#not too upset about that actually. i do still REALLY wanna learn Brazilian Portuguese though

[doodledz]

I need to update my art desperately... anyway, have this creation i made!

[onigirimsby]

almost asymptotes (hinata x reader) pt. 2

Fandom: Haikyuu!!

Character: Hinata Shoyo

Pairings: Hinata Shoyo x reader

Tags: pining, temporarily unrequited crush

Warnings: none (so far)

Word Count: 1768

Summary: Two times you keep missing each other, and the one time you’re both on the same page

“asymptote”: def. “In mathematics, approaching indefinitely close, as a line to a curve, but never meeting

noun by extension, figuratively Anything which comes near to but never meets something else. verb analysis To approach, but never quite touch, a straight line, as something goes to infinity.”

masterlist ao3 playlist

Brazil

“Hinata-senpai?”

You met again in the most unexpected of places: a beach in Brazil. You hadn’t really kept in touch after your confession. You were way too embarrassed. Eventually, it became easier to let yourself get distracted by your classes and manager duties. After all, since Yachi had graduated and you were in your third year, your hands were full trying to find a new manager.

The figure who resembled your high school crush squinted at you. “(Y/n)?!” He said.

“Hinata-senpai?!” You laughed. “What are you doing here, of all places?”

“Me? What are you doing here?” You almost went in for a hug, but the rush of embarrassing memories stopped you. You both faltered.

“I’m on a semester abroad thing.” You responded.

“Oh, you must be in university now, huh?”

You nodded. “What about you? What are you up to?”

“Still volleyball,” Hinata beamed with pride. “Actually, I’m relearning a lot of the basics from playing beach volleyball now.”

“Yeah, it seems so much tougher than indoor volleyball,” you said. “Since there’s just one other person in your team, and the sand, and the elements...” You trailed off.

“Are you surfing?” Hinata asked in awe as he took in your surfboard and dark swimsuit.

“Yeah! I decided to go to college in Chiba, and I’ve been learning to surf since I first moved there. It’s kind of why I chose Rio for my semester abroad, actually. I’m trying to hit up as many beaches as I can before I go back.”

“That’s so cool!”

You and Hinata end up talking for a long time that morning. You caught up with each others’ adventures and traded information on your high school friends. He told you about working and his roommate, Pedro. You told him about attending classes in Portuguese. You commiserated with each others’ homesickness. You’d gone out early that morning and only came back late at night. You wondered why you’d been so nervous to talk to Hinata way back when. He was so easy to talk to, and neither of you realized how long you’d been walking and talking until the sun began to set.

“Hey, we haven’t had anything but snacks. You wanna go get some dinner?” You asked Hinata. He blushed at the implication. “I’ll pay, since I’m the one inviting!”

“You seem different...(y/n).” He said as you two got settled in a table outside a boteco.

“Like in a good way?” You said hopefully.

“Definitely! I don’t know. I guess you were a lot shyer in high school.” Hinata shrugged and looked away, awkwardly remembering your confession.

“Yeah, you’re right,” you nodded. “I think...moving away for college really forced me to be more confident, you know?” You laughed. “It was sink or swim!”

“I think I know what you mean. Until I moved here, I was living in my childhood home with my family all my life. When I first got here, I didn’t have a choice but to learn as much as I could as fast as I could.” He looked at you in his familiar intense way. “Sink or swim.”

“I was lucky I made good friends, too. The people around you can definitely make or break an experience.”

“I’m glad I chose to come here, though.” Hinata concluded.

“Me too. And I’m glad I ran into you, senpai. It’s weird. I was just starting to get homesick again, and I saw you meditating in the distance.”

“Well, if you ever get homesick again, you should let me know!” He said. Hinata promptly asked for your phone and programmed his number in.

“You too! Just let me know if you’re homesick.”

---

You didn’t think Hinata would really take you up on it, but he did. From then on, you were messaging each other back and forth. For a while, he even tried to surf with you, but he kept wiping out and decided watching your stuff while you surfed was also good. In return, you cheered him on during beach volleyball games. You showed Hinata your checklist of Brazilian food you wanted to try, and he took you to the best places he knew from working in food delivery.

Somewhere along the way, Hinata told you drop the senpai. Somewhere along the way, he asked you to call him Shoyo.

---

You were at the beach with Hinata, as usual. The sun was setting, and you were sitting on a blanket with him as your friends grilled and talked behind you. You’d invited Hinata to a beach party with your university friends.

“So, let me get this straight: You ran into this Oikawa a while back, and he used to be Kageyama-senpai’s setter upperclassman in middle school back when he still had a lot of stuff to work through. Now, Kageyama-senpai is in the same team with this Ushijima who was like one of your biggest rivals in your first year. BUT, he also happens to be Oikawa’s rival?” Hinata nodded as you processed the story.

“Wow, it’s like a drama or saga or something.” Hinata laughed.

“I don’t think it’s actually that dramatic. They’re all great guys. Uhh...” his face scrunched up as he thought about it. “I guess, on the court, it does feel that dramatic though.” It was your turn to laugh.

“Yeah, that’s why it was always fun to watch you guys play.”

“When I come back, I’ll play against Kageyama again, and you’ll definitely have fun watching that.”

“I’ll be there.” You nodded. “I’ll skip class if I have to.”

Hinata feigned disappointment. “And here I thought you were an ace student, miss college prep class?”

“God, no! College is a whole other level. But I’m glad to just experience as many new things as possible.”

Hinata made a sound somewhere between a sigh and ‘wow’. You held back a laugh as he blushed and stuttered. “What was that?” You asked.

“Nothing!” He shook his head then smiled when you gave him a knowing look. “It’s just...you’re so sparkly these days.”

“What?” You laughed.

“You know? You’re all ‘fwaahhhh’! Glowing and,” he mimed little bursts of light with his hands. “Sparkly.” He finally gave up and rubbed the back of his head. “I don’t know.”

“I’m just happy, I guess.” You said, holding your cheeks to hide a blush.

Just then, one of your friends came over and handed both of you a beer and a plate of fried snacks. “Is this the guy who rejected you in high school?” She said in Portuguese, smiling sneakily.

You blushed and turned to Hinata. “Hm?” He asked. “I didn’t catch that.” He admitted, grinning sheepishly.

“Yes, so shut up!” You laughed and patted your friend on the arm as she left, making funny faces at you as she went.

“What was that?” Hinata asked. You sighed in resignation and translated for him. Hinata’s mouth made a surprised “o”.

“Sorry, I told Júlia about that.” You cringed. “But you should know! That’s way behind us, okay? You were right. You didn’t even know me well enough to go out with me and you just graduated.” You flushed.

“Yeah, I’m sorry.” Hinata shook his head. “I don’t know, maybe I could’ve been nicer about it.”

“No! You were nice! I promise!” You laughed. “There was no way that confession could’ve gone well. I’m kind of sorry.”

“Kind of?”

“Well, I’m still glad I got it off my chest. And when you told me I should’ve said something sooner, it kind of made me realize I shouldn’t put things off just cos I’m scared. I should try the things I wanna try while I still have time.” You said nervously, then added: “I’m sorry for embarrassing you, though.”

“Don’t be!” Hinata smiled. “I hope you I don’t come off rude, but it gave me a really good burst of confidence to get confessed to like that.” He laughed.

“I’m glad it helped.” You said only half teasing.

---

Hinata accompanied you to Júlia’s apartment after the party, since you wouldn’t be able to get back to the university dorms so late. You lingered with him on the stoop of the building as Júlia went on ahead.

“So, you’re going back to Japan on Wednesday?” Hinata confirmed.

“Yup. Finals week ended yesterday. The semester’s over.” You shrugged. He seemed upset to see you go and while you were sad to leave, a distant remnant of your high school self was thrilled to see him maybe miss you.

“I-” You both said at the same time, then laughed.

“You go first.” He said.

“Shoyo, I’m glad I ran into you. It made coming here more fun.” You said.

“I’m glad too. I mean, we were already friends, but I feel like I made a whole new friend this time.” You couldn’t help it. You pulled him into an embrace.

For a while, you both just stood there, embracing, until Shoyo whispered: “I really like you, (y/n).”

“What?” You pulled apart and met his intent gaze.

“I really really like you, and it’s okay if you don’t feel the same way. I know, that confession is in the past and everything’s different now, but I just wanted you to know before you left.”

A small half-laugh, half-sob escaped you. “I wish you’d told me sooner...” You said, those words that had embedded themselves in your brain since Hinata said them years ago.

“Would it have made a difference?” He asked.

You thought about it, about the way you’d gotten to know each other all over again, almost from scratch. You thought about how happy you’d been to see a familiar face in an unfamiliar land. You thought about how you weren’t the same girl from high school and how he wasn’t the same guy from high school either.

“Maybe,” you said. “But, I’m leaving, Shoyo.”

“I know,” he said. He didn’t ask you “what if”. What if he’d asked you out that first day you ran into each other? What if he’d asked you out after one of his games or when you dragged your pleasantly exhausted self back from the waves, surfboard in tow? He didn’t ask, but you were thinking it anyway.

“I feel like we just keep missing each other, just by a little bit.” You said.

“But hey, we’ll keep in touch this time, right?” Hinata asked, eyes wide and hopeful.

“Of course! And when you make a triumphant comeback in Japan, I’ll be right there.”

“I’ll miss you, (y/n).” He said, and you can’t help yourself. You leaned close and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

“I’ll miss you too, Shoyo.”