Diamonds Guard

“Because, when I’m feeling like this, I don’t feel like I can be as good a friend as I need to be. So…please just tell me we’re only friends, so I can be the kind of friend you deserve.” His voice trailed off into a murmur, his neck and ears now as hot as his face. “….I hope by saying that I didn’t ruin your opinion of me.”

Well that isn’t what he was expecting. Hinata could feel his face lighting up as red as Michi’s at the confession, and when he saw Michi’s trembling hands, he reached out to hold them.

“I don’t care if you like me…romantically, or whatever.” he avoided eye contact for a moment, before locking eyes with the other. His heart was beating harder, faster than it had been before. His palms were probably sweaty, but he clutched onto Takemichi tighter to reassure him that even this wouldn’t change their relationship.

“I….”  he swallowed, never really looking at Takemichi as anything more than a friend. Though, when he squeezed his eyes shut and thought of all the memories they had made together, all the times Michi had been there for him, supporting him, and taking care of him, it made sense.

“I’ve never thought of you like…that..before…but..” When he opened his eyes and looked at Takemichi, he really did look like the kind of person he wanted to stay by always. Someone that fiercely loyal and caring was rare, and Hinata suddenly felt like he had been overlooking his friend’s feelings all along.

“I care a lot about you. And I don’t know if that’s as a friend or something more, but I…I want you to stay by me, just as close..and maybe when we’re out of here, we can figure this all out. Um… Together.” 

Takemichi smiled softly, understandingly. "I would like that. And...no matter what happens or what you decide, I'll be happy. Your friendship means a lot to me....so thank you. For not wanting that to change."

He squeezed Hinata's hands lightly before laughing, his tone nervous and breathless. "I. Sorry. That entire...thing made this awkward, didn't it?" He lowered his gaze to their clasped hands, expression soft and face red. He didn't know what else to say.

That he was happy? Even if they stayed just friends, he would be happy. He hoped he was clear enough. His mind was such a mess, he really wasn't sure if he had even told Hinata that or not.

His heart leapt into his throat and he felt his breath hitch. Hinata’s cheek was warm against his, but his own was practically burning. Words sat on his tongue like a weight, and he wanted to blurt out the words that he had thought every time their hands brushed, and every time Hinata smiled.

I like you.

Every laugh was like sunshine. Every smile like spring.

I think i love you.

Every touch and gesture like pure electricity.

I love you.

He opened, then closed his mouth. Pursed his lips and squeezed his eyes shut. Normally, now wouldn’t be the time nor the situation. But they were getting out and that was final. But the words just wouldn’t leave his lips. He swallowed. “…Shouyou?” He asked softly, voice uncharacteristically uncertain. “I need to tell you something. And. I need to know…that I can tell you anything and it won’t change how you feel about me.” 

His heart was pounding against his ribs so hard it felt as if his chest were about to burst. Breathing was so difficult at the moment, but, still, he didn’t let go of Hinata. If his friend tried to pull away, he would let go. But until then, he needed to hold onto him. He needed to know it would be alright.

Was he really about to tell him?

Takemichi’s tone was strange, faltering with a wavering confidence. And Hinata could hear it. But there was nothing that the other could say to him that would change how he felt about him, so he continued resting his cheek against the other’s.

“You can tell me anything, ‘Mich. You’re one of my best friends.” he held him tight, breathing in and out slowly to calm the other. There was nothing to be afraid of, not when they were in this together.

No. He had to say it.

If there ever was a time, it was now. He couldn't keep it bottled up forever.

He pulled away, reluctantly, and bowed his head. A deep breath, a steady exhale. He lifted his head and locked eyes with Hinata, his face so red it felt as if he were going to melt.

"I like you." He said with conviction, though his hands trembled at his sides. "I like you romantically. But I don't want to make his awkward or...put you on the spot. I know you have feelings for someone else, and I'm not trying to woo you or anything. I just needed to get it off my chest so that I can get over it."

Another breath.

Hinata shook his head, clutching onto the other tighter. His arms wrapped tightly around his body, and he breathed deeply, feeling his friend tremble against him. His cheek brushed against Takemichi’s as he tilted his head and rested it against the other’s.

“Michi…of course I’ll stay by you. Always.” he whispered, feeling his heart racing. Shouyou had met many people in his life, many who have come and gone.

But none were as fiercely loyal at Takemichi was. And for that, Hinata was eternally grateful. 

A friend like Takemichi was hard to find.

His heart leapt into his throat and he felt his breath hitch. Hinata’s cheek was warm against his, but his own was practically burning. Words sat on his tongue like a weight, and he wanted to blurt out the words that he had thought every time their hands brushed, and every time Hinata smiled.

I like you.

Every laugh was like sunshine. Every smile like spring.

I think i love you.

Every touch and gesture like pure electricity.

I love you.

He opened, then closed his mouth. Pursed his lips and squeezed his eyes shut. Normally, now wouldn’t be the time nor the situation. But they were getting out and that was final. But the words just wouldn’t leave his lips. He swallowed. “...Shouyou?” He asked softly, voice uncharacteristically uncertain. “I need to tell you something. And. I need to know...that I can tell you anything and it won’t change how you feel about me.” 

His heart was pounding against his ribs so hard it felt as if his chest were about to burst. Breathing was so difficult at the moment, but, still, he didn’t let go of Hinata. If his friend tried to pull away, he would let go. But until then, he needed to hold onto him. He needed to know it would be alright.

Hinata blinked for a moment, taking it all in. It was true, he didn’t know about Takemichi’s past, but…

“Nothing too big.” He smiled back, knowing that his friend did what he had to do to survive. Michi had a good heart. Hinata was sure of that. 

“You can read my folder too if you want. I don’t have a really…interesting story like yours but. I trust you.” he walked closer to Michi, punching him gently in the shoulder.

“We’ve got each other’s backs now, so. I don’t care what your past is. It’s about our future now. And how we get out of here. And maybe…I can help liberate idols from the inside! We could be like an inside/outside duo! They wouldn’t know what hit ‘em!” he grinned, knowing the treasonous words against ADAMAS would normally be frowned upon, but in this situation, he could care less who heard.

Hinata’s words made Takemichi’s eyes widen slightly. 

Was he serious? Would be really be willing to put himself in danger? The idea of Hinata being in danger there in the hotel in that bear’s horrible game was bad enough, but combined with his words, he couldn’t handle it. Going from one danger to the next...

“Hinata...” He smiled despite himself, though the worry hadn’t left his eyes. “I couldn’t ask that of you...if ADAMAS found out, you would...” He grimaced, unable to contain the fear that had passed over his face.

He stood and, without thinking, wrapped his arms around his friend and held him close. He closed his eyes, holding Hinata as if he were the only thing keeping him alive. “I couldn’t...losing you...this isn’t a definite thing; I can protect you from this place. But I don’t know if I could protect you from them if you were under their watch.” A gentle squeeze, as if reminding himself that Hinata is safe in his arms. 

Hinata unwrapped his arms and clutched onto the file before tossing it onto the table. 

“It’s there.” he sighed, boring holes into his file that laid on the table. He noticed Michi’s file, labeled with Takemichi Yukimaru. He wasn’t particularly interested in going through Michi’s secrets, especially if he hadn’t told him already. 

“Nah, I didn’t. What’s in there? If you don’t mind sharing, I guess.” he asked gently. He didn’t want to pry without asking first.

“...I don’t mind sharing.” Takemichi replied, turning to face the table and eyeing the folder HInata had tossed down. He stared at it - HInata Shouyou - for a moment before sinking down into a chair and sliding the folder back to HInata. “I, however, am not going to read your folder...your secrets are yours. The fact that you offered it up is more than enough for me.”

He twisted a lock of hair between his fingers, going back to chewing on the pen. 

Where to begin...

“...I grew up in Agate. Both parents worked. Lived outside of their means.” He began expression distant. “Basically...we were well off, but not wealthy. My dad had...interests...in my classmates when I was a kid. And at my 12th birthday, he tried to assault a classmate. I attacked him, and my mom and dad, after he got out of the hospital, decided I should go to reform school. One that had a...history...”

He grimaced, remembering all the disgusting, awful things his father told him about the place he would be sent to. He dropped his gaze to the table. “I ran away, and Oowada...Mondo and Daiya took me in. The rest is just a lot of gang violence and aggression, but not the senseless kind. I’ve hurt a lot of people. But for causes I don’t regret. I’m part of the Liberation front. My entire gang is.” 

@shouyouspikes

Takemichi had a mental checklist of people unwilling to share their folders, and the majority of them were to be watched. He trusted very few people there; only Hinata, Jyushimatsu, and himself. Everyone else, unless they gave up their very reason for possibly killing someone, was a suspect. Which was while he was currently in a conference room, papers spread around him.

The papers were scribbled with names and hasty doodles of faces and notes of what he knew about them. The more he knew, the higher chance he had of figuring out who was most likely to kill. 

He brought the end of his pencil to his mouth and chewed lightly on the end of it, frowning in thought. 

Seeing all the notes just gave away how little he knew about everyone. And that troubled him, but he wasn’t about to go asking for information on a possible future murderer. There was no way he would get out of that alive. He stood, beginning to pace, pen in his mouth and his free hand stuffed deep into the pocket of his coat. 

Even though he seemed distracted, every noise made him pause and glance in the direction of the sound, a sign that he was clearly on edge.

Hinata appeared quietly behind him, wrapping his arms around his neck and hooking his chin on his shoulder. 

“I guess I should turn my folder in huh?” he sighed, his heart racing as he thought of the secrets in his folder. There were a few he wasn’t proud of, the fact that he had tried drugs in high school to boost performance during a game, a photo of him stealing from a store because his friends pressured him to, and one photo he wasn’t quite too ecstatic about the other people here seeing. Especially not Sayaka and Gaara.

A photo of he and Noiz, kissing in his kitchen. It wasn’t a particularly heated photo, in fact, it was quite the opposite. The kiss looked tender, a blush and a smile obvious on Hinata’s face. Noiz’ hat was perched on his head, Noiz’ t-shirt draped across his shoulders, and a very domestic breakfast was spread on the table.

Just one look at the photo, and everyone would know that what they had was a lot more than just hooking up. And that terrified the idol more than anything. And someone knew that.

Michi probably wouldn’t care. But there was no telling how the others would react. But to cure any suspicions…he had to swallow his pride.

"If...you want to." He murmured, hoping his voice didn't crack. "It isn't a requirement. I...know you won't kill anyone."

Hinata blinked before latching onto Takemichi’s arm, brightly smiling at the small gesture. 

“Aw, is my kouhai gonna lead the way? Then let’s get to it!” he laughed, walking alongside him and scanning his eyes across the hallway that they walked down. The windows were barred shut, blocked in a way that was impossible to remove. 

“There’s gotta be a way out! If they got us in here, there’s definitely a way to get ourselves out of here.” the orange haired idol was so sure of it, that he walked even faster, dragging Michi behind him.

Seeing Hinata smile put him at ease.

It made him think that everything would be alright and that they really would get out of there. If they tried hard enough, worked together, and didn’t give in to whatever tricks the people running this awful “game” put in front of them...then they would be fine.

He nodded lightly at Hinata’s words, silently swearing that he would protect that smile. 

If he did nothing else...Hinata had to be protected. 

“I trust you. I’ll protect you too. With everything I’ve got.” his eyes flashed with determination, the fear dissipating from his mind as Michi reassured him that everything would be okay. 

As long as they had each other, as long as they were brave and did their best, everything would be okay.

Hinata had no choice but to believe that with all of his heart. He inhaled deeply, and exhaled, his chest rising and falling before he reached out and cupped the other boy’s face back.

“No matter what. I’ll stay by your side.”

Takemichi smiled a little, glad to see the fire return to his friend’s eyes. He didn’t like seeing him so vulnerable; HInata definitely looked best when he was confident. He flushed a bit with embarrassment at that thought, but did his best to ignore it.

“Anyway,” He let his hands fall from his friend’s face. “let’s start looking around. Maybe we can find a way out, or at least a clue as to what’s going on.” 

Hinata shook his head furiously, his heart pounding in his chest as he mumbled into the other boy’s shoulder. 

“I don’t want…to kill anyone… I don’t want… to see any of my friends die…” he whispered, his voice shaking as he clung to him tighter. He had been numb, aimlessly wandering around the buildings to try to find things out on his own but…he had been wildly unsuccessful. 

The unsteadiness in Hinata’s voice made Takemichi hold on tighter, his gaze flickering up to the ceiling. There must be cameras somewhere. Maybe not obvious, but there definitely were. If this was fake, or real, it would be recorded. No one would go through this much trouble and not record it for either the public eye, or their own enjoyment.

“Q, quit blubbering...” he murmured, voice gentle despite his words. He sighed slowly and composed himself. “No one will die. You won’t kill anyone, and your friends...will definitely not die. I won’t die.” He pulled back, cupping HInata’s face in his hands and making him look him in the eye.

When Shouyou heard the bear’s words, he was initially in shock and disbelief. There was no way…No way that they had to kill each other to get out of here, right?

That had to be some kind of sick joke, right? 

Maybe ADAMAS was putting them through some kind of test…right?

He paced around the main floor, searching for answers or clues as to where the hell they were. He went to the cabinet to find food, his hands shaking as he grabbed a seemingly normal bag of chips. He stared at them, reading the label to pass the time and calm himself down. When he turned, he saw a reassuring face. ( @diamondsguard​ )

“Michi!” the bag flew from his fingertips, and he wrapped his arms around the other, squeezing him tight. 

None of it made sense; where were they? What was going on? Kill someone? Takemichi glared at the ground, hands stuffed deep into his pockets as he worried his lower lip in thought. There was no way Adamas would allow some of their idols and staff to end up in a place like that. It had to be some kind of gameshow, or something. But even if it was, it was cruel putting on such a realistic show.

Who knew what kind of things people would do to get out if they didn’t know it was fake? But, of course, this brought to mind the worst possibility...it being real. 

He had stopped in the doorway of the dining room or whatever it was, he wasn’t really paying attention, chewing on his thumb nail as he began to make a mental note of everything he had heard and seen. Okay, where should they start...

“Michi!”

Takemichi almost fell over when a blur of orange slammed into his chest, and he immediately wrapped his arms around the form. Hinata. It was Hinata. His heart thudding wildly in his chest, he tightened his grip on his friend and buried his face in his shoulder. 

“Well, still. If I see you getting winded, I’m making you take a break.” He said firmly, trailing after Hinata with both hands gripping the strap of his bag. Every step they took made his heart race. Each time he felt the chocolates bounce against his leg, he felt as if he were walking through tar.

Steadily sinking into a hole he’s never escape from.

“Michiiiii!” Hinata waved, wrapping his free arm around him. “You’re the only one I can turn to in these dark days. Thanks for hanging out with me today.” he smiled, squeezing his shoulder tightly. His eyes were tired, and the shadows beneath his eyes still hadn’t disappeared. He started taking his medicine again after getting too dizzy and passing out from exhaustion. He wouldn’t be able to play volleyball if he kept abusing his body like that.

Hinata had been under a lot of stress, he was sure, and he definitely looked better than the last time they met, so that was all that mattered. If he had the energy to smile sincerely, then that was what happened. Though he would definitely make sure that Hinata didn’t push himself too hard today.

“Try to go easy today,” He said gently, adjusting his bag onto his shoulder. “Rushing any sort of recovery can result in further injury.” He felt the edge of the chocolate box press into his leg, and the heat returned to his face. Right...that. Maybe once they were inside he would hand it over.