Losing is Winning

Chapter 23

"Anyone up for eating out?" Sugawara asked later, pulling his sports shirt over his head.

"I'm starving!" Nishinoya exclaimed.

A dreamy expression settled onto Tanaka's face as he stared into the depths of his locker. "My mouth's watering at the thought of food alone."

Continuing to change out of his sports clothes, Tobio listened to them talk as they discussed where they would go. They had won the last set against Date Tech, and even if it had only been enough to lead to a tie in the end, a relaxed energy had taken over the team.

"Kageyama, what do you think?" Tobio looked up at being addressed. Just now did he realize that he was the only one who hadn't yet said something about the idea.

He opened his mouth, but the words got stuck in his throat, hesitation crippling his tongue.

His teammates had long since forgiven him for his outburst. It was as if it had never happened. Tobio, on the other hand, couldn't shake the compressing feeling in his chest.

Sugawara was still looking at him with an expectant expression, and Tobio quickly searched for something to say. "I still need to finish a school assignment for tomorrow, sorry." He forced an apologetic smile onto his face. "But please enjoy the meal."

Sugawara's brows knitted together lightly, but after a moment he smiled back and nodded.

Tobio focused back on packing his bag, but he noticed Hinata's wary eyes on him, following his every movement and it felt way too much like being looked through to the core.

Keeping his posture straight, even when everything in him screamed to just let his shoulders slump and wallow in his own thoughts, he refrained from leaving the locker room earlier than the rest of the team. He stayed with them, followed them and even added a few things to the conversations when he was able to think of something until their way finally, finally parted.

He had barely made his first step into the side-alley when warm fingers closed around his wrist and yanked him back. Caught off guard, he turned back. Hinata was glancing up at him. His eyebrows were drawn together in discontent, but he made an unusual pause, eyes scanning Tobio's face, before he spoke up. "Not even a goodbye?" he asked.

Oh. He bit his lip, self-conscious. "Sorry," he said, involuntarily grabbing Hinata's hand. The warm skin, pressed tightly against his own, managed to somewhat calm down the guilt that was curling in his stomach.

Hinata didn't respond out loud. Instead, his fingers tightened a little around Tobio's as his eyes were still flitting over his face, searching for something Tobio couldn't name. His gaze was serious; as serious as it only got when Hinata was trying to figure out an opponent in the middle of a match. Tobio felt stripped down  to his core.

Then, it was over. Hinata lowered his gaze down to where their hands were still intertwined and squeezed another time. "Are you sure you don't wanna come with us?" His eyes were dark and filled with a depth Tobio didn't know to interpret.

Hesitation tied his tongue to the roof of his mouth. There was something pleading in Hinata's eyes. It was tentative and so barely there, Tobio might as well imagine it, but it caused the guilt to rear its head again. All he wanted was to be on his own for a while. With an apologetic expression, he shook his head. Then, he forced a smile onto his lips. "I hope you'll have fun, though." He looked over to where the rest of the team had stopped to wait a few meters away.

They nodded and smiled back, calling out their goodbyes before Hinata leaned up onto his toes and pressed a chaste kiss to the corner of his mouth. Then, he smiled softly and went to catch up with them.