‘Your – your phone is ringing!’

Oikawa looked up; across the room where he had stood earlier, on the kitchen counter top that had been behind him, a bright glow illuminated the sink.

Oh come on.

It suddenly stopped and became dark again.

Good.

‘Now,’ Oikawa ran a hand through Hinata’s hair. ‘Where were we?’ he heard Hinata take a sharp breath to his touch.

But his stupid phone started brightening up the kitchen again. 

Ugh.

‘Please excuse me.’ Oikawa gently lifted Hinata’s legs up and unwillingly escaped to the kitchen sink.

It was Maki.

‘What is it?’ Oikawa snapped. ‘I’m kinda in the middle of something right now… I’m at home. Of course I didn’t sleep through the earthquake! I – he what?’ the warm fuzzy effect of Hinata suddenly drained out of him. And the brutal reality of the situation came flooding back. ‘Oh no… Where is he? Who’s he with? That’s a relief… What about you – and the  rest of the team, are you OK?’

As Hinata heard the fear creep back into Oikawa’s voice, he couldn’t help being infected by that same fear himself…

What have I been doing? Oikawa scolded himself. I’m Seijoh’s captain and I’ve been playing footsie with my opponent?! What sort of leader am I?!!?

‘I’m so sorry I’ve been -’ Oikawa panicked. ‘Injured. My hands are cut. It’s a long story. I need to preserve my battery to make a few calls. If the electricity comes back by tomorrow I’ll call you right away. Thanks Maki.’

Oikawa hung up. Nineteen missed calls. Nine from his mother. Shit. He should’ve called her earlier. Twenty five percent battery. Oikawa called his mom and a couple of his teammates. Fifteen percent. Oikawa sighed heavily.

‘Hey. Are your team OK?’ came an assertive voice from across the room.

Oikawa picked up the remaining candle on the kitchen island and used it to find Hinata’s phone on the floor. He picked it up, walked over, handed it to Hinata and then blew the candle out to save wax.

‘Call your team.’

A tiny hand shot out of the dark, and clawed until it clasped Oikawa’s wrist.

‘Who’s hurt?’ Hinata asked.

Oikawa breathed out through his nose and sat down on the sofa by Hinata’s feet. ‘Watari.’

Hinata gasped. ‘Oh no! What happened to him?’

‘He was out, not far from the mountains. When the earthquake happened, he slipped and hit the side of his head on a rock.’

‘That’s terrible!’

‘Fortunately he was with Yahaba and another friend at the time. I hate to think what could’ve happened if he was alone…’

‘Where is he now? Is he alright?’

‘They took him to the hospital. Apparently it was a nightmare. Full of panicked people and it didn’t help that there’s a power failure. But because he was bleeding from his head he got seen to pretty quickly…  Maki said the roads were all blocked, people had scrambled out of their cars but I’m relieved to hear the rest of the team are OK.’

‘Oikawa-san.’

Oikawa couldn’t see Hinata but felt the strength in his voice.

‘Your team. They’re going to be OK.’

‘I hope so.’ I should’ve called them sooner. Oikawa thought. But there was no other way. They’d been bleeding… ‘You need to call Karasuno.’

He heard Hinata press his phone. But no light revealed that irresistibly likable face.

‘The battery has died. Or its broken… Oikawa-san… could you message Kageyama for me?’

If, from the rubble and the ruins, this situation with Hinata was like a helium-filled balloon that made Oikawa rise and ride above the damage, then hearing the word ‘Kageyama’ was like someone tantalisingly holding a sowing needle directly above…

‘No.’

‘Oikawa-san,’ Hinata scuttled his body down so that his legs were over Oikawa’s again and he reached out blindly, his hand finding the curve of Oikawa’s face. ‘Please?’

Oikawa’s heart skipped a beat.

‘Fine.’

Are you and Karasuno OK?

Send.

Not even ten seconds later, Oikawa’s phone lit up with the response:

????

‘He’s such an annoying little prick,’ Oikawa gritted his teeth. He showed his phone to Hinata.

‘Well then he must be OK if he responded to you so quickly. In any case… he’s alive.’

The balloon burst. Oikawa wasn’t sure why but he didn’t at all like the tenderness in Hinata’s last sentence.

‘I’m going to switch my phone off now. I need to preserve the battery in case your mom calls me tomorrow.’

And so that I don’t have to have any more interactions with that brat.

‘I’m sure they’re fine.’ Hinata said. ‘They’re strong. And I’m sure they’ve been in earthquakes before. There’s… there’s no point in us worrying about our teammates right now. It’s dark outside and we’re not doctors. We’re injured and there isn’t much we can do. So tonight we just have to have faith that everything will be OK in the morning. You’re here and I’m here, and before we can help anyone we need to make sure we’re alright first.’

‘Spoken like a true fighter,’ Oikawa teased. ‘And I couldn’t agree with you more. So on that note – are you hungry, chibi-chan?’

Food. They had been so much in fight or flight mode they hadn’t had a moment to stop.

‘I’m pretty sure all my food in the fridge has started to become room temperature by now. I think I had some sushi and curry buns -’

Oikawa set the spread. Dancing back and forth with candles, he  managed to bring the food over to the floor, set a candle to his left and right, grab a cushion and place Hinata neatly between his legs as they sat on the floor with Oikawa’s back against the sofa and Hinata’s  back against Oikawa. Hinata sat with his legs apart so as not to squash the assortment of food in front of them.

‘Here. Have some food. Are you comfortable? Is this OK?’

Why? Hinata couldn’t understand. Why did he feel this way around Oikawa? Kageyama always made him sound like a terrible person but in reality…

Oikawa’s body perfectly encapsulated Hinata’s like the letter C  encasing a small c. He reached between Hinata’s legs and handed Hinata a curry bun, a pack of sushi and clean chopsticks.

‘You should eat something,’ Oikawa whispered, ruffling Hinata’s hair with his free hand and grabbing a curry bun for himself. ‘Are the candles alright? Can you see what you’re eating?’

What was this feeling? Hinata couldn’t understand. He felt warm and safe and happier than he usually was. He felt like he was completely taken care of, like he could ask for anything and Oikawa would provide it for him. Was this why Oikawa was so popular? Did he treat all his friends this way? Hinata felt a sharp stab between his shoulder blades at the thought of Oikawa doing this was someone else… What’s wrong with me? Hinata ripped open the seal of the sushi and refrained from killing some salmon with a chopstick. On top of that, the same sensitivity as earlier hadn’t changed – he was hyper aware of the setter’s chest against his back, his legs around his legs, his groin…

Hinata turned scarlet red as he ate in silence. Why did he feel so good against Oikawa’s body? Why did he feel like… he… like he…

Wanted to feel it some more.

Hinata gulped.

Not to mention earlier, when I was in Oikawa’s lap, and he whispered in my ear and smelled my neck… It made me so nervous but also…  so excited…

‘You’re awfully quiet chibi-chan,’ Oikawa stroked Hinata’s feathery hair with his free hand and Hinata felt a wave of pleasure surge through him. ‘What is going on in that head of yours?’

‘Nothing!’ Hinata squeaked before stuffing his face with sushi.

Oikawa wrapped an arm around Hinata’s chest and rested his head on the spiker’s shoulders. ‘Oh? You’re extremely evasive for it to be nothing…’

Hinata couldn’t move. He couldn’t even chew. His heart was doing somersaults inside of him.

‘I’m – I’m just really tired that’s all!’ he said with his mouth full.

Oikawa extracted himself. That’s true. He has had a really full on day; he looked completely traumatised by the effect of the earthquake…

‘I’m going to take a candle but I’ll be right back. Eat as much as you like.’

Oikawa crossed the room to his wardrobe and took out two baggy t-shirts and and two pairs of shorts. He felt relieved that it was almost June and the nights were mild, almost warm.

‘I would’ve suggested we took showers but not when we’ve just taken care of these wounds. So if you like I’ve brought you a change of t-shirt and shorts for you to try although they’ll probably be too big for you -’ Oikawa dumped the clothes on the sofa behind Hinata. He returned to his position, sitting around Hinata’s body. He clutched  Hinata, hugging him from behind briefly. ‘You should probably get some rest. You’ve had a long day chibi-chan.’ He then picked up the remainder  of the curry bun and continued to eat it.

I’m feeling… like I could stay like this forever.

I know, Hinata thought, because I feel the exact same way.

Hinata wasn’t sure why but every tiny consideration Oikawa made for him seemed to imprint itself onto Hinata’s heart. The height, width, depth and breadth of these emotions that had come alive because of Oikawa… Hinata never knew that such feelings could exist inside of him. Was it the care? Was it the isolation together? Probably –

It was the earthquake. That was all. And tomorrow or the next day things would return to normal…

He’s suddenly super quiet, Oikawa thought to himself. Is he reliving the earthquake? Does he have flashbacks?

After they had finished eating, Hinata managed to stand up and, in the dark, Oikawa handed him a t-shirt from the sofa behind him. Despite it being pitch black, Hinata couldn’t help but tense up in the silence after whipping off his shirt and then quickly putting on Oikawa’s. Disappointingly, it smelled like detergent and not like Oikawa.

Oikawa stood up, bringing a candle with him so that he could just about make out his baggy t-shirt on the spiker. He chuckled.

‘Doesn’t that suit you? Lean on me for a moment, chibi-chan -’

Oikawa guided Hinata to the double bed which was next to the sofa.

‘You sleep here. Just rest. You must be… exhausted from the day.’  Oikawa carefully brought Hinata’s feet up and brought a pillow closer for the tiny middle blocker’s head. ‘Are you warm enough?’

‘Yes… where are you going to sleep?’

‘On the sofa.’

‘I should sleep on the sofa. You should take the bed.’

‘No. You need the rest more than I do.’

Oikawa grabbed the change of clothes for himself and waited for Hinata to say the words he was dying to hear. But he didn’t.

It’s better this way.

And so after Oikawa changed in the dark he settled down on the sofa and heard the deep breathing of Hinata.

Even like this, just having him in the same room, it’s so comforting to not be alone in a blackout.

In the dark, in the still of the night, with a moment to himself, with a moment to breathe, to stop, to turn, to reflect, with no other sound than the soft breathing of his saviour, Oikawa opened that box he’d been keeping shut since he examined the broken skeleton of the chandelier. 

He could see it as if he was Hinata: that gigantic metal-glass framework crushing him, the sound of his skull cracking, his body crunching, breaking, bleeding, deformed suddenly. 

Death? Metal pins? Smashed legs? Paralysis? Who knew. Who knew what had awaited him had the little redhead not risked his own life. That sudden tidal wave of gratitude drowned Oikawa again, more forceful this time, combined with all the new strange feelings bubbling towards the crow. I owe him… my life. Oikawa had an inkling that out of everyone he knew, out of all his volleyball team, his schoolmates, friends and associates, there was no one he’d rather be indebted to than the shrimp. Such innocence, such kindness was uncommon in Oikawa’s circles. This debt, Hinata would not use against him. Rather than jab it in the setter’s face on a daily basis, Oikawa knew that for the spiker it was already water under the  bridge; it was within chibi-chan’s nature to try and help someone, rival or not. The beauty of this personality, so far from his own selfishness, momentarily blinded Oikawa: his eyes swam with tears. In the safety of the dark, Oikawa’s gratitude and awe fell down his cheeks.

Eventually, he fell asleep to the sound of Hinata breathing.

Oikawa woke to the sound of whimpering.

It was pitch back, only the kitchen window gave soft difference in darkness from the natural moonlit night sky.

He sat upright. The whimpering was getting louder. Oikawa knew his  home, even in the dark, like the back of his hand. He swung his legs off the sofa and walked towards the bed until his knees hit the mattress. He sat down on the edge of the bed and stretched out a hand, blindly feeling his way until he felt Hinata’s arm. The boy was quivering.

‘It’s OK,’ Oikawa whispered.

Hinata suddenly cried out and jerked up, bolt upright. Oikawa caught him in an embrace. Oikawa could feel how jittery he was, hear his breathlessness. It took Hinata a few moments to realise where he was, but the now familiar body and unique scent of Oikawa steadied and orientated him.

‘It was just a dream. You’re safe.’

Hinata clutched onto Oikawa’s t-shirt and sobbed into his shoulder.

‘I – I was walking -’ Hinata’s voice shook. ‘It was a normal day –  t-there was a sudden split in the ground – a-a crack – the ground opened up - I fell through – and no matter how much I tried to grab hold of the sides… I-I kept falling. I couldn’t hold onto anything. N-nothing could save me… so I kept falling… I couldn’t stop myself from falling.’

Oikawa gripped Hinata’s body tighter against his chest as the little spiker dissolved into tears. Oikawa gently cradled him, letting the crow cry for as long as he needed to. Eventually, Hinata’s sobbing turned  into sniffs, and his shaky breathing became steady.

‘You don’t have to worry. You’re here right now with me chibi-chan. It wasn’t real.’ Oikawa stroked Hinata’s hair.

In the dark, Hinata used his fingers to smooth their way up to interlace them behind the setter’s neck. He pressed his ear against Oikawa’s chest, listening to the captain's heartbeat and sighed deeply.

Oikawa too sighed. Why does it feel like we’ve always been like this?

‘You should get some sleep so you’ll feel stronger in the morning -’  it took Oikawa the strength of a body builder to tear himself away from Hinata and stand up.

But as he turned to navigate his way back to the couch, he felt the material of the back of his t-shirt stretch.

Someone was not letting him go.

Oikawa didn’t move.

Don’t.

But I want to.

Don’t do it –

I need to.

It’s risky.

But I… love taking risks.

And those tiny precious loving hands weren’t letting go either.

Oikawa breathed in and out. He sat back on the mattress. He couldn’t see Hinata, but felt him shuffle further along the mattress, making space for Oikawa, and lie back down. Oikawa wasn’t sure if he trusted himself. Slowly, he laid down, bringing his feet up. In the shadows, a small hand started patting the empty space in the middle of the bed  before finding the setter’s shoulder, and tugging his t-shirt.

In joy, in fear, Oikawa shifted his body weight nearer to the middle of the mattress.

Doesn’t he realise he’s like a chick and I’m a hungry crocodile?

Suddenly, Oikawa felt the mass next to him shift, roll, and clamber on top of him.