effervescent (nishinoya yū)

CHAPTER NINE / the reunion

You and your dad stayed with Karasuno's boys to watch the remainder of Aoba Johsai's match. Although the others were impressed, even scared, by Oikawa's serves and the overall skill of the volleyball team, it wasn't anything you hadn't seen before. You were just glad that Iwaizumi and the other second- and third-years were doing well. Sure, Oikawa was a piece of shit, but the others had been genuinely kind to you.

When Aoba Johsai inevitably won their match, you bid the boys farewell as you headed home with your dad. Takinoue and Shimada had invited the two of you to head out for dinner as a reunion celebration, but both of you were exhausted and decided to call it a night instead.

"Alright!" Takinoue exclaimed from the other side of the call. "Depending on how long you decide to stay, though, we better go out for drinks sometime. I'm holding you to that promise you made back in high school!"

Your dad laughed and nodded. "Yeah, yeah. Take care."

You climbed into the passenger seat of your dad's blue Prius and tossed your bag into the backseat. He came around the side and turned on the car, but he had yet to buckle his seatbelt in. He stared at the steering wheel, his jaw set and his eyes narrowed.

"Dad?" you asked uncertainly. "What's wrong?"

"I forgot you were staying with your mom," he admitted. He buckled himself in and shifted the car into drive before pulling out of the parking lot. You watched the scenery roll by, the sun starting to dip below the back of the Sendai City Gymnasium.

The ride back was practically silent, save for the sound of the engine and the wind pressing against the sides of the car. You rested your head on the window and let out a little sigh, feeling undeniably tense and worried about what would await you when you got home.

It felt like almost no time had passed when you got back to your house. Your dad put the car into park and unlocked the doors. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow," he said.

You turned to face him, letting go of the door handle. "Are you not coming inside?"

"I don't think I should." A shadow played over his face and his hands were tight on the wheel. "I don't know how your mom would react and I'm not sure I'm ready to face her myself."

"Come on." You reached over and put a hand on his shoulder. The shadow faded a little and he looked between your hand and your face. "Please? For me?"

Although he was silent, his eyes were alight with conflicting emotions. Finally, he slowly nodded and pushed his door open. You grabbed your bag from the back and walked with him up to the door, trying to calm your own racing heart.

"I'm home."

You saw your mom look up with a smile on her face, but it almost immediately went away when she made eye contact with your dad. You tightened your grip on your bag as you took your shoes off and stepped over the threshold. Your dad stayed in the entranceway with his shoes on, never breaking eye contact with your mom once.

"What is he doing here?" she asked, her voice shaking.

"He came to the Spring Interhigh," you explained. "I thought...I thought it would be a good idea for you guys to finally talk."

He glared at her and you saw her visibly wilt. "I'm starting to think it wasn't such a good idea."

Your mom swallowed hard and pointed over her shoulder, her hand shaking despite her obvious efforts to keep herself calm. "Sweetie, go to your room. Your dad and I have a lot to talk about."

You nodded and whispered a quiet "Good night" as you hurried past your mom and went into your room. On any other day, you wouldn't have hesitated to take a shower, but you were almost too scared to do anything that would make noise. Instead, you dropped your bag on the ground and pressed your ear against the door.