A Kagehina Fanfic: All Grown Up

Depression

"Here are your photocopies Akane san!" Mei cheerfully placed the thick wad of documents on his desk, careful not to move anything else from its place - Akane was an extreme neat freak.

"Thank you Tachibana. And if it wouldn't be too much trouble, could you please--"

"Sorry, Akane san but I really have to dash! I have to go see the seniors now and you know how they favour punctuality! Later!"

Before the young man could protest, Tachibana was out the door, heading towards Kageyama Tobio's office. She had seen the red head leave twenty minutes ago and she buzzing with excitement, wondering about how their meeting had gone. She hoped Kageyama had cheered up a bit...

"KAGEYAMA SAN!" Mei burst through the door, making it swing wildly on its hinges,  and plunged straight into the tiny office. "Actually do you mind if I call you 'kun'? 'San' seems a bit too formal you know... So HOW DID IT GO?!"

She tried to control her voice but she couldn't help it, Kageyama was a good colleague of hers; and besides, his face earlier was the closest she had ever seen to him being happy.

"Call me whatever you goddamn want. I don't care."

Kageyama's voice didn't sound right - it was too empty - too hollow - too sad. What happened here? Wasn't that flame haired boy meant to cheer him up?

"Kageyama... kun?" It was only now that Tachibana noticed Kageyama's slumped position, his hear down the desk, face buried in the nooks of his elbow. "Is everything alright..?"

"Does it look like anything is fucking alright!?! Use your fucking woman's intuition for fuck's sake!!"

The black haired male raised his voice, which in itself was oozing with sarcasm and spite but under which, Tachibana knew, was an overwhelming feeling of despair.

"Could you... Tell me what happened?" She phrased the question as gently as she could, not wanting to anger Kageyama any more.

As soon as Mei said those words, it was as if a dam had burst: out poured the words from Kageyama's mouth, out poured the tears and the sniffles, out poured the story of how he met the love of his life after six long, lonely years, only to be rejected at the very end. By the time he finished, Kageyama was crying whole heartedly. 

"Oh Kageyama... I'm so sorry for you..."

"There's no need to pity me." Kageyama wiped his face. "It was never going to work out. Shouyou was never going to love me. Not again. Not after I left him. But at that moment he... Kissed me I realised..."

"Realised what?"

"Just how badly I needed him. How badly I wanted him. Oh Tachibana san! How could it all fall apart like this?!" Tobio collapsed on his desk, letting his tears spill out on all of the paperwork.

"Oh come on now! It's not the end of the world..." She struggled to find soemthing optimistic to say. "I mean, he did kiss you, right? So maybe he does still like you!

"But he has a girlfriend. Or a boyfriend. He loves another."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." A smirk appeared on Tachibana Mei's rosy little face.

"What do you mean Tachibana?" Kageyama was really confused. "If he liked me then why would he be going out with someone else?"

"I'm not quite sure you noticed but... His eyes when he looked at you... Those were the eyes of someone in love. And I'm not entirely sure he was telling the truth about dating."

"Are you suggesting he's in love with... Me? And he's not dating anyone? But that... That would mean he lied to me! Why on earth would do that?"

"How should I know? Maybe he just got his words mixed up. Things happen. Anyway - Kageyama kun, promise me that you'll go to that reunion!"

"There's no point if Hinata doesn't like me."

"That's why I'm telling you he does!" Jeez, he's like a teenage girl with her first major crush. "Just promise me you'll go! At the very least you'll be able to see all your friends, right?"

"Y-yeah..."

"Do you promise then?"

"I promise."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Oh come on, say it with more enthusiasm!"

"I really promise!"

"You can do better than that! Louder Kageyama kun!"

"I REALLY PROMISE!!"

Tachibana allowed herself a small smile.