Thank you to @DaSassyPotato for the chapter name idea!
***
Part 2: Chapter 19
"Oh! Is that the Tokyo Tower?!"
Hinata's eyes lit up in excitement as he pointed to a transmission tower, thinking that it was Tokyo's famous Sky Tree.
You laughed as Kenma replied with a bleak look on his face. "Huh? That's just a normal transmission tower."
"What the hell? Is there no transmission tower in Miyagi? Pretty sure I've heard that conversation before." Kuroo turned to Daichi with disbelief in his voice, pointing at the disappointment shown on Hinata's face.
"The transmission towers in Tokyo all look like the Tokyo Tower to us country folks!" Daichi protested, trying to defend his pride.
"Well, that isn't the case for me. I'm able to differentiate between a normal transmission tower and the Tokyo Tower." You cheekily winked as you dodged Daichi who was trying to hit you.
"That's enough." Suga fixed both of you and Daichi with a warning glare.
You hid behind Kuroo and stuck your tongue out at the seething captain. Kuroo simply laughed as he ruffled your hair while Asahi tried to calm Daichi down.
"Hinata! Did you grow any taller?"
You perked up at the familiar voice of your Russian friend who you have missed very much. You ditched Kuroo and your teammates as you made a mad dash towards Lev.
"LEV!!!"
Lev's eyes lit up at the sight of you as he opened his arms wide, ready to receive you. You crashed full force into Lev who wrapped his arms around you and lifted you off the floor, swinging you around in circles.
Meanwhile, Tsukishima watched you and Lev with a grimace, your laughter resounding throughout the court. Jealously bubbled within the tall middle blocker as he restrained himself from marching up to the gray-haired lion and tearing you right off from him.
Suga laughed knowingly at the blonde who was glaring holes into the back of Lev's head. The vice captain walked up to Tsukishima, teasing him. "Tsukishima, you're doing it again. It's showing on your face."
Tsukishima jumped when he heard his senior's voice next to me, not expecting him at all as he was too busy plotting Lev's murder in his head. The blond cleared his throat as he pushed up his glasses and replied, "I better help Kiyoko-senpai to carry the items into the school."
With that, Tsukishima walked away as quickly as he could from Suga who was grinning at him in amusement.
Meanwhile, you and Lev were just catching up with one another when Lev's face froze. You peered up at the middle blocker with curiosity, wondering what had caused him to suddenly freeze up.
"Lev, are you feeling okay?"
Lev snapped out of it and glanced down at you before looking behind you. Whatever he has seen must have spooked the self-declared ace of Nekoma because he ran off, leaving you behind to wonder what the hell is wrong with him.
"Ah! I got to go! I think Kenma-san is calling me, must be about spiking. Bye!"
You blinked your eyes as Lev ran off as fast as he could back to the school. You tilt your head to the side in confusion as you mumbled, "But Kenma is still here talking with Hinata."
"Munchkin-chan, stop standing there and come help me out."
You scowled as an annoyingly familiar voice came from behind you. You turned around to face Tsukishima who was glaring down at you, his golden eyes piercing into your (e/c) ones.
"What do you want, saltyshima?" You smirked at the scowl directed at you, a look of displeased towards the nickname you have given him on Tsukishima's face.
Ignoring the smug look on your face, Tsukishima tried to hide the grim look on his face when he recalled the way how you and Lev interacted with one another.
You noticed the sour look on Tsukishima's face, wondering what had caused him to feel that way. You nudged Tsukishima's side harshly gently, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Eh, you look constipated. You must have eaten something wrong on the way here."
Tsukishima pushed you away from him as he turned away from you, replying monotonously, "I came to tell you that you're supposed to help the managers to carry the items into the school. However, you were so busy flirting with that 'boyfriend' of yours, you seem to have forgotten about it."
You blinked your eyes in disbelief when you heard the bitterness in Tsukishima's voice. You weren't sure if that was jealousy that you detected. Wanting to test your theory, you moved so that you were facing Tsukishima's front.
Tsukishima blinked in surprise when he saw you in front of him, but when he saw the grin on your face, he became suspicious. The blond narrowed his eyes at you as he cautiously asked, "What are you planning to do?"
You gave Tsukishima an "innocent" look as you began to question him. "Were you jealous that Lev and I were talking?"
Your grin widened when you saw golden orbs grew in shock as Tsukishima stopped functioning. (Tsukishima.exe is not working! I repeat Tsukishima.exe is not working!) Despite the glee shown on your face, your heart was thumping against your chest and secretly hoping that you were right.
Meanwhile, Tsukishima has stopped functioning the moment you saw right through him. His mind began to panic as he tried to think of excuses, but alas he was failing. Tsukishima's cheeks reddened as he stammered out an answer.
"W-what makes you think that I'm jealous whenever you talk to the Nekoma player? Why would I be jealous that besides me, he can make you smile so bright like the sun?"
You blinked a couple of times when you saw the dark look on Tsukishima's face. You swore that if you looked even harder, you can see dark clouds forming above the blond's head, the lightning threatening to electrode anyone who dares to come close.
Tsukishima was still feeling bitter when suddenly what he said sank in. His golden eyes widen in horror at the fact that he just admitted that he was jealous of yours and Lev's relationship. The middle blocker tried to mask his embarrassment, however, his cheeks were resembling tomatoes.
When you saw Tsukishima's bright red cheeks, a grin grew on your face. You decided this is the perfect moment to have your revenge on Tsukishima for all those time when he teases you.
Now, it's the best time to put your acting skills to action!
"If Lev is my actual boyfriend, that will be great." You muttered longingly, staring at Lev who was teasing Hinata about his height.
Tsukishima's eyes widen when he heard you. He could feel jealousy and bitterness welling up in him when he saw the fond look in your (e/c) orbs that were directed at someone else other than him.
'Munchkin should look at me fondly instead of that over-grown gray-haired half-Russian male.' Tsukishima thought bitterly.
You hit your smirk out of sight when you saw the dark look on Tsukishima's face. Wanting to see how long this could play out, you continued to be in character. You should be awarded an Oscar Award for best acting skills of the century.
Still, in character, you pretended that you came up with a brilliant idea as you turned to Tsukishima excitedly, saying. "Ne, ne, Kei-kun. If I am to confess my undying love to Lev, do you think that he'll accept it?"
By this point, Tsukishima was trembling in rage as he restrained himself from locking you up forever and out of sight. Then again, you were never his, to begin with. So, what gave him the right to determine who you can date or not.
If he loves like you, he knew that the right thing to do is to give up his happiness in order for you to be happy. After all, what matters most to the blond was your happiness. He would be fine as long as he can be in your life forever.
Making up his mind, Tsukishima gave you a soft smile as he cradled your cheek in his hand. His eyes held such tenderness that you were captured by his words as he spoke. "I'm sure Lev-san will reciprocate your feelings. Even if he doesn't, I'm sure over time he will come to fall for you. After all, who wouldn't fall for such a beautiful and strong woman like you."
You could feel your cheeks burning as Tsukishima's words warm your heart, leaving you feeling breathless. Words couldn't form at all as you could hear your heart beating at thousand miles per hour, threatening to break free from within you. Beautiful golden orbs filled with raw emotions stared straight into your soul, leaving you enchanted and unable to move.
Tsukishima chuckled lightly as he moved a stray piece of (h/c) strand out of your face. Your breath hitched as the blond leaned down next to your ear, his breath sending shivers down your spine. You shuddered as Tsukishima whispered, his voice soft as a lullaby.
"Gotcha."
(e/c) orbs widened in realization when you finally figured it out that Tsukishima had caught on to your act and was just returning the favour. Your cheeks reddened - this time in anger and embarrassment as you clenched your fists. Tsukishima smirked as he straightened his body, taking in the sight of you trembling in rage despite your hair hiding your face.
You couldn't believe that Tsukishima found out you were playing around with him and instead of exposing you, he continued to play along. Except this time round, you were the pawn in his game. You were not angry that the blond found out about your little ploy, it was the fact that he played with your feelings. His words and expressions allowed hope to grow within your heart that maybe, just maybe your feelings were being reciprocated even if it's a small percentage.
Only for that hope to shatter which left you feeling disappointed. You were so stupid to believe that this sadistic asshole has a heart. Even if he does have one, it was stone cold - incapable of feelings.
Tears gathered in the corners of your (e/c) eyes as you tried not to cry. You refused to cry in front of Tsukishima as it would just mean that his words affected you. Tsukishima's eyes widen when he heard you sniffling, not expecting his words to bring you to tears. The middle blocker sighed as he placed his hand on your head and pulled you against his chest. You blinked your eyes in surprised at the sudden movement, wondering what just happened.
"You know better than to take my words seriously. I thought we already established that from the start?" Tsukishima grumbled, his ears burning as he refuses to apologize directly.
You let out a laugh when you heard Tsukishima's poor attempt at apologizing. You wiped away your tears as you mumbled into his chest, "You suck at apologizing, you know that right?"
"S-shut up!" Tsukishima stammered as he released you, his back facing you instead.
You laughed louder and your body bends into half as you clutched your stomach, tears forming in the corner of your eyes. "H-holy crap! Your tsundere side is so adorable."
"I'm not a tsundere!" Tsukishima hissed in denial.
However, you continued to laugh non-stop. At this point, Tsukishima's eyes were twitching in irritation as he clenched his fists in anger. Having enough of it, the first year decided to do something about your non-stop laughter.
"Hmph!"
Your laughter was suddenly cut off when you felt someone's lips on your face. Tsukishima's lips curled into a smirk as he straightened his body, feeling pleased when he saw your expression. Your entire face was red as you covered the lower half of your face, your eyes glaring daggers at Tsukishima.
"This will teach you from ever messing with me again," Tsukishima said as he took your hands and led you towards the school.
"Stupid string bean." You muttered under your breath, your face still red as you led Tsukishima to guide you.
Although it was just a simple peck on the lips, butterflies were dancing in your stomach. You glanced to your hand that was connected with Tsukishima, a small smile appearing on your face as you tightened your hold. Warmth filled you when Tsukishima returned the gesture by twining his fingers with yours.
You decided from that day onwards that you'll never hold anyone else's hand anymore.
Meanwhile...
"Does this always happen back in Miyagi?" Kuroo asked curiously as he stared at the exchange between Karasuno's two tsundere volleyball players.
"Yeah, it happens all the time," Daichi replied in amusement as he watched his vice-captain take pictures of their underclassmen at the speed of lightning.
"Oh my god! This is too precious. I need more pictures of my baby crows." Suga muttered to himself like a mad man as he took endless pictures of Tsukishima and you.
***
"We're gonna switch out members constantly this time round, so be prepared." Your brother instructed.
"All right!" Karasuno's team shouted in agreement before getting ready for the first match of the day.
Keishin turned to face his younger sister who was bouncing up and down in excitement at the fact that she could play volleyball again. Karasuno's coach laughed as he ruffled your hair, saying, "Are you ready?"
You giggled at your older brother's action before replying, "Of course! I haven't played volleyball in a long time."
Keishin let out a hearty laugh, saying. "Good! Good! Now, show them what you got."
"Yes, sir!" You saluted before jogging to the rest of the team.
Hearing footsteps heading in their direction, Karasuno's team lifted their heads and grinned at the sight of their assistant coach. You placed your hands on your hips, a huge grin on your face as you exclaimed. "Let's show them all the hard work we put into training!"
"Karasuno....FIGHT!" Everyone cheered before heading to the court where they faced their first opponent of the day - Fukurodani.
"Let's try for no penalties!" Bokuto shouted, his arms crossed with a smirk on his face.
With that, the whistle blew and the match began.
***
"Hmm, splendid. They're splendidly not in synch at all." Nekomata, the coach of Nekoma commented with an amused smile on his face.
You sighed for the umpteenth time as your teammates kept messing up. First, Hinata missed Kageyama's toss. Now, Suga and the rest of the players messed up their synchronized attack. At this rate that your team is going, Fukurodani is going to win the first match easily.
You shook your head as you returned your focus back to the ongoing match, now it isn't the right time to ponder over your friends' mistakes. Your eyes followed the ball as Suga received it, shouting "Sorry! Cover!" You were about to do the libero toss when suddenly Nishinoya ran after the ball, shouting confidently, "Leave it to me!"
Your eyes widened in surprise as the second-year took a leap into the air, his arms raised up...
Only to realize that he has jumped too far, failing to toss the ball. You face-palmed as the libero stood there with an embarrassed look, Bokuto teasing him. What is wrong with your team today?! You took a look at the score board - 12 to 24 with Fukurodani in the lead. Something needs to be done or else your team is going to lose at this rate.
You decided this is the best time to try out your new move.
"Kageyama." You called the setter's name, hoping to get his attention.
The blue-haired setter turned his head around when he heard his teammate calling his name. You did the "come here" action with your hand, motioning Kageyama to come. Kageyama walked towards you with a confused look on his face, asking, "What's the matter, (name)-chan?"
You glanced around to make sure that no one is listening before facing Kageyama, your voice barely a whisper. "It's time for that thing."
"What thing?" Kageyama furrowed his eyebrows, still not understanding what you're trying to tell him.
You sighed before explaining yourself, hoping that the tall first-year will get it this time round. "You know, the thing that we have been practising in secret?"
You waited patiently for the words to sink into Kageyama's brain who still looked like a lost sheep. However, his eyes widened in recognition when he finally knew what you were talking about. With an equally quiet voice, he said, "Do you mean the thing that we did after everyone has left?"
"Yes, that thing." You nodded your head.
Meanwhile, everyone watched their assistant coach and genius setter interaction with curious looks, wondering what were you two talking about. Daichi furrowed his brows in confusion as he asked Suga, hoping that he might have an answer as to what was going on. "Suga, do you have any idea what Kageyama and (name) are talking about?"
"No, I don't have a single clue." Suga shook his head in reply.
"You got it now, Kageyama?" You asked Kageyama who nodded his head.
"All I have to do is to toss the ball like I usually do with Hinata right?"
"Yeap!" You grinned and raised your hand for a high-five, Kageyama hitting it eagerly.
The whistle blew as the game resumed with Tsukishima as the server.
"Nice serve, Kei-kun!" You shouted, a huge smile on your face as you cheered the middle blocker on.
"Shut up," Tsukishima mumbled, his cheeks slightly pink.
"Aww, are you embarrassed?" You cooed in delight, causing Tsukishima's blush to deepen.
"Do you want me to score or miss?" Tsukishima hissed, noticing the way how his teammates were snickering at him.
Tsukishima ignored his surrounding as he took a deep breath, his eyes focused on where he wants the ball to go. The first-year tossed the ball into the air, his arm reached back and ready to hit it, only to falter when he heard what you said.
"I love you, Kei-kun!" Your grin widen in glee when you observed how Tsukishima faltered slightly, but managing not to mess up his serve.
Tsukishima ran into the court, taking his place next to you as he glared at you, hissing, "I nearly missed the ball, no thanks to you."
"You're welcome." You practically sang, ignoring the angry stare send your way by none other than Daichi.
"Relax, Daichi. I got this." You reassured your captain, your (e/c) eyes following after the ball.
You counted under your breath as you wait for Kageyama's signal, adrenaline coursing through your blood. Your hand itched to spike the ball as Kageyama shook his head, telling you that it wasn't time yet as he tossed the ball towards Asahi which was blocked by the opposite team.
Nishinoya managed to save the ball as he hit back into the air, shouting, "Sorry, cover!"
Hinata was ready to call for the toss when he heard you shouting, "Kageyama, now!"
"Hai!" Kageyama replied, running towards where the ball was as you ran towards the back of the court.
"Is (name)-chan gonna spike the ball from the back?" Hinata asked in confusion, voicing everyone's inner thoughts.
However, before anyone could reply to Hinata's question, the whistle blew as you scored a point. You let out a huge cheer as you ran towards Kageyama with your hands raised in the air for a double high-five which the setter returned awkwardly. "We did it, Kageyama! We did it!"
Kageyama smiled as he watched you danced around excitedly in circles, going on and on about how awesome and cool the move was. Meanwhile, the entire gym was stunned into silence, not able to comprehend what just happened.
However, Hinata was the first one to break the silence as he shouted, his face glowing with excitement and awe. "(nickname)-chan! That was so cool! Kageyama went wham, then you went swoosh and then bam!"
You nodded your head quickly, looking like a bobblehead as you and Hinata jumped up and down, excited chatters filling the quiet gym. Everyone was still trying to let what just happened to sink in. Apparently, you managed to spike Kageyama's infamous "king's toss" from the back of the court. What made it even more shocking was the fact that your body wasn't facing Kageyama when he tossed the ball in your direction. Instead, you were able to tell when the ball was coming since you managed to turn your body at the right amount and spiked the ball effortlessly.
You turned to look at your brother who was laughing heartily at everyone's reaction towards your unexpected actions. You grinned in delight that you managed to stun everyone into silence and shock, even Bokuto who was the top fifth ace in Japan. But then again, you were once part of Russia's Youth World girls team. So, no surprise if you could pull off a move like that.
You faced everyone with your hands on your hips and your head held high as you grinned widely. "And that my friends, is how you spike a ball."
The first one to break out of their frozen state was your team, Karasuno as they approached you with excitement and awe on their faces. They began to surround you and Kageyama as they shoot question after question, asking when did you two come up with this awesome play.
Soon enough, all schools began to talk among themselves about the impossible move. You were beaming as you observed the excitement and eagerness you have managed to instil in the gym. This time round as the matches resumed, all schools were determined to show their best.
After all, they are not gonna let a girl outplay them.
***
The whistle blew as the match came to an end. Unfortunately, Karasuno lost the match to Fukurodani, which means it's time for the penalty. You stood in front of a hill that seems to go on forever as Daichi explained what the penalty is gonna be for this training camp.
"The penalty this time is Shinzen's special 'refreshing sprint up the grassy hill' apparently. Now, let's get into position."
Everyone got into position before Daichi clapped his hands together, giving the start signal. "All right. Ready...go!"
The moment he said "go", the team took off and ran up the grassy hill. Meanwhile, excitement was shining in your (e/c) orbs as you threw your arms into the air and ran as fast as your legs could carry you.
"Wheeeeeeee!" You cheered as you ran past your teammates who stared at you with disbelief, wondering how can you find enjoyment in running up a hill. Even Hinata, who usually was full of energy was struggling to run up the hill. In fact, you were the first to reach the top and back down the hill, and not even looking tired at all despite playing a full-on match earlier on.
"Again!" You cheerful exclaimed as you watched your friends catch their breath while trying not to collapse.
Daichi glared at you as he accepted a water bottle from Yachi and took a huge gulp before saying, "How do you even find joy in running up and down a hill and not look tired at all? You must be crazy."
"But it's really fun. The hill that I ran in Russia is three times the height." You pouted, slightly upset that Daichi ruined your fun.
"That's a freaking mountain already!" Daichi exclaimed.
"Still..."
"Haiz, if you really want, you can run up the hill." Daichi sighed, knowing that there's no point arguing with you.
Your eyes lit up in joy as you thanked your captain before dashing up for the hill, your arms spread wide as you enjoyed the summer breeze blowing against your face. Your friends watched from below with smiles on their faces, feeling refreshed at the sight of your childishness.
Later that night...
"We amazingly lost all our games." Suga sighed, his back resting against the grass.
"It's actually sort of refreshing." Daichi chuckled as he laid eagle-spread style on his back.
Meanwhile, Tanaka who was lying flat on his face with his limbs outstretched in all four directions, mumbled into the grass. "I haven't done that many sprints since Coach Ukai were coaching."
You peered down at your upperclassmen, along with Asahi who were all lying dead on the grass, too tired to move after a long day of training. You pulled on Daichi's leg as you attempted to move the third year who was too heavy to budge.
"Come on, Daichi. We don't have time to waste. We need to practice more or else we wouldn't catch up with the rest of the schools." You panted as you pulled onto the captain's leg with all your might, but simply failing.
"(name)-chan, please let me rest. I'm tired. How do you still have so much energy?" Daichi complained as lifted his head slightly off the ground to stare at you.
You crossed your arms as you gave your captain a pointed look, replying, "I thought you're the captain, which means you should be asking your team to practice and not lay there on the ground like dead people."
Daichi dropped his head back as he groaned, "Just leave us be, (nickname)-chan. Go find someone else to bother."
"Why did Grandpa chose you as the captain if you're not setting an example for your team?" You grumbled under your breath as you entered the gym, leaving the four of them to rot there.
"I heard that!"
You giggled as Daichi shouted after you. Once you entered the gym, you glanced around to look for a certain blond. When your eyes landed on Tsukishima, your face lit up as you skipped towards him.
"Kei-kun~ Wanna practice with me?"
Tsukishima's head lift up when he heard your voice coming from behind him. He turned around to face you and was about to reply when Yamaguchi's voice came out of nowhere. "Ah, Tsukki, (name)-chan! I'm gonna hit some serves. Would you-"
"I'm gonna take a bath and go to bed." The blond immediately cut Yamaguchi off, waving his hands uninterestedly.
"I-I see. Um..." The green-haired boy trailed off, not knowing how to respond.
"What?" Tsukishima asked as you glanced at Yamaguchi who looks like he has something to say.
"I was just wondering if you were gonna practice anything on your own," Yamaguchi replied while scratching the side of his cheek, hoping that he will still be able to join his childhood friend in practising.
"We've already been practising more than anyone wants. Going all out in practice isn't gonna solve everything." Tsukishima immediately replied and without waiting for any reply, he just walked off.
"Right, that's true. But.." Yamaguchi trailed off once more, feeling disappointed.
You glanced at Tsukishima's retreating back with furrowed eyebrows, wondering what's wrong with him? He shouldn't talk to Yamaguchi with that disinterested tone of his. Besides, it wouldn't hurt to practice a bit more. After all, practice makes perfect!
You turned to face Yamaguchi who stood there, not knowing what to do. It hurts you to see Yamaguchi looking so down in the dumps, knowing that he's already not very good in volleyball.
"Yamaguchi," You called the green haired's boy who lifted his head to look at you and once you were sure he was listening, you went on, "Don't worry about Kei-kun. I'll go talk to him. Meanwhile, you can ask Asahi or someone else to practice your serves with. I'll be right back."
With that, you took off after the middle blocker even before Yamaguchi could reply.
Yamaguchi smiled to himself, glad that Tsukishima had another friend who cared for him other than him.
***
Tsukishima was walking down the walkway, heading to the bathroom to take a bath before calling it a night. However, he was stopped by a voice calling for his attention. "Oh, hey, you, Karasuno! You with the glasses!"
He turned around to see who was calling for him when he saw the captains of Nekoma and Fukurodani standing at the entrance of the third gym. When Kuroo realized that he had caught Karasuno's middle blocker's attention, he continued. "Would you jump some blocks for us?"
Tsukishima simply stared at the cat captain with calculating looks before replying, a fake smile on his face. "Oh, I'm actually done for the night. If you'll excuse me."
Tsukishima bowed as the two third-years let out a shock "what". Bokuto, not liking the blond's answers, spoke as he leaned against the side of the door. "There's no point in practising spikes without a blocker! Come on!"
Tsukishima straightened his body as he asked, the fake smile replaced by his usual blank look. "Why does it have to be me? Why not someone from Fukurodani?"
"There's no limit to Bokuto-san's spiking practice, so everyone runs away quickly." Came Fukurodani's setter's reply who walked over to see what the commotion was about.
"I'm too busy whipping this guy into shape." Kuroo pointed to Lev who was lying on the floor, too dead to move.
"I said I'd jump some blocks!" Lev's replied, lifting his head off the ground.
"Shut up!" Kuroo shouted, going on. "If you want to continue as a regular on Nekoma's team, you need to be able to actually receive the ball!"
Tsukishima watched with a blank look as Kuroo continued to scold Lev who simply whinnied in complaint before turning his attention back to Tsukishima again. He pointed to Bokuto and said, "He may not look like it, but this guy's one of the top five spikers in the country, so it'll be a great practice."
Bokuto straightened his body with his arms crossed, a pride grin on his face at Kuroo's words. However, that grin faltered as Tsukishima replied back. "So, he somehow didn't make into the top three, huh?"
"Don't mind."
"Don't raise me up just to let me get knocked again!"
Kuroo ignored Bokuto as he faced Tsukishima with a sideway glance, a smirk on his face as he said something that riled up Tsukishima. "Besides, if you're a middle blocker, you should practice your blocking a bit more."
Irk marks appeared on Tsukishima's forehead, feeling triggered by the Nekoma's captain's words before taking heading towards into the gym.
He was gonna prove them wrong.
Meanwhile, you were still searching for Tsukishima and wondering where has he disappeared off to. You have been running around the entire school, trying to find the tall male. After a while, you gave up searching as you gripped your hair in frustration, groaning, "How hard is it to find someone that tall?"
You were about to return to the first gym when you heard a bunch of noises coming from a gym nearby. Heading in that direction, you were surprised to see Tsukishima walking out of the gym, an irritated look on his face.
"Kei-kun?"
Tsukishima's head lifted when he heard your voice, surprised to see you standing there looking at him with curious eyes. Noticing that you had caught the blond's attention, you approached him, asking, "Kei-kun? Have you been here the whole time? I was looking for you everywhere."
Tsukishima was about to reply when Kuroo stepped out of the gym. "Oi, Megane-kun. I just wanna apologize - Kitten?"
Kuroo stopped mid-sentence when he realized you were standing there next to Karusuno's middle blocker. You blinked your eyes as you tilt your head to the side in confusion. "Kuroo-nii? What are you doing here? Are you and Kei-kun practising together?"
"Well..." Kuroo scratched the back of his neck as he tried to give an answer, only to trail off mid-way.
"Tch. If you'll excuse me."
Both you and Kuroo glanced at Tsukishima who simply bowed before heading off to who no know where.
"Kei-kun, wait up!" You called out to Tsukishima who simply ignored you and continued walking.
You let out a sigh before facing Kuroo with a smile. "Ah, sorry Kuroo-nii. I'll be heading off first or else I'll lose sight of Kei-kun. I'll see you in the morning, good night!"
You turned to catch up with Tsukishima when suddenly you felt Kuroo placing his hand on your shoulder, stopping you from running off. Once more, you turned to face your friend and when you saw the troubled look on his face, you asked in concern. "Kuroo-nii? Are you okay? You looked upset."
Kuroo sighed as he glanced behind you before ruffling your hair, a forced smile on his face. "Nothing that you'll need to worry about, Kitten. Go on before you lose sight of your friend. Have a good night rest and I'll see you in the morning."
You knew that Kuroo was lying when you saw the way how his smile didn't reach his eyes like it usually does. However, you have something else to deal with first. That something else being a stubborn Tsukishima. Deciding that you'll ask again tomorrow, you wished Kuroo good night once more before running off to look for Tsukishima again.
***
"Dammit! I lost Kei-kun again. Damm him and his long legs!" You grumbled as you leaned against the pole to catch your breath.
This time round you were really thinking of giving up when you heard footsteps heading in your direction. You quickly hid behind a pole, thanking the gods for giving you a small body frame that allows you to hide behind anything easily. You peeked out from behind the pole and was happy to see that it was just Tsukishima.
"K-"
You were about to call for him but stopped when you saw Tsukishima entered the first gym where Karasuno was still having their own individual practices. You ran out from behind your hiding spot and hid once yourself once more behind the gym doors, hoping to have a closer look at what's happening.
You peered through the window on tippy toes as you struggled to hold yourself up. Curse you and your short height! You watched as Tsukishima bend down to pick up his knee pads that he must have forgotten. You rolled your eyes, feeling stupid that something bad will happen, only to find out that Tsukishima had just forgotten his knee pads.
You were about to let out go of the window bars when you noticed the way how Tsukishima was observing his teammates' practices.
"This is just a club. Why do you put so much into it? It's because you put so much into it that you suffer later."
(e/c) eyes widen, surprised to hear such words coming from Tsukishima. When you saw Tsukishima left the gym, you quickly let go of the bar and attempted to ran away. Key word attempted. Unfortunately, Tsukishima caught you trying to escape.
"What are you doing?"
You froze when you heard Tsukishima's suspicious tone. Turning around rigidly, you faced Tsukishima with a nervous look as you think of a lame excuse. "K-Kei-kun! There you are! I was looking everyone for you. Now that I found you, I gotta go."
With that, your back faced Tsukishima as you tried to escape, only to stop when you heard Tsukishima's next words.
"Liar. You heard what I said, right?"
You turned around slowly, this time there was a frown on your face as you faced Tsukishima once more. However, the moment you saw how cold Tsukishima's eyes were, you flinched. Gone was the usual warmth and tenderness that made his eyes appeared honeyed-gold, instead of in its place was only coldness and anger.
You almost didn't recognize the boy standing before.
Trying to hide the fear that you felt seeing Tsukishima's piercing stare as you tried to find the courage to speak, only to fail. Tsukishima's eyes widen slightly when he saw the girl that he love flinching and what looked like fear shining in her usual joyful (e/c) eyes. When he saw how hard you were trying to face him but couldn't, it nearly broke his heart.
Softening his gaze, Tsukishima's hand reach out to you. However, when he saw you flinching away from him, Tsukishima's arm fell back to his side as his hands curled into fists. He gritted his teeth in frustration before muttering under his breath.
"Tch. Forget about it."
With that, Tsukishima turned on to his feet and head off into the main building, leaving you standing there feeling lonely and cold.
You legs gave out as you collapsed onto the floor, your arms wrapping around yourself for warmth as you softly called out the blond, hoping that he'll hear you and turned around.
"Kei-kun..."
Tsukishima stopped in his tracks when he heard you calling him, barely a whisper. The first-year nearly turned around and ran back towards you when he heard how hurt you were. But instead, he chose to ignore you as he forced his legs to move.
When you realized that he wasn't coming back, you rose to your feet as you wiped away your tears. You were exhausted and felt like your heart was going to break into million pieces. You send a quick prayer up to heaven before heading back inside the gym to seek the comfort of your older brother.
For a moment, you believed that Tsukishima was gonna turn around and come back for you. Oh, how wrong you were.
For the first time ever, you missed the warmth that you always felt whenever you're next to Tsukishima.