Chapter Text
Practice was over and Daichi had promised the team steam buns from Sakanoshita. They clustered together as they walked out of the school gates, their chattering tired but excited for the day’s end. Nishinoya and Tanaka’s voices carried the farthest as they talked. They tried to drag Hinata into their antics as they jogged around the group. The only thing stopping Hinata from joining in was the fact that he had to wheel his bike along. Nishinoya and Tanaka pulled ahead of the team only to pull up short when someone approached them.
“Sawamura Daichi?” a low voice asked. His face partially obscured by the darkness. His school uniform wasn’t immediately recognizable to most of them.
“Who are you?” Daichi asked as he stepped forward. He already knew Tanaka was standing behind his left shoulder, trying to use his “intimidating” face. The stranger stepped into the circle of light created by the street lamp he stood by.
“Ushijima? What are you doing here?”
“I’ve come to ask your permission to court the first year omega, Hinata Shouyou,” he stated plainly.
“Shouldn’t you be asking his parents?” Daichi asked.
“Hinata’s parents are both betas. They have given me their permission, but as his team captain, and his alpha leader, I must ask you as well.” Ushijima explained. Daichi had forgotten that Hinata was born to beta parents.
“Hinata, come here,” Daichi glanced behind him. Hinata was barely visible behind Kageyama and Tsukishima. Hinata handed his bicycle off to Yamaguchi and pressed forward to stand next to Daichi. “Do you accept Ushijima’s suit?” Daichi asked. Hinata glanced nervously between the two alphas. When he’d first met Ushijima in person, he’d been nearly overwhelmed by his presence. Everything about him was classic alpha. He was tall, broad-shouldered and dominated his chosen sport. He was as close to being a powerful warrior alpha from the old stories as he could get. Quite frankly, he was the one of the most intimidating alphas Hinata had ever met.
“Please accept this, as a token of my sincerity,” Ushijima held something small in his large hands. He bowed as he held it out, shocking the entire team. He bowed low enough to place himself below Daichi. Hinata reached out and took the gift from Ushijima’s hands. Those large, strong hands trembled ever so slightly, Hinata noticed. The gift turned out to be a glass figure of a sunflower. Hinata normally wasn’t one for delicate things like this, but it was beautifully done.
“Ah, Ushijima-san, I accept your suit,” Hinata said quietly. He smiled nervously up at the tall alpha. When Ushijima looked at him, and a tiny smile tugged at the older’s lips, Hinata’s breath caught in his throat. He really hoped he’d be able to get a full smile out of the stoic boy someday.
“Then perhaps, may we exchange phone numbers to stay in contact?” Ushijima asked. He reached into a small pocket of his duffel bag and pulled out his cell phone. Hinata reached into his own bag for his. With a quick tap, their contact information was exchanged.
“Thank you for the gift,” Hinata said. It felt strange to speak so formally, but he knew it was necessary.
“No, thank you for accepting my suit. I hope we may build a strong relationship between us, no matter how it may turn out,” Ushijima said before he took his leave to go home. As soon as he was out of sight and earshot, Hinata found himself mobbed by the rest of the team. They nudged and ruffled his hair and congratulated him. As the only unmated omega on the team, they’d constantly been worried about alphas harassing him at tournaments and practice matches. Especially since he tended to run off to the bathroom without telling anyone. It usually fell to Tanaka or Kageyama to fetch him.
“If he does anything to intimidate or force you into something you aren’t ready for, you tell us, okay? Daichi and I will set him straight,” Suga said. Hinata nodded as he cradled the glass sunflower in his hands. He didn’t want to accidentally break it. They continued down the hill to the store where Coach Ukai’s mother was minding the register. It seemed their coach hadn’t made it home just yet.
“Oh, it’s the volleyball team. Welcome,” she smiled warmly at the boys. Daichi quickly ordered the steam buns they were after and she handed them off with a smile. As they exited, she caught sight of the sunflower in Hinata’s hands. “Oh, that’s a pretty thing. Where did you get it from?” she asked.
Hinata blushed as he answered, “it’s my first courting gift.”
“Oho, well you aren’t you a lucky lad. I best hope he’s good to you,” she said. Hinata nodded and followed a waiting Suga out of the shop to get his share of food.
When Hinata stepped through the door, it was to the smell of curry being cooked. “I’m home!” he called as he toed his shoes off and left them at the genkan. He peeked into the kitchen to see his mother humming as she stirred the curry.
“Oh! Shouyou-kun, welcome home! We’re having curry for dinner tonight!” she said brightly. Hinata stared in wonder. His mother usually only made curry for special occasions because she tended to be too tired to make anything that took too long to cook.
“What’s the occasion?” he asked.
“Your first suitor of course!” she chirped. She swept her son into a hug, his face pressed against her shoulder. “Oh, I’m so happy that someone as handsome as that Ushijima-kun has taken an interest in you. He was ever so polite when he came by today. He was even nice to Natsu-chan.”
It was no secret that Natsu was afraid of Kageyama. She thought he had a scary face. Which Hinata agreed with, but she loved everyone else on the team, and they loved her just as much. With Hinata being the only one who was an older sibling, they’d all quietly adopted her as their little sister that they’d all gladly fight to protect.
“Now, what did he give you for your first courting gift?” she asked him, an excited sparkle in her eye. Hinata showed her the glass sunflower and she positively crooned in delight. Hinata wasn’t sure what to make his mother’s excitement.
“Daichi-san and Suga-san agreed to act as our chaperones for dates,” Hinata told her. “Because they’re a bonded pair and Daichi-san is my alpha leader.”
Hinata’s mother hummed in agreement before she ushered him out of the kitchen. Hinata went to his room and stowed his sunflower away where he could see it, but his sister’s ever curious fingers couldn’t get to it. He sighed and sank onto his bed. The day had started out so ordinary, but here he was, being courted by the top ranked volleyball player in the prefecture. It was surreal.
The next morning Hinata received a text message from Ushijima.
Ushijima: Good morning.
Hinata’s bike wobbled as he worked to keep it balanced while he tapped out his reply.
Good morning. I hope you have a good day.
He stowed his phone in his pocket and rode on to school for morning practice. He was greeted by grinning teammates and a warning from Ukai not to let his new suitor distract him from practice.
Hinata had no trouble keeping that promise. While they had successfully defeated Shiratorizawa and made it into the national tournament, they still had a long way to go if they wanted to advance. He dove into practice with more energy than usual and he found himself with a constant grin on his face. Even when he ended up spacing out long enough for Kageyama to receive a ball into his face. When practice was called to an end and they filtered into the club room to change into their school uniforms, Hinata hummed a tune as he dressed.
“You’re way too happy right now, it’s annoying,” Tsukishima grumbled behind him. Hinata carried on changing, not hearing a word the taller boy said. He grabbed his bag and checked his phone to see a second message from Ushijima wishing him a good day. Hinata smiled and stowed his phone away again.
Classes flew by to lunch and Hinata sat eating the lunch his mother had packed him. His phone chirped in his bag and he quickly pulled it out. It was another text from Ushijima.
Ushijima: Would you like to have coffee with me this Saturday? There is a nice café close to Shiratorizawa that I would like to take you to.
Hinata scooped up his phone and rushed up the stairs to find Daichi and Suga.
“Michimiya-senpai, do you know where Daichi-san and Suga-san are?” Hinata asked. She was one of the few third years he knew by name so he didn’t feel too shy asking her.
“They’re in their classroom, don’t worry about interrupting them,” she said with a smile.
“Thanks!” Hinata rushed off. He peaked into the classroom, and sure enough, Daichi and Suga had retreated to the corner and were talking quietly. He approached slowly, suddenly nervous. He felt like a small child about to ask their parents for permission to go outside and play with a new friend he wasn’t sure his parents liked.
“Daichi-san? Ushijima asked about a date on Saturday. He says there’s a café by Shiratorizawa we can go to,” Hinata said.
“Saturday? Well, we don’t have afternoon practice that day. Get an address and time from him, and let him know we’ll meet him there,” Daichi said. Hinata nodded and quickly tapped out his reply. A moment later his phone chirped again. “Saturday at three. He sent me the address to the café too. I wonder if Yachi-chan’s been there,” Hinata mused. The bell rang and he waved to his captain as he hurried off. Daichi noted that a number of alpha heads turned in Hinata’s direction.
Hinata might have only been a first year, but he frequently turned alpha heads wherever he went. He attracted their attention easily in a way that made the rest of the team nervous. His scent was powerful and positively advertised his availability. Daichi had been sure that Tanaka or Kageyama were going to initiate courtship with Hinata. But the spring tournament preliminaries came and went and nothing from either boy. Daichi noted a couple of alpha boys getting up, no doubt to follow after Hinata. A quiet clearing of his throat reminded them that Hinata was on the volleyball team, and not to be touched.
“Oh, come on, Sawamura,” one of them griped. “Just because you and Sugawara have been practically married since first year.”
“Hinata Shouyou is currently being formally courted. If you want a chance with him, you will have to do the same. That means getting permission from his parents and myself.”
“Why you?”
“Hinata’s parents are both betas. As the captain of the volleyball team, I am his alpha leader. And I can tell you right now, Kanagawa, that you are most certainly not good enough for him,” Daichi said. Suga laughed outright at Daichi’s words.
“Be careful, Kanagawa, Daichi is very protective of everyone on the team,” he said.
Saturday came and Hinata was bouncing with nerves. He could barely focus on his classes and he spent so much time fidgeting in his seat that all of his teachers were annoyed with him by the end of the day. But he couldn’t help it. He was so excited and nervous. This was his first date with his first suitor! It might just be a coffee date, but it was still a date. As soon as the bell rang, Hinata was waving his good-byes and out the door. He was in such a rush that he beat Daichi to the gates. He bounced on his feet, waving and smiling at the students who passed. Boys gave him thumbs up and the girls wished him luck as they headed home. While Karasuno High wasn’t a small school, most of the students had known each other most of their lives, and nearly everyone knew each other’s names. At this point, the whole school knew that the smallest of the first year volleyball players was being courted by someone outside the school.
“Hinata! Ready to go?” Daichi asked as he approached. Hinata bounced forward and nodded eagerly.
“Yes! I’m ready!” Hinata chirped.
“Let’s go then, we don’t want to keep Ushijima waiting,” Daichi said. He gave Hinata’s hair a ruffle and they headed down the street to the train station. The train ride was short, but it was long enough for Hinata’s nerves to spike again.
“Ne, Daichi-san?”
“What is it Hinata?”
“Do you think Ushijima will like me?” Daichi chuckled quietly, “if he didn’t like you, he never would have asked for courtship to begin with.”
“I mean – do you think he’ll like me once he knows me? All he really knows about me revolves around volleyball.”
“Isn’t that the case with you? Everything you know about Ushijima has to do with volleyball. You’ve never interacted in a situation outside of a volleyball court. Remember, he has asked for our permission to pay you court. You can decide at any time that you want him to stop. All you have to do is say so, and he has to back off, and if he doesn’t, he’ll have to get through me and the others on the team. Besides, how can he not like you?” Hinata smiled at Daichi’s words.
“Thank you. I’m just really nervous. I didn’t present until my last year of middle school. That one game I played against Kitagawa Daiichi, I hadn’t presented yet. We thought for so long that I was just going to be a beta, it was a complete shock to everyone when I turned out an omega. Especially since I admit that I’m not very well educated on how to be an omega.”
“You’ll be fine, and you know Suga will always be willing to answer any questions you have.”
“Thanks, Daichi-san,” Hinata smiled thinly. The train announced their stop was next, so both boys stood and prepared to hop off. When the train stopped and they were faced by a crush of people, Daichi immediately wrapped an arm around Hinata’s shoulders and guided him forward. He had no intention of letting Hinata be crushed by larger people while in his care. They made it onto the platform, and Hinata was beet red while Daichi glared at the shutting doors. Someone had tried to grab a feel of Hinata’s ass while getting on the train. Daichi had managed to divert their hand and growled in warning. Luckily, with the press of bodies, the offending alpha was forced onto the train and away from the two students.
“Are you okay, Hinata?” Daichi asked. Hinata nodded quickly and reached for his phone.
“Yeah, I’m fine. That’s never happened before. Most adult alphas don’t really notice me. Once, one at the store said I looked like too much of a little kid to be a presented omega,” Hinata said. He brought up the address to the café they were supposed to meet Ushijima at on his phone and quickly did a quick search for directions. Daichi hummed in thought at Hinata’s words, but he wasn’t given much time to think it over before Hinata was dragging him out of the train station and out onto the street.
“The directions say it’s not far from here, so we should be there soon,” Hinata said. And so they walked along, Hinata carefully frowning at the directions. He definitely didn’t want to get them lost. It didn’t take them too long to find the café. It was situated on a corner, and there seemed to be a number of students going in and out the doors.
“Look, Daichi-san, we’re here!” Hinata exclaimed. Daichi chuckled at Hinata’s exuberance. The crossed the street and stepped inside the café. The air was comfortably warm, and the smell of coffee, cocoa and sugar filled the air and Hinata found himself calming down. Just a little bit. He scanned the room, looking for Ushijima. Daichi came up behind him.
“He’s over there in the corner, Hinata. Oh, looks like he’s already ordered something for you,” Daichi nudged Hinata forward. Hinata took a deep breath and finally stepped forward. He approached the table quietly. He stood there for a moment before Ushijima looked up from the book he was reading.
“Hi!” Hinata chirped. He could feel his face heating with a blush. Ushijima rose from his seat.
“Hello, Hinata. Please, have a seat. I took the liberty of ordering for you, I hope you do not mind.”
“It-it’s fine! If you left it up to me, I’d probably never be able to pick anything,” Hinata admitted with a laugh. He slipped into the seat across from Ushijima and glanced at what had been ordered for him. It was a cold drink that looked like it was more chocolate than coffee, and it was piled high with whip cream and chocolate syrup. He cautiously took a sip through the straw, his eyes widening when he tasted it.
“Do you like it?” Ushijima asked. Hinata nodded.
“It’s delicious,” he said.
“Hinata, I’ll be right over there if you need anything,” Daichi said as he tapped Hinata on the shoulder. Daichi sat down a few tables away. Close enough to keep an eye on them, but not so close as to overhear their entire conversation.
Hinata returned his attention to Ushijima, who had put his book away and was sipping from a coffee cup. Hinata’s nervousness began to return and he shifted in his seat. He looked around the café. There were a few groups of girls huddled together, eating snacks and looking at their phones. A few couples were seated around the café, talking quietly. They all looked completely at ease with each other.
“Is something wrong?” Ushijima asked. Hinata turned back to him and shook his head. He hastily took a long gulp of his drink.
“I’m just a little nervous,” Hinata said finally.
“That’s fine. If you weren’t nervous, I would be concerned,” Ushijima said. “I would like for you to be comfortable in my company over time. We know very little of each other at the moment. But what I do know about you, I find myself impressed.”
“Impressed? With me?”
“Yes. From what I understand, your volleyball skills were considered rather subpar when you joined Karasuno’s volleyball club. But now, you are an integral part of the team, a team that will be representing Miyagi come spring.” Hinata blushed at Ushijima’s words. “Moreover, you can be quite humble when it comes to your abilities. You aspire to be your team’s ace, knowing that you aren’t a particularly well-rounded player. You have ambition, but you are not overly proud. You have the qualities that all athletes should aspire to exhibit. Why should I not be impressed by you, Hinata Shouyou?” Hinata’s entire face was aflame. How did he even respond to Ushijima?
“Yeah, but you’re you! You’re one of the best high school athletes in the country. You’re the captain of your team and people look up to. I’m just…just me. I’m short, and I’m a terrible student and the only thing I can really do is run and jump.”
“There is more to you than just that. If that was not the case, I would not have thought to pursue you,” Ushijima insisted, “I want to get to know you in any capacity that you will allow. That’s all there is to it. And should our relationship change along the way, then we will face that change together. Is that okay with you?”
Hinata pushed his drink aside and stretched his arms across the table. He placed them on Ushijima’s, noting that they were trembling just as much as they had been the day he’d approached Hinata.
“Yes. That’s more than okay with me,” Hinata said. Then, he smiled. His eyes squinted slightly with the motion, and with the setting sun coming through the window behind him, it set his hair aflame and lent him a golden glow that momentarily stilled Ushijima’s breath. This would be a journey for the both of them. But if Ushijima would be allowed a glimpse of such a beautiful sight as this, he would welcome any challenge.