Archive of Our Own ^beta

Hinata Aoi was one damn good barista, if you were to ask anyone around the college campus that the cafe she worked at was. 

She was incredibly good at remembering people, orders, and bringing smiles in easy conversations she could keep going, all while making one damn good drink. 

Early or late shifts were typically when you could find her, although honestly if she didn’t have her own classes to catch, you could find her there often. 

It was a late shift when she happened to find a face she didn’t recognize. 

The store had quieted down, so aside from a few students planning to pull all-nighters and staying at the shop for as long as they could, it was just her. 

It was fine, she was just occasionally getting others refills (which is why those people had tabs open, and why she had their order memorized), and working on her own homework. 

The door's soft chime is what made her close her laptop, hopping up to be behind the counter with a charming smile to whoever might’ve walked in.

“Good evening! Welcome to our little cafe, can I get something started for yo-” 

Her typical little greeting was cut off, as the stranger looked up at her. 

Hinata’s first thought was god she was pretty, admiring the girl with red hair and purple eyes looking back at her, but that thought was immediately followed by holy shit she looks tired.

“Ah, um…” The other girl spoke up then, glancing at the menu for a moment, before sighing. “A mocha would be nice, the largest size and uh… maybe just leave it on a tab.”

“Mhm, let me guess, all-nighter time?” Hinata didn’t even have to look up to notice that the other girl was surprised at her getting it right, but cut her off before she could question. “Don’t worry, that’s what most of the people in here are doing right now! I’ve worked here for a while, I’ve learned how to recognize the types. Can I get a name for the tab?”

“T-Tsukasa.” Hinata did glance up in time to see the other girl looking a little shocked, as Hinata felt a little bit of pride swell in her chest at being able to impress the pretty girl.

God she was a pathetic lesbian, but if it meant pretty girls were surprised by her skills she’d take it.

“Tsukasa, gotcha! Sit wherever you want, I’ll be right there! You look to be around my age though, so if you’re in Akiomi-senpai’s class and preparing for the math test tomorrow you can sit at the counter and we can work together!” As Hinata turned to start working on the drink, she did hear Tsukasa sit at the counter. 

She was doing a really good job at guessing things today. 

“Do you know most people and what they’re preparing for here..?” Tsukasa asked, as she opened her computer. Hinata much preferred soft conversation while working, so maybe tonight was just a blessing from the gods for her. 

“I have a rough estimate, not going into special departments 1st year basic classes have nothing coming up, for us as I’ve said we have Akiomi-senpai and math, 3rd years here are trying to finish up an essay, and 4th years I think also have nothing!” 

She heard a slight hum in response from Tsukasa, before turning around and setting the drink in front of the other girl, alongside a cake pop. 

“Uh, I don’t think I ordered this..?” Tsukasa looked up, as Hinata gave a soft laugh. 

“It’s on the house, silly!~” Hinata really hoped she wasn’t imagining the blush on the other girl's face, as she then looked over and paused for a second. “Give me one sec, I’m gonna get Tomo a refill, and then I’ll be back so maybe we can review some of that math together!”

Tsukasa just nodded, smiling softly and looking back at her computer, as Hinata quickly made another drink and gave it to Tomoya, before walking back and sitting down.

And before Hinata knew it, the night fell into a nice easy routine, with the two of them working together, Hinata hopping up to refill a drink or close someone’s tab, and coming back to see Tsukasa had gotten more for them to practice with.

Honestly, Hinata thinks this is the best she’d ever studied, but everything must end.

Checking her watch, she sighed before clearing her throat. 

“Alright everyone!! Cafe’s closing up, I still need to get back to my dorm, so come close your tab and pack up!” 

The last few customers remaining came up and paid, before it was just Tsukasa and Hinata. 

“Thank you for all the help Tsukasa! You’re a very good teacher!” Hinata smiled brightly, as Tsukasa nodded and finished paying, picking up her stuff.

“It’s no problem, you were nice to work with and talk to, I see why people recommend coming here when you need to do late study sessions.” 

“People recommend this place?~ I’m honored!! Well, Come back whenever you like! I’m almost always here for late shifts and often for early ones too, or anytime I don’t have classes!” 

“You’re here that often..?” Tsukasa seemed a little confused, making her laugh.

“Well~ my brother and I don’t have that much money, so I tend to work here whenever I can to make it easier on us to pay for college and all!” 

Tsukasa looked a little sad, which made Hinata internally sigh. Might’ve been too early to mention that, which might just kill any hope of getting closer to her. 

Well, it’s fine. Hinata’s used to that. 

“Does the owner here know this..?” Tsukasa asked softly, making Hinata pause. That was a new question.

“Ah? I mean… yeah the owner knows, that’s why I get to take this many shifts that a normal person would scream if they had!”

“I see, that makes sense.” Tsukasa smiled softly, before dropping a few dollars into the tip jar, smiling softly at Hinata. “Have a good night, and good luck on the test tomorrow.”

Hinata nodded, giggling softly and waving. “Good luck to you as well!~” 

As the bell rang, signaling she truly was gone, Hinata ended up leaning on the counter and humming. 

Looking at the tip jar though, Hinata nearly choked on air. 

There’s no way she just dropped $50 in the tip jar.

Blinking a few times, Hinata quickly looked again and found that, no, she didn’t drop $50. 

She dropped $100.

Maybe Hinata would be seeing her again, and be able to find out how the fuck she could just give the nice stranger $100 without hesitation. 

God, Hinata hoped she’d see her again, as she turned to close up the shop. 

-----

Hinata was happy that her routine had adapted to involve Tsukasa into her life at the cafe. 

Mornings weren’t always a given, but night time she was a common face to see and chat with while serving other students. 

And Hinata was always happy that during the slow nights it meant that the two of them were just able to chat and finish up homework with no stress. 

These conversations had ended with Hinata being able to call her Kasa now instead of Tsukasa, and Hinata realizing that good god she was harboring a massive crush.

On one of the few nights Tsukasa couldn’t make it, Hinata found herself just sitting behind the counter with a hum, finishing up the last part of her essay before suddenly being bonked over the head.

“Ow- hey!” Looking up with a pout, Hinata met eyes with Yuuta, as he just looked down at her with a frown.

“If it weren’t for the fact it’s slow and you know everyone in the cafe right now, I’d be able to get you into so much trouble and you know it.” Yuuta said with a huff, as Hinata rolled her eyes dismissively. 

“I’m sorry I’m finishing my homework?”

“Ok, but you never finish an essay this quickly unless you’re sad and distracting yourself.” 

Hinata knew he was right, but was honestly offended he kept track of this.

She was a little more offended by a few hums in agreement from people who knew her well in the cafe. 

“I’m not sad , I just…” 

Hinata trailed off, god she just what? Missed Tsukasa, missed chatting with her, or serving her new exciting and sweet drinks to make her face light up? Missed teasing her gently, or leaving little surprises on notes when giving them back?

It was clearly on her face, as Yuuta rolled his eyes and flicked her nose in response.

“You’re so lovestruck, Aniki, maybe just confess to her?~”

“Yuuta, understand I’m gonna die if I try. She’s so pretty and smart and rich , what am I gonna do?” 

“Tell her honestly!” Yuuta rolled his eyes, nudging her side. “She keeps coming in to see you, and tips you an ungodly amount when it’s just you or you and me! At the very least she cares about you a lot, and won’t hate you for confessing!” 

Hinata pouted, but couldn’t disagree with Yuuta really, as much as she would like to. 

“Mmm… I might.”

“I’ll take it, good luck Aniki~”

Yeah… Hinata would need luck. Mostly just to not chicken out.

-----

The two of them weren’t often meeting each other outside the shop (partly because Hinata practically lived there), but tonight they both found themselves inside Tsukasa’s dorm, sitting and typing as fast as they could.

The cafe had closed but they were nowhere near done with essays they had, so instead of the gentle scent of coffee and baked goods surrounding them, they had a big bag of sour patch kids, chips, and more energy drinks than god to survive. 

Setting aside her computer, Hinata let out a groan before grabbing another energy drink, downing half of it in about 5 seconds. 

“Kasa, please double check what I just typed and make sure it’s actually following the rules of grammar or close enough…” 

Tsukasa simply nodded, handing over her own computer to Hinata and grabbing some sour patch. “Make sure I copied the right fact and sure.”

Forgetting to do an entire essay and remembering at the same time had its benefits, being that they were at least each other's support line to not go insane. 

Passing back their respective computers, they continued writing and fighting back sleep because if this wasn’t done by the morning they were fucked, the room was mostly silent. 

It wasn’t until about 2 am when Tsukasa was able to finish, shutting her computer before moving over to help Hinata, which let them both be able to be done when 2:30 am hit. 

Quiet cheers were shared, as they both fist bumped before Hinata let out a groan, flopping onto Tsukasa’s lap.

“2:30 am, huh? Sleep might just be the worst choice I could make, since I’m scheduled for 6 am…” Hinata muttered, noticing the fact Tsukasa had started playing with her hair and doing her best not to blush.

“Which means you’ll need to be up at about..?”

“5:15 am if I’m giving myself time to shower and eat, 5:30 am if we skip one of the two.” 

Hinata sighed, noticing Tsukasa’s hands had stilled. 

“Well, we still have energy drinks and snacks, why not make it a full all nighter?” 

Hinata paused for a second, as there was no way she heard that right, before realizing that no she heard that right.

Lest her poor heart be still. 

Nodding quickly as an answer, that’s how Hinata found herself watching some shitty show that was being played on the early morning slots, cuddled up beside Tsukasa.

The show wasn’t that good, but they were two half awake college students, and Hinata was incredibly gay, so to her?

It was perfect. 

“We’ll have to do this more often Kasa!~” Hinata hummed, resting her head on the other shoulder, earning a small smile.

“Maybe not all nighters, but we can definitely hang out like this more often if you’d like…”

And, yeah, Hinata thought, snuggling closer to Tsukasa and being very happy when she moved as well to make it more comfortable for them both.

She’d definitely like to do this more often. 

-----

Hinata was really, really, not in the mood for this at 7 am.

If she didn’t have a reputation to uphold (and if Tsukasa wasn’t across the cafe reviewing for a test she had in an hour), she’d have probably just thrown a drink at this man.

Why was it on the day she was abandoned on the morning shift this had to happen?

It’s not like she wasn’t used to people flirting with her while she was working, hell occasionally she’d flirt with people herself or flirt back, but this?

It was cute to start, getting her name from the tag, commenting on it being cute to match a cute face, and ordering whatever she recommended. 

But the fact he was still sitting by the bar as she was working (and really, on the morning shift alone is not the time to piss her off, there’s a lot of people), and just asking question after question.

A few friendly faces had shot her pitying glances, but no one was able to do anything. Which was fair, but still. 

Policy was for their own safety that when people were flirting when you don’t want to, point to the rules where it was stated they could not tell when they got off shift, give any personal information like numbers and stuff, nor state that they were going off alone. 

The owner did say if it was wanted attention it could be bent a little, but not to let this distract you from work. 

But fuck did Hinata want to kick him out. 

And oh she almost broke something when she had to bend down behind the counter to restock something, and he fucking whistled . 

Not like she was alone in that matter, as a good number of the other people in the cafe obviously tensed. Maybe he’d get his ass beat by the older students who knew her well  from being regulars. 

God she hoped. 

But, for now Hinata just had to pretend like it hadn’t happened, forcing back on the customer service smile. 

If I throw a hot drink on him it will get me fired no matter how justified I am and how much the owner will understand.

That’s what she was reminding herself, alongside taking note to squat down to get whatever she might need next time…

Scanning over the shop and ignoring her asshole, she managed to lock eyes with one group of her seniors, who jokingly called themself Undead. 

The oldest among them, Rei Sakuma, looked at her directly, then the asshole, and then back at her.

She caught the message, basically “do you want us to fuck him up for that?” and gave a small nod, as the group went back to chatting quietly. 

God she loved those 4, always watching out for her and offering to be there when her shifts ended to walk her where she needed to go. 

They were like family, and she wouldn’t give them up for the world. 

Hinata also managed to catch eyes with some of her friends in her class, who no doubt would be asking questions later (and possibly suggesting their own plans to commit murder, this flirt seriously fucked up by doing that of all things.)

But she then caught eyes with Tsukasa, who gave her a concerned look, almost asking if she was ok, but as Hinata nodded and looked away barely caught sight of Tsukasa glaring daggers at that man.

It was fine, her shift only went till 9, and it was currently…

7:15. 

God, time couldn’t go slower. 

“So~ Hina…” Murder was looking more viable for everyone with that nickname being used. A grand total of like… 2 people used it, and one of them was like a parent to her as well! The other was a friend who was sitting in the cafe too, and with the tone he had she only wanted one other person to use it. Who, coincidentally, was Also In The Cafe.

“Yes sir?” Don’t snap, don't snap, I’m not getting fired for one asshole.

“What time do you get off shift?”

…Fuck. Deep breaths, they had protocols here.

“I’m not allowed to answer that sir, it’s for safety reasons.” Hinata’s smile was starting to chip, and the shop was near dead silent.

“Ah~ I get it, I’ll just wait here for you then.” 

…She didn’t have measures for that.

“Oh..? I have plans after my shift though… I was gonna meet up with some friends.” Well, not a lie. Hinata knew she didn’t have solid plans but she would probably find someone.

“I can walk you to them, it’s no problem is it?” The man shot a cocky smile, and Jesus, she wanted to slap him so much. She couldn’t even get out of it easily…

Suddenly though, Tsukasa walked over to the counter with a smile, humming softly. 

“Sorry, but would I be able to order one more of the White chocolate mochas?” Tsukasa’s voice was soft, but just under it was a tone of anger Hinata had never heard.

“Mhm, one moment! Same size?” Hinata received a nod in response, as she turned to make the drink. Why Tsukasa was doing this she couldn’t quite tell, but she knew that Tsukasa never acted without a plan. 

She could still feel the asshole's eyes on her though, and checking the time she barely muffled the groan that wanted to slip out. 

7:21, what the fuck.

Turning back to Tsukasa she smiled, handing over the drink. “Should I put it on your tab Kasa?”

“Mhm, thank you dear!~” Leaning over, Tsukasa gave Hinata a quick kiss on the cheek, whispering a soft just go with it, before taking the drink and walking back to her seat. 

Hinata couldn’t help but feel her face flush up, adding the drink to Tsukasa’s tab and turning to work on an online order. 

The asshole didn’t seem pleased, but shockingly kept trying to flirt with Hinata and worm his way into her plans. 

She was really glad that there was a small rush, but once 7:40 hit, sadly it slowed down and he was back to making her want to scream.

“So, aside from the meeting with friends, what else do you have planned? I’m still happy to escort a pretty girl like you anywhere~” 

Oh i’m sure you are you slimy son of a bitch-

“Well, as I said I was gonna hang out with my friends until probably class?” 

“Hmm…” The guy paused, before smiling softly. “I’m sure they wouldn’t mind if you came a little late, would they?~” 

That’s it, this is how I die.  

Literally, Hinata didn’t know what to say, as she was on the verge of panicking. She knew others were probably planning how to help her out, but she didn’t want to even agree in the first place since he might then come back…

7:42, only 1 hour and 18 minutes till I die…

Tsukasa, her light, and the only person she wanted to be saying this shit to her (well, maybe not, even if she liked Tsukasa she wouldn’t want her to be a creep…), walked back up to the counter.

“Could I get one more of the same to go, and then close my tab for the day?” Tsukasa once again had a soft smile and perfect timing, as Hinata nodded and made one more drink, before having Tsukasa pay. 

“Have a good day Kasa, good luck on the test!” Hinata smiled brightly, as Tsukasa smiled back and this time gave Hinata a quick kiss on the nose.

“I’ll see you after the test, right dear? We did have plans with a few others, and while I love your friends it’s weird when I’m around them without you…” Tsukasa was not only stealing Hinata’s heart more and more, but also giving Hinata every excuse she needed to not have to let this asshole walk with her. 

“Mhm! I wouldn’t dare leave you alone with the big scary friends of mine!~” Hinata gave a playful wink, before looking past Tsukasa for a moment. “Oh! Sakuma-senpai, you don’t have class today do you?” 

At that, Rei looked back up from the rest of his group, and smiled softly at her.

“Correct, do you mind if I stay at the shop until we leave to meet up?”

Hinata could tell the asshole was taking every bit of this conversation to note, and she caught the pissed glare he shot at Tsukasa. Probably thinking about what she had that he didn’t. And while Hinata could list a lot, the main start was that she was a girl.

“That’d work, if you have no other plans?” 

“Not that I can think of Hinata, I won’t be a bother I promise.” Rei gave her a nod as Hinata smiled, before looking back at Tsukasa.

“Then it’s settled, I’ll be there!” Hinata smiled brightly, as Tsukasa nodded and picked up her drink. 

Hinata was about to ask why Tsukasa did order another, before the final part of her plan fell into place.

Opening the lid, Tsukasa had been going to add a little bit of sugar they left out for customers to the drink, before tripping.

Tsukasa did get a bit of her arm and her jacket, but got a bunch of it onto the asshole.

“Ah! I’m so sorry!” Tsukasa gave an apologetic bow, as the asshole looked ready to start a fight. 

“You fucking bitch!” Tsukasa had already managed to get him feeling pissed at thinking she had somehow stolen Hinata, so that must have been his final straw. 

Grabbing Tsukasa’s shirt, it was clear he was about to throw a punch at her, but before he could make impact the rest of Undead was in action. 

Kaoru had quickly moved to pull Tsukasa away, with aid from Adonis to grab the man’s arm that had held her, as Koga quickly had jumped up and caught the punch that had been going for Tsukasa. 

“My…” Kaoru started, patting Tsukasa on the head and helping adjust her shirt, before looking back at the man. “Throwing a punch at such a pretty girl, just because she accidentally tripped over your jacket on the floor?” 

Hinata hadn’t even noticed that, god Tsukasa was good at this…

“That- that bitch -!” 

“Ah ah ah,” Kaoru cut him off, taking a step closer as the man was still being restrained by Koga and Adonis. “You left it out, anyone could have tripped. And this kind young lady had just been making plans with us and her girlfriend. If you have a problem with that, we’d be more than happy to deal with that. ” 

The man fell silent, suddenly looking nervous as Tsukasa was putting on the best innocent nervous look she could, and because she knew it was fake Hinata was so in love with the pure genius underneath that.

“Let’s talk outside, ok?” Kaoru’s voice was calm, but the glint in his eye and the fact the man was basically dragged out by Koga and Adonis made Hinata think it wasn’t going to end well for him.

Although the minute he was gone there was a sigh of relief that slipped from Hinata’s lips, looking up at Tsukasa.

“Your test is in less than 15 minutes, you gotta go Kasa.”

Tsukasa let out a little surprised squeak, quickly running out of the cafe as Hinata smiled softly, jumping the counter to clean up the spill. 

Rei shot her a look, that Hinata returned only gentler, basically saying she’d talk about it more with Rei once her shift was over.

For now, she couldn’t help but smile a little, really hoping that being called Tsukasa’s girlfriend wouldn’t stay a temporary act forever.

-----

The man never did come back inside after he had been dragged out, not that she really cared, and aside from assuring a few friends that yes I’m fine, no I’m not actually dating her she’s just a friend and don’t give me that look as they left, the rest of the shift was calm.

Rei had kept his promise, and agreed to at least walk her to find some other friends, which Hinata was very thankful for.

Of course, she didn’t see Rei as a father for nothing, which means she shouldn’t have been surprised when he spoke up.

“So, mind telling me more about that girl back there?” Hinata could feel herself go bright red at the question, sputtering a little and looking up offended . 

“Kasa?”

‘Mhm, top of most of her classes if I heard right~”

“Of course you’ve heard right, her friend group involves one of your friends and your brother…” Hinata huffed, suddenly wishing for this walk to be over quickly.

Rei hummed softly, before lightly nudging her side and making her sigh, smiling a little.

“You can see through me, can’t you?”

“I always can Hinata, you’re not hiding it well when you were watching her during the whole conclusion with a love struck smile.”

A small laugh, as Hinata sighed again, elbowing Rei lightly.

“It wasn’t lovestruck , I just… might’ve found it a little hot that she had made an elaborate plan to piss off that creep…” Rei gave her a look, as she rolled her eyes and spoke again. “Ok, maybe more than a little, not my fault it’s attractive when pretty smart people use their brains to piss people off!”

“Hmm… maybe I shouldn’t tell you something then…” Rei smirked, as Hinata’s head shot up as she stopped walking, grabbing his arm.

“Tell me what.”

“Nothing much, just something about her~”

“Sakuma-senpai, you might have me in years and height and strength, but I will still fight you right now if you don’t start talking.” Hinata kept direct eye contact with Rei, before Rei just laughed softly and patted her head.

“Alright alright, I’ll tell you, lets keep walking though, ok?”

A small huff, as Hinata let go and kept walking, before Rei spoke up.

“You and I are both aware of my reputation on campus, but because I do help others with a few subjects my email isn’t hard to find.” Hinata nodded, a little confused at where this was going. “Well, your knight in shining armor-”

“Sakuma-senpai do not call her that, I might just die-” Hinata cut in, making Rei laugh before continuing. 

“Still, she found it and sent me her plan, asking if there was any way we could be there for backup if the man reacted like she had thought.”

“She… went out of her way to track down a way to contact you because of… me?”

“Mhm, be it just a friend or not, hold on tight to her, ok?” Rei smiled softly, ruffling Hinata’s hair again. “People like that are rare to find, but terrifying to lose.”

Hinata nodded, giggling softly. Rei was good at randomly giving deep advice to her, which always seemed like he was talking from years of experience. 

Patting her back though, Rei looked off at someone in the distance, and then walked off. 

Hinata was a little confused, before seeing Tsukasa and lighting up, running at the other girl and tackle hugging her.

Tsukasa was a little surprised, but just spun with the hug, patting her back lightly. 

“Hinata? What’s this for? Was everything ok after I left? I’m super sorry for doing that out of nowhere-”

“Kasa, shh it’s ok!!” Hinata smiled softly, cupping Tsukasa’s face with a giggle, as Tsukasa wore a concerned look. “You saved my ass back there, I owe you one! Let me take you to like… a nice sweet shop or something!”

“Huh? You don’t have to do all that Hinata!” Tsukasa shook her head, gently pressing their foreheads together and making Hinata look into her eyes. 

Once again, lest her heart be still, as there was no way she could hide the blush on her face.

“I’m just glad you’re ok Hinata, I was worried for you…” 

Lest her heart be fucking still for a moment-

This was actually going to be how Hinata died, but she just smiled softly and nodded, before stepping back before she either died on the spot or kissed Tsukasa, both bad ideas.

“Anyway! How did the test go Kasa?~”

And just like that, the two were back to normal banter, which Hinata always enjoyed.

Maybe later she could deal more with these feelings, but right now just being Tsukasa’s friend was enough.

For now, this was ok.

-----

This, on the other hand, was not ok. 

Going to a party was fine, and sure accidentally getting a few drinks handed to her was fine, she didn’t have work nor classes tomorrow, so it was all good!

Tsukasa being here wasn’t fine.

Tsukasa being here and drunk as well wasn’t fine.

And Tsukasa being here, drunk, as another drunk person had been making advances on Hinata that she was missing since was also drunk , was so far from fine.

Which is how Hinata found herself shoving the person away, rushing through the crowd and shoving past people, trying to follow the redhead who Hinata was pretty sure was in tears.

“Kasa-!” Running outside after her, she grabbed Tsukasa’s hand, who quickly turned and slapped her hand away. 

Tsukasa looked pissed, and Hinata had never hated herself more.

“ What? What do you want?!” Tsukasa snapped back, as Hinata bit her tongue and prayed no one else would be watching or listening.

“What are you storming out for Kasa?!”

“Don’t call me that-” Tsukasa’s hands were balled into fists, as Hinata tried to step forward, but Tsukasa just stepped back. “Do you just- nickname anyone who so happens to be nice to you?!”

“I’ve only given nicknames to my closest friends and you?!” Hinata didn’t even understand why Tsukasa was pissed, and god her head was pounding, maybe she had ended up consuming more alcohol than she thought. “That doesn’t explain why you’re pissed at me-!”

“What the fuck was that back there?! Do you even know that person?!”

“I know nearly everyone on campus at least vaguely, or did you forget my job?!”

Tsukasa at least didn’t back away when Hinata stepped closer this time, and really Hinata was starting to feel a little dizzy. Tsukasa was still crying though, and Hinata hoped she didn’t realize Hinata really had no idea who was back there with her, mind blurred right now.

“So you know everyone well enough to have them make those sorts of sexual advances on you?!”

That… would explain why they were being a little touchy, god Hinata was out of it. What did she even answer with? Say no and have Tsukasa think she was close with that person or just an idiot? Say yes and be seen as a whore..?

Didn’t seem to matter, as Tsukasa ended up letting out a bitter laugh, looking Hinata in the eyes for the first time since this argument. 

“God- you know? I thought I was being helpful that day at the cafe, I thought you really were uncomfortable, but-” A small laugh, although half felt like a gasp for air as Tsukasa was starting to cry harder. “ Clearly that was wrong! Clearly I was the idiot for caring about you-”

“Kasa wait-” Hinata tried to start, moving forward a little more before…

A sharp pain was felt on her face, and oh, Tsukasa had just slapped her.

“I said stop calling me that! Just-” Tsukasa stepped back, looking… heartbroken. “Leave me alone. Good night.”

Hinata couldn’t even bring herself to chase after Tsukasa, legs too shaky and mind too distracted to think about following her.

Tsukasa had mentioned caring about her, and then Hinata had fucked up enough to make the calm, cool and collected Tsukasa slap her.

Her face still stung, but her heart might’ve hurt more…

Before she knew it though, Rei and Kaoru had rushed over to her side, Rei cupping her face as Kaoru wrapped an arm around her waist.

“Hinata-” Rei started, about to ask her no doubt a bunch of questions, but Kaoru gently hushed him and moved to gently pick Hinata up. 

“Rei, wait a moment, let’s get her out of here first. Is it ok if I take you back to our apartment Hinata?” Kaoru’s voice was soft, and Hinata remembered the stories of how he used to be a major playboy before Rei, so he had likely had experience with this…

Nodding slightly, Kaoru looked at Rei and he nodded, as they started walking off from the party.

Once they were a good distance away, Kaoru finally spoke up, looking down at her. 

“That was the girl from the Cafe, but she had said it was a fake relationship so… what did you do?”

Hinata knew Kaoru wasn’t trying to be mean, but Hinata was so far in her own thoughts and finally piecing things together, that she just started to cry.

There was no more pushing from either of the two, as they quickly made it back to their apartment and set Hinata on the couch. Kaoru stayed by her side, letting her cry and comforting softly, as Rei went to get her a glass of water. 

Once he was back, Hinata took a shaky sip of the drink, now sitting between the two men who were both there offering soft words to make her feel better.

“Are you feeling a little better Hinata..?” Rei spoke softly, as Hinata nodded, rubbing her eyes.

“I… I think I fucked up with the advice you gave me…” Hinata replied, as Rei shot Kaoru a look over her head. Kaoru simply rubbed her back, as she let out a small hiccup, looking at the glass in her hands. “She… she cared. How much I don’t know… and because I wasn’t careful with how much I was being given there, and let someone make a few advances, she hates me…” 

Kaoru sighed, as he then spoke up. 

“You made a mistake, but you also need to remember you were both a little too drunk to be thinking straight, and she didn’t let you explain.” Kaoru then looked up at Rei, smiling softly, before looking back at Hinata. “I’ll have to tell you another time how I once managed to fuck everything up, and still fixed it with Rei, but for now here’s what I’ll say.”

Hinata did look up at that, waiting a second before seeing Kaoru first motion for her to take another sip of water, which she did. 

“First off, never trust parties in college for alcohol levels. Seriously, try to limit yourself to one or two so you won’t be too out of it, unless you have a friend designated to stay mostly sober and make sure you don’t make any mistakes like that.” Hinata nodded, seeing Kaoru smile softly. “Secondly, wait a little bit before talking to her. Let her cool her head, think about it with a sober mind. And then you can work on making it right.”

“But… what if she still hates me?” Hinata spoke quietly, as Rei spoke up to answer that one.

“If you explain it to her, and she still hates you, she’s not worth it Hinata. She said she cared about you, you don’t do all the things she’s done for you if you don’t care deeply. One minor mistake you made and clearly weren’t even doing as she thought shouldn’t change everything you have.”

Kaoru nodded, as Hinata smiled softly, letting out another small hiccup and starting to wipe a few more tears away, as Rei pulled her into a side hug. 

Kaoru took the water from her, setting it on a side table to let her hug Rei back. When Kaoru joined the hug she made no objections, just crying a little harder and muttering a few “Thank you…”’s. 

She didn’t mean to fall asleep on them, but the two didn’t wake her up, just setting her up on the couch for the night. 

When she woke up, it did take her a moment to realize no, this isn’t my bed, fuck I didn’t even make it back to my dorm , before then remember the ending of the night.

Right, she had gotten into a fight with Tsukasa, and Rei and Kaoru had taken her back. 

And also fuck her head hurt… 

“Table beside the couch, we set out some pain killers and water,” Kaoru’s voice called out to her, from the kitchen in the apartment. “We can get you something a little stronger after you eat something, Rei will be back in a sec with some clothing for you to wear and a little travel toothbrush set to get the lingering taste of alcohol out of your mouth.” 

“Thank you…” Hinata called back, sitting up to take the painkillers mentioned.

God she didn’t deserve these friends, as after a few minutes Rei came back to the apartment, with what Kaoru had promised. 

Going to the bathroom, Hinata changed quickly, starting to brush her teeth before pausing as she looked at herself in the mirror.

She looked like a mess… 

It was clear she had been crying, but she just shook her head and finished brushing her teeth, before walking back out to see Kaoru and Rei.

Rei gave her a small smile, pulling a chair out for her to sit down, while Kaoru pulled out a hairbrush, gently combing through her hair as she started to eat. 

She felt a little childish, needing to be taken care of like this when she never had been before, but also found herself happy that for once… someone else was looking out for her.

“You don’t have anything today, right?” Rei spoke up, as she nodded. Kaoru hummed, patting her head.

“Stay with us for the day then, a temporary addition to Undead.” Hinata looked up at Kaoru, surprised, then looked at Rei who just nodded.

“Are- you guys sure? I mean, it’s not the first time you’ve let me hang out with you for the day but…” 

Despite Kaoru having just brushed her hair, he then ruffled it with a soft hum, making her pout. 

“It’ll do you some good if you could have a day away from the normal state of being, especially after that…”

“It just… feels a little like running away from the issue…” Hinata sighed, looking down and taking another small bite of food.

“There’s a difference between running away and taking a step back Hinata,” Rei spoke up, as Kaoru fixed the hair he just messed up on Hinata. “If you were avoiding her adamantly then yes, that would be running away. But after a stressful and emotional day, when it would be better to deal with the issue with a calmer head, taking a day to relax and take care of yourself is important.”

Hinata nodded, smiling softly, as Kaoru rolled his eyes and lightly bonked Rei with the hairbrush, sitting down finally to eat as well. 

“Rei’s back at it, giving advice like an old man instead of a slightly older senpai…” Rei simply chuckled at that, as Hinata ended up biting back a giggle, making the two older men smile. “So, we’ll call up the other two and have a fun day?” 

Hinata nodded, and as they all decided to continue eating she thought that…maybe, just maybe, it’d all be ok.

It… had to be, right?

-----

It wasn’t ok. 

Well, correction, the day had been ok.

It had been a blast, with being able to easily joke with Undead, annoying Koga before hiding behind Rei and playing the innocent child, getting picked up by Adonis just to be able to taunt the others that she was finally taller, getting bad stories from Kaoru about his playboy years, and getting more old man advice from Rei (only this time not actually being good).

But coming back to her dorm, she suddenly felt like everything was crashing down. 

She wasn’t sure what, but her hands were shaking once she shut the door, and she could just tell it was not going to be a good night.

Sitting down against the door, she looked at her phone and really wished she could hold it a bit more steady. 

Most of her friends were either busy or sleeping, so bothering them wouldn’t be helpful. Her roommate was out for the night with their lover (and honestly, she was happy they weren’t in the dorm, as watching a happy couple might’ve made her just start sobbing), which meant it was empty. 

She was out with Undead all day so bothering them would be rude, and Yuuta was always stuck with her when these moods hit so he deserved better.

Her homework was all finished, so she couldn’t even distract herself with that. 

The only person likely to be awake and open would be Tsukasa… 

And Tsukasa deserved better right now. 

Hinata let out a shaky breath, looking around the dorm and sighing, getting changed quickly before grabbing a blanket and wrapping up in it, aware she had already started crying unwillingly. 

She hated these nights, when she really felt like less than trash. 

There was nothing to do, besides distract herself and try to just make it through. 

Rei had found her during one of these nights, having told her that exactly, and she tried her best to remember it every time. 

These nights always would pass, even if it wasn’t always just one night, and she’d make it out.

She remembered how Yuuta found her during the worst of these moods, and is why she managed to make it past this. 

She remembered how many different friends had caught her in these spirals and pulled her out before she went too far. 

But being alone right now, with such easy ammunition her brain had to use against her, she really didn’t know what to do. 

So she just stayed in a ball, watching whatever was on, and trying to shut out everything nasty as best as she could.

Trying to convince herself that she wasn’t horrible, that she deserved more than she thought, that her friends wouldn’t leave her, that Yuuta was safe and they were both in college because they worked hard and deserved this.

But… no matter what her thoughts circled back to Tsukasa, and she couldn’t help but sob when her brain wanted to play back the look Tsukasa gave her that night.

Something told her she wasn’t going to get much sleep tonight, and that this “night” was looking more like days…

-----

Thank god for working at a coffee shop, surrounded by the smell of caffeine and able to make herself any drink when she needed to not pass out.

The past few days had been light on classes, so she went heavy on work, taking any shift she could and ignoring the owner's concern. 

She hadn’t slept much, and really didn’t want to be haunted by her own self hate in her sleep. 

Tsukasa hadn’t visited anymore, so she was both fine but also panicked.

She’d ruined everything, hadn’t she?

It’s fine, she’d be fine.

“Aniki…?” Yuuta snapped her from her thoughts, as Hinata looked over with a small hum, seeing Yuuta frown.

“What’s up Yuuta?” Her smile was always near perfect, and with makeup she looked… completely fine, so why was Yuuta looking at her concerned?

“Are… you sure everything is ok? If you need a break you can take one…” Hinata shook her head, sliding past Yuuta to finish up a drink. 

“I’m fine Yuuta, I promise! No need to worry about little old me!” 

“That’s why I always do, since you never make it clear when I should or shouldn’t…” 

“Well, for now go with shouldn’t!” Hinata smiled brightly, turning to boop Yuuta before handing the person their drink. 

Yuuta simply shot her a look, but leaned against the counter as for now the shop was empty, letting them take a moment to relax.

Sadly, it seems like fate had other plans for Hinata, as Yuuta spoke up again.

“Aniki, now that I’m thinking about it, Tsukasa hasn’t been here for a while…” Hinata paused, doing her best to keep her mask in place, but Yuuta continued. “Did something happen between you two? You guys were super close and now… she went from a daily to never.”

“She must just be busy!~” Hinata hummed, trying to make Yuuta drop it, but he didn’t seem to believe it.

“She was always here when she was busy, hell she was here more when she was busy!” 

“Maybe she just needed somewhere else to study right now..?”

“She’d still likely stop by, you’re acting suspicious, Hinata.”

“No Aniki? I’m hurt…” 

“Don’t try to distract me, what happened.” Yuuta narrowed his eyes, as Hinata ended up dropping her mask, letting out a small sigh.

“We… kinda got into a fight, so I haven’t tried to push her to talk with me since then…” Hinata still gave a small smile, as Yuuta frowned. 

“...are you ok? Since if it’s that bad you shouldn’t be smiling.” 

“I’m fine Yuuta, no need to worry.” 

“Something tells me you’re lying, but alright…” Yuuta sighed, as Hinata moved to make herself a drink to keep herself up. 

She felt a little tired, and limbs were a little heavy, but she had to keep going. Sleep wasn’t gonna make it better…

Taking a sip of the drink once she was finished, she shut her eyes for a moment before hearing the bell ring, looking up.

Yuuta was faster to react then she was, shoving her away from the register as Hinata just found herself staring at the person who walked in.

Standing there was Tsukasa, who looked just as shocked to see Hinata as she was to see her, but just as beautiful as ever. 

Yuuta shot them both a look, before stepping back to move to the back room. 

“I’m… gonna go clean up the bathrooms…” Yuuta pat Hinata’s back, before he ducked back to grab the cleaning supplies and left for the bathroom.

The two were both quiet, before Hinata took a shaky breath and spoke up. 

“White chocolate mocha? It was your usual and favorite…” Hinata offered a small smile, as Tsukasa just nodded. 

There wasn’t the normal conversation they’d have as she made the others drink, just awkward silence. It wasn’t till Hinata was almost done that Tsukasa spoke up.

“You weren’t supposed to be here, you never took this shift…” 

“I… didn’t have anything to do during this time. I’ve been working a bit more as of late with my classes slowing down…” Hinata paused as Tsukasa moved a little closer to her, looking at her for a moment before then frowning. 

“You’re wearing makeup on your eyes, have you been sleeping Hinata?” Well shit. Hinata mustered up her best smile, laughing softly.

“I’ve slept enough, don’t worry!” Tsukasa frowned at that, looking at her with a huff. 

“Enough isn’t a good answer, try again?” 

“I don’t think I can give a better answer.” 

“That’s the problem.” Tsukasa sighed, taking her drink and looking at Hinata with concern. “You don’t look too hot anyway…” 

“Rude.” 

“That’s not what I meant-” Tsukasa huffed, looking a bit annoyed at Hinata. “You look a little under the weather, are you sure you’re fine?” 

“Mhm, I’m fine I promise so just… don’t worry!” Hinata giggled, turning to go back to her drink, before pausing. She hadn’t been this dizzy before… and god her limbs felt heavy…

She didn’t even process that she had ended up falling onto the ground until she heard Tsukasa call her name and processed that yeah that was the ground.

Tsukasa was over the counter before Hinata could even process it, as Yuuta poked his head back in confusion, before rushing over as well. 

“Aniki- you’re an idiot-!” Yuuta sighed, looking down at Hinata, as he was trying to mask his concern. “...Tsukasa, would you take Aniki back to her dorm? I need to finish this shift…”

“Yuuta I’m fine-” 

“I’ll take Hinata back,” Tsukasa cut Hinata off, picking up Hinata with a small smile, despite Hinata protesting with a few quiet swears, before realizing she could not in fact get out of the hold.

“Thank you, make sure she gets some sleep…” 

“I’ll do my best.” Tsukasa simply replied, as she stood up and walked out of the cafe with Hinata in her arms.

Hinata was quiet to start, but once they were away from people felt a familiar pain in her chest. One that had been plaguing her for a while, attacking her poor heart whenever she thought of Tsukasa. 

Struggling in the hold again, she pushed against Tsukasa’s arms, trying to make the other drop her and earning an annoyed huff from the other girl.

“You’re not getting out of this when you just collapsed Hinata-”

“Just- put me down at least. I’ll walk back and get some sleep myself, so leave me be.” Hinata tried again to shove out of the hold, but Tsukasa only tightened her grip and kept walking. 

“I can’t trust you alone right now, so no. I’m taking you back.”

“You can’t trust me in general, don’t give me bullshit about it just being right now!” Tsukasa did at least react, her expression turning to one more hurt, but not replying and continuing to walk. “Not even going to humor me with a response? You wouldn’t talk to me after the fight, wouldn’t let me explain, and now won’t talk to me while carrying me?!”

Hinata wasn’t sure why she was getting pissed at Tsukasa, maybe because she hoped it would make Tsukasa just leave her for good. Realize how horrid and pathetic she was, and how Tsukasa deserved better. But Tsukasa just kept her eyes away from Hinata, voice forcefully calm and soft.

“Yell at me in your dorm if you must, just don’t make us do this in the middle of the streets.”

“Like you slapped me in front of the house at the party?” Hinata just spat back, as Tsukasa huffed.

“Yes, like that. Save us both some of our dignity...” 

Hinata bit her tongue, but stayed quiet until Tsukasa made it to her dorm, as Hinata pulled out the key and let Tsukasa unlock the door. 

Stepping in and shutting the door, Tsukasa finally set Hinata down as she took a few steps in, before looking back at Tsukasa. 

Hinata didn’t know how she felt, she had been a mess and she was exhausted, but seeing Tsukasa and feeling this mess left her just wanting to yell. 

“...Should I just leave?” Tsukasa asked, suddenly looking a lot more timid and… sad, then before. 

“Yeah- sure leave and go back to avoiding me, it’ll be great. ” Hinata huffed, seeing Tsukasa pause at that. 

“I- I didn’t mean to avoid you…”

“Then what did you mean to do? Meant to ignore me until you forgot me? Meant to try to distance yourself and realize you hate me..?” Tsukasa seemed frozen, as she wanted to deny but wasn’t sure what to say. And Hinata knew she was tired, and in a bad mindspace, and really should shut up while she was ahead…

But she was also tired. And in a bad mindspace. And really, really, just wanted to scream.

“I knew it was like- a matter of time, but I didn’t think it’d be like this from you. The idiot child who dumped my issues a little too quickly to the rich kid who came into my life. But- you gave me hope, you know?” A little laugh, as Hinata felt tears building up. “You gave me extreme tips, and kind words and happy days and-!” A pause, as Hinata choked back a sob. “And I loved every moment… but a little fuck up on my side- a little mistake you wouldn’t even try to clarify what happened and- you cast me aside!” 

“Hinata-”

“What? What do you possibly want to say to the- disaster that is the poor kid you were happy to play with?!” 

Tsukasa stepped forward, and while Hinata tried to step back, the fact she was exhausted made itself apparent, as she lost her footing.

Tsukasa was faster then she could track though, as she managed to catch Hinata before she hit the ground.

“Hinata…” Tsukasa’s voice was soft, seemingly forced to be calmer. “I promise I’ll talk with you about this all soon, ok? But you need some rest first…” 

“I don’t want to sleep.” Hinata huffed, avoiding eye contact with the other girl. 

“You need to sleep though… it’s obvious.”

“I’m sorry I don’t love the idea of seeing horrible nightmares just to get the thing I apparently need. ” Tsukasa paused at that, as Hinata felt her walking over to the bed and setting her on it. 

“Is there anything that would help make the nightmares less bad..?”

Oh, how Hinata loathed that question… she knew exactly what would help but she couldn’t ask that of Tsukasa… 

Not after Hinata had literally yelled at her while she was trying to help…

Why did she do that? That was stupid.

She was so… stupid.

But Tsukasa suddenly tapped her shoulder, snapping her out of it.

“...Hinata you’re going down a spiral, aren’t you?” 

“...How do you know?” Hinata hadn’t meant to say that so quickly, but Tsukasa smiled softly, patting her head with a hum.

“My roommate has those occasionally, and while I know they’re not the same for everyone I’ve… learned a few ways to notice them.”

Seriously, Hinata was convinced Tsukasa might just be the most perfect person to walk the earth. Hinata couldn’t even try to reply, as Tsukasa gently pushed her to lay down, pulling the blankets over her.

“Here… I’ll stay right by your side, ok? You’ll wake up and I’ll be here, I promise.” 

Hinata paused, before smiling softly.

“...Promise?”

“I promise Hinata, just get some sleep, ok?” 

Hinata nodded, shutting her eyes to try and sleep at least. 

She felt Tsukasa brush the hair out of her eyes, whispering something softly, that if Hinata was a little more awake she probably could’ve caught…

But instead, she felt the gentle embrace of sleep take her.

Hopefully… It’ll be ok when she wakes up. Hopefully she could sort it out…

She had to at least try…

-----

Shockingly, she woke up peacefully, with no nightmares plaguing her.

And more shockingly, Tsukasa was still sitting beside her bed. 

A little hum was made from Tsukasa, when she noticed Hinata had woken up, patting her head softly. 

“Good morning Hinata…” Tsukasa’s voice was soft, letting Hinata wake up as she rubbed her eyes.

“Morning… how long have I been out..?”

“A little under a day.” 

“...what?” Hinata paused, before sitting up and noticing that yeah, it was earlier than when she had fallen asleep.

“You really needed the rest, hm?”

“Wait wait- where did you sleep?” 

“What do you mean?”

“There’s- just my bed and my roommates, and I don’t think you’d take their bed so-”

Tsukasa laughed softly, as she patted Hinata’s hair.

“I ended up falling asleep beside you, your roommate ended up tossing a blanket over me.” Hinata frowned at that, looking at Tsukasa confused.

“You could’ve gone back to your dorm at that point… it couldn’t have been comfortable sleeping like that…”

“I promised that I’d stay, didn’t I?”

Hinata froze at that, looking at Tsukasa and sniffing back a few tears.

“...You’re- too kind. After all I’ve done- after I yelled at you?” Hinata paused, seeing Tsukasa’s expression change to one that had to match her own, as Tsukasa gently shushed her.

“Let’s… eat something first, ok? Then we can talk about… everything.”

“If you say so…” Hinata sighed, stretching since god she was stiff after sleeping for almost an entire day, as Tsukasa stood up and gently ruffled her hair. 

“I’ll go make you something to eat.”

“Make enough for yourself as well.”

“Alright, if you need to shower or change, do that first.” 

Tsukasa then stood up, walking out to the little kitchen part of the dorm, letting Hinata take a moment to think.

Showering really felt like too much right now, so just changing and freshening up a little would have to be fine. 

Grabbing a change of clothes, she walked into the bathroom, getting changed and brushing her teeth, frowning at how bad the morning taste was… 

She… looked a little less bad though. Sure, Hinata always could find things that she could fix about herself, but… 

Washing her face and brushing her hair… she found herself smiling softly. 

She had to fix this with Tsukasa, even if they parted ways for good, since… This was nice. 

Being able to smile at herself was something she didn’t want to lose… she forgot how horrid these could be.

Hinata also didn’t want to lose Tsukasa though… 

A deep breath, as Hinata finished getting ready, before opening the door.

Walking over to the kitchen, Hinata sat at the small table in the kitchen area, as Tsukasa sat down some scrambled eggs and toast before sitting as well. 

It wasn’t fancy, but at least they both had food, and that’s what mattered.

“Thank you for the food,” Hinata smiled softly at Tsukasa, who looked up and mimicked her expression. 

“Of course, I’m happy to help, I’m glad you’re ok Hinata…” Tsukasa’s expression shifted to a nervous one, as Hinata could feel the weight of the situation she was in suddenly.

It didn’t matter how soft the moment was, right now the both of them were walking on eggshells, and one misstep could crush it all. 

Hinata had to do this right, but since the mood was already heavy she might as well start from the beginning.

“I’m sorry-” 

And then a pause, from both of them, as they had both ended up saying that at the same time.

Tsukasa seemed shocked, but before she could say anything Hinata started laughing.

She wasn’t angry, but that was exactly what she needed, as even if the mood was still heavy it was at least easier.  

Tsukasa shot Hinata a confused look, which only made Hinata start to laugh harder. After a moment, Tsukasa ended up laughing as well, covering her mouth.

“God- what has you laughing so much?!” Tsukasa’s tone was affectionate, as Hinata just wiped a tear away, letting out a happy hum. 

“We’re both a mess, aren’t we?~” Tsukasa nodded, as Hinata managed to finally stop her giggling fit, letting out a small sigh. “I’m sorry for yelling at you yesterday, the fact you still care should’ve made me realize you weren’t actually being an asshole…” 

“It’s alright Hinata, you were sleep deprived and clearly in a bad mental state. On the other hand, there’s no excuse for me avoiding you…” Tsukasa looked down, as Hinata let out a small huff, rolling her eyes.

“I’m sure you had a reason, don’t undermine yourself…” 

“I… wanted to talk to you, I really did…” Tsukasa sighed, looking up to Hinata and nudging her, signaling for Hinata to eat. 

A little huff, as Hinata started eating, looking over to encourage Tsukasa to continue.

“That night… I realized that I had jumped to conclusions, and really should’ve let you explain. My roommate helped me calm down, but as soon as I realized I had slapped you without letting you explain I just…” A pause, as Tsukasa looked at the food in front of her, taking a deep breath. “I couldn’t imagine talking to you, since I thought you had to have hated me. So… I didn’t. I hid from you, until yesterday. And… I’m sorry.”

Hinata just froze, processing it all and reaching over the table to take one of Tsukasa’s hands, offering a reassuring smile.

“It’s alright, please don’t think I meant everything I said to you yesterday… I’m not pretending like one night of sleep changed everything in my head but-”

Hinata paused, trying to think over her words, all while gently rubbing her thumb on the back of Tsukasa’s hand. 

But…

“But I’m sorry as well.” Tsukasa looked up at her, tilting her head to the side. A small smile, as Hinata continued. “I really should probably start with that night, shouldn’t I?”

Tsukasa nodded, letting out a slightly sad laugh. 

“Not letting you explain that night was how this… mess started…” 

“Well, you’re not wrong…” A hum, as Hinata shut her eyes for a moment to think, letting go of Tsukasa’s hand so the other could eat as well. “Alright, I do want to say that first of all there were no more stupid choices made that night, as Sakuma-senpai and Hakaze-senpai got me out of there right after the whole fight.”

“That’s… good, I was worried about that…” 

A small laugh, as Hinata smiled a little brighter.

“I’m not that stupid, thankfully. And when I am, I try to have friends there to stop me. But anyway, another thing to clarify is, and I really am being quite honest, I couldn’t tell you who that person was…” Tsukasa’s expression shifted to a confused one yet again, as Hinata gave a nervous smile. “I… definitely wasn’t aware of how much I had been given, so I was more than just a little tipsy… which was a mistake on my side, especially because I didn’t even really realize just what advances were being made on me until you pointed that out.”

“...Hinata that’s not good-”

“I know, trust me I was scolded for that by my friends, and that was stupid of me.” Hinata bit her tongue, thinking for a moment, before continuing. “After that, my friends let me sleep in their apartment and made sure I was ok, spending the day with me to help let me come back to it with a clear head. But… as you could probably guess, my mind kinda spiraled and left me… like that.”

“Hinata…” Tsukasa had finished eating at this point, pushing her plate to the side and taking one of Hinata’s hands again, which Hinata simply squeezed Tsukasa’s in return. 

“I-I want to clarify for you these days happen it’s just… usually only one day. Occasionally they’re longer but… I’m not new to them. I just… never had messed something up like that, and when I thought you hated me it just… gave my brain more ammunition.” Hinata sighed, making direct eye contact with Tsukasa. “I’m not going to try and force you to forgive me, but I really do care about you. If we could still be friends…”

“Hinata… of course we can still be friends.” Tsukasa smiled softly, gently squeezing her hand as well. 

Hinata felt the pain in her heart, but quickly shook it off. 

After all, sure it was only back to friendship, but that’s where it left off.

She was in love with Tsukasa, but she had been for a while, so being friends again was a good start. 

“Hey, Kasa?” Hinata ended up smiling back, and Tsukasa lit up at the nickname again, before nodding for her to continue. “Wanna hang out today? Anything works really, I just wanna do something with someone else.”

Tsukasa nodded, and Hinata had a vague thought that god, she wanted nothing more just to see Tsukasa smiling because of her…

Maybe it’d be ok, she could rebuild this.

-----

Things did get better, as slowly but steadily they got back to their normal routine. Hinata found it strangely easy to be around Tsukasa, always being able to easily talk with her and relax. 

In addition, as Hinata was a bit surprised to find, Tsukasa was also good at helping her when those days hit. 

Tsukasa would always be there in case Hinata needed a friend during those late nights. A promise that if she were to call, Tsukasa would answer if she could, and if not she would text at least. 

They were both careful, making sure Hinata could be ok by herself too, and not need Tsukasa. But during those times where she couldn’t do it alone, Tsukasa was always there.

She wasn’t alone, but sadly the more pressing thing is that she was so in love.

Because every time Hinata managed to make Tsukasa laugh, see her smile or be affectionately annoyed, or light shoves and playful hits as they were teasing the other, and every little moment made her heart start to flutter.

Hinata wasn’t sure why she was reflecting on this as she sat on the counter at the cafe, watching Tsukasa finish up a paper for her class, but she was. 

It was late, and at this point the cafe had emptied out for the night since all the big tests had just ended, so no one was studying.

Well, Tsukasa was, but she always was. Hinata found it adorable. 

It’s the only reason she’s sitting on the counter if she’s being honest, as she’d likely be too scared if it was full of others, with the exception being maybe Undead. 

At this point, Hinata was tempted to just close the blinds and turn off the open sign, so they could stay as long as they wanted.

She liked the atmosphere here, and she was maybe a little pathetic while being in love…

So sue her, Tsukasa was pretty and looked so beautiful in this lighting. But Tsukasa did look up, laughing softly at Hinata.

“Are you sure you have nothing to finish up Hinata?” Tsukasa hummed softly, as Hinata shook her head with a bright smile.

“I’m good! Most of my classes have no work yet!”

“What do you mean by most?” Tsukasa narrowed her eyes, as Hinata laughed softly. 

“I might have a short paper to finish in about a week, but I still have time!”

“Hina…” And that was just unfair, using a nickname that Tsukasa so rarely would say, but never failed to make Hinata flustered (and often give in to what Tsukasa was trying to convince her to do, never used for malicious intent but definitely used for petty reasons). 

“Kasa?~” Hinata played dumb, trying to not fall for the nickname as easily as she could’ve, looking at Tsukasa with an innocent head tilt.

“If you get started now you won’t have to stress over it later…”

“But if I don’t I can be happy not doing my work and chatting with you!~”

“You could at least outline it?” Tsukasa did start working on another problem, as Hinata hummed and shot a look at her.

“Do you think I’d ever finish if I did an outline?”

“...Touche, but still.” 

“Come on Kasa… you’re almost done which means we can then finish closing up shop and maybe go do something stupid around campus!” Tsukasa rolled her eyes at that, pausing her problem to glare at Hinata. Hinata simply laughed, sticking her tongue out before continuing. “I’m not saying pull any pranks, as fun as that would be, but we could just wander around the campus, maybe check out that one abandoned building that rumors say are haunted but anytime they try to block it off it mysteriously is removed and then there’s a horrible event on campus as revenge from the spirits!~”

Tsukasa gave a blank look, before huffing and going back to her work. “You’re spending too much time with Sakasaki-senpai.”

“It’s not my fault he tells wonderful ghost stories while we’re working on the school garden!” 

“Here, if you at least settle on what your paper will be about and write the hook and thesis statement, once I finish we can explore your haunted building or whatever, deal?”

Hinata quickly nodded, leaning over the counter to grab her computer and get to work, missing the affectionate smile Tsukasa wore, aimed directly at her.

She’d never worked so fast, even able to use that motivation to get the first few paragraphs done, and once Tsukasa finished up Hinata was able to show off how much she’d done to her friend. 

It also is how the two managed to find themselves in front of the abandoned building, since Tsukasa really couldn’t back out after Hinata did more than asked. 

The pout she had when she realized that made Hinata remember just how adorable she could be, and how Hinata really wanted to kiss her. 

But instead, Hinata had her phone out with the flashlight on (thank god for the cafe having chargers, so her phone was ready to go), and Tsukasa had already had them drop their stuff off so they were ready to go.

Opening the doors was met with no resistance, which made Hinata let out a small “huh…” starting to look around.

It had been used for classes in the past, if Hinata remembered correctly, which would explain why there were sections that looked like different lecture halls or classrooms. 

Hinata honestly found it incredibly cool, but Tsukasa seemed to have different opinions, if the fact she wasn’t letting go of Hinata’s hand was anything to go off.

It really only made Hinata want to keep going, if it meant getting to keep Tsukasa close to her like this.

It’s a little selfish, but Tsukasa had told her it was ok to do things like that occasionally, so she’d just have to forgive Hinata for this one.

What Hinata wasn’t expecting was to find a music room, as she let out a happy gasp, going into the room.

“H-Hinata? What are you doing?” Tsukasa of course followed, not wanting to let go of her, as Hinata started looking around. 

“It’s an abandoned music room Kasa! There might be some super cool sheet music here or like… magical instruments, or something that if I were to show Sakuma-senpai and Oogami-senpai they’d find super cool!!”

“Are- you doing this just to prove what we’ve done? You’ve already gotten photos in multiple rooms…” She had, but Hinata didn’t feel like responding to that one and instead got a quick selfie with Tsukasa in response, earning an upset sound. “Taking things from here might be wrong… could anger the ghosts or whatever…” 

“Aww~ Don’t worry too much Kasa!” Hinata paused, noticing a few candles and walking over, pulling a small lighter out and lighting them quickly for a bit more light. “There’s a piano over there, which I’ll check out in a minute, so let's explore this room a little!”

“If you say so…” Tsukasa sighed, watching Hinata open some drawers. Tsukasa had let go of her at this point, but partly to let her explore a bit easier. 

Hinata wasn’t finding much, a few old small percussion instruments but nothing that was exciting, until finally…

“Look Kasa!! It’s some sheet music! Handwritten too…” Hinata looked at it, getting a quick photo of it as well. Tsukasa walked over, a little nervously.

Click. 

Well that wasn’t good, as they both looked up at the doors to the room, realizing they had just shut. 

“...That’s not good.” Hinata muttered, as Tsukasa walked over to try and open the door, struggling with it a little.

“Stuck… Hinata can you bring the flashlight over to see if somethings jammed?” 

“Yeah of course! One sec Kas-”

…Oh. 

Her phone suddenly just… stopped working. Flashlight gone, nor turning on.

Tsukasa hadn’t turned around, but Hinata could feel that she was scared. 

“H-Hinata… tell me that’s just a prank and you’ll get back our primary source of light.”

“...Hehe, about that.”

Tsukasa quickly turned to look at Hinata, walking forward and grabbing her shoulders.

“If we get out of here you are never getting to pick what we do to hang out again-”

“...Probably deserve that.”

“Definitely deserve that!” Tsukasa let go, walking over to one of the candles Hinata had lit and picking it up, trying to calm herself down. “What did I say? It was probably a bad idea messing with the room when it’s rumored to be haunted?!”

A pause, as Hinata looked at the sheet music, and then the piano. 

“Hey, Kasa?” 

“What Hinata.” 

“Woah, tone the sass down a little!~” Hinata giggled, walking over and booping Tsukasa, before continuing. “You’re not gonna get hurt, don’t worry, but can you hold that candle and come over to the piano with me?”

“You’re seriously going to mess with the room more-”

“Trust me Kasa!~” 

“Trusting you is how I got into this mess…” Nonetheless, Tsukasa did follow Hinata to the piano, holding the candle up so Hinata could see the music, as she sat on the bench.

A few soft presses to the keys, as Hinata paused listening to the sound.

“That’s… weird.”

“What is?”

“For being abandoned it’s… strangely close to being in tune…”

“...You can tell that easily?” Tsukasa looked down at Hinata, as she let out a soft laugh.

“I’m very good at piano Kasa, you’ll have to listen to me play more!” Hinata giggled, before cracking her knuckles and staring at the music a little longer. 

With a deep breath, Hinata then started to play the music. It was sight reading, so she was aware the timing might not be 100%, but even then she still did a pretty good job. 

Definitely good to Tsukasa, who watched her play with a fascinated look that Hinata only caught a glimpse of. 

The song was good though, being handwritten didn’t change the fact the composer knew what they were doing. Hinata was almost a little sad it never left this room…

As she finished though, she smiled softly at the music.

“It’s a beautiful piece…” Hinata spoke softly, as Tsukasa looked down concerned, wiping away a tear Hinata didn’t realize had fallen. 

“It really is… so why are you crying..?” 

“It’s their swansong, whoever this was… I can recognize a swansong…” Hinata let out a sad laugh, sniffling and gently picking up the sheet music. “Do you know what a swansong is Kasa?”

“Isn’t it meant to be the final song an artist sings before retiring…?” Tsukasa asked, sitting beside Hinata on the bench. There was an unspoken second question, of why did Hinata know so much about these songs , but Hinata just laughed softly, as she ran her fingers over the notes on the music.

“Close, that’s the more… positive, meaning it’s been given…” Hinata hummed, as she kept her voice soft. “The saying exists because there’s… legends about swans, and how they sing most beautifully right before they die…”

Tsukasa stayed silent, setting down the candle on a nearby table, pulling Hinata into a small side hug. 

Hinata appreciated this, the way Tsukasa never forced her to explain more than she wanted, but made her feel safe no matter which choice she made.

It was something hard to explain, Hinata never was good at talking about herself, but she wanted to be able to trust Tsukasa more…

Maybe… she could explain more.

“There’s… this kind of unspoken beauty in the tragedy that is swansongs. People don’t often make their own swansongs knowingly, since we don’t really know when the end is approaching…” Hinata gave a weak smile, sniffling again and noticing how Tsukasa had started gently rubbing her back. “But some people do, be it they see that end approaching them, or that they… walk towards it with open arms and a broken smile. It’s… strange, you can always tell which case it is when you listen, you know? The first type is normally a final message, to leave with others to fill the time they have left with joy or comfort.”

Hinata noticed how her hands were shaking, as she found herself clutching the music to her chest. Tsukasa pulled her a little further into her embrace, noticeably keeping her breathing very steady so Hinata could follow if needed.

“You don’t have to continue if you don’t want to.”

“I do though, I just-” A pause, as Hinata focused on following Tsukasa’s breathing, before continuing. “I’ve never talked about… this. So you’ll just… have to deal with it if it’s awkward, and part of this seems weird.”

“Of course Hinata… please just do what you need to be comfortable.”

A nod, as Hinata wiped away a few remaining tears, before continuing the earlier explanation. 

“The second type is… different. It’s… almost like what’s left of their mask and what it’s shattering to reveal… that’s how you get songs like this, hauntingly beautiful because it’s a final whisper to the world, with the message just being…” A shaky breath, as Hinata leaned further into Tsukasa’s embrace. “Goodbye.” 

Hinata was more familiar with that concept than she’d like to admit. Tsukasa was being so sweet to her though… so she wanted to at least try to explain.

“I’d… rather not go into details, so if you want to know more ask Yuuta or Sakuma-senpai… but I’m very familiar with that feeling. There… might’ve been a time I was close to making that choice where those two managed to stop me.”

Tsukasa didn’t offer fake words of comfort, nor look at Hinata weirdly. 

She just hugged her a little tighter, and whispered softly.

“I’m glad you’re here now.”

And Hinata started crying, harder than she would’ve liked, hugging Tsukasa back until she was certain she wouldn’t go away. 

There wasn’t anything else said, as Tsukasa continued quietly comforting her as she cried. The sheet music rested in between them, and Hinata wasn’t really sure how long she had cried, before she pulled back and wiped her eyes.

“I’m… sorry, for that-” Hinata started, as Tsukasa moved to cup her face, wiping the remaining tears away. 

“Don’t apologize for that, please…” Tsukasa gave a comforting smile that made Hinata smile back softly. “You shouldn’t apologize for how you feel. You’re still here, and these facts won’t change the fact that you’re my friend. There’s nothing to apologize for.”

“Has… anyone ever told you that you’re perfect-” Tsukasa laughed softly, ruffling Hinata’s hair and making her laugh as well.

“Yes, you tell me this a lot whenever I’m just being a decent person and comforting you.”

“Well you’re really good at comforting people so-!”

Hinata then stopped, looking at the piano again, and then the music between them. 

With a small smile, Hinata held the music to her chest again, humming softly. 

“I wonder if whoever wrote this would be ok with me keeping it…” Tsukasa looked at her confused, and Hinata continued her thought. “It’s… truly a blessing that I had people to pull me back from that edge, but so many others don’t. And even then, the worst part about a swansong is that more often than not no one is there to witness the tragic beauty, and remember the person or the song.”

“...I think we can probably keep it, but might I suggest something?” Hinata tilted her head to the side, nodding for Tsukasa to continue. “Let’s do a little research, I’m sure somewhere in the records there will be mention of this student.”

Hinata took a moment to process, before she smiled softly and looked up at the other with a nod.

“Let’s make sure we can let them be memorialized, not forgotten.” Hinata finished, as Tsukasa nodded.

Click.

The two of them quickly looked over at where they heard the sound, eyes landing on the now open door. 

Hinata laughed softly, looking at the music again and humming. 

“We’re either getting pranked really good, or finally letting this ghost get their last wish…” Hinata said quietly, as Tsukasa hummed softly in agreement. 

“Either way, no one should be forgotten. I do think this would have to explain why it’s impossible to keep this place boarded up…” Hinata had forgotten that part, but it did make sense now that she thought about it. 

“Hiding away secrets like this isn’t fair, but sadly I’m not… shocked.” Hinata sighed, before noticing her phone was working again. Maybe this really was supernatural. Stretching a little though, she sighed. “Well, should we get out of here Kasa?~”

“...actually, could we stay a little longer?” 

Hinata wasn’t expecting that, looking at Tsukasa confused. 

“I mean… I guess? Why is that Kasa?” 

“It… might sound stupid but…” Tsukasa looked away, which honestly Hinata found way too cute, as she lightly nudged the other girl to make her continue. “If you’re willing, I’d really like to hear you play some more piano…” 

…Tsukasa had no right to be this cute.

Hinata was also really thankful that she was looking away, or else Tsukasa would notice how her face went a deep red at that request. 

“...Mhm, I can definitely play a little more.” 

And so Hinata just started playing different songs she had memorized. Occasionally she’d miss a note or two but it wasn’t like Tsukasa knew that well, simply sitting beside her and listening.

Occasionally, it almost felt like there was a second person playing with her, which made her smile softly. 

She wanted to make sure that whoever this was wouldn’t be forgotten. 

She wanted to make sure their story was told, in the hope that it might help those dealing with similar situations push through. 

Because as beautiful as a swansong could be, Hinata had taught herself how that same beauty could be found everyday, it just took time to learn to see.

Feeling a weight on her side, looking down she realized that Tsukasa had fallen asleep, as she sighed softly, one hand still playing while the other brushed some of Tsukasa’s hair to the side.

The fact the sound didn’t change despite her only using one hand confirmed that this really couldn’t be excused as a prank , but made Hinata softly speak.

“I’m sorry for whatever happened that made you write this…” Hinata slowly shifted the song to start playing the song she had found, noticing it being played shifted down a scale by what anyone else would assume was nothing. “I won’t let you be forgotten, I promise…”

Hinata’s hands hesitated for a moment, as it had felt like something had brushed across them, and she laughed softly.

“I’ll keep living on as well, I promise.”

Hinata fell silent, as she finished the song, watching a few last notes be played, before the room was silent. 

Maybe Hinata was just going insane, as Tsukasa couldn’t vouch for her now, but Hinata didn’t plan on talking about this.

She’d just make sure to remember the promise she made, as she carefully picked up Tsukasa and the sheet music, and walked back to the dorms.

It was nice being able to trust Tsukasa with all of her secrets, she just had to tell the girl one more.

But… that was for another time.

For now, she’d just make sure Tsukasa got back to her room to sleep peacefully, and to get some sleep herself.

-----

Hinata was a good barista, but she forgot the one crucial thing no one could deal with well.

Karens. 

Their little shop did still get stopped by parents when they came to visit, or even some people passing through, but most were still fairly nice.

Not this woman, not this time.

And Hinata was at her breaking point. 

It had already been a stressful week, and she still had to study for a fairly important test after this shift (which ended at 12, and it was only 8:41 am. What grown woman wants to scream at a college student at 8:41 am?). Tsukasa was going to come in sometime soon, but wasn’t here yet. 

No one that she relied on to keep herself sane was here yet, and she was getting more and more tempted to murder.

Apparently the lady had noticed Hinata wasn’t paying attention (shame, Hinata thought she was quite good at the fake paying attention to assholes), as she snapped in front of her face.

“Excuse me?! Are you even listening to me?!” 

Not really, I’m not in the mood to hear your bullshit. 

“Of course I’m listening ma’am, but I assure you I made exactly what you had ordered.”

3 times actually. Hinata had made it 3 different times, and she still insisted that Hinata was getting it wrong. That’s how much Hinata had been trying to avoid conflict and still couldn’t get her to shut up.

“Well that clearly isn’t the case when you still can’t get it right!”

“Ma’am I’ve remade it 3 times, and I’m the only one on this shift. If you’d like to wait…” A pause, as Hinata glanced at the time. 8:42 am. Fuck my life… “18 minutes or so, my brother should be arriving and he might be able to make it correctly.”

“If he’s anything like you I doubt he could.” Hinata really wanted to scream, but you have to be nice to customers, sadly. The lady was still pissed, which wasn’t helping at all. “You’re clearly just not trying, it’s not that hard an order!” 

Your order is the furthest thing from “not that hard.” 

“I’d like to think you’re just trying to scam me if not for the fact you’ve thrown each version of the drink I’ve made into the trash honestly…” 

“Excuse me?!” Oh, Hinata hadn’t meant to say that out loud.

A small sigh, as Hinata went back to tuning out the lady ranting about how pathetic she was, and how she was wasting the bitches precious time, and she was going to be late if Hinata didn’t just use her lazy ass to make a “simple” drink.

Yuuta would be here any moment, and then Hinata could tag out for a moment, and it’d be fine.

“Are you ignoring me again you disgraceful brat?!” The lady snapped, and Hinata was really far too tired to make any good taunt.

“I assure you, I heard it all.”

“And yet you’re still not making the drink.”

“Look, I’ve had to remake drinks before, but needing to do it twice is unheard of, three times is only making it more likely that I’ll slip up again.” Hinata sighed, leaning against the counter and looking at the lady.

“Where’s your manager?” Hinata was waiting for that one, but sighed softly. 

“Out of town for the week, calling them has been prohibited,” It’d be so much easier if Hinata could call the manager honestly, but the world was against her today it seemed. 

But maybe Hinata should’ve watched her tongue, because without thinking she then spoke up again. 

“Although Ma’am, if you’d like to keep making me waste our resources, why don’t you just come behind the counter and fuck up your own drink as well?” 

Hinata was more focused on the fact that she heard the door open with Yuuta saying “I’m here aniki!” to notice the fact the lady was about to slap her, until she felt the sting on her cheek.

Fuck angry ladies hit hard, as Hinata ended up staggering back, holding her cheek and forcing back the tears threatening to spill.

Yuuta was quick to jump into action though, rushing over to the counter and standing in front of Hinata, looking at the lady.

“Excuse me? What the hell condoned that?!” Yuuta’s hands were balled into fists, as the lady just scoffed.

“This brat wouldn’t actually try to do her fucking job.”

“That doesn’t condone attacking an employee, so I’m going to have to ask for you to leave.”

“You can’t just do that!” 

And Hinata was tempted to speak up, before Yuuta just pulled out his phone.

“I could call the cops instead, or I could get a good hit in myself in return for the hit you gave my sister, but I think we’d all like it much better if you just agreed to leave.” 

The lady looked furious but when Yuuta raised the phone up she just huffed and stormed out.

As soon as she was out though, Yuuta turned to Hinata quickly, checking the slap and frowning.

“You definitely need ice, are you ok? What happened?” Yuuta asked, as he turned to get a bag and some ice for Hinata. 

Hinata just was silent, trying her best to not start crying since she really needed a break, as Yuuta looked over and paused, sighing softly and pushing the ice onto Hinata’s face.

Patting her shoulder, Yuuta smiled softly at Hinata.

“Take the rest of the shift off, I’ll cover ok?” 

“Yuuta I’ll-”

“No, take the shift off. Go find Tsukasa, ok?” 

“...Why Kasa?” 

At that, Yuuta rolled his eyes, but still kept a small smile.

“You trust her when you’re feeling stressed or need to talk, I can see it in your eyes. Go take a break, ok?”

Hinata forgot how good her brother was at reading her, but ended up sighing and nodding, smiling softly.

“Thank you Yuuta…”

“Of course, now go.”

And that’s how Hinata found herself wandering campus, having just shot Tsukasa a text and praying the other girl would notice.

She was in the garden, and looking at her phone to see if there was a reply, before looking up.

“Hinata!” Tsukasa ran over, sitting next to Hinata and cupping her face, examining the mark with a worried expression. “Oh my god, are you ok? I’m sorry I didn’t reply my phone died as soon as I got it because I forgot to charge it last night and-”

“Breathe Kasa-” Hinata pressed a finger to the other girl's lips, smiling softly. “I’m… fine. Stressed, and it stings a… lot, but it’ll be ok.”

“Promise? I don’t want to see you hurt-”

“I promise. You’re like a personal Knight I swear~”

“Would that make you my princess then..?” Oh that wasn’t fair, as Hinata’s face went bright red, while it was still being held so Tsukasa definitely noticed. “Pfft- do you like that idea Hina?~”

“You-!” A light shove, as Hinata tried to hide how badly her face was burning up. Which once again, was near impossible to do when Tsukasa was still holding her face, and letting out the most angelic laugh she’d ever heard… “You’re so mean Kasa-!”

“Mhm~ sure…” Tsukasa smiled, finally letting go and patting Hinata’s head, seeing her pout in return. “Well I guess I’ll have to tell whoever dates you that you like that nickname!”

Good news, they already know idiot…

Hinata didn’t say that though, since she’d rather not die on the spot, and instead just huffed. Tsukasa did stop though, still looking at the mark and frowning.

“Still though… What happened? Who hurt you and why?” 

Ah, there was the question, as Hinata just sighed and shifted to lay on Tsukasa partly, looking up at the sky. 

“I’ve been… stressed, as I said, but there was a customer who was being a real pain…” Hinata sighed, leaning into the touch as Tsukasa started playing with her hair. Tsukasa knew she liked the comfort of someone playing with her hair, little things the other girl had learned over time that only made Hinata fall more. “No attempts of negotiation worked well, and I probably should’ve been smarter but got annoyed with her and she slapped me. Kinda had it coming…”

“That’s not true.”

“Huh?” Looking up, Hinata shot Tsukasa a confused look, taking in the upset look on her face. “What do you mean Kasa?”

“You shouldn’t start making excuses for the person who slapped you, and you definitely shouldn’t say you had a physical attack coming.” Tsukasa was very serious, but looking in her eyes Hinata quickly realized it was coming from a place of care. “You had tried to defuse the conflict, didn’t you? If she refused those attempts and only escalated then you have nothing to apologize for.” 

“...I mean, I get it, but I still shouldn’t have been rude in return.” Hinata sighed, looking away from Tsukasa to focus on the clouds in the sky.

“No, but you still don’t deserve to have been hurt.” Tsukasa fell silent, which made Hinata pause, looking at her again. 

Sitting up, Hinata moved to sit on her lap, making Tsukasa look at her. Any other moment Hinata might’ve either been flustered by this herself, or tried to fluster Tsukasa with this, but instead this was just to keep her attention. 

She’d die over it being romantic later, right now this was the affection they had made a normal part of their friendship and comfort.

Cupping Tsukasa’s face, really making it impossible for her to look away, Hinata studied the expression on her face, seeing a hint of regret in her eyes.

“What’s wrong Kasa..?” Hinata smiled softly, gently caressing her face with a hum. Tsukasa weekly smiled back, leaning into the touch with a sigh. “You can talk to me, don’t worry.”

“I’m just…” A sigh, as Tsukasa’s eyes flickered to the mark on Hinata’s cheek, before looking back into her eyes. “Did you do this when I slapped you? Make excuses for me and blame yourself..?”

Hinata sighed, nodding slightly. 

“Yeah, but I mean… I’ve been working on it. I had friends to help me then, and you’ve been there by my side as I work on it now.” Hinata could see Tsukasa relax, and felt her smile shift to a more relaxed one. “Plus, you’ve apologized for it. We both have.”

Tsukasa reached up to cup Hinata’s face in return, making sure to not put pressure on the side that had been hit.

“I’m happy that you’re getting better with your mental health Hinata…”

“Thank you for being there to help me figure out what to do so I could get better.” Hinata saw Tsukasa laugh softly, rolling her eyes at Hinata turning the compliment to her. “You’re always here for me to rely on when I need a helping hand, after all.”

“Of course, I care about you Hinata. I hope you’ll be able to do this without aid some day in the future.” 

“Mmm… well you’re an idiot if you think that’d happen.” Hinata kept her smile, as Tsukasa’s smile fumbled a little, landing on a confused expression although still smiling. 

“Elaborate?” 

“Well, I’m never gonna have perfect days every day, so if I had to do it all alone I’d probably fall apart. I’m not saying I’m hoping to not get better, but I’d hate it if one day you left me alone.”

Tsukasa understood, and smiled softly again. The two stayed in that peaceful silence for a while, Hinata sitting on Tsukasa’s lap, with them both cupping the other's face, just staring into each other’s eyes. 

Hinata really didn’t want this moment to ever end. She loved being close to Tsukasa like this, being able to lean on the other and trust her with anything. If anyone else saw they’d have to think they interrupted a couple, but this was just a trust and friendship between them.

Hinata kinda hated it, honestly. 

She didn’t want it to just be a friendship.

No matter how close of a friendship they had, it’s not what she wanted…

She wanted to be with Tsukasa.

She wanted to be able to tell her all these messy feelings.

To be able to have the wonderful person that was Tsukasa all to herself, and to be able to kiss her in moments like these instead of just sitting here knowing it wasn’t like that.

But the thought of losing her stung so much more, and left her too scared to even think about saying these things.

“Hinata?” 

Quickly snapping out of her thoughts, Hinata tilted her head to the side.

“Hmm? What’s up Kasa?”

“I have a question for you- well… more like I need some advice…”

“Advice on what?”

Tsukasa had looked away at that, which only made Hinata even more interested. 

“Well… you know people better than I do…” A very true statement, Hinata did have that as a major part of her job requirements, and excelled at it. “So I thought you might know what to do in this situation…” 

“I probably would at least have an idea, but~ you’d have to actually explain for me to help.” Both of them had moved from cupping the other’s face, but Hinata did reach up to boop Tsukasa with a small giggle. “So spill!~”

“Alright…” Tsukasa had flushed a little at the boop, huffing before organizing her thoughts. “So… say you have this friend. You’re really close with them, and seem to have a good understanding of each other, right?”

“Right.” Instantly Hinata was trying to put together who this might be. Deep down, she had a feeling this was going to end with her learning Tsukasa had a crush on someone else, but… if that was the case it wouldn’t be a surprise. It might even let her kill her own feelings and keep Tsukasa as a friend, which is the top priority. 

“So, after a while, ups and downs and growing closer, you start to realize that you… want to be closer to them.” That confirmed it, it was a crush. Who Hinata couldn’t tell, but she knew it was definitely a crush. 

“Aww~ mhm I follow!” Hinata couldn’t show the pain, but wanted nothing more than to run away and cry. But she had to be a good friend, so with a smile and a cheerful voice, she kept her mask up. “You’re worried about being rejected?” 

“...Kinda, I’m not sure if they feel the same, or even how to ask.” 

Part of Hinata wanted to just give bad advice intentionally, but that was quickly forced away. Tsukasa deserved to be happy with someone who loved her, even if it wasn’t Hinata. 

“Well, if I’m being honest? Just follow your heart.” Tsukasa looked at her confused, which made Hinata giggle. God she was cute… “If they’re worth it, they’ll be happy no matter what. Whatever your heart says to do, do that! Chin up, if they’re really your friend a confession shouldn’t ruin everything, right?~”

“Yeah… you’re right. Thank you Hinata.”

“Anytime Kasa, anytime.” 

Hinata would just have to ignore the pain in her chest as they changed topics to actually review for Hinata’s test. 

She’d have to ignore the overwhelming desire to confess right there in the garden, with plants she’d care for so tenderly each day and different whispered love confessions in each flower she’d point out and brag about to Tsukasa.

So long Tsukasa was happy, she’d be happy too.

-----

It hadn’t even been 24 hours since Hinata had found out that she had called up Rei, asking if she could come to his apartment, trying to ignore the way her throat closed up as she spoke.

Rei had picked up on it, no matter how forcefully cheerful a tone Hinata kept throughout the call, but didn’t push her on it while on call and instead said he’d leave the door unlocked.

Walking up to the door, Hinata knocked once before opening it. She had permission, but still wanted to announce her presence. 

As she walked in, she noticed both Rei and Kaoru were sitting on the couch, Rei was currently reading while Kaoru had his laptop, likely doing a paper or some other assignment.

Any other time she would’ve asked about it, but Rei just bookmarked his book and looked up, frowning a little.

“You really need to stop visiting our apartment with a bruise on your face from being slapped…” Rei spoke quietly, but that still had Kaoru’s head snapping up to look at Hinata. 

“Well… if it helps the slap actually isn’t why I’m here?”

“...A little, it’s been iced already, correct?”

“Mhm, it has, I promise Sakuma-senpai.”

“Good, come here then…” Rei shifted to the side to make room for her to sit next to him, which she did after setting her stuff down by the door. Kaoru finished typing the sentence he was on, before looking over as well. It was clear they were both concerned, but neither wanted to force her to tak.

But as soon as she sat, letting herself relax a little since they had both seen her at her worst, she couldn’t help but start to tear up, as Rei quickly pulled her into a side hug.

“There there…” Rei’s voice was always so comforting, as Hinata did her best to not cry too hard. Kaoru gently patted her back, as Hinata could tell they were both having a silent conversation over her head. “Talk only if you’re willing, ok?”

“It’s… she has a crush. The person I like has a crush and I’m certain it’s not me…”

The two stayed silent, as they just offered comfort to her silently. There was nothing to say really.

It just hurt.

And she needed that place to cry so she wouldn’t mess everything up.

It’d get better, she’d get over it. 

Eventually… 

-----

Hinata hadn’t exactly “gotten over it” so to say, more as learned to block it out alongside most other negative emotions she dealt with. 

It wasn’t the best choice, but hey it was better than losing her friend, right?

Weeks had passed, they were as close as ever, and Hinata at least didn’t have to hear about the crush so that was good!

Having just finished a day of classes, Hinata was walking into the cafe for a shift, before noticing Tsukasa was there.

It wasn’t the weirdest thing, as it had happened before, but still surprising. 

Yuuta was there too, having been on shift beforehand, and currently chatting with the other girl. Once again, not too weird, Hinata knew the two shared classes and all, but the weird part was how.

The cafe wasn’t particularly full yet, but the two were whispering to each other quietly, Tsukasa looking a little flustered. 

Was Yuuta who she had a crush on? Hinata had always said her brother was nearly as cute as she was, but if it was Yuuta she wasn’t sure her heart could ever recover… 

Knocking on the side of the wall, Tsukasa jumped when she realized Hinata had arrived behind the counter, but Yuuta just hummed and turned around, waving at Hinata.

“Heya Aniki!” Yuuta walked over to Hinata, letting Hinata give him a hug. 

“Heya Yuuta! Say~ What were the two of you gossiping about just then?~” Hinata had to try, even if she wasn’t expecting an actual answer. 

Which, even if Tsukasa was about to try to speak up, which it looked like she was, being pulled down by Yuuta and getting lightly noogied cut that off, with Hinata laughing and trying to struggle out of Yuuta’s hold. 

“Nosy as ever Aniki?~” Yuuta lightly teased, as Hinata kept trying to worm out of his hold. She did succeed at that, but clearly her brother wasn’t done with his attack as he quickly started tickling her sides, earning an upset squeak and much more laughter. “Huh? It’s rude not to answer Aniki…~”

“I’d-! Answer if you’d let me you ass-!” Hinata barely got out between laughs, trying to kick Yuuta’s shins in an attempt to get away. Wrestling and fighting would happen a lot under normal circumstances, but since it was the cafe tickle attacks and kicks would have to do. Hinata just wished she was on the other side of the attack right now. 

After about a minute Yuuta finally let up, stepping away as Hinata leaned against the counter, wiping away any tears from laughing so hard and catching her breath. 

Looking over at Tsukasa though, it was obvious that she had found the situation amusing, as she had a bright smile and seemed to have been laughing herself. 

Yuuta simply wore a smug grin, as Hinata grabbed an empty cup and chucked it at his head, hitting it dead on and earning a “Hey-!” from him. 

“Asshole, could’ve started with at least “how was your day?” instead of ruining my hair and tickling me.” Hinata pouted, as Yuuta rolled his eyes.

“You could’ve led with that too instead of being nosy, idiot.”

“Is it wrong to wonder what my little brother and my best friend are talking about?! You didn’t have to attack me for it!”

“You’re like a few minutes older, first off, and second I’m allowed to chat with my classmate! I think you’re very worthy of having been attacked!” 

Hinata let out a fake offended gasp, as Yuuta just crossed his arms, before she decided to half lay on the counter in front of Tsukasa, sighing dramatically.

“Kasa, you have to defend me here!” Tsukasa, who had just been watching with a small smile now, looked at her confused.

“What am I supposed to do here?”

“Tell Yuuta off for attacking me, duh!!” 

Yuuta huffed, but didn’t speak up, as Tsukasa rolled her eyes. 

“Technically Yuuta did give you a hug to start, and instead of you letting him offer normal conversation you did start being nosy…~” Hinata let out an even more dramatic gasp, as Yuuta snorted and looked at Hinata.

“Wow~ seems your best friend is choosing my side~” Yuuta taunted, as Hinata looked over at him with a death glare.

“Yuuta pick your next words carefully.”

“The youngest is always right!~” 

“You-!” Hinata huffed, seeing Yuuta laugh. “So now you accept being younger if it benefits you?!”

“Mhm!~” Yuuta stuck his tongue out, as Hinata just glared at him. 

“That’s it, get over here-”

“Anik-!” 

Hinata suddenly lunged forward, jumping on Yuuta’s back and getting revenge on his hair, as Yuuta tried to get her off.

Even if it was “fighting”, the two were still both laughing, as Hinata hopped off after about a minute, as Yuuta kicked her shin in return. 

“Asshole.” Yuuta muttered, trying to fix his hair, as Hinata just rolled her eyes and went back to lean against the counter next to Tsukasa. 

Tsukasa also reached up to fix Hinata’s hair, as she shut her eyes and hummed softly, leaning into the touch with a small smile. 

“Having a sibling must be nice…” Tsukasa muttered, which caused the twins to look over to her, each with their own form of confusion. 

“Aniki is an asshole so I’m not sure I follow…” 

“I mean, Yuuta occasionally isn’t the worst person to deal with but more often than not he just bullies me so… explain?”

The twins then both shot each other a glare at what the other said, which made Tsukasa laugh softly, before continuing. 

“I mean… I have a cousin but it’s not the same as having a sibling, but it just seems nice. You’ll have someone there for you no matter what, and you can play together or talk with each other when there’s no one else.”

The two twins were silent, as they shared a look. Both had that silent question to the other, of how much are you willing to tell her?  

Tsukasa then let out a nervous laugh, having finished fixing Hinata’s hair. 

“Or- maybe I’m wrong, as I said I’ve never had one…”

“You’re not wrong, it’s just…” Yuuta was a little nervous speaking up, but Hinata nodded. “You have no idea how long we’ve relied on each other. It’s a long story…”

Tsukasa just nodded, and gently played with Hinata’s hair, smiling softly. 

“You don’t have to explain, sorry if I brought up uncomfortable memories.” 

“It’s fine, no worries Kasa!~” Hinata smiled, as Yuuta shrugged, laughing softly. 

“Mhm! Honestly though, it’s better to not have to deal with a sister who despite acting older acts like a child at times!~” Yuuta hummed, as Hinata looked up at Yuuta with a huff. 

“Aren’t little brothers supposed to be nice to their sisters?”

“Aren’t older sisters supposed to be good role models for their brothers?”

“I’ll get into a fistfight with my brother if I must…”

Yuuta stuck his tongue out to taunt Hinata, as Hinata was about to move to attack him, before Tsukasa held her back. 

“Let me at her Kasa!”

“Not right now Hina…”

“I just want to strangle my brother-”

“Not right now.” 

Yuuta only watched with a smirk, before Hinata eventually gave up and stopped trying to go murder him.

“Don’t look so smug…” Hinata muttered, as Yuuta just laughed, patting Hinata’s shoulder. 

“I’ll be off in about an hour, you’re good to close today Aniki?”

“I’ll be good, Kasa’s sticking here until we close up, right?~” Hinata turned to look at Tsukasa, who nodded with a small smile. 

“Alright, just double checking!” 

“No need to worry about the older sibling, silly!~”

Yuuta just scoffed, before the two twins hopped up to work when a customer came in.

As Yuuta said, after about an hour he did leave, though not before leaning over to whisper something to Tsukasa that had her blushing.

Hinata ignored the pain in her chest, as she finished a drink and complained as Yuuta ruined her hair again, before he finally left.

The rest of the shift was kinda a blur, as the two would chat a little in between orders and the like, before it finally hit time to close up.

It wasn’t a long process, but Hinata enjoyed the company, before finally she left and shut the doors, turning to Tsukasa.

“So! Movie night at your dorm?” Hinata asked, as Tsukasa nodded. 

“Mhm! My roommate said they’d be out late, and possibly might not be returning to the dorm tonight, so we should be able to at least watch the movie!” Hinata couldn’t help but giggle at how well planned Tsukasa was for any situation, as she instead just took her hand. 

“Let’s go then Kasa!~” Hinata felt Tsukasa squeeze her hand gently, before gently pulling Hinata back to her dorm.

It was really hard to try to ignore her feelings when Tsukasa would do these little things that made her heart flutter.

And the fact Hinata was currently snuggled into her side, as they had a blanket around them both and a popcorn bowl in between them. 

The movie they had first watched was a horror one, but wasn’t that good. Once Tsukasa got the update that it was very unlikely that her roommate would be back, they decided to put on a cheesy romantic movie, and spent the entire time so far mocking it.

“Wait wait, watch close Kasa, I think I can mimic what the guy is gonna do in this next scene!” Hinata smirked, as Tsukasa shot her a doubting glare. 

“Alright, what’s your prediction?”

“He’s gonna come like… to her door standing in the rain or something, with either flowers or chocolate, and be like…” Hinata cleared her throat, dropping her voice a little lower before speaking. “I didn’t mean to make out with that other girl… It was a mistake. She’s just a friend…” Tsukasa snorted at that, which only made Hinata smile so softly, continuing. “Then the girl will be like ‘oh but what about the bet you made with your friends? Was this just because of that?’ or something, not quite sure…” 

Tsukasa started laughing harder at Hinata having also raised her voice an octave to be the girl, pausing the movie since this was much more entertaining (and they didn’t want to miss it if they had predicted correctly.

“Hina- you don’t have to raise your voice up higher to be a girl-”

“It’s more fun that way, anyway~” Hinata did not miss the second snort she earned, as she kept going. “He’ll probably say something stupid about how ‘I don’t care about the bet, only you…’ or whatever bullshit he needs to get back into her pants,” A light shove from Tsukasa, somehow making her laugh harder. “I’m right!! Still, if we’re lucky she’ll make him put in a little more effort…”

“W-what will he do if she makes him try harder?” Tsukasa barely managed to ask in between laughs, as Hinata hummed. 

“I mean, still something stupid-” Hinata moved the popcorn, grabbing Tsukasa’s hands and making her look up, still laughing her ass off. “He’d probably do this and say something like ‘It doesn’t matter… no one could be you. I choose you… so let's make out.’” 

Something about the combined lower voice Hinata was doing, and the sudden addition of the last part made Tsukasa gasp from laughing so much harder. Balling up in tears from laughing, Hinata ended up laughing as well, pulling Tsukasa into a hug.

“It wasn’t that funny!” 

“I wasn’t ready-!!!” Tsukasa managed to choke out, hugging Hinata back and hiding her face, as the two both tried to calm down and steady their breathing, occasional giggles slipping out.

“Should we unpause it?” 

“If it goes anything like what you said I’m just gonna start laughing again…”

Hinata shrugged, as the two of them went back to their previous position (including the popcorn, a very important thing!), as Tsukasa unpaused it.

“Look look! It’s raining and the doorbell rang!!” Hinata heard Tsukasa try to muffle a laugh, as she took a handful of popcorn.

That didn’t much matter, as Tsukasa almost choked on the popcorn and started laughing the minute it showed the guy in the movie holding flowers. 

The two of them barely even heard the movie, just laughing as the scene Hinata vaguely described played out, before eventually Hinata instead leaned over to pause it, as Tsukasa clung onto her while laughing.

“I can’t believe-” 

“You can’t?!” Tsukasa cut Hinata off, making Hinata start laughing even harder.

“I can’t believe I called it so perfectly!!” Hinata finally paused to take a deep breath, as Tsukasa followed suit, once again ending their giggle fit.

“I still think I could do better than that movie for romance.” Tsukasa muttered, which made Hinata’s head perk up. 

“Oh? Do enlighten me Kasa~” 

Tsukasa’s face flushed up, as Hinata gave a cocky grin, poking her.

“What do you mean by that Hinata..?”

“Well- what would you do that’s romantic? Date ideas, confession ideas, all the like!!” 

Tsukasa had a good moment of debating, before sighing softly.

“I mean… I guess I have confession ideas…” Hinata’s face lit up, as Tsukasa gave an affectionate sigh. “I don’t honestly think I’d like to do anything too fancy… maybe I’d confess just doing something we enjoy together. Taking your advice of listening to my heart and all…”

“Aww~ that’s so sweet!” Hinata hummed, about to say more, but stopped when Tsukasa gently took her hands, making her look at Tsukasa confused. “Kasa..?”

“...Hey, Hinata? Can I tell you something..?”

“...you’re scaring me here, but of course Kasa…”

“It’s nothing bad, I promise,” Tsukasa smiled softly, her face dusted a light red. “I’d… wanted to be a bit more prepared to do it, but your brother told me to just do it when I felt the most comfortable, so…” A deep breath, as Tsukasa looked right into her eyes. “I love you Hinata. It would mean the world to me if I would be able to call you my girlfriend.” 

Oh.

Oh.

Hinata paused, nearly forgetting to breathe because of the mess of thoughts that started rushing through her head as she tried to put everything together.

Tsukasa asked her out.

Which meant that she was the crush in question that Tsukasa had.

Which means their platonic affection that Hinata so desperately wanted to be romantic might not have been platonic at all.

Which also might’ve explained why she got so pissed when she thought Hinata would let anyone be with her at the party that night.

And would also possibly explain why she was so comfortable faking a relationship with Hinata with the creep yet also went so far in her planning to ruin him.

It… explained everything. 

And she really, really, was stupid.

Hinata’s words weren’t working, but apparently her tears were as she felt a tear run down the side of her face, as Tsukasa’s expression shifted to one of distress.

“Hinata? Y-you don’t have to agree, I’m sorry it’s so sudden-” 

“Kasa- just… one second…” Hinata sniffed, as Tsukasa moved to wipe away her tears, offering a reassuring smile. God, she was perfect in Hinata’s eyes. Reaching up, Hinata cupped Tsukasa’s face in return, managing to stop crying. 

“Are you alright…?” 

“I’m fine Kasa… an idiot maybe, but fine…” Hinata smiled, moving to have their foreheads pressed together. “I’d love to be your girlfriend, you have no idea how much I’ve wanted to hear this…”

“I’ve wanted to tell you for a while, but I was worried I’d ruin it all…” 

“Wait same!” They both started laughing, still keeping their foreheads together, as Hinata let out a small sigh, shutting her eyes.

“Is that what you meant by you’re an idiot..?”

“...More like I thought you had a crush on someone else when you asked me for advice originally, and then today thought it might’ve been my brother who you were crushing on…” Hinata let out a nervous laugh, as Tsukasa thought for a few seconds before looking a little flustered.

“Oh- Hinata no… I was asking him for advice on how to confess to you!” Hinata let out a small sound of frustration, mostly at herself, before moving to hide her face in Tsukasa’s shoulder. The other girl just laughed, moving to play with her hair. “Your brother might’ve been bugging me about it for like… every day in class…” 

“And you wouldn’t let me strangle him for what reason?” 

“I’d be a witness, and don’t want to go lie to the court for my, at the time, crush.” 

Hinata couldn’t really argue with that, and turned to snuggle into Tsukasa’s side again, resting her head against the other's chest and looking back at the tv. 

“Should we finish this bad movie? I know we kinda just finished our own cliche love plot but I need to see the ending, even if it’s stupid.” 

Tsukasa laughed softly in response to that, but wrapped the blanket around them a little tighter, nodding and unpausing. 

And honestly, the movie’s ending was just as shitty as the rest, but they were still joking so it was at least a little more fun.

It was much more fun since she was able to focus more on making jokes to get the result of laughter from the other girl, or a blush. Any reaction worked, as Tsukasa was perfect no matter what and beautiful to Hinata.

Once the movie ended, Hinata hummed softly, looking up at Tsukasa. 

“Kasa?”

“Yes Hina?”

“I love you…”

“I love you too Hinata…” Tsukasa looked down at her, a bit surprised at the sudden I love you, but not minding. Hinata only smiled softly, before then humming.

“Good, I wanted to establish that before telling you if you ever pull anything nearly as stupid as that movie I cannot promise I’ll love you after that.”

Tsukasa snorted, once again not ready and laughing her ass off, which made Hinata start giggling at Tsukasa’s reaction.

It really was the most wonderful laugh she’d ever heard.

“I promise, I won’t be that stupid. If I am, you have full rights to end me then and there~” Tsukasa’s voice was soft, as Hinata vaguely wondered how the fuck these moments had happened and Hinata hadn’t already kissed her , as Tsukasa brushed some of her hair aside and pressed a soft kiss to Hinata’s forehead.

This was going to be how she died, as her face went bright red, earning a soft laugh from Tsukasa.

There were a lot of things Hinata wanted to say, but instead all she did was shift, sitting in Tsukasa’s lap and facing her, before cupping her face and looking her straight in the eyes.

Tsukasa was confused, but complied thankfully, gently wrapping her arms around Hinata’s waist, and tilting her head to silently question the other.

Finding the words she’d so long wanted to ask, Hinata took a deep breath before speaking. 

“Can I kiss you?”

There was a soft blush that dusted over Tsukasa’s face, and Hinata was very vaguely aware that the tv was autoplaying onto another movie that probably would have basically the same plot as the previous one, but she really didn’t care.

Not when Tsukasa gave a small nod, and Hinata moved forward to press their lips together.

It was slow, hesitant, as if both of them were both still trying to confirm that this was real, and that it was ok. 

But it was all Hinata had ever wanted. And she couldn’t help but smile, as she moved back for a moment to confirm Tsukasa was ok. 

Meeting the others' eyes, Tsukasa smiled softly at her, an expression Hinata easily mimicked. 

“Stay the night?” Tsukasa asked softly, as Hinata nodded.

Because what other answer would she give, when she’d never been happier and was finally able to call this love she’d wanted for so long her own?

“Can I kiss you again?” Hinata simply asked in response, and Tsukasa nodded as well, reaching up to pull Hinata back down into another kiss. 

A little more confident now, though. Every kiss they shared grew a little bolder, a little more comfortable, and everytime they parted they were quick to move back to steal another kiss.

How long they’d spent exchanging kisses was lost to them, but Hinata was aware she’d moved to lay down on the couch, having pulled Tsukasa on top of her, not wanting to move too far away from Tsukasa (or, her lips in this case).

Maybe they should’ve paid a little more attention though, as suddenly the door opened with Tsukasa’s roommate happily yelling in “We’re back Suo!~”

Tsukasa quickly pulled back from Hinata, with Hinata scrambling back a little on the couch, looking up to see the two other people in the room staring at them. 

Hinata recognized both of them, much to her dismay. Leo Tsukinaga, Tsukasa’s roommate, and Izumi Sena, Leo’s lover and part of the friend group Tsukasa was in with her roommate.

Leo, thankfully didn’t look too bothered, though did seem to be texting something and holding her phone like she had gotten a photo, which wasn’t comforting for Hinata at all because she knew how much that group liked to tease and gossip. 

And Leo knew Rei, which was gonna be the death of Hinata once he found out.

Tsukasa went pale though, and Hinata was about to ask before looking at Izumi and freezing.

Ice cold eyes were glaring at them both, as Izumi let out an annoyed sigh. 

Hinata’s pretty sure the room's temperature lowered, honestly.

“Kasa-chan.” Izumi’s voice sent shivers down both of their spines, voice way too monotone to be anything good. 

“...Sena-senpai?”

“Did you not see the text that we would be coming back to the room because my roommate had company?” 

“...no?” Tsukasa spoke quietly, as Hinata thought back to the fact she’s pretty sure she told Tsukasa to turn notifications off after the first movie was done. 

Izumi was about to say something, but Leo simply laughed so brightly, bringing the room back from the icey cold tension previously, running over to ruffle Tsukasa’s hair.

“Sena~ be nice!! I’m happy for you Suo!~ You’ve only been pining after her since like… the day you met!” Leo’s smile was bright, as Tsukasa flushed red upon hearing that. Hinata, on the other hand, found herself with a teasing smile, looking over at the two. 

“Kasa?~ Were you going to tell me that part?~” Tsukasa shook her head, as Leo laughed again, about to speak up before Tsukasa scrambled up to cover her mouth. 

“Leo-san I swear to god-”

“Alright, Kasa-chan, Hinata-chan,” Izumi cut Tsukasa off, making the two look over. “Your room is empty, since it’s your roommate that is in my dorm, so you two can go there.”

The two of them nodded, as Leo patted them both on the head, giving them a warm smile. 

“Congrats you two!! Get some rest!~” Leo called out to them as they were about to leave, with Izumi lightly nudged Tsukasa, an unspoken congratulation as well.

And while it was about to be humiliating in the morning, running through the halls back to Hinata’s dorm hand in hand, muffling soft giggles…

Hinata had never been happier. 

And if she took advantage of the fact that she could randomly pull Tsukasa into a quick kiss in the hall, or that Tsukasa would occasionally spin her just to make her laugh?

No one would be able to blame her, no matter what the future has in store.

This was all she needed.