When the Sun Stops Shining

Chapter Six: When Tsunderes Become Sweet

"Hey. Breathe." Hinata's eyes snapped open, his breathing reaching record speeds when he saw who it was in front of him. Kageyama. For once, he wasn't scowling. "Come on. Breathe with me." Hinata became even more nervous when Kageyama grabbed him by the hands.

"Ah...ah..." Hinata was trying to back up against the wall, even though he was very much backed up against it. He would've spoken, but he felt like he'd pass out any second.

"Breathe!" Kageyama commanded. At that moment, Hinata's fear of Kageyama defeated his fear of his breath running away from him. The orange-haired man took in a deep breath as Kageyama had told him to. "Now, release." He exhaled. Weirdly enough, he could feel the stress beginning to roll out through his lips as he kept the breathing pattern going. Kageyama spent a few minutes instructing Hinata until his breathing had calmed down once again. Hinata slid onto the ground, clutching his knees to his chest.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled, looking up at Kageyama. "I... I didn't mean to make you angry."

"No. I shouldn't have thrown that milk at you." Kageyama sighed. "Noya's going to be so pissed when he finds out I threw his milk carton."

"I'm sorry."

"Stop apologising, idiot."

"Oh. I'm sorry." Hinata's face went bright red once he realised that he'd just said yet another apology. However, Kageyama didn't yell at him. He instead crouched down onto the floor so that he could look directly into the orange-haired man's eyes.

"I don't like being called King," Kageyama eventually explained, his voice quiet. "It was what they called me on the outside, back when I was the leader of a gang. Karasuno. Every time I hear that name, it reminds me of what could've been. I... I got too cocky, and I fell. The entire team fell. But I fell the hardest, because suddenly, I was getting connected to all sorts of crimes. Crimes that I'd forgotten I'd committed in the first place. They were desperate to take me down, even for little things like parking and illegal streaming. People were coming forwards, submitting evidence... crushing me. I thought I was indestructible. But, I fell harder than anyone else. I ended up with sixty years."

"W...Why are you telling me this?" Hinata had been under the impression that Kageyama couldn't stand him. After all, whenever he'd seen Kageyama around the prison, the dark-haired man had been wearing a glare and a scowl on his face. But now, he looked gentle. He looked like the kind of guy you'd see feeding random cats on the street.

"Because I hate you." Oh.

Hinata knew best not to argue the point. "Well... I don't hate you."

"Why? Everyone else does."

"Eh?" Hinata was shocked. Kageyama had been surrounded by all sorts of people. He had his own henchmen. He got special treatment, special everything. Extra milk cartons, meat, his own dorm. How could everyone hate him?

"I was really bad on the outside," Kageyama explained. "I... I used people. Some people in here are here because of me. I forced them to commit crimes they didn't want to commit. People with kids on the outside are here because of me."

"I'm here because I was involved in an armed robbery," Hinata quietly admitted, his eyes beginning to water. "A man died. Take— I mean, the boss, shot him dead. I didn't know. I was just there to act as a decoy. It wasn't the only thing I did... but, I got caught for it. So, I'm here."

"I've killed so many people I've lost count." Kageyama's hands drifted over to a mini broom. He picked it up, turned it about in his hands. "I was a sniper. Known for my precision. I killed politicians, celebrities, normal Joes on the street... anyone, really. I'm pretty fucked."