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Hiiro had never noticed Hinata. Not as in the way where he didn’t acknowledge the other’s existence, but he never really noticed him. But soon enough, he caught himself noting down the little details in Hinata that made his heart run.
From the way his eyes scrunch up a tiny bit when he smiles, to the way his ears and cheek turn slightly pink when he passionately talks about his favorite desserts, Hiiro’s heart warmed whenever he saw the other. To him, Hinata was like the sun. Always shining and sharing his warmth and love when he needs it the most. It made his heart skip a beat thinking of him. But of course, Hiiro would never be brave enough to tell him that.
So there he sat in his dorm, trying his best to study for an upcoming math exam. Not that he really needed to study anyways, just review some concepts he tends to forget. Niki was away at a Crazy: B practice so it was just him and Hinata in the dorm room. The other sat across from him with a frustrated face, likely trying to figure out what math even is. Suddenly, he heard Hinata’s chair scratch against the floor, jerking away his focus from his notes.
“Do you want anything?” Hinata perked. “I need a break so I’m off to buy snacks!”
“No thanks, but let me come with you, I feel awful for you heading off by yourself.” Hiiro replied as he got up to grab his coat and wallet, not wanting to leave his roommate venturing off on his own. “Alrighty!” Hinata perked, excited to grab some late-night study snacks.
And that’s where he found himself next. Walking to a nearby convenience store with Hinata. The other did most of the talking, trying to strike up a conversation, which led to a tangent on why their math classes “sucks” and “is the worst thing in existence.” Hiiro just listened for most of the time, adding in his comments here and there, but it was nice to hear something other than his mind racing through math formulas.
“I mean, what is even a derivative? We all are asked to keep solving derivatives but have you ever even asked what is a derivative?” The orange-haired boy complained. “It’s really not that difficult, I can help you if you would like,” Hiiro hummed in response. “No thanks, I think I’d rather fail than hurt my brain trying to figure this whole derivative thing out.”
Before Hiiro could argue back on how simple derivatives truly are, they arrived at a local 7-11. The artificial light blinded his eyes as the AC made him shiver a bit. Upon entering Hinata immediately noticed the nail polish on one of the shelves.
“Ah, I forgot to restock on my polish, good thing we had the brilliant idea to come here!” Hinata perked. “Do you like painting your nails?” Hiiro asked in curiosity. The answer was pretty obvious though. He always noticed the other’s pastel pink and aqua colored fingertips during lives. Though as of recently, Hinata has been opting for a more blush nude color, one that would be unnoticable from a distance but make his fingers pop when up close. “Mhm, they make me feel pretty and plus there’s tons of colors to choose from!” Hinata replied with excitement.
Looking at the shelf, Hiiro noticed that indeed there were many colors. From dark reds and blues to pastel colors that seemed to fit the Aoi twin’s aesthetics, there were more than enough options for his roommate. Both boys were squished to look at the tiny shelf. Being so close, Hiiro noticed how warm Hinata was. The heat was practically radiating off of the other.
“Would you be able to do mine?” Hiiro asked suddenly. To be honest, he didn’t know why he asked. He was never one to wear nail polish, but it wasn’t like he never thought about it. There were many colors that he thought would suit him, but just never had the courage to try. “Really? I’ve always wanted to paint other people’s nails, it gets a bit boring just doing mine all the time!” Hinata replied excitedly. “What colors do you want? Oh wait! I think these would suit you!” Hinata added as he grabbed a red, black, and blue from the shelf. All three colors were Alkaloid colors, which were really pretty on their own, but not what Hiiro was looking for.
“Those look really nice, but I was thinking of this color,” he said as he pulled a pastel green off the shelf. It wasn’t fully pastel, but a pale enough green that it wouldn’t make his fingertips look like olives. “Mmh, interesting choice!” the other perked, placing back the other three choices.
“I think I’ll get these colors,” Hinata said as he showed off several shades of pink and aqua. “Also, let me grab some snacks and then we’ll head back to the dorms, I feel bad for dragging you along with me.” he added. This outing didn’t feel much of a drag to Hiiro though. Usually his roommates were off to practice or in other instances, he was as well, leaving little time to himself or his friends. It was nice to have a change of scenery for once. “No worries Hinata, it’s nice to get out of the dorms every once in a while.”
In the end, Hinata chose several mini cakes and cream puffs to snack on while he just settled for some lemonade to keep himself hydrated.
Walking back to the dorms was pretty uneventful. Leaving the convenient store made them realize how dark it had already gotten, making heading back to the dorms before it got too late (and dark) a priority.
Once in the safety of their dorm, Hinata settled down on his side of the room, laying out the various colors of nail polish as well as his snacks. “Hiiro, come here,” Hinata exclaimed, gesturing his hand for Hiiro to sit next to him. Slowly, Hiiro walked to the other side of the room, careful not to trample over any of Hinata’s personal items.
Sitting down next to Hinata, he could faintly feel how quick his heart was racing. Whether from nervousness or some other foriegn emotion, he couldn’t tell. “Hiiro, let me see your hands,” Hinata spoke, carefully picking up the red-head’s hands.
Oh. This was different. They were close, really close against each other. Hinata was so warm. Like all the sun’s warmth and kindness was put into one human being. With Hiiro’s hands clasped in Hinata’s fingers, he could feel how soft, yet sturdy Hinata’s hands were as they carefully traced his fingers. His hands were soft and warm and slightly calloused at the tips. Their gentleness with the way they held his hands made his heart warm.
“I’ll start with one coat, then we’ll see if you need another and then a top coat to protect your new manicure,” Hinata smiled. Had it not been confirmed before, it really assured it now. Hinata definitely was the sun, because how could anyone else make Hiiro feel some warm and bubbly inside. “Alright,” he whispered. With the assurance, Hinata got to work. Hiiro had never seen the boy so focused before. All his attention went to perfecting the green paint that coated Hiiro’s finger tips. The silence that surrounded the two of them was peaceful–comfortable. As the orange-head’s fingers traced along his own, he felt safe in the presence of Hinata Aoi. The comfort he felt was new, yet familiar. It reminded him of his hometown when he was younger, with just him and his family before he knew how hard life could get. Though, he never felt the warmth that came from this kind of comfort. The kind of warmth that makes your stomach turn. The kind of warmth that takes your breath away. The kind of warmth that makes you want to run away and stay to bask in its comfort all at the same time.
This kind of warmth...could be something he could get used to.