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The first time she meets Hinata Shoyou, she can tell that his name truly suits him. He offers her a blinding grin as he shouts his apologies for intruding slightly louder than necessary. She waves him off, Tadashi is a treat but Kei bringing a new friend home is even better.
The boys bounds after Kei, gesturing animatedly as they walk towards Kei's room. She chuckles and heads to the kitchen to work on dinner. Energetic that one. Not the type of person she would expect her composed and quiet son to bring home.
But… she recalls another stoic boy once, her mind drifting through memories as she stirs the curry. All he needed was a little bit of sunshine in his life and when she met him for the first time in that music store, she knew he was hers.
Maybe Hinata Shoyou will be good for Kei. Maybe they will be good for each other.
After the kitchen is clear she retires to her room with a book. She hears Hinata shouting, frustration maybe.
Several chapters later she sets down her book and notes the late time. She makes her way down the hallway to find Kei’s room is empty.
She frowns and wanders towards the kitchen.
At the table, Kei is sitting across from Hinata, who seems focused on the notebook in front of him. Kei offers a correction and Hinata nods then returns to the book. No more frustrated shouts.
Huh.
She comes around the corner and kisses Kei on the forehead. “It’s getting late, Kei. No more tonight, alright.” She scolds gently.
She pauses. Hinata has suddenly grown tense.
“Hinata is everything all right?” She asks.
“I’m sorry, Tsukishima-san.” He whispers. His eyes are closed.
“Sorry for what?” She asks, coming around the table, her concern spilling into her voice.
“I don’t mean to take so long, I’ll be faster next time…” he trails off, eyes still closed. Under the table his knee bounces and his pencil is moving side to side.
Kei offers her a questioning look. She struggles to offer him anything useful in return.
She smiles and places a hand on the boy's shoulder. “It’s alright if you don’t finish it all tonight, Hinata-kun. I can tell you’ve been working very hard. How about you boys head to bed, you can stay here tonight and then tomorrow evening you can finish whatever you have left. Does that sound alright?” She keeps her words soft as she presents the solution. Slowly the pencil calms and the limb under the table stops bouncing.
Hinata nods. “Thank you. I’ll try not to take up too much of your time.”
“Tch. Dumbass, if I didn’t want to help I would have said no, now let's go to bed, ur stupidity makes me tired.”
“Kei.” She admonishes, but his words seem to get Hinata’s attention because he screeches, and flips the notebook shut dramatically.
“I’m not stupid, you’re stupid.” He throws back before breaking off into a yawn.
Kei scoffs. Hinata turns down the hall towards Kei’s room. “You could say something nicer to your friends, you know.”
“We’re not friends… and I don’t actually think he’s stupid.” He says quietly before turning away from her to follow after Hinata.
She sighs and shakes her head. Teenagers. She can’t remember Akiteru being this stubborn.
The image of Hinata frozen at her kitchen table follows her to bed. She knows there’s more to it than being overly polite. She wishes the boy didn’t feel as though there were a timer counting down, she wonders what kind of doom he thinks waits for him when the time runs out.
She thinks maybe she should let it go. But… well she’s never been good at letting go of something that catches her attention.
She starts with the most obvious source of information.
Kei comes around the corner, yawning as he goes, backpack in hand. He sets the bag down and turns to the kitchen.
He stops and eyes her suspiciously. She smiles widely and holds out a travel mug. He takes it, eyes still narrowed at her.
“Good morning, my youngest child.” She says brightly.
“What do you want?” He responds immediately.
She gasps mockingly. “Can’t a mother say good morning to her son and see him off to school.”
He shakes his head and sips the coffee, as though he doesn’t truly believe that the offering is genuine.
And well… “Sure, you do that every morning but normally I have to wait until you leave the room to get coffee without any nagging.” Kei shoots back.
She chuckles. “Fair enough, oh-observant-one. I just wanted to know a little bit more about the boy you brought over a couple days ago…”
“Hinata?” He pushes past her and starts gathering his lunch.
“Yeah.”
He shrugs. “I don’t know if there’s much to him. The kid’s obsessed with volleyball, overly loud and enthusiastic. He never stops moving.”
“So the complete opposite of you.” He offers her a deadpan stare. “Oh sweetheart, you’re so much like your father. There’s nothing wrong with a little excitement, you know.”
“Well Hinata can keep all his excitement, far away from me.” He pulls an apple from a bowl and turns to the fridge and starts putting together his bento.
She snorts. “See that’s the part that has me confused. You offered to tutor him, but everything you said just now is supposed to make me think you want nothing to do with him.”
“No offence mom, but why do you care?” She pauses, he’s getting frustrated and she’s pretty sure she’s exhausted this resource of information.
She shakes her head. “He seems sweet.” Is all she offers.
He exits the kitchen with a scoff. But then peeks back around the doorway.
“I agreed to tutor him because he puzzles me… he’s really smart, I think. He usually gets it after a couple different explanations… but he’s dumb or something ‘cause he’s still getting bad grades.”
She smiles softly and nods. “Have a good day, Kei. I love you.”
“I love you too,” he calls and then he’s out the door.
It’s a Sunday and Hinata arrives bright and early. Kei immediately grabs both of their bags and drags Hinata down the hall. “We’re studying in the backyard today.” He states curtly.
She rolls her eyes with a fond smile, Hinata squeaks but follows willingly. Ayama wanders into the bathroom and pulls down an orange bottle, two purple pills spilling into her palm.
It’s clear to her Hinata is after her own heart. Kei seems to have picked up on that if his switch in tactics is anything to go by. The finishing touch would of course be a reward. If Hinata is as much like her as she believes him to be, then he’s certain to have a sweet tooth as well. That is the one thing Kei got from her, though he would never admit it and eats like a crow himself, he will always eat dessert.
She searches the kitchen for the perfect treat and smiles when she finds a bag of marshmallows. Perfect. Quickly, she wanders towards the back door and slips outside. Hinata has a small twinkle in his eye as Kei holds a volleyball in his lap and watches the smaller boy scribble away in his notebook.
She watches as Hinata shows Kei. When Kei nods in approval the boy lets out a triumphant shout. Both boys stand and Kei sets the ball, which Hinata returns with a set of his own. As she steps closer she can hear that Kei is quizzing Hinata on English vocabulary and Hinata is returning the ball and the required definition with perfect form.
She smiles. English was her least favourite subject as well.
They toss the ball back and forth a few more times and then Kei sits down with the ball again and Hinata returns to the notebook. She chooses then to come stand next to Kei and place the bag of marshmallows beside him on the grass. Kei looks from her to the bag and smiles. “Thanks, mom.”
“Thank you Tsukishima-san.” Hinata says and reaches for the bag. Kei pulls it away before he can grab it.
“Uh uh, one marshmallow for every 5 questions done correctly.” He smirks, and pops a marshmallow in his mouth.
Hinata gapes. “Bakashima, rude!”
Ayama chuckles and steps away, leaving the boys to finish their studying. When she looks back over her shoulder Kei is laughing vibrantly as he holds the bag of marshmallows out of Hinata’s reach as he squawks in indignation.
Yes, Hinata Shoyou is a nice change around here.