little things ࿊ kagehina

walking in a fire wonderland.

"hey, wait up!"

"you're so slow."

"am not!"

tobio walked ahead of his fiesty friend as he struggled with the lock on his bike. he walked a little slower out of slight consideration for the boy's struggles against the bike rack, and regained speed as shōyō appeared beside him, his smirk wide with accomplishment.

"ah, you made it just in time! i almost walked away." tobio joked, the snow crunching beneath his shoes laughing along.

"you wouldn't," shōyō giggled.

"i would."

"liar."

the winter wind whipped ferociously around the boys as they exited the school parking lot. the sky was a deep plum, its stars glittering like diamonds above them as they followed the sidewalk home.

"i'm so excited we finally got that new attack going! it's gonna be so cool once it's done!" shōyō blurted out, his grip on the handlebars of his bike tightening with excitement.

"yeah, it'll be pretty cool," tobio admitted.

"are you feeling better today, kageyama?" he asked sweetly.

"i- well, i mean- uh, yeah, yes. i am feeling better." tobio struggled to conclude his answer.

"i'm glad! i didn't like seeing you so sad."

tobio hoped the frostbitten wind would take the fall for the raspberry hue painting his cheeks.

"y-yeah, whatever."

the sidewalk came to a split, and the two now realized it was time to go their separate ways; neither would admit it, but they always felt like time passed too quickly before they had to leave each other for home.

"well, i gotta get home now! mom and natsu are waiting."

"okay. see you tomorrow."

"see ya!"

tobio turned and began his trek as shōyō hopped onto his bike, but was stopped abruptly by a tiny hand wriggling itself around his arm.

"what are you-"

the tiny hand belonging to a skinny pair of arms let go, but only to let those arms wrap themselves around tobio's jacketed torso.

"you can always talk to me, kageyama. i'm your friend." shōyō muttered into the taller boy's chest, the warmth of his words nearly burning tobio to the ground.

i'm your friend.

tobio hasn't heard anything like that in his life.
not from his old friends from kitagawa, or elementary school, or even from the daycare his mother used to drop him off at when he was just a toddler- no one had ever considered tobio their friend. no one had even cared enough to mention it.
something like a light was glowing inside tobio's chest, making him feel warm to the boy embracing him.
he hadn't felt so visible to someone in a long time.
with much reluctance, tobio wrapped his arms around his spiker's shoulders and held him closer, resting his chin on the top of shōyō's head.

"o-okay."

"uh, yeah! okay! um, good. great. okay. i'm going home now," shōyō pulled away sharply, his snow-nipped cheeks just as red as his friend's.

"g'night, hinata,"

"night!"

tobio watched the boy whip around the corner on his bike before walking the opposite path home, feeling a burning like fire from the tips of his hair to the balls of his feet.