The airport is cold, too cold.

"What's the point of spring if they're just going to make everything else much colder?" Kenma grumbles, as he trudges alongside Inuoka, who's chuckling along to Kenma's comments. The white bag he holds in his hand bumps against his leg in even intervals.

"It's not that bad," he replies, stuffing his hands deeper into his pockets. "It could be a lot colder, you know."

"Yeah, but I don't like it."

Inuoka lets out a clear laugh this time, causing Kenma to look to his side. "Even after all these years, you still haven't changed one bit, Kozume-san."
"Stop sounding like Kuroo. It's not like a century has passed since I last saw any of you," Kenma shoots back, wanting more than ever to bury himself into his blankets back at home. Inuoka smiles back in response, ruffling his now fading hair.

"Ah, look who it is. Mister 'I Don't Want to See the Outside' Kenma Kozume," the teasing voice of one Kuroo Tetsurou greets them, the much taller boy giving them cheeky looks. "Glad to see you can still move," he says with a smile, as Kenma scowls at him in response.

"Glad to see your head's still on your shoulders, what with all the experimenting you do on a daily basis," Kenma mutters as Kuroo lets out a laugh, earning him a small giggle from Inuoka. "Good to see you too, Inuoka," Kuroo greets, after giving him a high-five. The bustling Inuoka is full of energy, much like Hinata Shoyo. In some weird way, it calms Kenma down from the bundle of nerves that are beginning to tie and untie themselves repeatedly, before settling down into uneven knots.

"Is Lev here yet?" Kenma asks, when they sit down at a coffee shop. Despite it being the peak time to travel, the airport is sparsely populated. There aren't many people coming or going, but Kenma suspects it could get busier as the day progresses.

"He said he'll be a little late," Inuoka replies sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "He woke up late."

"Typical."

The three of them sit in silence, musing over their coffee. It's one of the rare occasions Kenma subjects himself to drinking coffee rather than his usual, green tea. And while he's grateful for the change, he still appreciates the sense of calm that green tea gives him.

Yaku joins later, his hair roughed up in certain places. "Sorry I'm late," he apologizes, giving them a smile. "The train was delayed."

"Well we have to wait for Lev anyway, because he slept in," Kuroo replies, gesturing to a seat beside him. "And Shrimpy and his family aren't here yet. So you're good."

Yaku mumbles something about Lev being late, and Kenma pipes up. "That's exactly what I said."

"You didn't even hear what Yakkun said."

"Did to."
"Did not."

A pause follows as Yaku places an order for a latte.

"Did to."
"Did not."

Kenma scowls at Kuroo, reaching over the table to flick him in protest.

Yaku sighs, but there's a smile on his face. "You both are still the same as always, like two old people in a senior home," he comments, as Kuroo raises an eyebrow at him. "You'd think all those chemicals you're around daily would alter your attitude."

"That's not how chemistry works," Kuroo snaps, arms now crossed. "This is why you're studying law."

"For your information," Yaku snarls, crossing his own arms now, "I don't like chemistry, you bedhead nerd. And law is so much more fun."

"I am not a bedhead nerd-"

"Just get a room," Kenma says with resignation, resting his head on his hand. "Sort out your own issues there and resolve your ever-growing sexual tension that has to hang in the air every time we come together."

Both of them have gone quiet, not looking at each other now. Yaku's face has gone a bright red, like the color of Nekoma's jersey.

Time passes quickly, with chatter and bickering between the four of them helping it go by quicker. An hour has passed before the towering silver-haired Haiba Lev appears, to which Yaku scolds him tirelessly for his tardiness.

Just like old times.

Kenma checks his phone impatiently, anxiously waiting for a text from Hinata to say that he was going to be here soon. Well, it was Kenma's fault for wanting to be here five hours earlier than most regular people did, but he has to blame it on the nerves that have been acting up since the morning.

He's unexpectedly very twitchy, moving a lot in his chair. Yaku notices this from the corner of his eye but doesn't comment on it. Whatever Kenma's going through, it's clear he doesn't want to talk about it just yet.

"How does everyone feel if we go out for dinner after this?" Kuroo asks, and Kenma's eyes are averted from his phone screen to his childhood friend. Yaku's shoulders relax; he's getting tense just from watching Kenma fidget in his seat like that.

"We went out for dinner two days ago," Kenma replies, his eyes back to his phone. Kuroo gives him a look, before dismissing it completely. "Doesn't matter, this whole affair is going to make me really hungry at the end of it."

Are you really sure it's not you and Kuroo that need to get a room together? Yaku thinks, looking at Kenma worriedly.

"Yaku-san, if you keep that face it's going to stick," Kenma says, not looking up from his phone. "Then no one's going to marry you."

Yaku sits up straight, clearly offended. "Hey!" He straightens out his shirt, pouting.

Kuroo looks at him with a knowing stare. "He's right, you know."

"Since when were you a marriage expert, Mr. 'I Can't Find a Date to Save My Life'?"

They're about to launch into an argument (Kenma has lost count since the first one), when a familiar cheery voice cuts through the air, ringing like bells at the temple.

"Kenma!"

At the sound of his name, Kenma turns around, and beams as he sees the orange-haired Hinata Shoyo head towards them, a carry-on bag hanging on his shoulder. Behind him, his mother and a smaller version of him-Yaku informs him that it's his sister-trail behind, watching him with glee.

Hinata never seems to lose his own glow, and the sunlight that filters through the airport's glass roof only amplifies it more, so that Hinata Shoyo seems more like a shooting star than a steady beam of sunlight as he moves.

Kenma stands up, about to give Hinata a high five in greeting when the latter wraps his arms around Kenma's frail body, squeezing tightly. Kenma's own arms are hesitant at first, until he slowly gives in and hugs Hinata back.

They let go, although Kenma doesn't want to admit that he wants to hold on a little longer. Hinata is smiling his usual sunshine-filled eyes, although Kenma can see the sadness in his eyes.

He doesn't want to leave.

"I'm happy you guys could come," Hinata says, stuffing his hands into his pockets. His mother and sister have caught up to him, and Kenma can see the misty eyes of Hinata's mother look at him with a tenderness Kenma hasn't seen in a while. "I had my farewell dinner last night with my friends last night, so you don't have to worry about me crying all that much today." He gives them all a reassuring smile.

Hinata goes around the whole coffee table, high fiving Inuoka and Lev, and shaking Yaku's and Kuroo's hands. There's more chatter that develops between the five of them, with Hinata's little sister Natsu butting in when she can. Despite all this however, Kenma still manages to zone out and focus on one person: Hinata Shoyo.

He's like a game character, to Kenma. Someone who you have to keep levelling up so he eventually reaches the last level. Someone who needed drastic change to achieve the end goal of defeating a final boss. Yet no matter what you changed about Hinata Shoyo, you could never change one thing: his positive, hard-working, and honest demeanour. It would honestly be a down-grade if you took that away from him. You could boost him up using other people's strengths to enhance his own, or you could alter him in tiny little ways that would lead to a major advantage in the future, but you could never, ever take away his personality, no matter what you did.

It's one of the reasons why Hinata is so interesting to Kenma.

"Have you checked in and got everything done?" Yaku asks, placing a worrying hand on Hinata's shoulder, who nods enthusiastically. He's buzzing with excitement, although there are tears building up in the corners of his eyes.

"Well, Shrimpy," Kuroo says, ruffling Hinata's hair, "we're gonna miss ya."

"Take and send us lots of pictures!" Inuoka exclaims, unable to contain his own joy.

"Try growing a couple of more inches," Lev teases, as Yaku scowls at him from behind. Instead of telling off Lev, Yaku pulls Hinata in a one-sided hug, giving him the same tender look as Hinata's mom. "Take care and eat well, okay?" Yaku says, as Hinata nods again.

"Isn't that something his mom should be telling him?" Kenma mutters, as Hinata's mother bursts into sweet laughter. "You sure are a character, Kozume-kun," she says, with a smile. "Thank you so much for sponsoring Hinata and helping him with this. It really means a lot."

Kenma gives her a small smile of appreciation. "Anytime."

Hinata's looking at him again, his previously teared-up eyes now filled with tenderness that matched Yaku's and his mother's. Kenma goes a little pink, which earns him a few sniggers from Kuroo, who's watching him intently.

"Ah. I forgot to give you something," Kenma says, remembering the bag from earlier. He reaches from underneath the table, pulling out the white bag from earlier and handing it to Hinata, who takes it from him carefully. "It's a parting gift."

Hinata's hand rummages in the bag, finally pulling out a sleek black box. He lets out a sound of pure amazement as he places it on the coffee table, and opens it to reveal a matching handheld console. Holding it up with wonder, he examines it with wide eyes as Lev and Inuoka crowd around him, their expressions similar.

"It's the newest one, and has most of the latest games," Kenma explains, his own face lighting up. "I thought if you got bored on the flight you could whip it out and spend time on it. Just remember to charge it before it loses battery completely." Hinata looks like he's about to spill with tears.

"Please don't cry," Kenma says quickly, wringing his hands. "You'll make Yaku-san cry and that's always a mess."

Hinata smiles softly, sniffling. "Thank you," he says after a while, placing the console into the box carefully, before placing it into his carry-on.

Kenma hums in response, stuffing his hands back into his pockets. "You should get going, or you'll get late for your flight," Kenma says, as Hinata looks back to his mother and sister, the former struggling to hold her back her tears. Hinata turns back to them, straightening his posture.

"Yeah, I should really get going." There's hesitation in his voice, but he tries it best to hide it behind his usual confidence. He looks at all of them, his eyes dark wells of admiration and love. "Thanks for seeing me off, you guys. It really does mean a lot." He hugs each one of them individually, and when he comes to Yaku, the older boy bursts into tears, unable to hold it in any longer.

"Yakkun, don't be such a baby," Kuroo says, but he too chokes on his own voice. Lev and Inuoka too are struggling to hold back their own tears.

I hate crying.

Hinata comes to him again, and the hug they share is probably the longest one Kenma's ever experienced. His senses are highly aware of Hinata's hands on his back, tenderly holding onto him, his head resting against his shoulder. Hinata's sunny warmth enamours Kenma's entire physique, making him forget whatever cold he felt earlier. It was like being wrapped up in his blankets back at home.

He smells like cinnamon, Kenma remarks internally, as he feels his own fingers press into the fabric of Hinata's jacket. That or something caramel-like.

Hinata pulls away with hesitation, letting his touch linger on Kenma's body for longer. His eyes meet Kenma's, and Kenma can see his reflection in chocolate brown irises.

The bleach is fading.

"Thanks for everything again, Kenma!" Hinata exclaims, a large smile on his face. And in those dark eyes Kenma can see himself blush.

"Stay interesting, Shoyo." Kenma gives him a soft smile.

Goodbyes are said for the final time, Yaku's tears still spilling down his cheeks even though he stubbornly denies their existence. Hinata gives his mother and sister hugs as he is equally showered by love from the both of them, until the boy finally decides it's time to part. They watch, most of them with misty eyes, as Hinata heads towards immigration, turning around every five minutes or so to wave goodbye.

They watch until the bobbing orange head disappears, at which Hinata's family says their own goodbyes and thanks them for coming. The four of them watch, as Natsu and her mother walk hand-in-hand, talking excitedly amongst themselves.

"I changed my mind," Kenma says, after moments of silence have passed. "Let's go get dinner."

*

It's nearly nine o'clock when Kenma reaches home. The streets aren't as crowded as they were during the evenings, which meant he relished in a quiet walk back.

Dinner had been entertaining, to say the least. Yaku had gotten so incredibly drunk Kuroo had to take him home. Lev ended up getting lost at least before he reached his train station. Inuoka broke two glasses accidentally, even volunteering to stay behind and fix them back up, piece by piece.

Ah well, it's a bit of brightening up after how emotionally draining this day has been.

Hinata had texted when he was in the plane, just before it was about to take off. He included a selfie as well, which had him beaming at the camera, his eyes blissful.

It had made Kenma's heart flutter a little bit, but he didn't tell anyone about it and kept it to himself. All throughout dinner he remained in his usual stoic demeanor, smiling and butting in whenever the occasion arose.

Now he's home, comfortably huddled underneath the mass of blankets he has on his bed. Warm. Safe. Secure.

Yet for some unknown reason, he can't stop the tears he didn't know he had been holding in from spilling out, leaving light stains on his pillowcase.

He sniffles, rubbing his nose with his hand as he scolds himself softly. But it does little to stop the continuous flow of tears.

His cat appears, smelling like laundry detergent. The sharp scent makes him sneeze, and he reaches for the tissues on his bedside table as his cat comfortably nestles itself in the crook of his neck. Softer scents are more merciful to his nose, like vanilla and cinnamon.

Like Hinata.

"I haven't given you a name yet, have I?" Kenma whispers, his fingers stroking the calico fur lightly. The cat purrs in response. Kenma smiles despite his tear-stained cheeks.

"I think I'll call you Pudding."