INVISIBLE MAP with hinata shoyo
TAGS: meetcute, timeskip, hinata shoyo x fem!reader, island hopping, puetro galera
SONG4U: game of love by santana
to escape from your mundane desk work in the city, you've decided to solo travel to one of the beautiful islands of Puerto Galera. the island immediately greets you with its beautiful sands and clear blue waters. it was paradise for you.
everytime you were posting snaps of it in instragram, your work friends would envy you and ask why you didn't tell them to come along and book too? your excuse was always, "i needed the time alone." and they won't question it. i think society has reached its peak where you can be alone and nobody gives a fucking care.
it's been 3 days since your solo travel, but you somehow end up always in the same place as the bright orange-haired guy, he looked like a foreigner. he had tanned this past few days and he somehow gets along with the locals well, because everywhere you see him he's always striking up a conversation with jagged and slightly butchered tagalog. the poor guy, didn't mean to.
the first time you saw him was near the street of your hotel, you brushed it off, tourist will always be all over famous destinations so you wouldn't blame the guy.
the second time was at a very local carinderia and he was downing a bowl of bulalo like the man had starved for days.
the third day, today, he was at the same boat as you, along with other tourists who were crossing the waters to isla verde. the moment you stepped in the boat, he gave you a look and so did you. while you were enjoying the ride there, he suddenly walks up and sits besides you.
"hi, i don't mean be rude. but what are the odds? we've met thrice now, miss." he says with a little smile, browning skin and raised sunglasses as he looks at you curiously.
"you're not a stalker, right?" you asked jokingly and he laughed. "h-hindi (n-no)!" he said in broken tagalog, he amused you but you decided that he's totally harmless.
"well, where did you come from mr. orange-head?" you asked and he laughs, sticking up his hair.
"hinata shoyo. i came from brazil, a few friends from the internet suggested to travelling in puerto. i assume that's your intention too?" he guessed and you smiled. "you're right. did we happen to book a same itinerary?" you asked back.
"oh no, i just go with the flow to be honest. hop in every boat that's under 100 pesos travel fee." you raised you brow when he said that, so it's like a spontaneous trip for him.
"you're gonna get overcharged, if you keep doing that." you laugh and he raises a brow. by this time, isla verde was more visible than ever, you finally see the beachy shoreline and the line of different hotels.
the tour guide shouts another interesting information about the island and hinata looks back at you. "so, i'm a little sick of suddenly seeing you by coincidence and i'm convinced we're both following the same invisible map." hinata cracks a joke. "if you don't have any businesses to attend at isla verde, how about we figure this island out together?" he says so casually.
your heart skips a beat, but you've waited for an organic encounter for so long and this might just be it. you can't believe, you'd find yourself agreeing with the idea of a total stranger.
the moment you step into the island, you pulled out your phone to check for activities to do. while isla verde was filled with places to eat, both of you agree that feasting would come later after the fun activities were done. hinata spotted a diving and snorkeling signboard and said that both of you should try it. you agreed and now both of you are being lectured and thought about the fundamentals of diving and snorkeling gear.
"ah– so both of you are a couple?" the diver said and you both stopped in your tracks. "ah, no. strangers." you replied immediately and the diver smiled. "great, great, lots of that here in isla verde. it's good making friends." he said and went off to the shore.
both of you look at each other and laughed, it was ridiculously funny. the dive was a great experience, the water was clearer so you could see the marine life below.
after the activity, you were searching for food stalls or full scale restaurants on foot. finally, you stopped by a resort with wooden huts as their tables. you were convinced this would be your entry for lunch and dinner because of how much both of you had eaten.
"i love puetro." hinata says while happily eating a crab. you laughed as he did, his eyes shone even when the sun was setting. he noticed how you looked at him and got a little shy, "i think you want to ask something." he laughed and you snapped out of it.
"what? no, it's– fine." you gave up halfway from being defensive. "what brought you here besides it being a recommendation from the internet?"
he continued dipping the crab meat in the sauce before speaking. "the ASEAN volleyball circuit ended, so my team are on a break for quite a while before training starts again. the moment the season halted, well i packed my bags to go travelling, i didn't want to waste time." he narrates as a waitress brought you two san miguel beers to enjoy the rest of the night.
"so you're an athlete?" you said in awe. you were spending the rest of your day with an athlete. "athlete, yeah." he says it so casually and you just laughed.
"why is that so normal for you?" you asked amused by him, at this point you were slicing up grilled fish to eat with your rice.
he shrugged and opened both of your glasses of beers by hitting it at the side of the table. "i'd like to think being an athlete isn't something special." he slides your beer on your side as he drank his.
"you're missing out on all the vip treatment you could get." you said. "–hate vip treatments, i prefer actually wasting my hard earned money." he retorted with a smile.
you find that weirdly funny and also cool at the same time. he's a big shot somewhere but here, he considers himself just a tourist.
while downing his drink, you noticed he's sort of turning red. you chuckled, "wow, your asian flush is so obvious." you commented. he laughs and waves a hand, "never too good with alcohol. what's in this? it's so strong." he says and you slide a piece of lemon slice from the palabok you ordered for him to neutralize the drowsy taste.
after the meals, the night has turned into a strong shade of blue, the waves were crashing onto the shoreline, and everything was peaceful. the faint sound of the beach bar was heard but it could not be heard from where both of you are staying.
suddenly you both spot a bonfire lighting with a few locals and tourist. hinata stands up and asks, "do you wanna check it out?" you looked at him and smiled, "sure."
both of you ran to where the bonfire was and the people were welcoming you to come sit along. hinata sat undeniably close to you while you hear the crackles coming from the fire.
"i could stay here all day." he whispered next to you and you laughed. "get a tan everyday?" you asked with a smile, and he said while looking at you "get tanned everyday."
the interaction felt insanely intimate, like it was just you two. when his eyes made a beeline to your lips, you quickly looked away and so did he. "alcohol, sorry." he said clearing his throat.
the night ended with both of you listening to the local playing a ukelele until the fire had died down.
the next morning, who would've thought you'd see him again? this time playing beach volleyball with local kids and teenage tourists. he spots you not long after and rushed to your side.
"morning, hangover hit you good?" he asked with a smile, you laughed and replied, "yes, i was in bed 'til 11 AM." he looked at you and chuckled.
"wanna try beach volleyball?" he asked and you shook your head.
"hinata, i'm actually leaving in a while. i just wanted to find you to tell you goodbye." you said and he got silent.
"really? that's... too soon, are you hopping on another island?" he asked and you chuckled and asked, "if i were, are you gonna come with me by chance?" he got shy all of the sudden.
ah, of course, it's that.
"well, if it's no trouble." he replied and you looked at him as you crossed your arms, "well, no. i'm actually... really going home. puerto's been great, but my stay ends here."
hinata took a good look at you, as if memorizing and tattooing your appreance in his head.
"right, i'll accompany you to the port then." he said and bids goodbye to his playmates at the beach court.
you walked a few distance and arrived at the town that housed the port to the main island, by this time hinata had been dragging your metal suitcase because you refused to rent a tricycle that was overpricing your fare.
the small boat was waiting for tourists, when you take a last look at isla verde and at hinata. his eyes was really on you, so you ought to say it.
"i'd hate to say 'when can i see again?', so instead do you have instagram?" you asked and he happily gave it to you, once you confirmed both of you were mutuals. you boarded the boat along with your things. hinata waved at you and mouthed "i'll see you around."
the motor started to hum to life and the boat was off, you sat there while scrolling through your phone and suddenly a notification pops up.
@ hinatashoyo: sent a photo.
you quickly opened it and saw a photo the diver had snapped and you both went snorkeling, smiling like kids.
@ hinatashoyo: found another place on the map. wish you were here with your bargaining skills.
@ l1fetime (you): just my bargaining skills?
@ hinatashoyo : would be great, if you were here too.
@ l1fetime (you): save me a seat, then :)
