That Number Ten

30. Taming The Beast

"U-Um, Daichi?" Yamaguchi asked hesitantly by his senior's elbow. "Hinata - he's talking to that scary guy from Oikawa's team."

Daichi turned at the waist, water bottle half lifted to his mouth and froze. He then promptly squeezed the bottle, emptying most of it in one fell swoop down his shirt and onto the floor

Hinata, sat down on the floor with his knees tucked to his chest and his arms wrapped around them securely, was beaming brightly up at Kyotani Kentaro, proclaimed Mad Dog of the Seijoh team.

What had baffled Daichi the most was that Kyotani didn't have an angered look of constipation on his face as he had for most of their match, like a wound up toy with too much tension that no one had let go.

Without a word, he dropped the bottle gracelessly onto the bench and jogged over, where even half of their opposing team were watching with wariness. Iwaizumi looked ready to intervene at any moment, head turning to peer at the two with alarming frequency.

"Hey, Hinata, everything okay?" Daichi asked jovially as he approached, trying to ignore the speed at which Kyotani's head snapped up and his eyes narrowed as if in warning.

"Yeah!" Hinata said cheerfully, "Kyotani-kun and I were just talking."

"Kentaro," Kyotani grunted and Hinata's ever present smile brightened.

"Just keep reminding me Ky - Kentaro-kun - and I'll remember!"

Kyotani just grunted again, huffing a loud breath out of his nose as he kept his intense, unnerving stare on Daichi.

"Talking about anything interesting?"

"Not with you," Kyotani muttered and Hinata's smile turned apologetic.

"Sorry Daichi-san, can I talk a little longer? I - I'll be back before it's time to leave!"

Daichi pursed his mouth so firmly it made his face ache, but he forced himself to nod and with one final look at a somewhat grim looking Iwaizumi, he returned to his team.

"Sorry about that Kentaro-kun," Hinata despaired. "They can all be so weird."

Kyotani tracked Daichi's progress across the hall until he was far enough way for him to be satisfied and gruffly asked, "Weird?"

"Hmm..." Hinata mused. "Kind of like mother-hens. They think I don't notice, but I do." He tapped the side of his nose. "I mean, it's not because I'm small, Nishinoya-kun is shorter than me. I can look after myself! I even have a 'serious' face."

Kyotani cocked his head to the side, eyes scanning Hinata sceptically.

"You shouldn't doubt me!" Hinata said, unable to help the wobble in his lips that betrayed the smile that wanted to escape. "We beat you on the court after all!"

"There's a difference," Kyotani said slowly. "Between intense and serious. Even when you're serious, people might not take you at face value. That is why I'm intense."

"Those were some awesome spikes," Hinata sighed wistfully. "Ukai-sensei says my strength is all in my legs, and that my spikes won't ever be as good as someone taller."

Kyotani didn't reply to that, looking out across the hall before saying, "Your serious face. On demand?"

"Sure!" Hinata declared. "Just let me think of someone I really don't like."

Kyotani watched as Hinata's face went from deliberating, to soft, completely blank and then, like a switch had been flipped, it was like there was a fire lit behind Hinata's eyes as they tracked across to meet Kyotani's.

Unable to help himself, Kyotani straightened up against the wall they were leaning against, an uncomfortable sensation curdling in his stomach.

And then, like nothing had happened, Hinata was back to sunshine and rainbows and less like he was getting ready to eat Kyotani just to leave his scraps to the scavengers.

"What did you think of?" Kyotani asked, the words forced out of his tight chest.

Hinata's expression wobbled again, halfway between chagrined and apex-predator.

"Japan."

After Kyotani gathered his bearings, Hinata explained that no, he didn't feel intense, burning aggression towards the entirety of the country of Japan, he actually meant an individual named Ushijima Wakatoshi, a name Kyotani vaguely recognised.

And, if he didn't want to lie, Kyotani felt a little envious, that he wasn't the target of such intensity.

("You as well, huh?" Iwaizumi had asked placidly when he approached, as Hinata bid their team goodbye to reunite with Karasuno, swept up into their waiting arms.

Kyotani grunted, but graciously, and to Iwaizumi's quiet surprise, accepted the hand up he was given.

"Was hot," Kyotani just muttered, and then slouched out of the hall ahead of his teammates, seemingly ignorant of the face Iwaizumi was giving behind his back.)