To Fly To Freedom

A Walk Home

4 days had passed since that Sunday night when they had walked home hand in hand, and it was now Friday. Kageyama and Hinata had grown into a comfortable routine sharing the bathroom and rotating cooking schedules since their job hours were relatively the same. Only difference was Kageyama got off work 2 hours before Hinata so Hinata always walked home on his own to the bus stop that would take him to their apartment.

It was a good 10-minute walk to the bus stop but Hinata didn’t mind. He was just glad he hadn’t come across Kutabare since Kutabare’s apartment was close by Hinata’s workplace. Hinata was also shocked Kutabare hadn’t tried to come to his workplace, though Hinata had already told his boss and coworkers the situation and they had all decided to be on the look out for Kutabare and deny him entry into the gym.

Hinata looked up at the now dark sky as he walked in the icy air. It was nearly summer, but the night air still hung with a biting chill. He didn’t have his hoodie with him since Kageyama had convinced him that he should try going out without it. Hinata had agreed with him that relying on the jacket as a means of comfort and safety was something that had begun to become a hassle to his everyday life, especially during summer.

He couldn’t help but think of that Sunday night when he had held hands with Kageyama. He had clearly seen Kageyama blush and felt him intertwine their fingers… does that mean Kageyama likes him? Why was he even thinking so hard about this? He knew he liked Kageyama already. But even so… Whether he liked Kageyama or not, nothing would come out of it anyway. He was sure Kageyama had just gone with the flow of the situation and had no feelings for him. And even if Kageyama did, was he ready for a relationship like that after everything with Kutabare? Can he really trust someone like that again?

Hinata sighed deeply and shook his head to clear his thoughts. He was about to pop on his headphones to give him something else to focus on when he heard footsteps sounding behind him. He was about to put on his headphones and ignore it since it was probably just someone taking a walk but rethought the idea.

He listened and kept himself on alert but finally relaxed when he saw the shadow behind him walk into a convenience store’s light which illuminated the old woman’s silhouette. Hinata laughed at himself for his caution and slipped on his headphones. This would be a funny story to tell Kageyama when he reached home-

Hinata felt himself get yanked into a dark ally along the streets by his arm and pushed roughly against a wall.

 The person holding him against the wall had put one of his arms across his collar bone, almost choking him. The force of the arm kept Hinata pinned despite his struggles. Hinata was about to retaliate with his own strength when the person holding him down punched his stomach extremely hard, sweeping all breath out of Hinata’s lungs.

Hinata coughed and gasped for air when the person in front of him used the arm that had been holding him against the wall to push his face causing his head to slam against the wall. He felt himself growing dizzy as his head pounded from the injustice it had received. He could feel a breath against his ear and tried to lean away only to have his head forced back to where it was and a voice to resonate in his ear. “Stop moving!” The man’s voice hissed.

Hinata tried to place the voice but found that he couldn’t. He had no idea who was in front of him and that thought terrified him. He felt himself shaking in fear and tears forming in his eyes as the man spoke again. “Kutabare says hi.” Hinata eyes which had been closed snapped open to look at the man in front of him only to catch sight of something shining in the moonlight.

A knife. Hinata’s heart dropped with terror, his mind unable to focus on anything else. I’M GOING TO DIE. He couldn’t speak a word. Not even cry for help as the man brought the blade closer to his throat. Tears kept streaming out before the man suddenly dragged him away from the wall only to slam him back into the wall one last time. Then, without a word, he walked away and out of sight as Hinata felt his legs stop working and slid back down to the ground.

He shook in fear as he grabbed his phone. He wanted to leave. To get up and run to the nearest police station, or at least back to the apartment with Kageyama. God, all he wanted was to see Kageyama. But he couldn’t. His legs wouldn’t listen to him and he couldn’t stop crying. Instead he sent a text to Kageyama with nothing but his location, knowing that Kageyama would come to him. The thought of seeing Kageyama made him feel safer, only to disappear as he become all too aware of the absence of his hoodie that he always wore around him.

The darkness of the alley seemed to close around him as his breathing became faster. “Please, Kageyama… help me.”