CROWS - KAGEHINA MUSIC AU

ꜱɪx

KAGEYAMA

Today is Monday. Somehow, it's already been a week since our first practice.

I'm walking up the stairs to my first period when a small idiotic fireball scurries towards me like some rat. "Morning, Kageyama!"

I sigh. Even though I don't look at him, I can see him running to keep up with me from the corner of my eye.

"Rat," I mumble at a volume so he can't hear me.

"Huh?"

We both stop in front of our classroom door.

"Nothing." I look down at him, and he's smiling at me. I shake my head in the other direction.

"HI!" I'm startled by him shouting in my ear. I'm about to smack his big dumb head, but I see him wave to the end of the hall and realize he was saying it to someone else. In fact, he wasn't even near my ear. Jesus, he's loud.

If I were to describe this feeling right now, it would be like I'm hungover, and he's that one annoying bright flicker of sunlight that manages to sneak through my lowered blinds in the early morning.

It's not like he did anything (recently at least) to annoy me. It's just that he keeps looking in my direction. And...

Maybe I should get some sunglasses.

I'm too fucking tired for this.

"Keep it down," I say to him, just moments after he obnoxiously greeted someone on the other side of the third floor.

"Why the hell do you have so much energy, anyway?"

He laughs. "I don't know, I slept well last night. And I'm really excited about practice today! Aren't you?"

"I guess." I rub my eyes. "It's just...I was up late practicing last night, and now you're too damn loud."

"You better not fall asleep in the clubroom like last time unless you actually want to spend the night. I mean, you definitely would have had I not been there to wake you up. You're welcome, by the way!"

"Ugh--Whatever..."

He giggles.

"Stop laughing."

"Whatever you say... Heh. Tiredyama-Kun..."

"Shut up!"

Our math teacher opens the classroom door while she stares at us questioningly, Hinata breaking into a fit of laughter and me standing there glaring at him.

HINATA

"I still don't understand why the hell Tanaka made you our lead singer after knowing you for less than a day."

I look up. Kageyama is glaring at me, tightly holding his guitar.

"I--Stop looking at me like that! It's so creepy."

He huffs but doesn't say anything.

"If you hate me so much, why are you even teaching me the guitar? You know, Nishinoya-Senpai could have just taken over for you if you have a problem with me."

His eyes widen. "What?! I don't ha--I mean, I...I don't mind it. Teaching you...It's not...bad."

We both look down at the floor. I can feel my cheeks burning.

"I'm glad. I wouldn't want you to mind, um...Teaching me.

"So...What are we working on now?"

He looks to the side for a moment, then back at me. "Well, you have most of the basics down. And I taught you some riffs. Let's go over those for now."

"Try to switch back and forth between these two chords." He plays something, and I nod, trying to follow along.

"Can you?"

"Yeah."

I put my fingers down on each string, and-

"Ow!"

Ow.

[TRIGGER WARNING: BLOOD]

I look down at the guitar in my lap.

My left pointer finger...

"You're bleeding."

"...Uh..."

I glance back and forth between Kageyama and my finger when a lightbulb goes off in my head.

"Oh! I know!"

I put the finger into my mouth. Immediately after, however, Kageyama grabs me and pulls my hand away. "Idiot! What are you doing?"

"I don't know! Isn't sucking on it supposed to stop it from bleeding or something?"

"That's not going to do anything. Let's just go and get a band-aid."

"I'm fine! It's barely even--bleeding."

I pause when I notice it isn't just barely bleeding. In fact, the cut on my finger is gushing out, the red oozing out all over-

"The guitar! Jesus, don't bleed on it."

"THAT'S what you're worried about?!"

He takes the guitar from me, makes sure there's no blood on it, then stands.

"Hey, it's stopping! See? I don't need a band-aid! It's fine so let's just keep on--ahh!"

Kageyama grabs me by the wrist and pulls me up out of my chair.

I'm standing now, glaring at him, but he doesn't let go.

"How the heck are you so strong?! And let me go."

He lets go and starts walking. Rubbing my wrist, I start to follow. He doesn't tell anyone, but I look around the room and realize we don't need to since everyone is watching the two of us--Tanaka, Nishinoya, Tsukishima, Yamaguchi--And they're all grinning.

What? Are they happy I sliced my finger or something?

Kageyama and I make our way down the stairs as he starts to speak, still looking forward. "Put on some pressure so it doesn't continue to bleed." I nod, even though he can't see me.

Once we make it to the Nurse's office, Kageyama tells me to wait outside. A few moments later, he walks out with a band-aid in his hand, as well as a packet holding what I'm assuming is a disinfectant wipe.

"Here." Kageyama motions for me to give him his hand, and I do. He opens the packet and wipes its contents over the cut on my finger.

I wince. "Ahhh...That stings."

"Sorry."

I look up at Kageyama, and he's focused on my finger. The fact that he just said that somehow makes it sting less.

Now that it stings less, I notice how close we're standing. My left ear touches his right arm as my hand is reached out in front of him. He's still wiping my finger.

"Alright..." He says as he opens the band-aid up and puts it onto my finger, wrapping it around.

He does so with a gentleness that reminds me of the way he is when he thinks no one's looking or when he does something he loves. I hate how that gives me butterflies in my stomach.

I feel my cheeks grow even warmer.