The Introverted Kitten's First Date

A Puppeteer, A Tactician, A Teacher, and Two Guardians walk into a gym...

Sure, they'd probably had their fair share of super cute moments. But their first date? That's what he wanted Hinata and Kenma to experience. A moment so great and amazing to the both of them that they'll be hooked on each other.

Or, at least more hooked on each other. The sort of hooked on each other to have hearts in your eyes whenever you hear that person talk.

When Bokuto asked Hinata to come to the gym at 7:30, and the boy said that he was actually already planning on going there?

It was like a piece of cake! Like it was just being handed to him.

So, yeah, maybe his job was being made just a little bit easier.

Who's to say the job being hard is the only sign of it going well?

~~~

Out of everybody in the training camp, Tanaka and Nishinoya were proud to call themselves Hinata's upperclassmen. They simply exuded confidence, and loved to be role models. It made them feel good about themselves, perhaps so that they could present themselves to Kiyoko in a better light.

Their irrational motives may have been furtive, but their instinctual ones were definitely what most would call wholesome.

Of course, Hinata'd wormed his way into their hearts. It happened to everyone, honestly. It was a comparison used almost all the time, but it was like Sugawara simply adopted him the moment he saw the little boy.

And who could blame him? He was the most hopeful, determined, kind-hearted, loving, passionate boy that they'd ever seen. The two of them could barely find a flaw in him other than the fact that he was inexperienced and could argue and sometimes get annoyed with Kageyama.

That was it.

And being able to call themselves role models to that sack of sunshine? That would be the hugest flex on any volleyball player they met, even Ushijima. Who cared about being one of the top aces? To be the role models for that would be perfect!

And of course, that sort of selfishness turned into the exact opposite. It was pure selflessness, lending money, buying ice cream, helping out with homework (even though they were in desperate need of help themselves) and so much more practically became routine for the two of them, and you know what?

They loved every bit of it.

They felt like proud surrogate parents when he was at school, and it was perfect for the three of them.

And when Kenma came along?

God, they felt their hearts burst.

They'd never seen Shouyou smile so much, or feel so affectionate with someone. And judging by the looks of it, the two of them were so far in love with each other that it seemed humanly impossible.

It didn't matter.

They felt like they did their job right. They were satisfied.

They had felt like their baby bird was finally leaving the nest, finally flying on their own. And they were okay with that. However difficult it may have been to have given him away without even being his actual parents, or without his knowledge that they felt this way.

Yet, now, they had been called back to arms. They had yet another task in front of them. This one held almost as much importance as getting back at Aoba Johsai. This one almost held as much importance as getting to Nationals.

This...was proving that they were romantic experts. Geniuses, even.

It was a sort of thing that they had to do for their pride. For the boy they were inspirations to. For themselves. It was something they wanted to do. Not just cause it would make them look better.