#SEEING HINATA AND KENMA'S FIRST MEETING AGAIN... AHHHH...

[shisica]

HAIKYUU MOVIE WAS SO GOOD AND EVERYTHING I WANTED

[oodlesofowls]

Feel free to use as pfp WITH CREDIT!!!! :)

hcs below the cut ^^

Ok kenma is so very aro and so very gay. My favorite dynamics of his are bokuakakuroken and kenhina but he really gives platonic vibes even in those ships. i love the idea that hes aroace but still dating bokuto, kuroo and akaashi who also give various aspec vibes btw. i think i just really like characters in poly relationships where one part is platonic but means just as much because im self conscious about how much my friends care about me lol. but anyway. it’s obvious that kenma really likes hinata, we see it when they first meet and kenma just immediately gets a squish on him and then in the timeskip where he sponsors hinata like omg theyre so ahhh. i think he just really likes being around hinata and finds him fascinating. canon really encapsulates the beginning of a squish for me like kenma is just so intrigued and really finds hinata to be a really fun person to be around and opens up to him much more easily than anyone and i will die on platonic kenhina hill!!!

i talked a bit about kenkagehina in my aro hinata post but ill talk about it again. i think that kenma would be very competitive about hinatas attention at first and even later but after some time kageyama grows on him and they have a quiet understanding of each other. i dont think they would be dating in the polycule just mutually connected by hinata but i think their relationship matters a lot nonetheless.

kenma is the type of person to be really into relationship anarchy. like he probably wouldn’t understand why others put romantic relationships above everything else and he likes to let his relationships figure themselves out and never really picks a most important relationship.

also he and kuro have just such a good dynamic and they lowkey remind me of a childhood friend of mine who i used to have a squish on lol. they are just so good as best friends and i love how much they understand each other. they also give semi sibling vibes, obviously found family siblings so i think they would be much more cuddly with each other since theyre just used to it.

also i love thinking of all the dynamics in bokuakakuroken and one of my favorites is definitely bokuken. i think they compliment and understand each other much more than one would think and bokuto is probably a lot more reserved around kenma but in a relaxed way. kenma understands bokutos slumps and is there to confort him when he needs it and bokuto is an easy person for kenma to be around because he doesnt feel like he has to talk if he doesnt want to and now im just talking about how theyre both neurodivergent and- ahhhh

anywayyyy some mini hcs that are semi related to him being aro

he hates being touched except by like 3 people

kuroo had a crush on kenma in middle school and kenma rejected him on accident and didnt even know until years later when kuroo told him

he took a lot of am i gay quizes and always got like 50% so he thought he was bi for a bit

very romance repulsed but sex ambivalent

also hes acespec to me (probably fraysexual)

[revasserium]

beauty as a perspective (or a study of truth through the lens of a boy who has always believed in fairy-tales)

anon: And it is beautiful with Hinata First love with kageyama? Please :) 

101. and it is beautiful hinata ; 1.8k words

there are so many things he considers to be beautiful -- the sunrise, the sunsets, the way the moon lingers on the horizon after a whole midsummer’s night, like it’s waiting for the first rays of sunlight to spill across the world, the way the stars are relentless in their twinkling, as if emboldened by the darkness that beholds their very beings -- that they are made all the brighter by night’s all-consuming dark. 

there are other things too -- a well-aimed spike, crystal cut and down the line, right next to the pole, a perfectly arched toss, slow enough for thought, but too fast for the opponents to follow, the double-rolling saves that noya-sempai had promised to teach him and still hasn’t gotten around to, the way a clean sneaker sounds against the well-waxed floor of a freshly cleaned gym, the sound of a volleyball meeting skin, the flutter of a net, the chorus of voices as it echoes towards the ceiling. 

the cheers of the crowds when a point gets scored. when a match is won. 

the weight of happiness, so light and yet so, so heavy too, enough to make his bones feel like they’re filled with gold or silver or maybe magic itself. he thinks there’s nothing more beautiful than playing... and winning. 

until he meets you. 

your name breezes through him like a summer wind through wheat, leaving no part of him unruffled and untouched, all this thoughts tangled and out of ordered, but so beautifully so. he watches you go like a child watching the end of a really good dream, powerless to stop it, but still with the naïve hope that perhaps, if he just kept his eyes open (or closed) for a moment longer, maybe, just maybe you’ll stay -- 

“hinata-kun, its your turn to help clean the classrooms.” 

he snaps out of his reverie (did you know that’s the word for daydream in french? how fitting, right? and when tsukki had asked, drop-jawed and all, where the hell hinata had learned such a thing, all he could do was shrug and blush and say he’d read it somewhere -- to tsukki’s compounded shock and confoundment), the teacher is watching him with a hiked eyebrow, and half the class was giggling. but you, you’re standing next to his desk with a sweet, expectant smile and he’s lost all over again. 

(who was he, anyway? before he knew what your smile looked like? what your voice sounds like? what the color of your hair was beneath the morning sun, or in the golden glow of dusk?) 

“let’s do our best, hm?” you offer him your hand. 

hinata had never wished for after class chores to last forever, but he has now. 

he doesn’t know how you get onto the topic of volleyball, but it always ends up there somehow... with him -- and he finds himself rambling like he always does when he’s nervous, blabbing out an invite because yeah! it’s pretty cool! and there’s a practice match today! and oh, yeah! i’m on the starting lineup and of course you can come watch! i’m super awesome y’know! -- 

and then the horrifying, daunting realization that he’s going to have to play. with you watching him. with your eyes, like pools of amber so deep and clear they remind him of melted caramel during the holiday school fairs, with your smile like tasting a favorite treat after a long, hard day’s practice, with your laughter and your voice like -- like -- 

“what’s this? hinata’s brought a friend?” there’s something in the texture of suga-sempai’s voice that hinata isn’t sure he likes but he’s too nervous to call it out at the moment. instead, he tries desperately to explain why the hell he’d brought you along, not that he’s really sure either, other than the fact that he doesn’t ever want you to leave his sight ever again in his whole life but, well, he can’t really say that out loud without sounding like a freak -- 

“uh -- it’s not -- i mean, yeah! we’re friends! i think so at least -- well anyway -- ahhhhh -- she likes volleyball and there’s a practice match today and i told her she could come and watch cause i’m really awesome at it and she just moved here from tokyo, or actually she stayed in france for a while before that! can you believe it? hey -- wait do you know kenma from nekoma? they’re from tokyo too, right --?” 

kageyama fixes him with a flatlined look even as you smile. 

“she’s not from the same school, idiot.” 

hinata puffs up as he turns to kageyama but thankfully, daichi is there to pull them apart before things get really nasty. he flashes you a sincere and somewhat apologetic grin. 

“ah, thanks for coming. you can find a seat up there, and uhm -- welcome to karasuno.” 

hinata finds himself watching you go (he nearly yells when you wave at him from the second level, that is until kageyama elbows him so hard in the side he actually does yell). 

“focus, boke!” 

“shut up, crappyama!” 

“ha? what did you say?” 

“both of you, quiet!” 

they both flinch at the sound of daichi’s voice. 

but hinata can’t help stealing another glance towards you, thinking that this feels different, somehow. different than all the other practice matches he’s played before. it’s like his vision is sharper, all his senses on high alert -- he can smell the sweat on his teammates’ skin, can see each spec of light as it refracts off of the newly waxed gym floors, can feel the weight of your eyes on him like a superhero’s cloak -- beautiful and full of responsibility. 

and he plays well that day, he thinks -- got a few really solid quick’s in, and he only messed up on two of his serves, which, all things considered, is probably a record low for him. kageyama only yelled at him five times, also on the low side. 

they manage to scrape a win, and it was mostly asahi-san’s doing -- noya-sempai being awesome as ever, too. still, he thinks it’s been a good day. he almost forgets that you’re watching for a while, but only for a while, and as the match draws to a close, he’s again keenly aware of your eyes on him. 

he turns to grin up at you, shooting you a thumbs up. he finds you no longer sitting, but standing by the railings, your eyes huge and happy as you wave down at him. there’s a flush to your face that makes him want to walk off a bridge right into a very, very cold river but he shelves that thought for later as you make your way down the stairs, jogging right up to him, your smile so brilliant he thinks he might go blind if he stared too long. 

he blinks, still dripping sweat down his now very wet uniform. 

“shouyou! you were amazing! i mean, you are amazing --!” 

he almost jolts at your use of his given name, but then he remembers you asking (because you liked the sound of it or something; he’d forgotten what you said after that cause he was too busy marinating in the fact that you liked the sound of his name) if you could call him that. and him saying yes. 

“for a while there it looked like you were flying, like really flying!” 

he nods along with your excitement, his smile growing so wide his cheeks are starting to hurt and god, what what happen if he just kept on smiling wider and wider? what would happen to his face? would it stretch and keep on stretching? or maybe he’ll accidentally split his face in half and have to get stitches from the hospital, which wouldn’t be fun but for you, he thinks, it’s worth it. 

“y-yeah! cool! right?” he leaps ups as if to illustrate, but as with all things he does on a spur of the moment impulse, it doesn’t go quite as planned. he ends up smacking his head on the doorframe of double gym doors, leaving him whining, curled up into a ball on the ground, and you kneeling by his side. 

“shouyou? are -- are you okay? oh my god, what happened?” 

he winces as he pushes himself up into a sitting position, grinning awkwardly up at you. 

“i wanted to show you!” 

“show me what?” 

“what it looks like to fly!” 

tanaka is fussing over hinata, loudly asking if he’ll get a concussion while tsukki is remarking to that getting a concussion might be good for him; noya and tanaka are both laughing so hard they’re also curled up on the ground. 

you giggle, “save some flying for next time.” 

“for... next time?” 

“yeah, for the next time you play.” 

“will... will you be there?” 

you smile, nodding, offering him a hand. 

“if you want me to be.” 

“yes! yeah -- oh man, i do! i really really --” 

“good, then i’ll be there.” 

“aahh, that’s amazing! super great! ahhhh i’m so --- mmmm -- i’m so happy!” 

he leaps up and is about to jump up again before he realizes you hadn’t let go of his hand yet. 

he blinks, heat washing up his face like jumping head-first into a steaming onsen. 

“hey! you said you’d save some for next time, right?” 

hinata laughs, “right -- for next time.” 

you give his hand a squeeze before letting go, turning to greet his teammates. hinata watches you, like he’s been doing from the second he’d set eyes on you a week and a half ago, when you’d introduced yourself to the class. 

like when he’d all too enthusiastically volunteered to show you around the school, like when the pair of you had stopped in the library, and you’d run your fingers along the spines of all the books like greeting old friends. 

like when you flipped open a book of fairy-tales and traced the outline of a boy with melting wax wings, plummeting from the sky. 

“you know, i used to always daydream about flying as a kid,” you said. 

hinata quirked his head, “why?” 

you smiled, “dunno, seemed like a fun thing to do.” 

hinata smiled then too, “well, it’s not that hard.” 

you looked at him, “you... know how to fly?” 

“sure i do!” 

you laughed, then, but not a mocking kind of laugh -- a delighted, dancing kind of laugh that made hinata’s whole chest fill with hot air and helium. 

“you promise to show me some day?” 

hinata had nodded so hard his head might’ve come right off it’s hinges. 

“hey, what’s ‘daydream’ in french?” he asked. 

you blink at him, “reverie.” 

“wow... beautiful.” 

you laughed again, nodding, “it is, isn’t it?” 

and he decides then, watching as you smile at something suga-sempai says, as you quirk your head curiously at kageyama, making him flush a hilarious shade of crimson as well, that sure, there are a lot of beautiful things in this world. 

but none of them quite so beautiful as you. 

[closetedotaku01]

Um, if your requests are open. Could I request headcannons for Hinata, Kuroo, Kenma and Akaashi with an s/o that fosters kittens. Like how they help her out and stuff. (This is my first ask so sorry if its weird).

Headcanons for Hinata, Kuroo, Kenma, and Akaashi with an s/o that fosters kittens.

A/N: Ahhhh! We love a cute concept like this!! Also, your ask is definitely not weird. Very very cute. The concept got me to hop out of bed and start writing!! Thank you for the request!

~~~~

Okay, so I am pretty sure I read the request wrong. I am almost certain you meant to ask how the boys help the reader care for the cats. But I read this request immediately after waking up and just started writing. So I misinterpreted it as the boys’ reaction to a reader who fosters kittens to help her out (like how pets tend to ease stress and such). I already was halfway done with Akaashi’s by the time I realized my error and was enjoying what I’d written. I am so very sorry.

So I tacked on the ways the boys would help out with caring for the cats at the end of each one. I am sorry it makes the read a little awkward.

Hinata Shōyō

-The first time Hinata comes to your place and sees you have a fair number of kittens at your house he immediately collapses to the floor and starts playing with them.

-He is over the moon excited about the kittens and just wants to pet them.

-His… over-energetic nature scares away a couple of the shier kittens, but with your guidance, he can eventually get them to come over.

-At first, he seems completely content with sitting cross-legged on the floor, just holding the kittens in his lap and petting them gently. But eventually, you see him slightly bouncing his leg and then stopping every few seconds, and you can tell he’s getting a bit restless.

-So you pull out some cat toys and this is where Hinata really shines.

-He can play with every single kitten in your house without getting tired. Honestly, they’ll get tired out before he does.

-It’s perfect how he runs around the house with the stuffed mouse or bird teaser, ringing the little bell wildly while two or three kittens race after him, slipping on the floor at times.

-Is talking to you while he’s running.

-"Y/N! Y/N Y/N Y/N!! Did you see that? The little black one just went fwoosh and caught it!!! What a good kitten!! Aww cute little kitty cat,” he coos as he goes down to gently pet the little kitten with the bird teaser in its mouth.

-It goes on like this for a good long while.

-When everything calms down a bit his attention returns to you.

-He’s still pretty wired up, but he’s leaning back on the couch with one of your hands cupped between his as he tells you how cute they are and how much fun he had with them and then he finally gets around to asking why you have so many? Are they all yours?

-You explain that you foster kittens because they help calm you down and they help you relax when you’re anxious or cheer you up after a long day.

-And Hinata can’t help himself. He sits up and gives you a soft, quick kiss. “You’re so adorable,” he says, blushing a bit at his own words.

-He just loves how sweet you are and how well-cared for all your pets are.

-He really thinks of you as the most precious person ever and he really, really loves playing with the kittens every time he comes over.

~~~~

-Hinata loves to come over and play with the kittens

-In terms of actual care he does very little, but he does a good job of keeping them entertained while you take on other tasks and tiring them out so they fall asleep and don’t bother you at bedtime

-However, if you give Hinata a task, he will pull through

-You will need to ask him every single time you need help, and you might need to explain it multiple times, but he feels so special that you trust him to help you care for other lives.

- His favorite thing is when you let him give them their food because they all rush over and start eating. It makes him feel like a big provider and it makes him feel very special.

-Since you’re just fostering though… he cries so much when giving any of them away.

-If there’s one he’s particularly attached to he will adopt it. Might end up adopting two before realizing he can’t keep up care for any more than that so he just has to endure heartbreak if you keep getting new kittens to foster and giving them away when they find homes.

Kuroo Tetsurō

-Kuroo is canonically a dog person.

-So when he’s about three steps from entering your apartment for a coffee after your date, and you suddenly drop it on him that you have 3 foster kittens he mentally panics.

-Externally he keeps his cool save for his eyes widening slightly, and he enters like there’s nothing wrong.

-The cats are there to greet you at the door and you get down on one knee real quick to give them all their pets as they welcome you home and then head to the kitchen to start on the coffee.

-Kuroo stays in the living room and asks questions.

-Asking their names as each one walks over to him, and greeting them accordingly.

-He lets each of them sniff him at least 5 times because he’s scared of getting scratched.

-He takes a seat on your sofa as he waits for you and they all cuddle up to him, effectively covering his pants in cat hair as they rub up against him.

-When you come back with the coffee his hands are up and he gives you a nervous half-smile with eyes pleading for help.

-You can’t help but laugh at this grown man, who has been reduced by three sweet kittens.

- “You’re not a cat person, are you?”

- “I have… nothing against cats. I’m just… used to dogs.”

-You laugh at him again and he shakes his head, eyes on the floor as he lets loose a breathy laugh as well.

-You leave the cat that’s in his lap where it is, but take the other two and put one on your side, the other in your lap as you take a seat next to him.

-His arms drop, one gently placed on the kitten, the other spread out on the backrest of the sofa.

-The two of you talk and drink your coffee and Kuroo eventually starts relaxing, and petting the kitten on his lap.

-After a bit, it mews and his hand shoots straight up, “Sorry.”

-You laugh again at how jumpy he is about the kitten, “It’s fine. Good mew. Do what you just did again. She liked it. I promise.” You note how she’s gotten closer to him and has started headbutting his stomach, craving more of his affection.

-He looks at you with mock suspicion as he slowly brings his hand back down and pets the kitten on his lap just as he did before, scratching gently around its ears before trailing his hand down the length of its body.

-This time it purrs and he smiles so wide. He turns to look up at you, then down at the kitten, then back to you, and back to the kitten.

-His eyes are proud as the kitten continues purring in his lap and you can see that every time he looks at you his eyes are screaming, “Look! Do you see this?!”

- “See,” you say softly, petting the kitten by your side, “they’re such sweethearts. They make me so happy. This is why I love having them.”

-And his eyes shoot to you and they’ve softened immensely, though the excitement is still there.

-"What?”

-"It’s sweet.”

-"The kittens?”

-"No… well yes, but I mean….it’s sweet that you find comfort and joy in caring for another living thing.”

-You blush at his words and refocus your attention on the cat, but are well aware of the smile on his face, and the fact that he hasn’t looked away from you.

~~~~

-When it comes to caring for your kittens, Kuroo is awkward at best for the first stretch of time you ask him to help

-He’s pretty good at knowing what they need when they need it (some weird Nekoma instinct), but he’s really bad at knowing how to go about it

-The one thing he is naturally very good at is dealing with very young kittens at bedtime. Laying down bedding and getting them to nurse. Sometimes they have trouble with the bottle, and the milk is hard to get right, but Kuroo has it down. He is so good at taking care of putting them to bed.

-He’ll feed them and lay them down in the blankets he laid out.

-If you’re busy he’ll snap a picture of them and sneak up behind you. He’ll pull you into a hug, arms wrapped around your waist as he puts his chin on your shoulder. He kisses your neck before bringing his hands up to show you the photos of the sleeping kittens.

-He really loves seeing them being soft and cuddly and tired. He will play with them, but he much prefers them when they’re calm.

-Still is definitely a dog person.

Kenma Kozume

-Kenma is so comfortable with your cats.

-Kenma loves cats and they love him. This is canon.

-Remember when we first meet Kenma and he’s literally petting a cat and Hinata scares it away?

-That was a stray! One he clearly didn’t know since he’s from a different prefecture. It just approached him and he pet it. Cats are drawn to him, and he genuinely likes them.

-Arriving at your house for the first time, the kittens practically swarm him.

-He just goes in and sits down on a chair so he can pet them. He lets one of them jump up into his lap. He pets them as they purr and nuzzle against him.

-He’s got a slight smile on his face as he enjoys the affection of the cats.

- “Wow… you’re really good with them Kenma,” you say, picking up one of the kittens off the floor and holding it against you while you pet it.

- “I like cats,” he says, so calm and happy you can tell he’s not really thinking about what he’s saying.

- “Yeah?”

- “Yeah. They’re so relaxing and peaceful. They just make me feel… good.”

-His words are so genuine and calm that you have to fight the urge to just cover him in kisses.

-You instead place one quick kiss on the crown of his head and then go over to pull out plates to eat the takeout you picked up together.

-You feel so lucky to have found someone who gets exactly how you feel.

~~~~

-Kenma is good at literally everything regarding caring for the kittens.

-Since they love him, it’s easy for him to keep them all close together. So before feedings or bed or anything they’re all kept close.

-He loves to brush their fur out. It is his favorite thing. But he’s also really good at clipping their nails when they grow out too much and generally just keeping them well cleaned and taken care of

-Is also really good at remembering their vet appointments or when it’s time to schedule another appointment to get another round of shots or to get them spayed/neutered.

-Just really loves getting to spend time with them and you, and being able to relax so completely.

Akaashi Keiji

-Walking into your house for the first time becomes a memory that Akaashi Keiji revisits often, adoring every detail of the moment.

-He is so aware. He just sees how your face brightens and how your whole body eases. He loves seeing you so relaxed and happy.

-He has never seen you as perfectly calm and happy as when you’re with your cats.

-He plays with them and pets them a bit, but his attention is on you. Watching how careful you are with them, and how gentle and sweet you are. How you know the perfect way to get them to curl up and purr. He adores it.

-There’s a day when you have a date planned with Akaashi, but you’re overwhelmed by work and life and everything and it’s all very hectic.

- “Sorry I’m late Keiji, I just had to finish the project I was working on before I left and-”

- “It wasn’t long. I don’t mind waiting for you.”

- “So,” you sigh, clearly exhausted, “What’s the plan? Where are we going for dinner?”

- “If you’re up for it… I think I have an idea a bit better than dinner. What do you say?”

- “I’m game…. As long as there’s still food.”

- “There will be,” he says as he takes your hand in his and the two of you start walking to your new date location.

-Your casual dinner date now changes to a date at a cat cafe.

-He’s nervous about the change putting more stress on you, but once you’re inside playing with the cats, drinking, and eating and smiling at him, he knows it’ll be okay.

-He also really enjoys the cat cafe and befriends a calico there who spends almost the entire visit either in his lap or rubbing against his leg.

-But he’s really proud that he found a way to cheer you up and take care of you. To bring you peace when you were overwhelmed.

-He likes that he knows you well enough to be able to take care of you.

~~~~

-Akaashi is amazing at helping you care for your cats.

-He wants them to be well prepared. So he teaches them to behave, buys them a scratching post, and teaches them to only use the post. Trains them not to bite too much (outside of when they’re teething obviously), and is the one who effectively trains them to use the litter box.

-He’s all about them being set and ready so they’re well-behaved at their next home

-He is the most vocal with the cats. He’ll talk to them while he pets them. Not baby talk either. He’ll just begin talking to them really peacefully about his day and how they’re doing.

- “You see, everyone else has learned to not bite us, but you are so insistent on chewing away at us. But we feed you, little guy. So I don’t get why you won’t stop. Biting is ineffective and we’ve shown you that,” the kitten begins to purr under his touch as he keeps talking, “so why don’t you get it? You know we just want the best for you. At the very least haven’t you heard the expression to not bite the hand that feeds you? Huh?” He scratches the back of the kitten’s head lightly when asking those questions before resuming the long strokes over its body.

-He won’t even realize he’s talking to the kitten, he just does it every time he sits down with any of them.

-He just blushes and pretends it didn’t happen if he sees you’ve caught him.

[guessmonsta]

ahhhh may I please request lev getting set up with someone who's like 5ft tall as a joke, bc both their friends thought the height diff was hilarious, but they actually end up hitting it off? ;o

I had fun with this. I missed writing for my tall boy. Also, Lev is a junior in college! Just throwing that out there.

Lev wasn’t one to be paranoid. In fact, he was anything but. Lev Haiba was the kind of guy to wave at a man in a trenchcoat looming in the dark corner of an alleyway at three o'clock in the morning. Nothing in this world scared him besides pretty girls and cockroaches, but, the way his roommate was glancing up at him every so often sent a good shiver down his spine.

Hinata had been sitting on the edge of his own bed and furiously tapping at his phone for fifteen minutes now; Lev knew because he had been counting. Whatever was making Hinata type so fast that he could actually hear his fingers bouncing on the screen had to involve him, somehow. Every so often the typing would stop, and ever so ominously Hinata would look up at him for about five seconds, his eyebrows scrunched and his lips pursed, then he’d go right back to typing again. Lev would’ve straight up asked what Hinata’s problem was in any other case scenario, but he was honest he had never seen Hinata this mad. Well, exempt the one time in sophomore year where he wasn’t allowed into the club for “looking too young”.

Another five minutes passed and the typing stopped all together. Lev was afraid to look up from his laptop to see if Hinata was staring again, but he did it anyways. Hinata hadn’t been looking, but Lev caught his attention. He laughed, eyes nervously darting over to his phone.

“Tobio.” Is all Hinata had to say, and suddenly, the whole situation made sense. Well, some of it did, the relentless typing, at least. Although, that didn’t explain the incessant glares in his direction.

“What did he do now?”

“Well, it’s not rea-ally about him.” Hinata shrugged. “Hey, Lev, can I ask you a question?”

“Shoot.”

“Are you free tonight?”

Suddenly, Lev found himself utterly confused. He cocked an eyebrow and looked up at Hinata, who was passing the situation as something that happened on the daily. He propped himself up on his shoulders and kicked his legs over the side of the bed.

“Is someone asking me out?” He pondered, in all seriousness.

“Well, kinda.”

“Is it you or Tobio? ‘Cause if I’m being honest I think Tobio would treat me right.” Lev laughed.

“No-o it’s not Tobio! It’s not me either!”

“I know, I know. Who’s asking me out then?”

Hinata hopped off the edge of his bed and shuffled right up next to Lev on his. He flipped his phone out of his pocket again, fiddling with it for a moment before pulling up a picture.

“Her.” Hinata nudged “at Lev’s arm. “Well, she didn’t actually ask you out. She’s Tobio’s girlfriend’s best friend.”

“So you’re saying you have no idea who this chick is?” Lev laughed, ogling at the photo of the girl for a split second before Hinata yanked the phone away. “I don’t really mind, either way. She’s kinda cute. I think.”

“Yeah. We figured you’d be cute together. So, are you down?” Hinata stood up from the bed and went off to do his own thing once more. Lev wasn’t entirely opposed to the idea of going out on a date with a stranger, if anything, he thought it was a bit exciting. In the back of his mind though, he denied the sincerity of it all, but suppressed it.

“Sure, I’m down. Are we meeting at a certain place or is it just wherever?”

“The Gazelle.”

Hinata was referencing to the indie coffee shop down the street from their dorm. It was always quiet, soft piano music filling up the empty space where people weren’t whispering to each other about the new vinyl records they bought the other day. Everyone wore baggy sweaters and wire glasses and could pronounce the obscure names on the menu with ease. Lev just nodded in agreement, too wound up in everything else to wonder why the people involved in this rendezvous had chosen a place that was so not him. He was oblivious to the way Hinata was smirking into his fist as he started texting again, just like he was oblivious to everything else.

That night, Lev found himself inside The Gazelle. It wasn’t often where he found himself in this place, only ever stopping by to make fun of Kenma, who worked behind the counter on weekends, or to grab himself a hot cocoa to endure early morning lectures. He took a seat by the window, which he immediately started to regret. The chairs were too small for him and his legs barely fit underneath the table. He would’ve gotten up and moved, but he didn’t want to draw more attention to himself then he already was. There weren’t many people in the shop, just a couple of baristas he didn’t recognize, a lonesome girl with space buns who refused to stop glaring at him, and a guy in the corner who looked like he had just one too many espressos that night. He hadn’t been waiting for long now, the date was scheduled for eight, but he figured showing up at seven forty-five would give him a chivalrous advantage. Thing was, even if his date had showed up, he hadn’t quite remembered what she looked liked. Hinata had flashed the picture so fast, he could barely absorb that she was in fact, a person. For all he knew, the angry girl with space buns could have been his date this entire time. That was, until the chime on the door rang.

Lev’s eyes darted up from his phone to the door. The bitter chill from outside clashed against the warmth of fireplace on the inside and rustled a few magazines sitting on the table next to him. Lev couldn’t necessarily see who had walked through the doors, a tall houseplant had blocked their way. He figured it had to be a freshman, though. Through the leaves, he could see the top of their head barely reached the coat rack by the barista counter. He continued to pay no mind to his surroundings, mindlessly being sucked back into the screen in his hands. It was eight o'three now, but Lev didn’t really mind. He figured he wasn’t being stood up, Hinata wouldn’t do something like that. There was a possibility that he wasn’t paying too much attention to his surroundings, though.

It wasn’t until he heard a soft clearing of the throat did he get off his phone again. Standing in front of him was that presumed freshman, her hands balled together in the oversized sleeves of her sweater. The first thing that Lev noticed was that she was small. The oversized sweater that pooled around her body didn’t do her much justice, nor did the keroppi purse that was slung over her right shoulder. It wasn’t until he made eye contact with her did he realize who she was. It was Kageyama’s girl friend’s best friend. It was her.

Lev was almost afraid to stand up next to her. He didn’t even have to look up at her in his position right now, and he was sitting. After staring for a brief moment, she giggled awkwardly and peeped a small, “hi!” Lev couldn’t help but wonder why his friends would be hanging out with a freshman. Although he had to admit, she was adorable.

“Are you by any chance… Kageyama’s girlfriends best friend?” Lev hated that he had to associate her by that title. It wasn’t like Hinata gave him a background check on her, though.

“Yeah, that would be me! And you’re Kageyama’s best friends roommate, right?”

“Mhm!”

Lev felt like he was being rude just sitting there while she was standing. Forgetting the small table above him, he stood up, nearly knocking himself, the chair, and the entire table over as he lumbered up awkwardly. He looked down at her, almost bashfully, but it seemed like she didn’t even notice.

“This is a joke. This is so-o a joke.” She covered her face with her sweater paws and began laughing. “O-Oh my god. Hinata, you bastard.”

It took Lev a moment to get what she was shaking her head about, then it clicked. Their height difference was so drastic, comical, even. Figured Hinata would try to set them up to get a kick out of it. “Oh-h, I see.” He hummed.

Then without warning, Lev set his hand atop her head. “How tall are you? Er, how short are you, rather.”

She didn’t seem to find that funny, and merely shook her head. “I could be asking you the same thing, Burj Khalifa. I’m five foot.”

“Five foot what?”

“Uh, just five foot.”

Lev shook his head. “People can actually be that short?” He asked in all seriousness, unaware of how red her cheeks are. “Are you still a freshman?”

“No, I’m a junior. Jus’ like you.”

“Wow.” Lev shook his head and merely laughed. “This is the funniest thing to ever happen to me. You’re so cute.”

“Thank you, and honestly, I didn’t expect to be set up with the actual Himalayan Yeti either. And you never actually answered my question, by the way.”

“Oh, yeah. I just hit six foot ten the other day. I’m still growing. My doctor says I’ll probably stop when I’m twenty-five, and I’ll probably be seven feet then.”

“Seven feet!” She gaped up at him, experimentally pushing herself up on her tiptoes. “Um, can we get our drinks and sit down? My neck kinda hurts.”

“Oh! Oh yeah sure… um?”

“__. The names __.”

“Cool! I’m Lev!”

“Lev?” She peeped. She stood up next to the barista counter, popping up on her tippy toes to rest her forearms upon it. “You’re Russian?”

“Yeah! How’d you know?”

“It seems very Russian. My second guess was German, or something, but I think Russian is nicer. It’s a prettier language, don’t you think?”

Lev was surprised she hadn’t mentioned his height whilst talking about his heritage, it was usually the first thing people bounced to. It was endearing, really. When the barista came up to greet her, she popped up higher on her tiptoes to talk to him. She ordered her drink, something with a confusing name he was surprised she could even pronounce, then turned to him to have him stutter, “medium hot cocoa.” They stood there for a brief moment, Lev shuffling from foot to foot until she grabbed the drinks and motioned back to their table.

He never expected to find himself going on a date with someone nearly two feet shorter than him, but for some odd reason, he didn’t really mind. He figured at this point it was all some joke between Hinata, Kageyama and the third party, but jokes aside, it wasn’t bad judgement. She had big goals and dreams like his, to which Lev joked that they were bigger than she was. They compared hand sizes, then shoe sizes, then arm length, and wound up sitting together on the fountain outside of Lev’s dorm after the baristas kicked them out half past nine. It wasn’t just her height, but there was something about her that Lev found too cute. She had these soft eyes and gentle smile that he couldn’t help but adore. She didn’t get mad at his “short-shaming”, as she referred to it as, and merely just played along. She could think of as many tall nicknames and he could think of short, and despite his height, treated him like a normal person. Most dates he wound up on he’d get flooded by “basketball comments” and obsessing over his height, girls telling him how attractive it was to be with “such a tall guy.” Even though it was such a huge feature, she looked passed that, and it was mostly him who had brought it up. She preferred it when they were sitting down face to face, rather than side to side. She liked his “dorky personality”, or so she said, more than his height. That’s what made her adorable.

They huddled around the inactive fountain for hours, and as the clock hit midnight the only thought in Lev’s head was seeing the shock on Hinata’s face when he returned home and said, “Hey the date was great, we have another planned for Saturday night!” She stood up from her place next to him on the fountain, pulling her sweater closer to her body before pausing to sneeze in her elbow.

“Hey, I think I should head home. I’m getting really cold.” She laughed, pausing to sneeze again.

“Oh! Okay. I had a lot of fun. You’re cool for somebody who looks fourteen.”

“Me too! I never knew sentient trees could be so charming. So, Saturday night at seven, right?”

“Yup!”

“You have my number in your phone and everything, right?”

“Yup!”

“Nice! Thank you for tonight. Kick Hinata’s ass for me, kay?”

“I’ll make sure to at least choke him under his pillow for a few minutes.” Lev smiled. “Oh another thing- should I walk you home?”

“Sounds wonderful. I should be fine, I live right around the corner” She giggled, shuffling around for a minute before holding her hand up. Lev cocked his head in confusion.

“I, uh, I wanted to give you a hug but I really don’t know how.”

Lev laughed, barked, rather and put his hand up against hers.

“We’ll figure it out next time.”

She then nodded, bid her farewells, then skittered away, her arms bobbing gleefully, her purse bouncing at her side the entire time. He watched her as she turned the corner, spinning around to wave at him one more time. She was cute, she was very cute, and it was all Lev could think about. The moment Lev was sure she must’ve been in her dorm, he sprinted towards his, running up three flights of stairs to open the dorm room door with a dramatic slam.

“You’re home late!” Hinata chimed, his back turned to the door, laying on his stomach and kicking his feet as he typed on his computer.

“You didn’t tell me she was short.”

“Never came up in conversation.” Hinata laughed. “So how’d it go?”

“Great! Figured out the whole setup was a joke two seconds in, but besides that it was great!’ Lev flopped back onto his bed, paying no mind to the way Hinata jerked his head in his direction.

“You guys actually got along?”

“Yeah! She’s actually real sweet. We’re going out this weekend, too. Your plan backfired, Shouyou!”

Hinata laughed, slamming the top of his laptop down. “Glad you had fun. Kageyama’s gonna have a fit.”

Lev shook his head and shuffled around, digging in his pocket for his phone. A text message popped on the screen, under the name of “Shrimp-puff”.

“Don’t forget to push Hinata’s head under the pillow!” It read. Lev smiled and looked up at Hinata, who was laying in the same position.

“What is it?” He asked before realizing what was coming for him. He coughed as a pillow whacked him upside the head, rendering him useless.

“Chivalry.”