Skater Boy | h.harem

【16】

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Hinata never went to practice the next day, but he did show them his tattoo. It was a black dragon with pink speckles on it that wrapped around his arm. The character to which it devoted was Oki-Chan, who had one similar to it.

He had the pink put in especially for Natsu, but she never did get a chance to see it. Takeda had spoken with Hinata's homeroom teacher and told him that he wouldn't be attending school for today.

Kageyama, Yamaguchi, and Tsukishima stayed with Hinata and helped him clean up the kitchen since they had never finished yesterday. Finally, after much apologizing and praise from the ginger himself, they had finished removing and replacing everything in the kitchen.

The money they used to replace everything came from Hinata's savings account, according to him. It was a rather uneventful day. Hinata didn't talk much at all, and every time they'd take a break, he'd go out roller skating.

In all honesty, it was a little upsetting to them since they weren't getting the attention they craved, but with the situation he was going through, they figured it'd be best to leave him be.

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The chilly morning wind slashed at Hinata's exposed skin, making his eyes water. Sleep didn't seem to be an option for him.

4:23 a.m. The time he was supposed to bring Natsu to the daycare. Sighing, he stopped in front of the colorful building and stared it down. Actual class for the children didn't start until 8:45 a.m., so that meant Hinata wouldn't be able to cross paths with Natsu.

"I hope you're sleeping well, Natsu," he muttered, leaving the daycare as fast as his skates were willing to go. He arrived at Karasuno before the sun was even up, immediately going to the gym and taking off his shoes.

Obviously, no one was going to be there at this time, so Hinata simply took his skates off and sat by the door in his practice clothes and socks. It pained him to be at home alone.

He only hummed his and Natsu's favorite song quietly with his head tucked into his knees. The lovely, soft sound would be the only thing that would alert someone of his presence.

The cold wind bites at his skin, making him curl in on himself more. A small part of him wished he had brought a jacket with him since his body was still a little sensitive due to his past illness.

Paying no mind to the way his body reacted to the cold, he played it off as if he wasn't trembling like a leaf in high wind and continued to hum.

Footsteps grew near and became audible enough for the ginger to hear, but he ignored it, picking at the small patch of grass beside him. Startling him out of his trance was a warm piece of clothing being tossed over his shoulders.

The stranger sat beside him and seemed to put their arm over the clothing to pull Hinata into their side. Finally looking up, Hinata came face to face with Tanaka. The confusion he felt must've been written on his face because Tanaka decided to explain.

"I figured you'd be here right now since you wake up so early in the morning, so I thought I'd keep you company." A small smile ran across the ginger's lips as he tucking his head back into his knees.

"What would you have done if I wasn't here?" The baldy seemed perplexed over the question, pinching his chin with his fingers. "Wait for you to get here, I guess."

Hinata felt secure and warm in Tanaka's embrace, and, for a short moment, he wondered if Natsu felt this way when he holds her. A couple of stray tears fell from his eyes as a smile tugged at his lips.

He leaned his head against Tanaka's chest, his almost erratic heartbeat strangely calming the ginger down. This was a nice feeling. The feeling of being held and the feeling of being loved.

In the past, he was sure the only person who loved him was Natsu, but now he has a whole group of friends who care about him. Thank you... He thought to his team, falling asleep in the peaceful security of his friend's arms.

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The team sweatdropped as they watched their favorite ginger run off the court and the water bottles after Coach had called for a break.

Immediately after grabbing his and Tanaka's, he rushed back to the bald male's side, holding one out to him. "You did great, Tanaka-Senpai! Your spike at the end was so amazing!" The ginger praised, following his senpai to the wall so he could relax a little.

"Awe~ Thanks, my little kouhai! You did a great job as well!" Tanaka, with a blush on his cheeks, looked to the side to see the team staring at them. They must've figured it out as well.

Hinata was following Tanaka.

From the second he had woke up he was glued to the baldy's side. It reminded everyone of a mother duck and her duckling.

Another thing they learned after Tanaka excused himself to go to the bathroom, was that if the second year wasn't around, Hinata would cling onto Sugawara. When the third year was gone, along with the Tanaka, he would sit quietly by himself, away from everyone else.

Tsukishima had shared his theory that Hinata may have found some resemblance of his sister in them, or that they simply helped him through his fragile state of mind.

Either way, it wasn't like it bothered them. In fact, they liked having the ginger rely on them for security and comfort. Anything was better than a sad Hinata.

Everyone else was jealous.

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The bell for lunch rang, and Hinata was the first outside the classroom door, heading straight for the third year hallway. "Oi, boke! Wait a minute!" Kageyama shouted behind him, making him curiously turn around.

"What is it, Kageyama-San?" He asked once they had begun their journey up the stairs. "Let's eat lunch together so we can practice your stupid receives." The blush on his face went unnoticed by the ginger.

"Can Sugawara-Senpai come?" Kageyama growled under his breath, turning his head to the third year staring at the ginger and glaring.

"Why?" The raven unconsciously asked.

"I don't know. I thought it'd be nice."

Spotting Sugawara's classroom, a large smile spread over his face as he put a pep in his step. "Suga-Senpai!" He called out, peeking his head through the doorway in search of his familiar silver hair.

"Hinata?" Everyone in the class stared at the ginger, but he paid no mind to it, running and leaping in Sugawara's waiting arms. Kageyama was not happy. "Can we eat lunch together, Senpai? Kageyama and I were going to practice some receives! You can join us!"

"Oh, man, Suga-Kun, why don't you introduce me to this little cutie," one of Sugawara's classmates sang, throwing an arm around the silver-haired male. "I'm Hinata Shouyou, a first year, and a middle blocker for the volleyball club! It's nice to meet you!"

Without asking for the name of the strange male, Hinata took hold of Sugawara's hand and pulled him into his arms once more, petting his head in the process. Both the audience and Sugawara froze.

"Um, Hinata?" Pulling away, though he still held his senpai's hand, he began walking to the door. "Sugawara, who-who's that?" A tall male stuttered, entering the classroom with an anxious look.

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