Jump float serve

His dog

Night sky was beautiful, covered with tiny bright stars. Yamaguchi couldn't look away from it. He always loved stargazing as a child, dreaming for hours and imagining unrealistic scenarios that he wished could come true. A cold, but gentle breeze brushed his cheeks, making a light pink shade appear on them at the sensation. Boy sighed and inhaled chill air, letting it travel through his exhausted body. It was calming. Refreshing. However Yamaguchi didn't get to make even two steps from the gym, when suddenly heard Kuroo's voice. It sounded harsh.

"Oi! Glasses!"

Yamaguchi's feet felt glued to the ground. He knew how Tsukishima hated these 'stupid' nicknames. Does Kuroo-san have a death wish or something?! Boy felt scared for Nekoma's captain's life, but also slightly interested in his boyfriend's reaction. Yamaguchi could perfectly imagine blonde's irritated expression at that exact moment. Boy chuckled at the thought, covering his mouth with a hand. Curiosity killed the cat and he came closer to the door.

"Did you ju-" Tsukishima started but Kuroo didn't give him a chance to finish.

"You really shouldn't be so rude to him," he said, with a sound of volleyball hitting the floor briefly interrupting him.

Yamaguchi felt shiver running down his spine. He was dealing with Tsukishima's indifferent attitude for a long time now, but never confronted it, knowing he would be too scared of blonde getting angry. So Yamaguchi let it go and got used to it instead. Kuroo-san...it wasn't necessary...

"Isn't he your boyfriend after all?" captain continued with the same serious tone, with pity echoing in it.

"And he cares about you so much," sound of the volleyball stopped as Bokuto spoke up, his voice sounding gentle, but slightly dull.

"Ugh, you're so noisy," Tsukishima clicked his tongue, "what it has to do with you two anyway?"

"You might have offended him..." Bokuto's voice became quieter as he exhaled deeply, "don't you feel like apologizing at all?"

"Tch," Yamaguchi could feel Tsukishima roll his eyes even without looking at him, "for what? For being myself?" His voice remained cold, overflowed with sarcasm. Blonde has never seen a problem in his attitude towards the others, since he didn't care about them much. It was natural for him.

"Maybe at least for being a complete jerk towards him?" Kuroo raised his voice slightly, "Yamaguchi walked all the way here to give you a jersey so your egoistic self won't get cold."

"You didn't even thank him..." Bokuto followed friend's words, as he was too emotional to get into the talk completely, "some people can only wish to have someone who cares about them that much."

"Ugh, I'll deal with this later." Tsukishima's voice became quieter but didn't lose it's piercing rudeness, "it's not such a big deal for him anyway." Blonde made a slight pause before continuing, "When I'll come back he'll be in the room waiting for me and wanting to apologize for disturbing my practice," he sighed, all this tense situation not bothering him at all. "And after a small reassurance I'll eventually calm him down and we'll be fine, as if nothing ever happened," Tsukishima sounded undoubtedly sure in his words, "It's always been like this. And this time will be so as well."

Dead silence hung up in the gym. Captains were looking for words that would express their thoughts, but didn't seem to find any. Yamaguchi wanted to feel relieved about Tsukishima not getting pissed at two captains, but a pierce of realization hit boy's chest faster than he could think of anything else. Doesn't it sound li-

"It sounds as if you're treating him like a dog," Kuroo's voice broke this uncomfortable silence, making blonde hesitate with an answer.

Dog...

"Shut up already!" Tsukishima growled, "my personal life has NOTHING to do with you two!" Now blonde sounded angrier than he has ever been. Tsukki...why aren't you denying it...? "Let's continue already," Tsukishima clicked his tongue yet again, "I don't want to waste my time on this useless chitchat anymore."

Suddenly the world around Yamaguchi stopped. He didn't hear what captains said after that. Their voices got quieter and eventually disappeared into the darkness of the night. He couldn't feel the breeze on his cheeks nor the cold of the air anymore. It didn't matter for him. Not now. Not anymore. Boy's hands started trembling, as his head fell on his chest. Kuroo saw reality that Yamaguchi couldn't notice in years. This dirty, pitiful reality.

"So that's how you've seen me all this time...Like a dog," light chuckle escaped boy's lips but instantly grew into quiet sobbing, "dog..."

Yamaguchi felt his heart shattering to pieces. He jerked his head up to look at the gym entry. Boy wished for it to swing open and his boyfriend to come hugging him. Yamaguchi slid his slender fingers down its cold surface. He tore his hand away from the door as he felt electricity running through it.

He won't do that, he never would...

Yamaguchi wasn't prepared to face this reality. All this time he had lived the other one. He lived in a made up dream, which hid all the pitiful and painful truth. But now the true reality pierced his chest with a sharp pain. Pain, that he never thought he would feel. Pain, that felt worse than death itself. Pain, that didn't seem to disappear.

Not now.

Not ever.

He looked back at the night sky. Stars got partly covered with dark clouds and weren't shining as bright. Yamaguchi's eyes wonder from it to the gym door yet again, as a whisper left his trembling lips, "what will you do if I won't come back tonight?"