighed deeply. His mind urged him to ignore the sight and drive on, but, over the past few months, he, unfortunately, had seemed to develop a (frequently inconvenient) moral obligation to twelve teenage boys.
His hazards flickering to life, Ukai pulled onto the shoulder of the road, rolled his window down, and gruffly called out, “Carrot Top, what the hell are you doing?”
Hinata’s head popped up from where it had been hanging in defeat. “Coach Ukai?” The boy squeaked out in surprise. His fingertips were stained an inky black, and the scuffed, ruffled state of his school uniform told the blonde that the teen must’ve taken a fall off the bike now lying haphazardly at his feet.
“Why are you sitting around outside like you’re begging for change? This is a busy road, and it’s going to get dark soon. Unless you want to get hit by a crappy driver, you should probably head home.” Ukai’s attention flickered back and forth between Hinata and the face of his watch, internally pleading that the boy wouldn’t argue against his valid concern.
The redhead groaned in response. Well, that wasn’t a good sign.
“I can’t,” Hinata began, “My bike chain snapped about a mile ago. I’ve been trying to call my mom, but she won’t pick up. It takes me thirty minutes to ride home. It’ll take triple that if I have to walk my bike the whole way.”
Ukai weighed his options. He was no saint, but he was still relatively certain that it would be frowned upon to leave one of his first-years stranded on the side of the road. Plus, no doubt, his chances at a perfect date with Takeda had already been ruined anyway.
Sighing, Ukai unlocked his car doors. “Throw your bike in the trunk and hop in. I’ll drive you home, but we have to make a stop first.”
Hinata chirped out a string of thank you’s as he enthusiastically dragged his bike to the back of the car, apparently finding a second wind.
The coach simply waved off his gratitude and told Hinata to hurry up as the teen excitedly clambered up into the vehicle. Once he was inside, Ukai pulled back onto the road and sped slightly less recklessly to his destination.
“So,” Ukai began tensely. He had never been one to endure awkward stretches of silence, but he wasn’t quite sure what he was supposed to talk about with a sixteen-year-old boy. Sure, he spent a decent chunk of time around the redhead at games and at practices, but he’d never had an actual conversation with the boy one-on-one. “The um… your spikes at practice today were pretty good. You’ve been improving a lot,” he finally stated as he clumsily grasped for a subject to discuss.
“Wow, you really think so? Thank you, Coach!” Hinata exclaimed, characteristically ecstatic over the slightest hint of praise. “Kageyama’s sets were awesome! They were like woosh and bam and pow and-“
“So, you and Kageyama are like… good friends? Or..?” The coach interjected, cutting off his string of onomatopoeias.
“Huh?”
“I just mean,” Ukai gestured with his left hand, struggling to find the right words, “you just speak really highly of him. I’m used to just hearing you two fight, but I know you admire… his skill.” It was meant to be an observation, but Ukai’s tone presented it more like a question.
“I mean… I guess,” Hinata shrugged, appearing a bit embarrassed.
The conversation fizzled out, and neither Ukai nor Hinata attempted to rekindle it. The two rode in silence for a short period of time until Ukai pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant he was supposed to be at nearly thirty minutes ago. Hinata fidgeted around in his seat and craned his neck, obviously trying to figure out where his coach had brought him.
“Button your shirt back up, tuck it in, and come on,” Ukai ordered gruffly as he turned off his engine, and Hinata responded promptly just as he would to his coach’s commands at practice.
The blonde walked in quick, long strides to the restaurant’s front entrance as Hinata scurried frantically behind him, shoving fistfuls of his white uniform shirt into his black slacks. The elegant archway over the crystal clear glass doors made it clear that this was a nice establishment— much nicer than anywhere Ukai would typically eat. He hoped that this date was still salvageable, and inside, a slightly irritated Takeda would be waiting for the blonde to defend his tardiness. However, truthfully, Ukai couldn’t say he’d blame the brunette if he’d given up and gone home.
Immediately, Ukai approached the hostess stand and frantically addressed the young woman standing behind it. “Excuse me, I have a reservation under Ukai Keishin for a table for two. I know I’m late, but is there any chance it’s still available? Well, if the person I’m meeting didn’t leave already.”
The ravenette smiled gently and brushed a well-manicured hand through her slicked-back ponytail. “It’s no trouble, sir. Another man claiming to be under the reservation arrived a little while ago. He should still be at the table.”
“Oh, thank God,” Ukai huffed out in relief.
“Are we eating here?” A small voice piped from behind the man.
Oh, yeah. Ukai sighed internally. You're here too.
The blonde looked back at Hinata, who was gazing around curiously, obviously in awe of the restaurant’s high ceilings and lavish chandeliers. Facing the hostess once again with pleading eyes, Ukai— exasperated— asked as he gestured to the redhead, ”Is there any way we could please pull up a third chair to the table? I have a… him with me.”
The hostess, thankfully, offered Ukai grace once more. “Of course, it’s not an issue! If you follow me, I’ll show you to your table and grab an extra chair for your son.”
Son- Ukai thought with amusement and, maybe, just a twinge of horror as he imagined a gruff man like himself somehow managing to raise the human embodiment of sunshine the shrimp trailing behind him was.
“That would be perfect. Thank you.” Ukai bowed slightly and didn’t bother to correct the woman’s mistake.
As the hostess ushered the pair to their table, Hinata continued to let out little ooo’s and awe’s at each grand inch of the establishment. His excitement only intensified when he was met with the sight of his club advisor waiting across from an empty seat. “Takeda-Sensei!” The redhead called out.
The brunette turned his head towards the familiar voice, and— though confusion initially laced his expression— Takeda politely returned the player’s enthusiasm. “Hinata-kun,” he smiled, “what a nice surprise! Will you be joining us?” The teacher asked, his gaze flickering to Ukai.
The coach shot his date an apologetic look, but treaded carefully so as not to make Hinata feel unwelcome. After all, Ukai had been the one to drag him here. “Little Red’s bike broke on his way home,” he explained, “so I offered to drive him home after we’re finished with our… dinner. I’m really sorry that I’m so late,” Ukai winced.
Takeda’s amused smirk told Ukai that he was forgiven. “No worries,” the brunette assured with a wave of his hand, “it gave me more time to think about what to order. Everything on the menu looks great!”
“Can I look?” Hinata asked excitedly as he sat in the extra chair the hostess had kindly provided. He had been positioned at one of the small, square table’s empty sides, slotting the redhead between where Ukai and Takeda sat across from each other.
“Of course, Hinata-kun,” Takeda replied gently and shifted his menu to be easier for the boy to read.
“We do have a less extensive children’s menu that offers a slight discount,” the hostess offered from where she still stood off to the side. “Is your son younger than twelve?” She asked Ukai.
“I’m—“ Hinata began a bit grumbly before swiftly being cut off by his coach.
“He’s ten,” Ukai interjected and sent a stern glare towards the teen, never before having been so thankful for his middle-blocker’s unusually short stature.
“Perfect,” the hostess replied, “I’ll be right back with another menu.”
“I’m sixteen, Coach,” Hinata whined once she had walked out of earshot.
“You’re either ten, or you get to walk home,” Ukai hissed back.
Takeda tried his best to choke down his laughter.
Hinata sighed in defeat and wistfully continued to examine the teacher’s menu. “Wow, the cheapest appetizer is $32! This must be a really fancy restaurant!” The teen noted with wide eyes.
“I know, Hinata.” Ukai grimaced as he thought about the unanticipated expenses tonight would bring.
“Do you guys hang out a lot?” Hinata suddenly asked, looking curiously between Ukai and Takeda.
“Uh- Well-“ the blonde stammered.
“We’re good friends,” Takeda stated simply, coming to the other man’s rescue, and, thankfully, before Hinata had a chance to possibly further interrogate the pair, the hostess had returned with his menu.
“Here you go, Sweetie,” the woman said kindly as she placed it in front of the redhead. Heat ignited upon Hinata’s cheeks at the endearment, and his eyes traveled not-so-discreetly beyond her neckline as she leaned down to set the menu in front of him. Ukai planted a swift kick into Hinata’s shin beneath the table. Hearing the unspoken message loud and clear, the teen immediately straightened his posture. None the wiser, the hostess walked away after promising that their waiter would be with them shortly.
“How have you been, Keishin-kun?” Takeda spoke up from his seat.
“I told you to drop the ‘-kun’ already, Specs. You know I’m not big on formalities.” The blonde waved dismissively. “Unless that bothers you, Ittetsu,” he added with a smirk.
Hinata looked between the two men as if each of them had grown an extra head. “Coach Keishin–”
“That didn’t apply to you too, Pipsqueak,” Ukai interjected immediately, grimacing at the reminder of his and Takeda’s audience for the night.
“Hello,” another voice suddenly drifted over the table. “What can I get everyone to drink?” An older man with closely-cut grey hair, their waiter, asked.
“I’ll just have a water, please,” Takeda replied.
“A water for me too, please,” Ukai added. Though he would much prefer something alcoholic, the idea of drinking in front of one of his players made him feel uncomfortable. Recently, he had even started putting out his cigarettes whenever one of the teens walked into his convenience store.
“Can I get a Coke, please?” Hinata asked, and it took a second for Ukai to realize that the question was directed at him and not the waiter.
“Hmm,” amused, Ukai hummed, pretending to contemplate the request, “what do you think, Specs?”
Takeda chuckled lightly in reply. “I’d say that Hinata-kun deserves a soda for his hard work at practice this afternoon.”
“Yes!” Hinata exclaimed with a fist-pump to the air, before sheepishly folding in on himself under the entertained looks he received. “My mom always makes me and Natsu, my little sister, get water,” he offered in explanation.
Ukai and Takeda both laughed, and the coach could tell that their waiter was trying his best to swallow his own amusement in favor of remaining professional.
“I’ll be right back with those drinks,” the older man said before walking off.
“You better not tell your mother that you successfully swindled me and Specs into disobeying her orders,” the teen’s coach joked.
“I won’t,” Hinata grinned, “as long as I can order off the regular menu.”
Ukai groaned.
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Ultimately, Ukai had given in and allowed Hinata to order from the adult menu, which, in hindsight, had been a good decision considering Hinata had been the only one to leave the table with an empty plate. He'd nearly had to stop the boy from licking it completely clean.
“Thank you for the meal, Keishin.” Takeda smiled sweetly as he walked shoulder-to-shoulder with the other man. “Are you sure you don’t want me to help cover the bill?”
Ukai grinned and threw an arm around his date’s shoulders. “Don’t sweat it, Specs.”
“Yeah, Coach, thank you for the meal!” Hinata called out happily, and Ukai quickly pulled his arm back down by his side at the reminder of the redhead trailing a short distance behind him and Takeda.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” the man grumbled in reply.
The trio made their way to Ukai’s car. Takeda had taken an Uber to the restaurant on the off chance he had ended up drinking too much to drive. Ukai had quickly offered to drop him off at his apartment, which wasn’t terribly far from Hinata’s home.
“Did you have a good time, Hinata-kun?” Takeda inquired after they had gotten into the vehicle. The redhead now sat in the back row’s middle portion, the teacher having replaced him in the passenger seat.
“Yes,” Hinata replied, though he no longer sounded as happy as he had been in the restaurant.
“Everything okay, Carrot Top?” Ukai asked as he slightly adjusted his rearview mirror to get a better look at the teen’s expression.
“I’m okay. It’s just…” Hinata began meekly. “Now that my bike is broken, I don’t know how I’m going to get to school tomorrow, and if I can’t go to school, I also can’t go to practice.”
Ukai frowned slightly and looked over at the man seated beside him. Takeda– aware of the teen’s lengthy commute– wore a serious expression, and the blonde could tell he was trying to formulate a solution in his mind.
Sighing, Ukai offered up the only answer he could think of, “I have a toolbox back at my apartment. Why don’t we all head over there and take a look at the issue?”
Hinata nodded and thanked his coach profusely. “I’ll text my mom and let her know!”
As Hinata was busy typing a message to his mother, Takeda took the opportunity to discreetly reach for Ukai’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “That was very sweet of you. I know that you like to pretend that you don’t, but you have a big heart,” the brunette murmured into the other man’s ear.
“It’s no big deal,” Ukai insisted, blushing furiously as he turned his key to start the engine.
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Ukai would’ve been much more nervous about Takeda being in his apartment for the first time if it weren't for the redheaded, overgrown toddler poking and prodding at all of his belongings.
“Gee, Hinata, thanks for helping me haul your hunk of metal up the stairs,” the blonde huffed sarcastically as he put the bicycle down in the middle of his living room floor. Hinata simply smiled guiltily in response.
“Is this you, Keishin?” Takeda suddenly asked off to the side as he pointed at a framed photo on the wall, having, apparently, joined in on Hinata’s snooping.
“Yes,” Ukai grumbled bashfully as Takeda examined the lanky, buzzcut-sporting teen who was grimacing fiercely in the old volleyball team photo.
“You remind me of Tanaka-kun,” Takeda mused, and Hinata ran over excitedly to get a look. Ukai’s blush grew.
“Okay, that’s enough,” the blonde asserted as he walked to a nearby coat closet and procured his red metal toolkit. “Pipsqueak, get your ass over here and help me with your bike.” Ukai set down his tools and knelt on the floor to inspect the broken chain. Hinata scrambled to sit beside him on the floor, and Takeda hovered above the two of them, observing the scene.
“Do you really think you can fix it?” Hinata asked curiously.
“I should be able to remove the mangled links and push everything back together with a hammer and a pair of pliers. It won’t be super sturdy, but it should last until you can get a new chain,” Ukai assessed before adding, “After practice on Saturday, I could take you to the bicycle shop and show you what kind you need. Then, I could teach you how to replace it in case this happens again.” The teen gazing up at him was immediately coated with an expression of such immense gratitude, and Ukai swore he even saw tears begin to brew within Hinata’s hazel eyes.
“Thank you, Coach Ukai,” the teen spoke a bit shakily.
Ukai looked off to the side and shrugged sheepishly before fiddling with the bike’s chain once more, “It’s no big deal.”
Suddenly, the shrill ring of a cellphone pierced through the air, and Takeda jumped out of his skin before frantically fishing it out of his pocket and checking the caller ID. “I’m so sorry! I need to take this,” he apologized before stepping out of the room.
“Hinata,” Ukai began once more, pulling the boy’s attention back to the task at hand, “can you grab the needle-nosed pliers for me, please?”
The redhead nodded enthusiastically and moved to complete the task. It took a couple of tries, but Ukai waited patiently for him to locate the correct tool. Hinata handed the pliers to Ukai, who then used them to yank and squeeze at the damaged links.
Hinata watched reverently as the man worked before speaking up softly, “Coach Ukai.”
“Hmm?”
“I’m sorry if I ruined you and Takeda-sensei’s date.”
Ukai nearly dropped the pliers as he choked on his own spit. “What?”
“I know that I’m not a genius, but I’m not stupid,” Hinata blushed. “Even I can connect the dots.”
Ukai sighed, “Fine, you caught us red-handed, but you didn’t ruin our date. Was all this what I had in mind for this evening? Not a chance. I did, however, still have a good time, and I know that Takeda did too. If anything, I should be thanking you for giving me a cover story for why I was already so horrifically late,” Ukai countered with a ruffle of Hinata’s hair.
Hinata laughed at the playful gesture, “I’ll do it again next time too if you buy me more pasta.”
The blonde rolled his eyes before adding in a serious tone, “You better not utter a word about any of this to the rest of the team, by the way. Don’t think I won’t make you run laps until there are holes in your shoes.”
Hinata nodded, pretending to lock up his lips and throw away the key.
It was at this point that Takeda reemerged. “I’m sorry about that. How are things going in here?”
“Pretty good,” Ukai replied as he continued his repairs. “I should have everything all fixed up in ten minutes tops. Then, I’ll have Hinata test it out outside before I bring you both home. Now, hand me that hammer, Carrot Top.”
___________________
True to his word, it wasn’t long before Ukai had the trio parked in front of Hinata’s house. He helped the teen haul his bike out of the trunk and waved goodbye to both Hinata and his mother before climbing back behind the wheel and driving to Takeda’s apartment.
“Here we are,” Ukai said as they arrived at the building.
“Thank you for tonight,” Takeda spoke sincerely. “I had a lot of fun– even if it wasn’t exactly what we had planned.”
“I like to keep you on your toes,” Ukai chuckled before leaning towards Takeda and pressing a soft kiss to his lips. The man felt a flash of the brunette’s teeth against his own mouth as Takeda let out a laugh.
Ukai kissed the teacher once more before beginning to move away. However, Takeda immediately countered by cupping a hand against Ukai’s jawline, causing the blonde to freeze.
“You know,” Takeda began quietly, his face growing hot under the flush of embarrassment, “you’ve driven an awful lot today. If you’d like, you could always just spend the night here.”
Ukai turned off the car and was outside of the vehicle opening Takeda’s passenger side door in about ten seconds flat.
“If you insist, Ittetsu-kun.”
___________________
The following afternoon, Ukai sat yawning behind the convenience store counter as he read the latest issue of Shonen-Jump. He continuously fiddled with the neckline of his T-shirt, hyperaware of the dark hickey he knew was concealed just beneath it. Takeda would be stopping by his apartment that evening after a Karasuno staff meeting, and it was all the blonde could think about.
Suddenly, the ring of the shop’s entrance bell cut through his thoughts, and Ukai startled in his seat. His eyes shot up and landed on a familiar redhead sporting a sheepish grin. At Hinata’s side was his bicycle– a snapped bike chain swaying uselessly with each movement.