Lovex2

Cats and Fever

Hinata walked to practice with nothing in mind. He was late as usual, but the team took consideration of him and allowed him to be late when necessary.

"HEY! Hinata is that you?" He spun around at the sound, finding his noodle shop senpai with another person in tow. That person was twice as tall and had broad shoulders to match. Hinata would be intimidated if he looked from the neck down; above that, a kind face shyly beamed at him.

Hinata didn't expect to meet his senpai here of all places. Misfortune was placed upon him wherever he goes, and it didn't seem to be stopping very soon.

"Nishinoya senpai.." His eyes flashed with hesitancy, and his thin eyebrows arched smoothly. He didn't know what to say.

"I heard you got into our volleyball team. Sorry I couldn't welcome you on your first day; I had some business to attend," his senpai said then glanced at the huge guy next to him.

Albeit knowing what Nishinoya was implying, Hinata couldn't help but repeat it: "Our volleyball team..?"

The other nodded his head and pointed to himself with his thumb, "I'm the libero." Contrast to how Nishinoya expected Hinata to react, the younger's eyes dulled out and he was looking sullenly at the ground.

"I see..." He turned to enter the gym in a gloomy mood. Yet, halfway through the door, a hand reached for his shoulder and turned him around a little too forcefully. Hinata flinched but followed the rough pull in case he dislocate his shoulder.

The libero's face was aloof but not forbidding. "Are you unhappy with seeing me?" he looked gravely serious like someone had dug up his corpse from the ground.

"I-it's not that," Hinata tried getting something out, but the words were stuck in his throat. His panic eyes darted around the corner and then at the hand lying listlessly on his shoulder. He wanted to say that he was afraid because he didn't know when those strings will appear again. However, it was silent.

"You had the same reaction the first time we met. Am I that scary to look at?" Nishinoya started with some rough edges to his voice.

It was getting harder for Hinata to cope. He had Kageyama and Tsukishima, his father, the strings, and Johsai's practice to worry about. Adding Nishinoya to the mess without a solution to his previous problems wouldn't be a wise idea. Of course, Hinata had previously thought of distancing himself from his senpai, but now that it backfired on him, he doesn't know what to do.

Seeing how uncomfortable his kohai was, Nishinoya dropped his hand to the side and grinned forcefully.

"Sorry for being so pushy Hinata. Don't worry too much about it. You probably have your reason for avoiding me," he apologized sincerely.

"It's not that. It's just that I get a little nervous around you."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, since the day you made me your Kohai, I just feel like I needed to live up to your expectation. It kind of made me all bwah, and gwahh! You know?" He motioned it with his hands. This was...half correct?

Nishinoya's eyes lit up, so Hinata knew he was doing it right. "Ahhhh. Asahi, look!! isn't my Kohai so respectful?"

His senpai started bragging about him, and Hinata sighed in relief. Who knows what trouble he'd be in if he hadn't thought of an excuse. It's best if he doesn't look too gloomy in front of others.

He held a smile as Nishinoya ate up his lie and boasted about him to the entire team. The longer he does so, the harder it was for him to keep his facade.

Crap...
________

A young teen sat beside a fence and picked out his phone. He dropped his duffle bag carelessly to one side and focused on the screen; he'd unlocked a new skin on his game and wanted to try it out as he wait.