Chapter 4
From the way Kageyama grimaced and nodded curtly at the comments from the group of people tailing him, Daichi guessed that they weren’t people he knew, or, if he did, he wasn't entirely comfortable with them. Kageyama actively avoided looking in their direction until he sat down behind his table, brought out his pens, and straightened the books that were already there.
When he did look up to meet Hinata’s gaze, he took a deep breath and set his face in a deadpan. But, despite the severity of his expression, Daichi swore he saw a faint blush dust his cheeks. Kageyama nodded in their direction, signaling that he was ready to start signing books, and Hinata launched himself at the table like a herd of galloping horses. Daichi followed with steps significantly more restrained.
“Hi again!”
Kageyama didn’t say anything as he took the stack of books balanced precariously in Hinata’s arms. He opened up the book on top to the title page and Daichi heard his pen scratch the surface of the paper.
“You’re not going to say hello to your fan?” Hinata leaned in to see what Kageyama was writing and, when he saw that it was just Kageyama's signature, groaned loudly. “Geez! And you’re not even going to ask me my name and sign my books properly?”
“Oh,” Kageyama looked down at his name and then up at Hinata, surprise evident on his face.
Hinata let out a puff of breath. “It’s Hinata Shouyou. Just write Hinata.”
Kageyama wavered. “But I already signed it?”
“There's a ton of space still! You have to personalize it, dumbass.”
“I don’t have to do anything, idiot,” Kageyama replied, the tone of his voice not quite matching the spite in his words. He looked out the side of his eyes and refused to meet Hinata’s. “Do other people?”
Hinata laughed, which made Kageyama tense. “Uh, yeah. Name, message, signature. Do it better on the next one,” he pointed to the next book on the stack.
Kageyama grabbed it and brought his pen to the book, but it stopped after Hinata's name. He looked up at Hinata with an open expression, no creases in his forehand or lines at the side of this mouth. “What else should I write?”
“You’re the writer!” Hinata said, dumbfounded.
“You don’t have to remind me, dumbass!”
Hinata slammed both of his hands on the table and startled Kageyama. He jabbed his finger in Kageyama’s face. “Stop calling me a dumbass, dumbass! I buy all of your stupid books! I’m probably your biggest fan! Be nicer!”
He glared daggers at Hinata for a couple seconds. “You’re right,” Kageyama mumbled. His pen still hovered over the paper and he swallowed loudly. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay,” Hinata replied airily. “Just write something like, to Hinata, my biggest and most adoring fan. Or...” Hinata bit his bottom lip to contain his smile, “maybe, to Hinata, who is my biggest fan and is also super hot!”
To Kageyama’s credit, he didn’t react at all and just stared blankly at Hinata; he refused to write it and said it in so many words.
“Why not? Because it’s not true?” Hinata asked.
Kageyama shrugged noncommittally and was about to put his pen to the paper when Hinata scratched his own arm and Kageyama caught sight of Hinata’s newest tattoo. He opened and closed his mouth a couple times before speaking, disbelief almost overpowering his words. “Is that.. Is that Leila? My Leila?”
“Yeah! Oh my god, she was so great, she’s probably my favorite char-”
“Did you draw her?” Kageyama interrupted quickly. His eyes wandered up and down Hinata’s arm.
Hinata nodded, reached both of his arms out and twisted them to show off his ink. “I draw all my tattoos, actually.” Kageyama continued to study his arms and Hinata rambled in the silence between them. “I have this really great artist that works with me on the colors. One time, he even let me mix the colors myself! I want to get more done from your stuff, like part of the maps from the Nesting Wings series you did in college, or the rickety old shack in Crows of Murder!”
Daichi watched them talk, and Kageyama watched Hinata like a hawk, his special brand of stern curiosity encouraging Hinata to continue. His eyes traveled over Hinata’s body, like he was charting a map.
“Have you drawn a lot from my writing?”
“Oh god. So much,” Hinata drawled. “Like, shelves of sketchbooks full.”
“I didn’t know anyone would ever want to do that,” Kageyama said thoughtfully.
“Really? But your writing is so clear, and your stories are so amazing…” He trailed off and looked at Kageyama, who shrugged and signed the last of Hinata’s books. Hinata puffed out his chest. “Well, now you have me! You keep writing, I’ll keep drawing! Remember that!”
Kageyama eyed Hinata and then looked behind him. “I have to, um, sign other people’s books now.”
“Right!” Hinata sounded disappointed, but he hurried to open his backpack and move out of the way. “Thank you!”
Hinata apologized to the people behind him and scrambled over to Daichi. He opened his mouth, but Kageyama’s voice came from the table behind him.
“Hey! You left a paper!”
“I know!” Hinata shouted back. “It’s for you!”
Kageyama opened the paper and looked at it for half a second before shoving it under the table. He didn’t look over again, but he stuttered as he greeted his next fan.
Daichi knew what was on the paper, but he asked anyway.
“I left him my phone number, obviously!”
“Of course you did,” Daichi sighed. Giving out a number was harmless enough, but, despite what Suga had said and despite whatever Kageyama said in a very private text message, he worried. Hinata was the eternal optimist, so it was that, whenever he was down, the world followed. Daichi hated it.
Hinata peered at him out of the corner of his eye. “I know what you’re thinking, dad,” he emphasized sarcastically, “And it’s okay. I know he’s really famous and he probably gets a million numbers, and the chance he’ll call me is slim, but I couldn’t miss the opportunity, right? I would’ve regretted it if I didn’t.”
Daichi breathed a sigh of relief. “Yeah. Suppose you’re right.” He looked around the convention floor and spotted a section they hadn’t seen. With renewed interest, he was curious to see what other artists and writers had out for display. “Hey, should be walk around a bit before heading out? See all the stuff we haven’t seen yet?”
“DUH!”
Hinata grabbed Daichi’s hand and pulled him toward the center of the convention floor. Before leaving the artist area, Daichi looked around one last time, just in case his own opportunity presented itself. It didn’t, and Daichi told himself it was fine, and probably for the best. He didn’t need a repeat of his previous embarrassment and he definitely didn’t need the impossibility of further acquaintance with Suga rubbed in his face.
He did, however, allow himself to think about pleasantly related things as he followed Hinata around, like the shades of brown in Suga’s eyes. Caramel. Copper. Hickory. Cinnamon. Chocolate. Honey?
Hours later, Hinata slept in the passenger side of Daichi’s car and drooled on the upholstery. Daichi pulled up to Hinata’s apartment complex and tried to kick him out of the car, but Hinata pretended to not be able to wake up enough to walk and Daichi relented. He carefully carried him up to his apartment and tossed him on the bed. Before he left, he glanced at the shelves of sketchbooks. The one open on his desk had Kageyama's name at the top of a very full page.
When he arrived at his own apartment, Daichi sat down in front of the computer. He opened up a tab in the web browser and typed in Suga’s name. Not much came up at first look, but Daichi wasn’t worried. He had the rest of the weekend to dig.