𝗰𝗮𝘁 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘀 彡 𝐭.𝐤𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐲𝐚𝐦𝐚 (𝗿𝗲𝗯𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘃𝗲𝗿.)

⤷ 29.5,, bonus chapter: is this where it all went wrong?

3 years ago~

The golden hour has settled across the empty school courtyard, casting shadows from the trees. The sound of just one volleyball echoes from besides the gyms. The phone where your face is shown is standing on one of the benches.

You sit cross-legged on the grass nearby a park, all the way in Hyōgo while he's in Miyagi. A water bottle is at your side while you munch on some chocolate covered strawberries that your mother gave you. Across from you, as seen on the phone, the black-haired guy is tossing the ball up and down, catching it in between. His sweatshirt sleeves are pushed to his elbows, his hair slightly damp from exercising. Every few tosses, he glances at you. You're pretending like you don't see it, just enjoying the warmth of the sun on your face as you sit there alone in silence.

You like the silence. You just like being around him, even though it's through Facetime. You would have never thought that being friends with someone from the internet would be this easy. But it is. Whenever you're talking with Kageyama, it seems like it's just so easy, even though he's acting tough sometimes. You know he doesn't mean it.

You sigh, adjusting the earpod in your ear. You glance at your screen and catch Kageyama looking away, tossing the ball against the wall again and coughing slightly.

You and him have spent the whole day working on some English paper of his. After a while, he asked you to help him. You were happy he came for help to you, because it hasn't been like that in the past. But he knows you can help him, and you always will.

Now, both of you are too tired to go home, having spent the whole day calling while sitting in the school's library alone. Kageyama wanted to play some volleyball, having missed practice because of his stupid English paper.

"I can't believe we got through that without strangling each other," Kageyama then says, catching the ball with a small smile and turning his head to look at you through the screen.

You raise an eyebrow. "You mean without me strangling you. You're insufferable when you're working on English papers, Kags."

"You're so violent," he says with a shrug. "But in a good way, somehow. It's funny."

You roll your eyes, but smile at him. "Mhm, of course. I'm starting to think you just like spending time with me and that's why you're doing so bad in English, it's because you like me. Well, good thing I like you back."

The words slip out of your mouth before you can stop them. You freeze, the strawberry halfway your mouth, the chocolate melting because you're holding onto it for too long. And he freezes too.

Kageyama sets the ball down slowly. "Uh, do you?"

Your heart pounds. "I mean... yeah. As a friend, of course. We're friends, right? I mean, I know you say that we're not but... I believe we are."

But your voice cracks a little on friend. You have no idea why. You're just friends, right? Why is your voice cracking, then?

Kageyama doesn't say anything at first. He just looks at you, searching for words. He wants to say something. His head is racing with many thoughts, telling himself that he should just say it.  But the other part of him tells him he's lying. He's not thinking straight. He's just tired. 'I think I like you too, Riley. But as more as a friend.' Of course that's not true. He's not even sure if he wants to be your friend.

Yeah, he will never say that. He's not sure why his mind is thinking that. He'll never like you.

"Yeah, hah. Friends. I uh, guess so. If you want to be friends still."

You look down at your hands. Friends. Yeah. Just friends. That's all you'll ever be.

"Of course, Kags. I've always said you were my friend. I like being friends with you."

Somehow that hurts him. "I know." He sighs. "I never tell you that you're my friend, but... I hope me calling you and texting you says enough."

"I..." You sigh. "Yeah. I guess so." You pause. "So we're friends?"

Kageyama hesitates, then leans back against the wall, the ball against his hip.

"Yeah," he says, shrugging. What does it matter. "We are friends, Riley."

And neither of you knew that you held onto those words for long, because him telling you that you were never friends to begin with weeks later, left the biggest sting in your heart.

You thought you were friends, he said you never were. But the conversation in the sun was proof, proof that the guy had been lying to you all along.

He never saw you as a friend. He really just let you on.

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author's note~

whoops LORE ON RILEY AND KAGSSSSS ohhhhh they used to call 👀 they were really friends back then huh what is kageyama even talking about