In the secret pocket of the night Oikawa heard his breath, as loud as foghorns, roar in his ears. He couldn’t see anything. But he could smell Hinata, smell those first buds of spring, which confirmed the staggering fact that –

Hinata was on top of him.

Head on his chest, front to front, legs on either side, hands tucked between the mattress and Oikawa’s back, the mini Karasuno member had draped himself over Oikawa and nuzzled into the captain as if Oikawa was a life-size pillow. 

Hinata sighed happily; now, now he knew he could  rest undisturbed and no more dreams would bother him because Oikawa was right here. Sure there was the other component – the intoxicating scent of Oikawa, Hinata’s hyper awareness of the setter’s body under him, the excited nervousness of being this close but Hinata’s eyes felt heavy, and his body so worn, all he wanted to do was sleep…

Meanwhile, Oikawa –

Don’t get hard. Just don’t get hard. Whatever you do, just don’t get hard.

Oikawa realised he wouldn’t be getting much sleep tonight. He would be too occupied batting away every single tempting thought.

What if I –

Oikawa placed a hand on the small of Hinata’s back that slowly inched down to find the hem of the t-shirt…

Oikawa’s mind flashed – Hinata, eyes in fear, mouth agape, diving forcefully towards him –

An even stronger impulse seemed to rise to the surface like a gigantic whale and swallow him whole:

Be careful. He’s not like the others.

Oikawa’s hand fell limp.

He was just horny. That was all. When the electricity was back he’d call that girl he was supposed to go on a date with. That would sort him out. Failing that there was always one of his exes… Misaki. She never said no.

Oikawa tried to clear his mind but every time, the same scene, the same eyes, the same hair, the same look came back to him…

Oikawa wrapped his arms gently around his saviour and sighed.

‘Fine. I’ll be enslaved to you. For now.’

Hinata woke upon a tranquil body island, peaceful, breathing deeply. Like second nature, he inhaled Oikawa’s scent as if he was thirsty and taking a drink. He looked up, Oikawa was still asleep, one arm draped above his luscious locks. He’s so… beautiful. Hinata stared at Oikawa’s chiselled jaw, slim nose and high cheekbones. If he wasn’t a volleyball player, he could be a model. Hinata lifted his head up and reached a hand out. Ever so delicately, he touched the tip of Oikawa’s nose. The setter didn’t stir. Hinata then  did what he’d been craving to do – he scraped his hand against the side of Oikawa’s head and softly gripped a chunk of his hair. It was so silky it was like trying to hold onto water.

Hinata’s eyes roved back down to the setter’s face. To those lips. That he could kiss.

Ba-dum.

The urge was so strong that Hinata sprang himself off the bed and landed on the floor in a panic. Great. He’d woken Oikawa.

Oikawa sleepily blinked a few times, groaned and turned to his left  side. They locked eyes. For a moment a startled expression crossed Oikawa’s face as if he was surprised to see the spiker there but Hinata could almost see the processing of Oikawa’s mind, like a high-functioning  computer, getting back up to date and up to speed with everything that had happened yesterday.

Oikawa grinned. ‘What are you doing over there? Shouldn’t you be over here? And why do you look so guilty? What did you do?’

Hinata jerked back, turning red and shook his head. ‘N-nothing!’

Oikawa’s smile widened. ‘Are you sure? It doesn’t look like nothing.’

Why is he so fun to tease?

‘How did you get there anyway? Shouldn’t you rest your leg? You should be lying down here next to me,’ Oikawa stroked the bed.

Hinata’s heart was beating so loudly he was sure Oikawa could hear it. When Oikawa was being like this it was so nerve-racking and electrifying, Hinata felt like all his brain cells stopped working and he wasn’t sure what to do. His heart and body told him to go but his mind sparked at the crossfires. For some reason when he could sense that Oikawa was worried, it made him bold, but when Oikawa was brazen, it made him shy.

Oikawa suddenly propped up on his elbow, his expression serious. ‘How is your leg? Does it feel OK?’

There was thin strip of blood on the bandage but thankfully nothing more. Oikawa breathed a sigh of relief.

‘We should change that bandage today and have a look. And also,’ Oikawa looked around his apartment basked in glorious sunlight, streaming in through the wide back window that aligned with his kitchen, ‘we need to know what the situation is… I need to check if we need more food or candles.’

‘How are your hands?’

Oikawa wiggled some fingers and gripped his palm. ‘Couldn’t be better given the circumstance. You bandaged them well.’

The look in Oikawa’s eyes and the way he said that last sentence made Hinata’s heart flutter and his tongue stutter.

‘I-it’s – it’s no problem at all!’ he looked away nervously otherwise he’d take up Oikawa’s offer and jump on that bed.

‘Your leg. You can walk?’

Hinata took a step forward, putting weight on his right leg. He then walked around and slightly grimaced.

Oikawa sat up. ‘What is it? What’s wrong?’

‘There’s a dull ache in my knee. Like on my kneecap I think.’

‘I have something that might help.’

Oikawa got up and dug around in his wardrobe. ‘Aha, here it is.’ 

He approached Hinata holding a white knee brace and crouched before the middle blocker. Hinata gasped – he recognised it as the one Oikawa wore in their first match together. The setter carefully lifted Hinata’s foot and Hinata put a hand on Oikawa’s shoulder for support. Oikawa slipped  the brace on, and carefully pulled it up to Hinata’s knee.

‘Are you sure… I can use this? You don’t need it?’

‘I don’t need it anymore. Does it help?’

Hinata walked in a circle around Oikawa. No pain.

‘It helps a lot! Thank you Oikawa-san!’

Oikawa smiled and stood up straight. ‘No problem,’ he ruffled  Hinata’s hair. ‘Now don’t go around doing high jumps and playing volleyball while you’re still recovering all because you have a knee brace on, you got that?’

‘Like you, you mean?’

Hinata’s expression had changed: he stared at Oikawa with a cheeky challenging expression on his face and fire in his eyes. Oikawa realised  – he was referring to their practice match.

Oikawa smirked. ‘I had recovered. The brace was just insurance. I had to show your team who’s boss.’

‘We still beat you. And we’ll beat you next time too.’

‘Hmm. I look forward to seeing your attempts fail. We won’t lose.’

There was now fire in Oikawa’s eyes too. They both grinned a grin that said – challenge accepted.

‘But before the happens we need to survive the aftermath of this earthquake -’ Oikawa looked towards his TV. The red light was still off.

He went to the kitchen and tried a light switch. Still nothing. So  the area probably still had no electricity and maybe some of the roads had been cleared but maybe most were still blocked? Why – why do I feel happy about this?

Now with the aid of daylight Oikawa searched his cupboards and fridge. Everything to eat required the use of the electric hob or kettle. He found a few snacks: seaweed, nuts, milk bread and rice crackers.

‘Hey chibi-chan would you like some milk bread -?’

Oikawa turned. Hinata was kneeling on the sofa, facing the wall, looking at Oikawa’s photos and certificates.

The Great King… is so popular.

There were pictures of Oikawa with his volleyball teammates, old photos of him with Iwaizumi, photos of him with other people at Aoba Johsai that Hinata didn’t recognise, photos of him with girls.

So… this is his life. Without me. This is what it will return to… once the electricity is working again.

Hinata felt a deep radiating sadness boom through his heart.

And everything that I have right now…

Will be gone.

‘Hinata?’

Hinata turned. Oikawa was holding up plastic-sealed milk bread but there was a look of concern on his face and Hinata knew that the concern was about him.

Hinata forced a smile. ‘Sounds great!’

He turned back to the Oikawa Wall. There were also pictures of what seemed to be Oikawa’s parents and sister, with her family.

‘Hey,’ Hinata called. ‘Where are your family?’

‘My sister’s husband got a job in Saitama, so they moved there about a year ago with my nephew. My dad’s company also have an office in Tokyo,  which isn’t far, and my sister’s pregnant again, so my parents moved down a few months ago to help her. They still own this house, but they had a mini kitchen fitted upstairs and an outside stairwell. There used to be stairs by the door but they got rid of it before they left. We’re getting rent from the family living above.’

‘Do you miss them? Aren’t you… lonely?’

Oikawa noted how concerned Hinata looked and it made his insides glow.

‘To be honest… I’m grateful for the space.’ I mean, all of this wouldn’t have happened if my parents were still living here. 

‘Not to mention after this year I have to see where the spirit of  volleyball takes me… I’m not sure yet where I’ll be in the world let alone Japan. But this place is still a good investment and easy to rent out. But sometimes I… do get lonely. Not often but… that has nothing to do with whether my parents are here or not.’

Did I just say that out loud?!

Oikawa blinked a few times. Hinata was staring at him.

It’s the shrimp’s fault. He’s too sincere, it’s rubbing off on me.

Parents. Teammates. Girls. There would be times, even when he was with them, he would feel a deep-seated loneliness like they just couldn’t understand him, they couldn’t understand his insecurities –  even if he tested the water and tried to open up, often he’d be judged,  dismissed or shut down. And not even his best friend, Iwaizumi, gave him any empathy. Tough love. Sure, it was needed sometimes. But sometimes Oikawa yearned for a softer acknowledgement.

‘But…’ Hinata said. ‘You have so many friends.’

Oikawa sighed and placed his hands on his hips. ‘Unfortunately it’s not as simple as that… Sometimes you can know a lot of people, but it  doesn’t mean they really know you.’

Oikawa could see Hinata processing his words. He turned back to the wall.

‘But… your life looks so full and happy.’ Hinata observed.

‘That’s only one side to it. Those are only moments. No one takes a photo of their deepest, darkest moments, do they chibi-chan? Should we have taken a selfie under the table during the earthquake yesterday?’ Oikawa added playfully.

Hinata didn’t like it. Hearing of Oikawa’s loneliness gave Hinata a dull ache in his chest.

‘What would make you… less lonely?’ Hinata looked, across the gulf of the living space, at Oikawa.

Their eyes met. Oikawa felt a drop in his stomach.

‘No one’s ever asked me that before… So I… I don’t know.’

‘Well,’ Hinata turned back to Oikawa’s wall, ‘when you do know,’ a strange determination in his voice, ‘I want you to tell me.’

Oikawa wasn’t sure why but in those moments, when this younger boy showed tougher resilience than him, it put him to shame –

And he liked that.

Hinata turned his attention onto Oikawa’s certificates and the one he’d heard about so much caught his eye. Hinata stood on the sofa and stared: “Best Setter Award”.

Oikawa watched him. He knew what he was looking at. Pride swelled up within him.

‘Oikawa-san. Even in junior high, you were already a great setter.’

Oikawa brought over plates with milk bread and then glasses of water to the sofa. He sat down and enjoyed the view of Hinata being in awe while he took a bite of milk bread.

‘In junior high, I had no one to play with. I was the only member of the boy’s volleyball team.’

‘I didn’t know that about you chibi-chan. That would explain why you’re lacking in technique.’

Hinata looked down on Oikawa. But the setter’s face wasn’t smirking or mean. He appeared to be genuinely considering these facts about Hinata.

‘I didn’t mean it as an insult -’ Oikawa added. ‘I just meant -’

‘You’re right,’ Hinata agreed. ‘I am lacking technique. When I stand next to Kageyama on the court, we are years apart in skill and experience which is why he always looks down on me. Without his sets, I’m nothing. I can’t serve or receive or set -’

‘Don’t compare yourself to Kageyama. That prodigy has ridiculous talent whether he works hard or not. Whereas I… I started at the bottom of the ladder just like you have. I’m not a genius like Tobio either so I have to work super hard too. But as the saying goes, practice makes perfect. And I have no doubt that with your spirit and hard work you will become stronger.’

‘So what you’re saying is,’ Hinata stared at the Best Setter Award.  ‘We’re the same. We both have to work even harder. And if you can be  amazing with hard work then I can be too!’

Oikawa watched the impassioned Hinata. The problem with Hinata’s compliments is that he means them. He’s not trying to flatter you or get on your good side. He just says things as he sees them. And that is  why… it’s impossible not to like him.

Oikawa lent an elbow on the back of the sofa. ‘What I’m saying is that you’re already amazing.’

Hinata looked at Oikawa. The setter’s expression was half-kind half-amused.

‘You have raw athleticism. You can jump and you’re fast. Not only that but you have the motivation to get better. With hard work you will become even more amazing. And so will I.’

Hinata grinned, sparkles in his eyes. ‘Right!’

Hinata then sat down and ate his milk break. Oikawa got up, got his phone and switched it on.

‘We should phone your mom and let her know you’re OK,’ Oikawa had 32  texts on his phone. His battery was still at fourteen percent as it was yesterday.

‘No don’t – I think we should preserve your battery. In case we need it for an emergency,’ Hinata said from the sofa before tearing a chunk out of his milk bread with his teeth.

Oikawa threw up his arms. ‘Well what can I say? You’re absolutely right little man and in that case we’ll just have to wait for the  electricity to come back or for your mom to knock if the roads clear…  but if that doesn’t happen – I’m going to go out and see if I can get us some nicer food and buy some more candles just in case. I’ll drop her a text at least to let her know you’re OK.’

Our time… is running out.

Both of them thought this but neither said anything.

‘Can I – come with you?’ Hinata hesitantly asked.

Oikawa switched off his phone again after he sent the text. The  little spiker had devoured his milk bread and glass of water. Oikawa didn’t like that all he was feeding his little crow was carbs with  H-2-O. Hinata looked up at him with pleading eyes. But the whole upper part of Hinata’s right leg was covered in white fabric.

Oikawa exhaled. ‘I think it’d be better for you to stay here.’

The disappointment in Hinata’s face made Oikawa want to run the back of his hands through broken glass.

‘It’s for your own good chibi-chan. You need rest and lots of it. What’s more you need to rest that leg of yours.’

Oikawa came over to the sofa, took the empty plates and glasses back before dragging his duvet to the sofa, and arranging it around Hinata. He dug up some of this year’s monthly volleyball magazines and handed it to the middle blocker.

‘I won’t be longer than twenty minutes. Will you be OK? Is there  anything else you need?’ Oikawa grabbed a change of trousers and a shirt  from his wardrobe and dumped them on the duvet, beside Hinata.

Without any warning, before Hinata could reply, Oikawa whipped off his t-shirt.

Hinata’s jaw dropped to the floor. Miles and miles of skin, taut and unblemished, covered the dips and curves of defined muscles of Oikawa’s upper body. He wasn’t just like a model; he basically was one. If  perfection had been embodied, then it looked like Oikawa.

Hinata tore his gaze away, feeling his cheeks warm, a whirlwind of feelings rising in him.

Oikawa did the honourable thing – and stood right in front of Hinata. Hinata decidedly stared, fixated on the window in the kitchen.

‘Oh chibi-chan I need you to check something for me,’ Oikawa roughly grabbed Hinata’s wrist, making the stack of volleyball magazines cascade  to the floor.

Hinata gasped and moved to collect them but came face-to-face instead with Oikawa placing Hinata’s hand just to the left of his six pack, and pressing it into his porcelain skin.

‘I feel like I can feel a spot just under the surface of my skin, can you feel it?’

Hinata’s eyes were like a deer’s caught in headlights. His heart was caught in his throat. This was the first time Oikawa had held his hand. Not only that but he had put it in direct contact with his god-like body. His body, a comfort, a temptation, a rock for Hinata. Hinata couldn’t breathe. His cheeks had flushed but he couldn’t tear himself away from the sight of his hand under Oikawa’s, pressing intothe  setter’s skin.

‘N-no! I can’t!’ Hinata shook his head and closed his eyes.

With his eyes closed, he felt Oikawa’s body shake before hearing Seijoh’s captain roar with laughter. Hinata opened his eyes.

Oikawa’s… laughing at me?!

Hinata wrenched his hand out of the setter’s grasp, his cheeks now inflamed, furious.

‘Oh this is far too fun and you’re far too cute,’ Oikawa ruffled Hinata’s hair, still chuckling.

Hinata’s blush deepened at Oikawa’s compliment but he was still mad.

‘Hey stop teasing me!’

Oikawa bent forward, bringing his face level with Hinata’s and stared straight into those honey-coloured eyes, only inches away. Hinata’s heart clanged inside of him, louder than a monkey with cymbals.

‘No,’ Oikawa smiled.

Oikawa’s smile was mean – it was mean in that it was dazzling,  captivating, completely impossible to resist. The proximity of Oikawa’s face had turned Hinata into a statue. But a second later, Oikawa had straightened up, still with a mischievous grin on his face.

‘I’ll give you time to prepare this time – I’m about to take my  shorts off and put some trousers on so make sure you get a good look,  OK?’

Hinata clenched his teeth. His confidence is so annoying and so attractive at the same time – Hinata decided to throw the duvet over his head and clutch it down to stop Oikawa from lifting it up and seeing his face. He heard the setter explode into more laughter and move around the room and then silence as  Oikawa dressed himself.

‘You really are something chibi-chan although I can’t imagine you being this awkward around Karasuno. How do you get changed after practice, hmm? You must be around half-naked guys all the time.’

He’s right. I don’t feel like this around any of them changing –

‘On a serious note,’ Oikawa stood by the hallway and grabbed his wallet. ‘I’ll be back in twenty minutes, half an hour, max. I’ll leave my phone on the kitchen island. Only switch it on in an absolute emergency. My pin is 6969, you got that? Are you sure there’s nothing else you need?’

Oikawa heard a deadpan ‘No’ come from the depths of the duvet. He chuckled.

‘Alrighty chibi-chan be right back!’

Hinata felt the heat in his ears listening to Oikawa still laughing  as he was leaving. The door slammed shut. Hinata threw off the duvet.

‘All setters are annoying, arrogant -’ Hinata noticed the volleyball magazines on the floor. He picked them up.

Hinata didn’t think about the time until he’d excitedly read all ten monthly volleyball magazines cover to cover. He looked up at the window.  It was still sunny… but what did that mean? 

They were about to enter June and the sunset was near 7pm. There was no physical clock at Oikawa’s. What time had he left? Hinata was pretty sure it had definitely been more than twenty minutes, maybe even more than thirty minutes… No. It was more than that. Definitely more than thirty minutes. Perhaps it had been an hour?

Hinata swung the duvet off of him and stood up. The brace was  amazing; he felt no pain. He then began searching the apartment for a watch, or clock – he tried the light switch – still no light came on. 

This relieved Hinata but also worried him. 

After five minutes of searching, Hinata switched Oikawa’s phone on. 1.13pm. OK. He switched his phone off again. He’d check again, when he thought it was around 1.45pm.

That would’ve been an hour. He said he’d be back in thirty minutes max.

Hinata felt his intestines tie into a knot.

What if… something’s happened to him?

NO. No. This was Oikawa we were talking about. He was going to be fine. Nothing’s happened to him. Nothing at all.

Hinata stared at the front door. He sat down on the floor and continued staring at the door.

I know nothing about the outside world or what’s happened since the earthquake… because of the blackout we haven’t seen the news, we don’t know how widespread it was or the magnitude. And outside… cars and buildings, shops and roads… I have no idea what the situation is.

Hinata clenched his fists –

I should’ve gone with him.

Hinata sat, for what felt like an age, on the floor, the sun  streaming through the kitchen window and warming his back. 

He jumped up and switched on Oikawa’s phone again: 1.57pm.

An iron fist squeezed Hinata’s heart. Surely it had been an hour – it  had been over an hour. How long should he wait? Who should he call in an emergency? Where did Oikawa go? Hinata kicked himself internally – he should’ve asked Oikawa. Should he wait another hour? What if Oikawa was hurt?

Hinata switched the phone off. Fifteen minutes. He’d wait another fifteen minutes and if Oikawa wasn’t back by then he’d call –

Iwaizumi.

Then. There was a knock on the door.