Chapter 11

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The group immediately heads off after grabbing lunch and went to the church they booked for their Sunday morning worship. It was Yachi's idea in the first place, she just had to drag the whole group with her so they could worship with her.

They were currently inside the church, standing up with their hands clasped together as the priest in front of them says a prayer.

In the middle of the prayer, Hinata stands between Tsukishima and Kageyama. The two men beside him kept their eyes closed as they listen to the prayer. As for Hinata, his eyes started getting droopy.

He tries hard to stay awake, to not be disrespectful, but his body fails as he feels himself stumble forward a little.

Tsukishima stifles a yelp when he feels someone step on his foot, glaring at the person beside him. "What the hell are you doing?!" He whisper-shouts.

Hinata jumps, his eyes shooting open as Tsukishima nudges him awake. "Huh?! What?"

Tsukishima clicks his tongue in annoyance as he grimaces at the sight of a dirty smudge on his boot.

Hinata mumbles a lazy apology before he tries to listen to the prayer. Only to feel his eyes slowly dropping close again, his body swaying side to side. He accidentally bumps into Tsukishima's arm and the man glares at him.

Tsukishima harshly nudges Hinata off him, effectively waking the man up. "Geez, if you're gonna sleep then sleep on the floor." He grumbles.

Hinata fails to comprehend his words, his head just nodding off from sleep. Though, the sweet sound of laughter beside him wakes him up, glancing at the man beside him.

He sees Kageyama laughing quietly, using the back of his hand to hide his smile but failing as it shows itself to everyone. Hinata finds himself mesmerized at the sight. He had only seen glimpses of Kageyama's smile, usually hiding it or removing it quickly. The sight of his wide smile makes Hinata suddenly feel all giddy and soft.

"Shh!" The three men flinch and turn their heads simultaneously at Yachi who was giving them a glare.

They all tense their shoulders as an apology, nervously looking back at the front. Hinata steals a glance at Kageyama and he sees the small smile still on his face as he proceeds with his prayers.

A smile began making its way to Hinata's face as well. The image of Kageyama's smile is still in his mind as he closes his eyes with his hands clasped together. The smile on his face doesn't disappear either.

~~~~~

The group leaves the building after the worshipping. On their way out, Yachi scolds Hinata for nearly falling asleep. "You should've said something before we went to church!" She has a stern tone that almost makes her look more like a mother than a friend.

Hinata was quick to defend himself, throwing his hands up in the air for gestures. "I only got tired halfway! I wasn't tired before that!"

"That's even worse!"

"W-Wait! That wasn't my intention! What I meant was I only realized I was tired when it was time for prayers!"

Yamaguchi sweat drops at the sight of his friends bickering in public, sending apologetic looks to the people passing by. "Man...these two can't catch a break." He mutters to Kageyama who he noticed was right beside him.

Kageyama nods in agreement as he watches his two friends in front of him. Yamaguchi briefly glances at the man beside him and then notices something off about him. He furrows his eyebrows in thought before his eyes widen ever so slightly.

"Have been you eating well?" His eyes were filled with concern as he asks Kageyama, the man he was talking to tensing at the subject. "You look a bit...skinny."

Kageyama was not used to someone else asking him about his condition. He coughs awkwardly, stuffing his gloved hands in his pocket in discomfort. "Yeah...I'm just on a diet."

Although he wasn't buying it, Yamaguchi could see the disturbed look on Kageyama's face, so he leaves him be. He hears Kageyama let out a quiet sigh of relief and his concern grows. Does Hinata know?

As Yamaguchi was lost in his thoughts, his tall best friend beside him heard their quiet conversation. His eyebrows twitch slightly and his lips pursed in a thin line. He stays silent, but if Yamaguchi would look at him, he could tell that it was obvious Tsukishima wants to say something.

The air around them was tense, the happy and relaxed tension all gone as they were all lost in their own thoughts, thinking on the same subject.

Kageyama feels the tension in the air, as well as the eyes staring at the side of his head. He looks up and sees Tsukishima glancing at him with his eyebrows slightly furrowed. Their eyes meet, an unspoken conversation between them before Kageyama realizes that he knew.

"Okay fine! Can we just go eat? I'm getting hungry again!" Hinata's whines break their eye contact as they look at the ginger head man. A pout formed on his lips as Yachi sighs at his behavior.

"Alright, fine. Where do you guys want to eat?" Yachi turns to the group, both of them unaware of the tension in the air. Yamaguchi was quick to act normal, an excited smile forming on his face.

"Oh! I know! There's an all-you-can-eat restaurant just nearby! I've been there before and their food's really good!"

Everyone shared looks as they came to a silent agreement, shrugging their shoulders. "Sure, why not?" Tsukishima mumbles and Yamaguchi's eyes sparkle in delight.

Everyone starts walking ahead as they agreed to Yamaguchi's suggestion, everyone except Kageyama. He slowly follows behind, feeling all worried and anxious from earlier. How did he know? Am I being too obvious? Is he going to tell everyone? These thoughts repeat over and over in his mind, and the more he thinks about it, the more the urge to distance himself from the group grows.

Up ahead, Hinata stops in his tracks when he felt no presence beside him. He looks over his shoulder and sees Kageyama staring at the ground with a skeptical look. Hinata goes up to him and grabs his hand, starling Kageyama out of his thoughts.

Kageyama looks up from the ground in surprise, meeting Hinata's eyes that were staring right back at him. Hinata gives him a wide grin as he pulls him forward. "Come on! You know better than to stay far away from us! You don't have to be scared anymore!"

Those words take an impact on Kageyama as it fits perfectly with his thoughts. It almost scared Kageyama as he thought Hinata could read his mind.

He lets Hinata drag him forward, his mind still processing Hinata's words. I don't have to be scared anymore?

Although he knows Hinata knows little about his life, it comforts him to hear those words from Hinata. It gave him the courage to open up sooner and fulfill his promise to be a better friend.

Kageyama smiles at the thought as he stares at the hand holding his, the warmth coming through the thick fabric of their gloves. Just hang on a little longer, Shoyo. I'll be ready soon.

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