Chapter Text
He’s at the mall when he sees them. They’re in the aisle full of fancy winter coats, all covered in buttons and wide pockets, with price tags that would make Hinata start crying if he could read them. The scary ace (Hinata can’t remember his name) has his arms crossed, but there are already two bags hanging from his left arm. He’s got this crazy mad look in his eyes, like he’s going to murder Oikawa-san where he stands.
Or, sort of stands. The scary setter has two coats held out, one in each hand. The left one is dark red, the other is sort of… brown… or grey? Hinata can’t tell. He’s holding them up and saying something in a high pitched, whiny voice, pleading. From this distance, Hinata can’t really hear much. So he does the logical thing, and he creeps closer. He tugs the hood of his hoodie up so his hair doesn’t stick up, and he sneaks between the isles of clothes until he’s close enough to hear.
“Iwa-chan!” Oikawa-san singsongs, sidling up closer and leaning into Iwa-chan-san’s personal bubble. “I just know you like winter coats! Even if they do hide your arms… which is a crime… You have to choose! It’s getting too cold, and if you get a cold, I’ll be all alone in practice!”
Hinata hears Iwa-chan-san huff out some sort of jumble of curses (which he won’t repeat, thanks. He’s had his mother wash his mouth out with soap once, he won’t let it happen again!), but he does grab the grey coat.
“At least it’s just got two pockets like a normal coat should have,” he hears Iwa-chan-san mutter, and Oikawa-san’s response is a pitchy laugh.
“But Iwa-chan, these extra pockets are wondrous. See?” Hinata gets a peak of Oikawa-san pulling out a lollipop from an inside pocket on his own coat, unwrapping it and sticking the wrapper back in the pocket. “Now I have a lollipop, and all you have is your frown lines.” He pops the sucker candy into his mouth, and Hinata can see his bright grin.
Iwa-chan-san just grumbles some more, before the thing that makes Hinata fall flat on his butt happens. The super duper scary ace reaches over to his tall and annoyingly attractive setter, grabs hold of the lollipop stick, pulls it out of Oikawa-san’s mouth (getting a drawn-out whine from the setter), and sticks it in his own mouth.
Between his lips.
Slobber and all.
Hinata doesn’t even hear Oikawa-san’s protests, he’s too busy fumbling to pull his phone out of his pocket to send an urgent message to Kageyama. After all, Kageyama has known those two for like, EONS. He’s gotta know why they’re… sharing a lollipop.
To: bakageyamaaa
Y DO SCARY SEIJOH CAPT N VICE SHARE LOLLIPOPS???!
Sent at: 15:13:56
There’s no immediate response, so Hinata goes back to spying. The lollipop is now back in Oikawa-san’s mouth. He cringes. Isn’t that kinda.. gross? They’re still bickering though, so Hinata watches carefully. It’s sort of like how he and Kageyama bicker, only there’s something different. It takes him a moment to notice, but there’s a way the two rival third years touch each other that is very different from how he and Kageyama touch. It’s all lingering and gentle, even if Iwa-chan-san keeps lightly punching Oikawa-san sometimes. It’s kinda cute, actually. There’s a softness in their eyes, too, that Hinata didn’t notice at first. They’re almost like a-
From: bakageyamaaa
you idiot theyre dating. obviously
Received at: 15:17:18
What. They’re dating?!
To: bakageyamaaa
NO WAY WAH???? SINCE WHEN?? UH PLZ EXPLAIN????
Sent at: 15:17:34
From: bakageyamaaa
relax with the caps you weirdo
Received at: 15:17:11
From: bakageyamaaa
uh and since like junior high? theyve always been like that. its gross
Received at: 15:17:50
From: bakageyamaaa
and wait what the fuck how do you kno they do that??
Received at: 15:18:09
Hinata almost laughs, because no matter who says he isn’t, Kageyama is sort of a ridiculous texter. He always sends so many texts, instead of just putting it all into one. But he’s still sitting on the ground in total confusion over the fact those two are… dating. Dating. Huh. Two boys. Dating. It sort of makes Hinata’s tummy feel weird, and his heart keeps skipping beats. Briefly, he wonders if Kageyama would share a lollipop with him. Or maybe an icy?
To: bakageyamaaa
o im at the mall n they r here to! saw them doin the lolli thingy!
Sent at: 15:19:03
From: bakageyamaaa
are you stalking them?? DUMBASS
Received at: 15:20:47
To: bakageyamaaa
ITS NOT STALKING GO AWAY UR ANNOYING111
Sent at: 15:21:21
Oikawa-san and Iwa-chan-san have disappeared by the time Hinata looks up from his phone, and he frantically spins in a circle to see if they’re somewhere they’ll see him. Luckily, the coast seems to be clear, so he pulls down his hood and continues on through the store. He went there because he needed a new pack of socks, so he follows the signs to the underwear section where the socks should be, and grabs a ten-pack of his favorite compression socks. They’re the best and super comfy, but Hinata’s socks seem to go missing a lot.
He only notices his phone buzzing when he’s walking away from the cashier, socks shoved into his backpack. When he pulls the phone out of his pocket, its screen is full of notifications.
From: bakageyamaaa
why are you following them????? dont get in trouble ill kill you
Received at: 15:22:17
From: bakageyamaaa
??????
Received at: 15:27:01
From: bakageyamaaa
respond before i kill you hinata
Received at: 15:35:09
From: bakageyamaaa
hinata
Received at: 15:35:39
From: bakageyamaaa
did they catch you lol
Received at: 15:35:13
From: bakageyamaaa
i’ll tell suga san to plan your funeral tomorrow @ practice
Received at: 15:36:11
Hinata actually laughs at Kageyama’s thinly veiled worry, because come on, it’s hilarious when Kageyama worries about him. It’s a lot more common than he would have expected when they first met, and makes Hinata’s heart do things he doesn’t like to think about. But he quickly sends a response, just so Kageyama knows the Great King didn’t kill him, or the scary ace didn’t glare him into death.
To: bakageyamaaa
> :)
Sent at: 15:37:22
As he walks out of the store, he’s grinning, knowing that response will annoy Kageyama big time. It might make Kageyama ignore him for a few minutes, but it’s worth it, knowing he made Kageyama annoyed.
He’s almost skipping as he makes his way to the food court, making sure to weave through the busy crowds so he doesn’t run into everyone. The line for the McDonald’s isn’t too long, and it only takes a few minutes for Hinata to order and wait for his hamburger, which he takes with him, halfway wrapped in paper, so he can munch on it while he’s walking.
Eating and walking means Hinata is distracted, so he doesn’t see the couple bickering over ice cream flavors a meter in front of him until it’s too late.
“Chibi-chan! Hello!”
Hinata’s head whips up from focusing on his burger, the movement to sudden he loses the piece of pickle he was trying to pull out with his teeth, and it lands on the floor with an uncomfortably wet noise. For some reason, his eyes go straight to the wide grin he’s faced with, and then to the scary ace’s mouth. So the lollipop is gone. The shared lollipop is gone.
“It’s our little Tobio-chan’s queen! Imagine seeing you here!”
Oikawa-san’s voice is loud and sort of annoying, but also really nice to hear. The squeak he makes from Iwa-chan-san smacking his shoulder, however, it not a nice noise, and sounds more like a dying cat. (Not that Hinata has ever actually heard a dying cat, but he can imagine.) Oikawa-san shoots his scary ace a dirty look, then reaches out to grab Hinata’s sleeve and pull him into line with them.
He winks, saying, “Now is the perfect time for us to chat! I just have to head how my dear little kohai is doing, not he has friends!”
Hinata’s lost expression is lost on Oikawa-san, who is too busy grinning like a maniac.
“So, tell me, chibi-chan,” his voice then drops, becoming more like velvet and less like flowers, “how is my dear little Tobio-chan doing? Still struggling with his emotions?”
Hinata is just standing there, slightly frozen by fear. He has no idea what to say or how to respond, because Oikawa-san is really tall, Iwa-chan-san is really scary, and the rest of his hamburger is probably going to turn cold and uneaten, because Hinata has totally forgotten about it.
“Oi,” Iwa-chan-san’s voice is steady and not as low as Hinata expected, and he turns to look at him with large, round eyes. “Oikawa. Leave the kid alone. He looks fucking terrified, what the hell are you doing, anyway?”
Oikawa-san just laughs lightly and waves his hand back and forth in a dismissive motion. “I’m just being friendly! I only have innocent intentions!”
Iwa-chan-san laughs loudly, a little fake. “You? Innocent? As if!”
At this point, Hinata is about ready to speak, so he stands up on his tiptoes so he’s just a little taller, and asks, “…Are you guys going to order ice cream?” They’re at the front of the line now, after all.
The server is looking at them with an odd look. Oikawa-san claps his fingers together, smiling at the poor server. She blushes, pink and high on her cheeks, and stammers when she says, “W-what would you like today?”
Oikawa-san doesn’t even leave a moment of hesitation. “One scoop mint chip with chocolate sauce and chocolate pieces in a bowl, one double scoop strawberry and vanilla in a waffle cone with sprinkles, and a mango scoop in a sugar cone with whip cream!”
Hinata hears none of it, as he’s still a little bit shaken by the fact he’s currently being cornered against the ice cream display by the setter and ace of Aoba Johsai. He watches Oikawa-san pay, Iwa-chan-san grumbling in the background that he can pay for his own, but the argument doesn’t seem very sincere, since he makes no move to pull out his own wallet. He watches as the server first hands the mint one to Oikawa-san, who hands it off to Iwa-chan-san, keeps the strawberry and vanilla one for himself, and then, to Hinata’s counted shock, hands the mango sugar cone to Hinata himself.
Hurriedly, he wolfs down the last couple bites of the hamburger and tosses the paper into a trash can next to them so he can focus on the soft, sweet ice cream. He eats the whipped cream in one go, mostly so it doesn’t melt, but also because hey, free sweets!
“Now!” Oikawa-san is looking at him from behind his own ice cream, the pink and rainbow sprinkles looking weirdly perfect, no melting in sight, even though both Hinata’s and Iwa-chan’san’s are starting to melt. “We must commemorate this moment!”
“No way in hell, no to whatever you’re planning yo-“ Iwa-chan-san starts, but doesn’t get to finish, as he’s interrupted by Oikawa-san.
“A selfie!” he crows, pulling out his phone and holding it up. “Iwa, get on the other side of chibi-chan!”
The third years are like giants crowding Hinata in between them, and they both raise their ice cream up for the camera. Hinata does his best to do the same, a wide-eyed smile stretching across his face. Oikawa-san slurps up a lick of his ice cream while rapidly typing away on his phone, winking at Hinata and sticking out his tongue at Iwa-chan-san when he raises an eyebrow. Iwa-chan-san just rolls his eyes.
“Alright, chibi-chan! I think you should run along. Don’t be a stranger if you see us again sometime!” Oikawa-san loops his arm through Iwa-chan-san’s arm, the one without the two shopping bags, and pulls him off in a new direction, leaving Hinata completely stunned.
He watches them disappear, and before they turn into a department store, Hinata watches as they hold up their ice creams for the other, then lean slightly closer, Iwa-chan-san’s head briefly leaning on Oikawa’s shoulder. The entire exchange is really… cute. It’s cute, Hinata thinks, and then he panics.
Once they’re gone, a drip of mango ice cream hits Hinata’s fingers, he freaks out. He yanks his phone out to text Kageyama in a panic, but it looks like Kageyama beat him, because there’s even more messages than before.
From: bakageyamaaa
WHY ARE YOU WITH OIKAWA
Received: 16:04:05
From: bakageyamaaa
HINATA EXPLAIN WHAT T HE FUCK?
Received: 16:04:011
From: bakageyamaaa
why are you getting ICE CREAM and why is iwaizumi san there too
Received: 16:04:35
From: bakageyamaaa
what the fuck did you interrupt their date or something weird??/?
Received: 16:04:55
From: bakageyamaaa
dont talk to him
Received: 16:05:05
From: bakageyamaaa
oikawa i mean iwaizumisan is fine but dont talk to oikawa im serious
Received: 16:05:34
From: bakageyamaaa
youre probably actually dead now
Received: 16:06:56
From: bakageyamaaa
you probably deserve it
Received: 16:04:05
From: bakageyamaaa
ugh
Received: 16:04:05
The rapid fire texts make Hinata burst into giggles, a little shrill from his previous shock and (not so) mild fear, and his finger is a little shaky as he types out a response. It’s a little hard because of the one hand holding some melting ice cream which he is frantically trying to keep tidy by licking, but still seems to be winning against the battle for cleanliness.
To: bakageyamaaa
im fineeeee relax kageyama! he bought me ICE CREAM THO IT WAS REALLY WEIRD!11 N HE AND IWA-CHAN-SAN SCARY FACE ACE WERE ALL SWEET AND IT WAS RLY WEIRD!!!!! AND I DIDNT INTERRUPT THEM THE GREAT KING JUST DRAGGED ME INTO IT I NEARLY D I E D KAGEYAMA!!!!!!!! thank u 4 worrying tho that was vvvv sweet!!!! <33333
Sent: 16:06:57
Kageyama texts back instantly, like he was waiting by his phone.
From: bakageyamaaa
what the hell
Received: 16:07:10
From: bakageyamaaa
that is so weird???? dont go near them again theyre weird
Received: 16:07:36
To: bakageyamaaa
awwwwww is yama yama worried about me???? >:3c
Sent: 16:08:12
From: bakageyamaaa
the fuck? no obviously not
Received: 16:08:35
From: bakageyamaaa
also where did you learn that text face i hate it
Received: 16:08:41
That actually makes Hinata laugh out loud, like a bubble that bursts from his chest. He’s still laughing when he takes a bite of his ice cream, licking his lips as he types.
To: bakageyamaaa
kenma! he did as a joke & now i guess i use it lots n lots i lov ittttt
Sent: 16:09:16
From: bakageyamaaa
i hate it never use it ever again
Received: 16:09:56
To: bakageyamaaa
>:3c >:3c >:3c >:3c >:3c
Sent: 16:10:22
From: bakageyamaaa
blocked
Received: 16:10:36
To: bakageyamaaa
:””(
Sent: 16:10:22
From: bakageyamaaa
ugh
Received: 16:11:29
Hinata decides to leave the texting to that and focuses instead on finishing his ice cream. It’s really good, after all, and he’s already wasted a couple drops. It might be warm in the mall, but it’s cold outside, and he wants to finish it quickly before biking home. After crunching down the cone and licking his fingers clean, Hinata is ready to go, even if he still sort of wants to stay and look for Oikawa-san and Iwa-chan-san, er, Iwaizumi-san, but he knows better. He pulls his jacket out of his backpack to pull over his hoodie and decides to head out to his bike. He got his socks, he had lunch, there’s nothing else to really do at the mall.
But as he’s leaving, the images of Iwaizumi-san pulling the lollipop out of Oikawa’s mouth, the way they were so close, the ice cream sharing… It all sticks in Hinata’s head. He knows about people being gay, but he’s never actually seen a gay couple. At least, he doesn’t think he has? He has no idea. He just knows it makes his stomach do little flips, although that could be the ice cream. His thoughts keep going back to Kageyama, wondering how he feels about it. Not that it matters, obviously. Hinata doesn’t care. While getting on his bike, Hinata keeps repeating that to himself.
He doesn’t care that Kageyama would never let him take licks of his ice cream, or that Kageyama would never carry his bags or lean on him or anything.
Because they’re rivals, and only maybe sort of friends. Hinata doesn’t care at all, because they’re just friends. Obviously.
And yet, he keeps thinking about that lollipop, and he keeps thinking about Kageyama.