Haikyuu imagines

Chasing you- Tsukishima

I used to wait for him.

For years. Longer than I ever should have. I waited for Tsukishima Kei to realize what everyone else could see-that the looks he gave me weren't just annoyed glances, that the way he hovered near me was more than coincidence, that the softening in his eyes every time I laughed wasn't an illusion.

I waited.

And then one day, I stopped.

It wasn't a dramatic moment. It wasn't tears in the mirror or ripping up old feelings. It was quieter than that-soft resignation. Acceptance. The simple realization that he wasn't going to choose me.

So I let go.

Or... I started to.

Which was exactly when Tsukishima decided to show up.

It was after work when he cornered me-literally cornered me-in the hallway outside the gym where Yamaguchi had roped me into watching their practice match. I was heading for the exit, bag slung over shoulder, the faint echo of volleyballs still bouncing in the background when a tall shadow blocked my path.

"Leaving already?"

His voice. Low, cool, familiar in ways I didn't want it to be anymore.

I didn't look at him. I couldn't. "Practice is done. I figured that was my cue."

"Didn't stay to talk."

"Didn't think you'd care."

There. A hit. I could feel him stiffen even without looking.

"Yamaguchi said you've been... distant." His tone was careful, but underneath it was something tight, like a wire pulled too far. "Barely coming around anymore."

"Well," I said plainly, "I've been trying something new."

"And what's that?" he asked.

I finally looked up at him.

"Moving on."

His expression didn't change outright-Tsukishima never gave people the satisfaction of big reactions-but something flickered in his eyes. Something sharp. Something that hurt.

He leaned one arm against the wall beside me, effectively caging me in. "From what?"

Really? Really?

"From you, Kei."

The breath he took was almost silent, but I heard it-felt it.

He stared down at me, jaw tight, golden eyes searching my face like it held an answer he was terrified to confirm.

"You're serious," he said quietly.

I nodded. "Yeah."

His composure cracked. Not dramatically-just a brief, raw shift, like the mask slipping.

"Why now?" he asked, voice thin around the edges. "Why suddenly decide that?"

I laughed-dry, tired. "It wasn't sudden. It was years of waiting for you to give a shit."

His eyes flinched like I'd struck him.

"I did-"

"No, Kei. You didn't."

Silence pressed between us.

He straightened a little, but only to look down at me with something desperate trapped behind his irritation.

"You really think I didn't care?"

"I don't think, I know."

He scoffed-light, but full of disbelief. "Unbelievable."