#even Hinayachi-

[tinyrainbowshark]

Me with most characters: eh, I kinda see X as their soulmate. Y could also work too. But that's about it, 1 or 2 people

Also me, shaking Hinata Shoyo by the shoulders: WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU SO COMPATIBLE WITH SO MANY FUCKING PEOPLE!?!?!?

[baeyuries]

As long as you're with me, you're the greatest!

#haikyuuweek2020 🏐 day 4: favorite duo

[teeny-sun]

the villager b episode is 23 solid minutes of kageyama being quietly jealous of yachi and hinata’s connection

[deerixiie]

y’all really funny for suppressing tanayoko content when it’s literally canon 😐

[ekparavani]

Oh baby why keep wasting our time?

Me hating on your ships, you hating on mine.

'Cause oh, don't you know what would be so much more fun?

You and me together multishipping the heck out of everyone.

Wooooaaah

Amen.

[beamsmom]

Best villager B

C/w: anxiety attack

Hinayachi one shot

Stars were out, the sky was dull. Yachi felt a little off on the train when she was heading back home, to Hinata's house. Her bellies weren't fitting as they used to, they stung her in the feet or perhaps she was thinking too much. Her blonde hair was folded into a messy bun, a black coat lingered to her feet.

She knocked on the door, tripping a step. Her eyes wandered and everything appeard numb and dizzy. She felt an overwhelming urge to throw up, maybe the fugashi she had for lunch finally acting up. Her head kept swirling and her body jolted up with a shiver running across, heart sprinting. She clutched the linen fabric, folding her fragile fingers, trying to hold herself. She couldn't even comprehend when Hinata opened the door and invited her in.

"I- I um I" she blurted out trembling in her seat. Her voice cracked and her lips betrayed.

"Yachi-san" a sunflower voice rested on yachi's ear. Her trembling hands found a home in Hinata's hands. Her body wasn't moving at all, she hoarded, her mind was the only thing rushing. She was sitting there looking at Hinata with emptiness in her eyes when the orange-haired latter kept rubbing her hands and feet.

He raked the blonde bangs out of her forehead and engulfed yachi's small figure in his embrace," I'm sorry, I can't help you but you'll get through this yachi-san, you're the best villager B, the strongest villager B'', somehow these words felt vague in yachi's chest but the moment Hinata pressed his lips onto her forehead, squeezing her face with his both hands her body relaxed at his muscles.

She looked up through her lashes "Hinata-Kun" The lump forming in her throat swallows down and her honeyed voice finally breaks through.

"Give me 10 mins and I'll be alright," she asked, ruffling Hinata's orange fluffy hair, he lined his lips together beaming the brightest smile and yachi endured the direct sun skimming her skin.

She came out after a few moments, she pressed her lips to his, and he felt her kiss to his toes. When she drew back, he released her and threaded their fingers together, "I'm here".

She rested her head in the crook of his neck, inhaling his scent deeply, he even smells like the sun.

He cradled her face with his thumb, playing with her delicate skin like a piano. They melted in each other's sketch. It was a long day but every grey day end so did this one.

//the end//

Here's other work by me for hinayachi week check em out if you want :)

[innovativestruggles]

imo I think there's more evidence to show that tsukki likes yachi more than there is with yams liking yachi

Heya lovely!

I actually agree with this! Whilst either of them "liking" Yachi in that way is debatable, I think if we were to look at it purely from the information that Furudate has given us, and then to make some sort of comparison, then yes, there would certainly be more evidence on Tsukki's part. However, because Haikyuu isn't a romance genre, we don't know how Tsukki or Yamaguchi really feels about Yachi in that way.

I personally don't believe Yamaguchi has a crush on Yachi. Simply thinking someone is cute does not automatically mean they have a crush. If you see below;

Yamaguchi has previously thought other girls to be cute/pretty before, which sounds more like a trivial thing in a manner that screams "oh hey, that girl is cute/pretty!" or "she's quite cute/pretty," and nothing else comes out of it. That was the very vibe I got from Yamaguchi when he first saw Yachi. And then throughout the entire series, I really haven't seen anything that would clearly depict that he has a crush on her - even if I wanted to locate something. I mean, a lot of guys (and girls) think Kiyoko is beautiful but that does not mean every single one of them has a crush on her.

The only canon romance of some sort would be Tanaka and Nishinoya towards Kiyoko and Michimiya towards Daichi.

As a long time manga reader (and anime watcher), a lot of potential romance in non-romance genre are usually found in the nuances, the cracks and crevices - that is - interviews, promo materials, CD dramas, spin offs etc etc A lot of manga authors put emphasis on certain relationships/pairings through indirect means, not in a manner that is so difficult to find, but not so obvious that it would detract away from the original theme of the manga. Hence my tsukiyachi speculation post. When you read it, you'd be able to see some obvious hints but not so obvious that it is guaranteed canon. Of course, the author would want to keep fans speculating, that's the beauty of it.

Before I shipped TsukiYachi, I was thinking about HinaYachi, because I really liked their dynamic and I could see potential, but then as the series progressed, and despite the two having a lot of screentime together, they only gave off "we are good pals" vibe, and that's what I feel Furudate was trying to get across.

I didn't see any potential at all between Kageyama and Yachi. So out of the first year boys, the one that really stood out to me in terms of any sort of canonical evidence for development with Yachi would be Tsukki.

[bestofkagehina]

Chapters: 7/7 Fandom: Haikyuu!! Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio Characters: Hinata Shouyou, Kageyama Tobio, Yachi Hitoka, Sugawara Koushi, Ukai Keishin, Takeda Ittetsu, Tsukishima Kei, Nishinoya Yuu, Tanaka Ryuunosuke Additional Tags: Alternate Universe, Hinata can’t cook to save his life, And hot neighbor Kageyama is there to offer his very reluctant help, Featuring platonic HinaYachi being the cutest flatmates, Because platonic HinaYachi gives me life, There’s gonna be some cursing because Kageyama is the Japanese Gordon Ramsay, Mentions of KiyoYachi, Neighbors, Cooking, Cooking Lessons, Slow Burn, Romance, Fluff Summary: 
Cooking is hard. Even if you have your very attractive, very grumpy neighbor there to help you.
In which Hinata’s lack of cooking skills are a danger to him and others. Luckily (or not), Kageyama is willing to teach him, if only for the sake of avoiding any burned down apartments.

[iwaoilovechild]

unpopular opinions

hinayachi is as good as kagehina

Kiyoyachi make a sense more than tanakiyo

CANON iwaizumi isn’t toxic it’s just the fandom made him

it was kageyama’s fault at middle school, kindakuni reactions were v expected cuz no one want to play with someone who stress u out (and you’re already stressed) and treat u like a slave. No matter how talented he is ( don’t get me wrong i luv kageyama but this is the truth🙇‍♂️)

Seijoh’s 3rd years are the best friendship in the whole anime even after the timeskip

Canon hinata is nothing like fanon hinata. The same goes for iwaoi realtionship

Toxic iwaoi are literally annoying. And the jokes are going to far n it’s not funny anymore

The whole fandom sees akaashi as “pretty setter” and bokuto’s partner, nothing more. Even tho he’s way more than this

[chrobinrickhen]

i dont do anons though sorry i have trauma including but not limited to being bullied and told i was homophobic bc i shipped hinayachi from haikyuu even though im nonbinary and gay

[favors]

hmmmm hinata for the ask thing ALSO noya ehehe

This got long so I’m putting it under a read more ☆

Hinata

Favourite thing about them: I love how in love he is with volleyball & how he never seems to get tired of it even when everything keeps knocking him down he just finds it so genuinely fun I love how excited he gets about im just crying_cat.png

Least favourite thing about them: NOTHING he’s so fucking good

Favourite line: (to kageyama) “You really are amazing!” or “I'm Hinata Shouyou, and I sprouted from the concrete.”

brOTP: hinayachi!!

OTP: kagehina

nOTP: Idk why this is a thing but oihina & ushihina

Random headcanon: I rlly rlly love the idea of hinata dragging yachi and/or kageyama out to small cafes, diners, stores, etc. each week to try smth new he’s rlly adventurous & we also know he gets lost easily so he’d just go w the flow & come across new places

Unpopular opinion: We say hinata is dumb a lot of times but can we appreciate how good he is w other ppl like yeah he’s not good at academics but he literally makes friends with everyone or at the very least wins their respect & also he had to learn how to play vb all by himself & the rate at which he’s growing once he gets a real team is so fucking impressive like tbh i wouldn’t say he’s dumb...

Favourite picture of them: 

Noya

Favourite thing about them: How in tune he is w himself! he just knows what he’s capable of (like getting ushijima’s spike in 3 tries) but always tests his limits to bring everyone forward with him

Least favourite thing about them: His kiyoko obsession is a little weird sometimes 😔

Favourite line: “If we fall, let's fall forward!”

brOTP: noyahina

OTP: ENNOTANANOYA...

nOTP: I dont like... asanoya..

Random headcanon: I was abt to say that he’s left handed but i checked his wiki and he might be ambidextrous??? so just have tidbit instead. actually wait HC that he’s really good at drawing one thing but everything else he draws looks Awful. idk what he’d draw well so i’ll leave that up to u

Unpopular opinion: idrk common opinions on nishinoya so. nishinoya Trans

Favourite picture of them:

[princeclockwork]

i dont know the names of the volleyball boys but pick ur fave volleyball boy for the character ask thingie

I’ll do Hinata because he’s my token fave 

Favorite thing about them: I just love how Driven and Dedicated he is like his vibes are Impeccable

Least favorite thing about them: Honestly there’s not much I don’t like about him? Probably just that he gives me secondhand embarrassment sometimes

Favorite line: There’s a lot of good Hinata lines but my favorites are;

It's painful. I want to stop. When I feel that way, I take a step forwards. 

Do you need a reason not to want to lose? 

Man, the grand king really is amazing... But even so, as long as I'm here, you're invincible! 

BrOTP: Probably Hinaken or Hinayachi

OTP: Kagehina for sure, anyone with eyes can tell that fjsnk

NOTP: Atsuhina and Oihina, I get why people like them I just don’t vibe w it

Random headcanon: Hinata has ADHD

Unpopular opinion: Hinata is Buff and Jacked and not enough people say it

Song I associate with them: Hey Look Ma, I Made It by Panic! At The Disco & The Greatest by Sia 

Favorite picture of them: (You get 2 because I love him)

[ryodan]

An updated ship list for those who keep sending anons

Naruto: ships I ship

-Sasusaku, I am not anti gaiden or anything but I believe it was unnecessary and could have gotten handled better. I still post gaiden edits and gifs, it’s not that deep.

-Sasunarusasu, I am critical of Naruto Uzumaki in the context of this ship but i still love it.

- Sakukarin, Inosaku, most fem slash

- Narusaku

- team 7 ot3

- Minakushi

- Shiita

- rockhina

Naruto, ships I don’t mind/ will reblog occasionally but don’t particularly ship:

- Shikaino

- Shikatema

- Saiino

- Naruino

- Kakasaku

- any other ship that does not involve Hinata Hyuga

Naruto, ships I am anti: this blog is usually not an anti space but occasionally a post might pop up that is anti-

- Naruhina

- Sasuhina

- Sakuhina

- Hina-anything 

- to a lesser degree, sasukarin

Voltron Legendary Defender: ships I ship

-KLANCE

- That’s it

- see first 

Voltron Legendary Defender, ships I don’t mind/ occasionally reblog:

-Shallura

- I am not anti shalladin

- all the ships tbh

Avatar The Last Air Bender, ships I ship

- ZUTARA

- p much it

Ships I don’t mind:

-literally all of them?????? I don’t even really hate kataang lol but I definitely do not ship it whatsoever. 

Ships I am anti:

-Zuko x Mai. Zuko is not even my damn fav character so I should not care who he ended up with, but even I can tell when an emotionally abusive unnecessary romance is being played as something even remotely positive to teach false values.. bye as fucking hell

Inuyasha, ships I ship:

-Inukag

-mirsan

-kagsan

-kagkik

Ships I don’t mind:

- sesskag

- kagome x wolf guy who’s name i forget koga or summat

Ships I am not fond of, but am not anti

-inukik

Haikyuu!!, ships I ship

- The otp of otps, Kagehina

- Iwaoi

- tsukkiyama

- daisuga

- kuroken

- bokuaka

- kenhina

- hinayachi 

- fem slash otp along with sakukarin tbh, kiyoyachi

- oikag 

- sugakag

- all the rare pairs tbh?

- every ship is a good ship in hq

ships I don’t mind/ occasionally reblog but don’t particularly ship

- asanoya

- kagehinayachi

ships I am not particularly fond of, but am definitely not anti

- Kageyama x any girl - maybe this is my bisexual ass projecting but it’s a running joke in the series that Kageyama tobio has 0 interest in women and he has a higher chance of fucking a god damn volleyball. I am not saying this boy is gay nor am I setting a default; if anything he is volleysexual, maybe even hinasexuals or winningsexual. But he is not into women and anything in that context I genuinely cannot take seriously and it somehow even became something I disliked bc I feel like some people just want to pair their fav with the nearest vagina in the vicinity for whatever reason. You do you tho!

 Boku no hero academia, ships I ship:

- T O D O D E K U

- KiriBaku

- Deku x Occako 

- Deku x Tsuyu

- any ot3 

- any ship that I happen to like at any moment tbh bnha is full of great chemistry and friendships

- ALL THE FEMSLASH

ships I don’t mind/occasionally reblog:

- Bakuchako

- Bakugo with anyone after his development since he entered the UA

- Todomomo, I don’t ship this? I won’t reblog a romantic version of it. I love their friendship but to me this is the same case of kageyama x any girl lmao 

ships I am not fond of, dislike:

- Bakudeku, no offense ship what you ship, but I don’t like deku being paired with someone who bullied him and made his life hell it’s just not my cup of tea 

Thanks, I hope this cleared things up

[talkativelock]

Hinayachi #1

#1 - soulmates au

Hitoka’s star is orange and sometimes, at the right angle, it looks like it has wings.

Some people have stars that burn cold but Hitoka’s burns so hot she avoids taking it out in the summer. Sometimes in the winter she takes it out just to feel it’s warmth seep through her bones but in the summer it stays tucked away wherever soul stars go when they aren’t out so that she doesn’t overheat and die. This is why she doesn’t make the connection between Hinata and her star for a long time after meeting him.

She meets Hinata at the beginning of the summer when the heat is just starting to get choking. She had already sat up all night with her star for the last time before fall a few weeks ago, admiring the way it thrummed with energy and seemed to want to fly away from her hands. When she meets Hinata her soul star isn’t even on her mind and she doesn’t realize why the warmth of his hand in hers as she pulls him through the street feels so familiar.

It isn’t until the fall when she’s practically aching with how much she misses her stars energy that Hinata holds her hand again. It’s just a light touch, a pull to move her out of the way, but she stares at her hand for a long time after he moves on. He’s distracted by volleyball and his own determination.

When she’s safe at home that night she pulls her star out of herself and watches it rotate in her hand, glowing orange and bursting to fly. It’s warm where it float in her hand and she feels complete. It feels exactly the same as when Hinata smiles at her.

For a while Hitoka isn’t sure what to do. Hinata is so focused on volleyball he probably doesn’t want a soulmate at all. It isn’t until after the spring tournament that she works up the bravery to bring it up.

“Hinata-kun?”

Hinata makes an interested noise to show that he’s listening but other than that he’s still focused on the worksheet in front of him. Kageyama is sleeping on his worksheet across the table. If it wasn’t for the fact that Hitoka has been looking for an opportunity to talk to Hinata she would have woken him up and insisted that he get back to studying already. The end of year exams were fast approaching after all.

“Do you every wonder about your soulmate?” she asks him.

“Oh, you mean this?” 

Just like that Hinata is pulling his star out right in front of her and she aches. It’s golden and small and it has an understated shimmer instead of a shine but it’s undeniably beautiful. If Hitoka is right then she feels a little conceited for thinking that.

Hitoka’s star has never demanded to come out before but now she can feel it just under her skin, burning hot and insistent. She lets it out and it curls into her palm, orange and flying. For a second their stars are just there, both glowing in Hitoka’s living room, but then they’re reaching for each other and shining so brightly that they’re blinding. Hitoka feels breathless as she watches Hinata’s gold star, the one that represents her, gravitate towards her orange star. They’re spinning around each other, twin streaks of gold and orange lighting up Hitoka’s vision, and then it’s over. 

Hitoka and Hinata are both breathing hard, each holding on to an identical small pair of stars that spin together in a lazy slow dance, one gold and the other orange.

“You’re my soulmate?” Hinata wonders aloud, that lovely smile on his face. Hitoka’s heartbeat picks up and the spinning stars in Hinata’s hand speed up with it.

She blushes and she notices that the stars in her hand are speeding up their spin. Hinata is staring at her blush with a look of wonder on his face.

“That’s so gwaaah.” Hinata says with excitement, leaning towards her.

“Yeah,” Hitoka agrees, “it is.”

I’m filling prompts from this list today~!

This ficlet is now archived on ao3 here.

[oikawa-trashbin]

30 Days Haikyuu!! Challenge

(by @makkisangel)

Hello beautiful people, today is a lighthearted day, because the protagonist of the next challenge is my 

13. Favorite non player character

And what can I say about it, my favourite non player character is the beautiful Yachi Hitoka  (♡°▽°♡)

Omg she’s so cute, and brilliant, and intelligent (she attends a college preparation class, for crying out loud!) and she’s so supportive of her team, even if she was thrown in a club of a sport she didn’t knew anything about, but she gave all herself in order to not being only a deadweight (even Townsperson B can fight!!) and she became fundamental for the team (do you remember those beautiful poster she made in order to earn funds for the club?). She cares a lot about her team and especially about Hinata and Kageyama (I love the relationship that grew among them during the first part of the second season and I love the HinaYachi ship a lot) She’s amazing and she’s funny too! I love this sunshine girl so much  ( ´ ∀ `)ノ～ ♡

Look at her, look at how cute she is o(>ω<)o

(credits to the gifs go to @volleygifs)

[thewafflekingdom]

I know nobody asked for this, but i’ve been needing it

Pairing: HinaYachi

The crickets have begun their song by the time this practice session ends, the sharp smell of approaching rain souring outside. The sky has gone black, cloaked thick with clouds. The soft rumble of thunder rolls beyond the mountains, the boys’ laughter echoing off the cement. The school stands dark and looming and empty behind them, always an unsettling sight. Some scatter in pairs, some break off alone. It is the middle of the week and the day is not over yet. There are still things to be done at home. Chores and homework and much needed baths. It falls over them heavily, makes some of them linger with the drag of its weight.

Yachi says her goodbyes, distractedly. Some dishes are sitting in her kitchen sink, a project only half finished on her desk. She chews on the inside of her cheek as she starts on her way, reaching up to grip at the straps of her backpack. She makes it just past the gates when he falls into step beside her, smiling apologetically when she screeches to a stop with a gasp.

“I’m sorry,” Hinata says, hands coming up between them. “Did I frighten you?”

She has a hand over her chest, as if to still her beating heart. “Of course not,” she sighs shakily.

“Would it be cool if I walked you home?” he asks, nodding back the way she’s headed. “It’s late—I’d get worried.”

He’s been particularly good about this. Even on the rare occasion practice didn’t run late, he still insisted on accompanying her. Sometimes, on the pretext of needing a few more study sessions. Sometimes, a little more forthright than that.

She follows him back to the bike racks, and on the way there he opens up his umbrella for her to take. They don’t live anywhere near each other. His home lies somewhere on the outskirts, over some big hill she’s never crossed over. Hers, in the thick of town. Almost in opposite directions. The first time he’d walked her, it was only halfway. A quick, curt bow from both parties, and then he was hurrying away to make it home in time for dinner.

He seldom takes her invitation up to the apartment, grinning nervously as he waves his hands and stumbles over excuses. Before, it was the indecency.

Now, the fear of giving people the wrong idea.

“Hey, uh,” he begins, allowing their shoulders to brush. The rain has begun to sprinkle down, it catches on his other arm but he doesn’t bother reacting. “I was wondering…”

Yachi thinks things have gotten more uncomfortable, made awkward by the shift in their dynamics. Friendship was easy. There were no expectations. Just the capacity to understand one another, and the willingness that follows. This—isn’t. As much.

There’s this underlying sense of anticipation, a fluttering thing beneath the surface. Always, always at the pits of their stomachs. The tips of their fingers. The end of their tongues. Waiting to be expelled, but without the means of doing so.

Yachi watches his Adam’s apple bob for a second, mouth snapping shut.

“I think, uh. Things are going well.”

She isn’t sure where he’s going with this, the way he slides his gaze away isn’t anything out of the ordinary but the words are unsettling. She turns them over in her mind a dozen times before he ever continues the thought, gut sinking and palms going clammy. She swallows hard, but can’t bring herself to say anything.

“I was wondering if you were – if you were cool with me…with us—go – going up.”

Yachi furrows her brow at him, waiting until he looks at her. “Up?”

Hinata averts his gaze again with an embarrassed frown. “That’s not… That’s not right, is it? I meant – I meant, further. If we went…further.”

It takes a moment, the pitter of rain falling against the umbrella filling the space between them. She can almost pick up the sounds of his breaths, bated in apprehension. “What…do you mean?”

They’re perhaps a block from her home, the stores nearby bright and inviting. He leans his bike against the building nearest them, clearing his throat needlessly. His hair mats to his skin and as he turns back to her she tilts the umbrella over him, too, forcing herself to step into his space. Just as quickly, he stumbles back away from her. The light is scant, but she catches the darkening of his face. The widening of his eyes. They round out until the whites reflect, his nostrils flaring.

Yachi has an inkling, now, of what he means. Insecurity stamps it shut, her body drawing closer despite herself in order to shield him from the downpour once more. “Hinata?” she asks, voice tight.

“I—uh,” he mumbles, forcing himself to hold still. “No, this is. This is okay.”

“Are you talking about,” she asks, voice lowering to a whisper; as if what they’re discussing is illegal, “what I…think you’re talking about?”

Hinata hesitates, hands drawing up, dropping, and then drawing up again. “C – Can you—are you okay with this?”

Yachi pauses, clutching at the umbrella’s handle for dear life. “I…think so.”

“Ha—okay,” Hinata breathes, nervously. His hands flex, open and shut, over and over again at his sides. “I… I’m gonna… Just, uh. H – Hold still.”

She waits, avoiding his gaze, but nothing happens. She watches his feet, the way he shuffles forward and then back again. When his hands finally come to rest on her shoulders, she almost feels her soul exit her own body. She jumps and snatches her gaze up to his, and it suddenly becomes too real. His eyes, big and brown and every bit as afraid as she is, staring right back. His cheeks so red, his mouth carved into a small, sharp, determined frown. He is bent down at the knees, the shoulders, dipping just to fit into her space—at her level. His fingers dig at her shoulders and she nearly winces.

But he’s drawing close, his breath coming shallow on her face. Too close, at some point, to even maintain eye contact. She glances down, mistakenly at his mouth, and finds she cannot look away. His lips are a little chapped. His nose brushes hers, he tilts his head and squeezes his eyes shut. Pursing his lips, in that way people do when they kiss someone’s cheek. Neither one knows any other way to do this.

His lips are sticky, and a little too warm. They pop wetly off of hers, gathering her sleeves up in his fingers. She shuts her eyes before he can find her watching, balling up her free hand into a fist.

“Was,” he says, almost against her skin. “Was that bad?”

“I – I don’t know,” she says honestly, squinting her eyes open.

He deflates immediately.

“Ah!” she hurries to comfort him. “But, it’s all about practice right? That’s what I heard! Everyone – everyone I’ve ever asked told me it gets better!”

He blinks, and just as quickly regains some semblance of his confidence—scant as it already was. “Right!” he says, perking up. “We’ll just keep trying till we get it right!”

.x.

He isn’t exaggerating.

He walks her home every day. And every day, he makes sure to press his lips to hers in goodbye.

Always clumsily, but with the determination to improve.

He never does. Neither of them do.

They scrunch their eyes shut and pucker their lips and draw away frowning, red at the faces and entirely confused.

It doesn’t feel good. Not the way everyone says it should.

.x.

“I have an idea,” Yachi says quickly, backing away before he can land a kiss. She smiles before he can take it as rejection, curling one hand around his. “My mom takes night shifts every weekend, starting on Friday. We’ll be alone. We can practice, without being afraid of getting caught.”

Hinata flushes, uncertain. “Are you sure? What if something bad happens?”

“You can control yourself,” Yachi says, squeezing his hand gently. “I trust you.”

As promised, Friday night he lingers at the convenience store down the block until she gives him the green light. Her mom gone, and the door locked behind them. She considers allowing him into her bedroom, but the thought of him there, alone together, makes her throat grow dry. They settle for the living room couch, some old soap opera providing them background noise. They sit, knees touching, not meeting each other’s eyes.

Everyone knows they’re dating, at school. There’s no hiding it. The boys can pry any amount of information they want from Hinata and Yachi has never been any good at lying to Shimizu. And so they’re stuck between being forced to overshare, and fumbling around half-truths. Yes, they’ve held hands. Yes, they’ve gone on a date or two—what, exactly, they won’t say. Some movie, or a walk at the park, or a phone call in the middle of the night mostly spent in nervous silence.

No, they haven’t kissed, yet.

Yachi tucks her hair behind her ear as he settles a shaky hand on her knee. She holds still, the way he always asks her to. Holds her breath. Holds her hands tight at her middle and pouts just so. Just enough. His lips meet hers, quick, fleeting, and then he leans away.

“Maybe we’re doing this wrong,” he finally admits, and Yachi breathes out all the air she’d been holding.

She looks away, pauses, and then springs up to her feet. “I know a movie!”

“H—wha?” Hinata mumbles, staring after her as she moves around the coffee table.

“My mom has tons of romance movies!” Yachi says, kneeling down to pop open a cabinet. “I know one that has a kiss scene!”

They skip through the movie until they find it, but somehow this only makes them more awkward. Glancing at one another in embarrassment as the room fills with swelling music and sucking sounds. Yachi sets aside the remote, but doesn’t turn off the movie.

They don’t know where to start. Maybe there’d been overacting, but there’s a whole lot of movement they don’t know how to replicate. A twist and turn, open mouths and gasping breaths. Hinata fidgets with the lining of the sofa cushion and Yachi counts the seconds, the thundering in her ears.

Hinata smells like sweat, something musky and boyish. Hot skin. Clean laundry. And the cologne he’s started using since their first date. He swallows loudly and Yachi decides they’ll be getting nowhere, this way.

She takes his face in her hands, and leans in before she can second guess herself.

He’s stiff, at first, with his shock. His jaw locked, his eyes wide, his mouth clamped shut. And then he goes pliant, almost immediately. Lips falling open thoughtlessly, all the tension in his body washing out of him in lieu of allowing her control. And so she presses onwards, face aflame.

It’s strange and wet and slick, the timid prodding of her tongue along his lower lip as she seeks his own. Unsure of how to do this, if she’s even doing it right at all. He snaps back for a second, as soon as he feels the glide of her tongue, a squeak erupting from his throat.

“I – I – I’m s – sorry,” he mumbles, mouth wet. He’s red, from hair to neckline. His gaze flickers away and back, his fingers digging hard into the cushion underneath him.

Yachi wonders if she should drop her hands. A small part of her doesn’t want to try that again.

The rest of her burns for another shot.

She steels her nerves, snatches at the collar of his shirt, and yanks him back into her.

He doesn’t even attempt to resist.

.x.

Nothing’s the same after that night, that small and unspoken anticipation buzzing under the surface now rears up. Sitting on every word, every stolen glance, every silent brush of hand. The walks home get longer and longer, their steps halted at every turn. The goodbye kisses quick, and then slow. Slower. Slower each and every time. The mold of her mouth against his a phantom whisper she remembers long after he’s gone again, long after she’s switching out the lights for bed; lying there, staring at the ceiling, too anxious to even sleep.

Before they know it, it’s Friday again. They don’t dare do this any other day, they don’t even know if they should chance the weekend, when there’s no real reason for him to walk her home.

But it’s Friday again, she is pulling her fingers through his fiery hair for the first time and they cannot pry themselves from each other.

Hinata has an easier time giving in, of relenting himself to her. He is yielding, anticipating, ever willing to open his mouth to her curious tongue. She learns every corner there is to learn and is still eager to learn them over again, snaking her arms around his neck until they’re angled awkwardly on the sofa.

This is the way she learns about the rest of him, too. The parts of him she tends to forget.

“A—ha,” he gets out, reaching up to grab at her arm. Unwinding them from around him to lean away.

“Hinata?” she breathes, shrugging out of his grip.

She’s never seen him this flustered, his arms going to wrap around himself, and then redirecting to fold over his lap. Her gaze flickers down, and he immediately reaches out to snatch his bag off the coffee table and into her line of sight.

“Hin—?”

“It’s nothing,” he cuts her off, voice cracking. “I – I should go. It’s getting late.”

“Ah—okay, I’ll walk you out,” Yachi mumbles, heart squeezing in her chest. The rejection sits sharp in her side.

“No, it’s… It’s okay,” he says, rising from his seat stiffly. He holds his bag strangely, still pressed against himself. “I’ll, uh. See you Monday.”

She watches him for as second, shuffling sideways toward the entranceway of the living room, as if trying to keep her from seeing something. “Hinata?” she chirps, standing to follow after him. “Are you okay? What’s wrong with you?”

“Nothing!” he squeaks, ducking out of reach.

He stumbles over the decorative portrait her mother has yet to hang, dropping his bag. His hands fly to shield himself, but it’s a second too late.

Yachi snatches her hand back, breath catching in her throat.

He’s frantically searching her face, dread coloring his every feature. He must find what he’s looking for, because he spins on his heel, grabs up his bag, and then tears toward the door before she can say anything. He only barely remembers his shoes, the door slamming shut behind him.

One hand pressed against her stomach, Yachi braces the other against the wall to keep herself from sinking down to the ground.

.x.

“Please don’t make me talk about it,” Hinata begs as soon as they find each other, Monday morning at school.

She spent the entire weekend thinking about it, and what she could possibly say to him the next time she saw him. Once the initial distress had fallen away, it was incredibly flattering. It was a lot of staring at herself in the mirror and reconsidering previously held opinions. And then, curiosity. All these questions she’d never dreamed of asking, now presented with the opportunity.

It hadn’t quite occurred to her he’d be unwilling to answer them.

Stifling her disappointment, Yachi gives a quick nod and doesn’t say a word about it.

.x.

It’s almost like starting at step one. Hinata reverts to distant, clumsy affection. Nervous to even hold her hand, and shying away from her mouth when she leans in as they part ways for the day.

It is an agonizing crawl toward Friday, and Yachi spends each day closer wondering how she can possibly crack him out of his shell.

She is so ready to move forward with her boyfriend it borders on impatience. She misses the taste of his mouth, the way he digs his fingers in when she sucks on his bottom lip. The way he looks undone, afterward.

The color of his cheeks, painting bright.

Yachi isn’t any more experienced than he is, she wouldn’t know how to move onward any more than he would. There is so much she doesn’t know she thinks she could fill a book. And while she briefly considers asking Shimizu for pointers, she is just as unwilling to reveal this secret to anyone else.

It is hers and Hinata’s, tightly wound between them.

She is afraid of what one would say, learning this about them. It feels taboo, as if she’d done something wrong.

And she constantly aches to do it again.

.x.

Friday, he almost doesn’t take her invitation up. She can tell, he glances back and scratches his ear and hums over some half made up excuse—and then decides against it. He follows silently all the way up, head bowed so she can’t see his face every time she looks over her shoulder. It is once they cross over the threshold that he pipes up, toeing off his shoes and locking the door behind them.

“Can we…go to your room this time?”

They’d never dared before, too many things can lead to other things there and it’s still so scary to think about it. Even now, itching all over to pull him in for a kiss, Yachi blanches at the thought.

But she doesn’t say no.

She offers drinks all the way there, and returns to him with two cool glasses of water. He is sitting at the edge of her bed, running his palms absentmindedly along her comforter. His bag is on her desk, his phone switched to silent. He sticks out like a sore thumb here, the only other time he’d been here was to study. And they hadn’t been alone then.

Somehow, having the other boy taking up the space had been less unsettling than this.

He downs the water in one go, his hand shaking when he hands the glass back to her. The minutes drag on sluggishly, her eyes flickering toward the clock on the wall uneasily. She is working up the nerve to speak when he beats her to it.

“I – I wanted to know if you were okay with…what happened. The other night.”

He won’t look at her, his fingers curling so hard into the covers that his knuckles stain white. He swallows a few times, face coloring appropriately.

Yachi isn’t sure where to start, all the words she’d been planning to say failing her, now, when she needs them most.

“It’s… It’s natural, Hinata,” she tells him, staring down at her hands. “I don’t think it was wrong that it happened. And I—didn’t mind it, either.”

Silence, drawing on and on until she can’t put it off any longer. She peeks up at him, shyly, and straightens at the sight that greets her.

Astonishment opens up his features, makes his eyes wide and wondering and his mouth fall open shamelessly.

“R – Really?” he squeaks.

“Yes, of…  Of course.”

A touched look comes across his face, and he snaps his mouth shut. “Th – Thank you, Yacchan!” he breathes, squeezing his eyes shut. “I thought—I was so worried you’d hate me. I thought you’d think I was gross or…or something.”

She hesitates, and then reaches out to place her hand over his. She’s not sure if he’s looking for comfort, but he accepts the gesture none the less. His smile brightens up his entire face, his hand turning by the wrist capture her fingers against his palm.

“Thanks for understanding,” he says, folding his other hand over hers. “I thought for sure you wouldn’t want anything to do with me.”

This, too, is comforting. She can’t mistake his expression for anything else. He’d missed her just as much.

She returns his smile, relieved.

.x.