Hinata’s eyes shimmered with tears but not before he could see the shock on Oikawa’s face – Hinata then suddenly wrapped his arms around Oikawa’s torso and buried his face in the setter’s chest.

This.

In an overwhelming flood of emotions, this was all Hinata could do to stop himself from exploding. His mind was like the fractured glass of the chandelier – thoughts and emotions scattered all over the place, they didn’t make sense – shock, relief, fear, yearning… To do nothing, Hinata would combust but to go the other extreme…

Yet Hinata calmed instantly from the warmth and strength and safety of Oikawa’s body. The same one that had carried him across a quaking room over shattered glass. The same one that had protected him and hugged him under the table. The same one that bore his weight home. But parallel to that comfort, a heightened sensitivity coursed through his veins at the fact he was touching Oikawa. Just under the setter’s shirt –  Hinata imagined soft skin over toned muscles. His ear was against the setter’s heart, that strong fragile muscle, thudded desperately. And that smell… Hinata couldn’t help inhale with all his might and squeeze  the back of Oikawa tighter.

Oikawa’s heart was louder than a drum. That look in Hinata’s eyes just before the tears showed up. He’d honestly thought that Hinata was going to –

Well. Of course he wasn’t.

Oikawa had felt a tingle all over his body the moment the tiny middle blocker placed a warm hand on his neck. And now…

Oikawa embraced his fate. He enveloped Hinata into his arms, holding the boy tightly, just as tightly as Hinata was holding him, and rested his cheek upon those soft tufts of hair. Oikawa felt like he’d swallowed a cocktail of emotions in that moment but at least one desire had been satisfied – he had longed to hold Hinata like this again, since he had done at the cafe. He closed his eyes and breathed. He smells like the first buds of spring. Oikawa was vaguely aware of weak heat by his elbow.

Well then. I’ll burn.

The two of them, locked in an embrace, felt the drama of the day melt away in their strength; the relief, the emotions had finally found an outlet. They breathed in their different scents, felt the solace in their physical touch, united in silence. And even though something else rippled beneath the surface, the comfort each received was more medicating than a pill.

Had I been waiting for this? This. This was it. All these tumbling emotions all because… I needed a hug. Oikawa felt all his stresses ebb away and he knew in that moment that they were going to be fine.

‘You’re going to be alright Hinata,’ Oikawa murmured into the pillow of hair.

Hinata loved the feeling of Oikawa’s head on his, of his breath on his crown, and of –

‘Hinata.’ Hinata breathed into Oikawa’s chest. ‘You called me Hinata.’

‘Well that is your name isn’t it?’ Oikawa sighed, enjoying the cuddle and this cutie pie way too much.

‘You’ve never called me that before.’

‘I have. Earlier. And during the earthquake. Do you not want me to?’

‘No, I… I like it.’

Oikawa grinned. ‘Well then,’ he barely whispered, ‘I’ll keep doing it,’ and it sent a shiver down Hinata’s spine.

Oikawa wasn’t sure how long they stayed like that for. He opened his eyes and noticed that those stupid candles were burning way too quickly.

‘We should bandage your leg,’ Oikawa said.

‘Mmm huh,’ Hinata muttered, his warm breath tickling the underside of Oikawa’s chin.

I don’t want to move. But he had too. He lifted his head up and extracted his arms. But Hinata wouldn’t let go.

‘Can I stay like this?’ Hinata mumbled.

Oikawa’s heart had wings. ‘You can try,’ he said.

Oikawa reached over and with his bandaged up protected hands easily retrieved wipes, scissors, bandage and tape. He used the wipes to gently clean the wound and tried to be as delicate as Hinata was with him but he still felt Hinata tense up under him.

‘I’m sorry,’ Oikawa whispered.

Oikawa didn’t complain even with the tricky task of tying the bandage, having to manoeuvre under Hinata’s outstretched arms. When he pulled the fabric taut the tiny spiker yelled and clutched Oikawa tighter. Oikawa wrapped the bandage round five times on Hinata’s thigh before taping it in place. He didn’t want the little crow to let go but Oikawa wanted to clean the rest of Hinata’s leg of blood.

‘Can you let go for a second? I’ll be quick, I just want to clean your leg -’

Hinata made a sound of disapproval before releasing Oikawa. Oikawa took the candle from between Hinata’s knees, and the one on the other side of him, and placed them along the length of Hinata’s right leg. Oikawa peeled off the blood-drenched sock and, starting from Hinata’s ankles, wiped his leg in upward strokes.

His legs are like a girl’s. Holding Hinata’s slender ankle  and rubbing the wipes up Hinata’s calves made something stir just below Oikawa’s stomach. His calves were so pretty, Oikawa wanted to stroke them, pinch them, bite them –

Oikawa stopped dead.

What. The actual fuck.

‘Hey.’ Hinata said. ‘Don’t stop. That feels kinda nice.’

Grateful that thoughts were silent, Oikawa continued cleaning  Hinata’s leg. When he got to the middle blocker’s knee, Hinata sharply drew his breath. Oikawa looked up. Hinata was making a face.

‘It hurts.’ Oikawa stated.

‘Just a little bit.’

Oikawa swallowed. Don’t do anything fucking stupid –

Oikawa placed one hand carefully under Hinata’s calf and the other under his ankle. He slowly lifted Hinata’s leg up and watched the spiker’s facial expressions.

Hinata shook his head. ‘It doesn’t hurt.’

Oikawa lowered his leg and then tried bending it. When it got to a sharp upside down V, Hinata grimaced. Oikawa let go.

‘Can you move your leg without my help?’

Hinata managed to do the same motions but found the deep bend hard to do.

‘I don’t think anything’s broken but bruised or sprained maybe?’

‘I think in the cafe, when I landed on my front, I hit my knee.’

‘I see. Well then. We should get you onto a more comfortable resting spot.’

Oikawa lined the route with two candles: one on the floor and one by the sofa. The rest of his apartment was padded in black.

‘Doesn’t it feel like… we’re the only two people left on the planet?’ Oikawa said by the sofa. For some reason, he didn’t sound sad about it.

‘Yeah it does.’ And neither did Hinata.

Oikawa scooped Hinata up from the kitchen island, the shorty  immediately looping his arms around Oikawa’s neck. Oikawa couldn’t help but smile. Carefully he brought his rival to the sofa and was about to place him down when the little spiker shook his head and grasped onto Oikawa tighter.

‘My my, who knew how clingy you could be -’

And how utterly adorable.

So Oikawa sat down on the right end of the sofa, keeping Hinata in his arms and on his lap, as he rested Hinata’s back against the arm of the couch. The candle, not far from his feet, didn’t give sufficient light for him to fully see Hinata: the spiker was barely a silhouette, with soft reflections on that eye-catching wild mane. Oikawa extracted one of his arms and gently stroked Hinata’s hair. Even with his bandages, he knew it was as soft as feathers.

‘How are you feeling Hinata?’ Oikawa twirled a strand of Hinata’s hair around his plastered finger.

‘Much better. How are you feeling Oikawa-san?’

Oikawa smirked. ‘You are right,’ he whispered. ‘It does feel better when you call me by my name.’

He felt the little crow tense and move his head – Oikawa knew that he’d blushed. But the carrot top didn’t remove his arms from around Oikawa’s  neck.

‘You didn’t answer my question,’ Hinata probed.

‘Hmmm. I’m feeling…’ Oikawa couldn’t help himself: the hand in the boy’s hair moved down to hold the spiker’s left cheek, Oikawa leaned in, his nose grazing Hinata’s other cheek, and he put his lips to Hinata’s ear, ‘like I could stay like this forever.’

He felt it this time – the jolt through Hinata’s body as if his words had shot through Hinata’s ear right down to the tips of his blood-stained toes. The effect satisfied Oikawa – but only for a moment.

He wanted more.

Oikawa’s hand moved down to Hinata’s chest as Oikawa pressed his nose against Hinata’s neck and inhaled deeply. Hinata trembled under Oikawa’s palm and his heart banged against its bony cage.

‘Oi-Oikawa-san?’

‘Hmmm?’

To lick his neck or nibble his ear?

How would Hinata react next?