Survival of the fittest- A Haikyuu apocalypse AU

Chapter 26

The next few days weren't easy, but one couldn't just sit about in a zombie apocalypse. Thankfully, no more food runs would be needed for a few days, but there was still much to do nevertheless. Everyone was a little unsettled that there was an attack so close to home, so Oikawa helped Yamaguchi and Kenma reinforce the safe door. Ennoshita was doing his best to make conversation with Daichi, who was more despondent than ever, and failing. However, Tanaka and Asahi did notice the effort, and, along with Kiyoko, appreciated it. They'd all lost people to zombie attacks before, but somehow Sugawara seemed different. Ennoshita realized what it was almost immediately, as well as Akaashi.

Suga had been their rock.

Sure, the apocalypse was unpredictable, and everyone knew that anyone could die in a moment, but Sugawara was always there for them when they were mourning, despite also mourning himself. He'd been there to comfort them, so everyone had grown to rely on him. He'd always seemed invincible, with his airsoft pistol, the one that was now in a corner of the room, covered by a blanket, along with his jacket. Daichi had taken his house keys from inside its pocket and was still gripping them with white knuckles days after. Why, no one understood.

Maybe it just reminded him of his boyfriend in the least painful way possible.

"...I love you too much to die on you like that. Besides, if anything takes me out, it'll be my love for you."

It wasn't a noise that any human could plausibly make. Daichi didn't even realize that the broken sobbing was coming from him until he realized that everyone was looking at him like he'd just killed someone. Maybe he had. He couldn't really remember much. Only that fleeting glimpse of those honey brown eyes, filled with determination, fear, and...sadness.

Suga had known that he would die. And he'd saved Sawamura's life anyway. Somehow, that made him feel even worse. Somehow...

It was all his fault.

Ennoshita realized that Daichi wouldn't be okay enough to help with anything anytime soon. At the same time, he realized that Suga was viewed as the leader of the group, along with the now broken man. There was no more stability. There was no more rock. Without a rock, the group would fall apart.

He tapped Iwaizumi and Bokuto on the shoulder, nabbing Kenma as well.

"I'm really sorry, guys," he mumbled, "but as of right now, I think I need to fill in. Can you please help me plan the next food run? You don't have to come. You don't even have to say yes if you don't want to."

Kenma smiled in a way that didn't reach his eyes.

"Sure thing, bud. Let's find something to mark out our map, check for zombies, and see all of our potential weapons. Of course, we're gonna need protection, gloves or something similar if we have it, that way if we get bitten we're not zombie meat."

After seeing the weird looks from his peers, he shrugged half-heartedly.

"What? Common sense and video games."

Iwaizumi forced out a very unnatural laugh. "Right. I keep forgetting you're kind of a genius."

"Only when I try."

"Try, then. What routes do we map out first?"

A noise came from outside that only Yaku could hear, as he was sitting against the outside wall. He started, then relaxed.

Those noises didn't scare me once.

But I guess you're always scared in the apocalypse.

He glanced towards Daichi, then looked away. He couldn't bear to go through that again. For sure, losing his classmates like that hurt, and then Lev, but somehow Suga's predicament had taken priority. Now, with him gone, all those stupid emotions had been forced back to the surface, and he had to stop himself from thinking too much, otherwise he'd burst into tears and never recover.

Then again, there would never be something to heal this wound. There was a gaping hole in his heart, first torn open the day it had all began. And sure, he'd never admit it to anyone, but he had really, truly loved Lev. More than he ever thought he could. But he never told the first year, all because of this stupid fear inside of him, the same fear that kept him from being strong right now!

The old Yaku would never have started at a stupid noise.

But the old Yaku was gone forever, lost to the sands of time, and replaced by a hardened steel, with little room for emotion.

Of course, that didn't mean he didn't feel it.