The Volleyboys (A Haikyuu!! Fanfiction)

Chapter 14 - Team

Chapter 14 - Team

Kuroo froze. I was aware of the sinking feeling in my stomach as I turned around. I already knew who it was.

"Kageyama." I wanted to say, It's not what it looks like- Are you kidding me? Of course it's what it looks like. "Why are you here?"

"Daichi sent me to go find you when you didn't come back with Tsukishima." He looked upset. Kageyama walked over and took my arm. "Come on. We're going. It's lights out in an hour."

"Oh. Goodbye, Kuroo. See you tomorrow, I guess."

"Yeah. Bye, (Y/N)."

"Okay. What was that about?!" I asked once we were out of earshot.

"What do you mean?" Kageyama was frowning. Like REALLY frowning.

"That. Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about."

"I don't." We walked in silence until we reached the doorway to the building. "(Y/N)..."

"Yes?"

"Um...was Kuroo about to kiss you?"

Oh my god. Did he get jealous? "Why do you care?"

"I don't."

"Okay." We began to climb the stairs to an upper floor. He walked in front.

After a few minutes, he asked, "Were you going to kiss him back?" There are a few ways this could go. I could say no and lie through my teeth. I could say no, but then Kageyama might tell Kuroo. I could say yes, but that might hurt Kageyama.

"I thought you didn't care what I did."

Kageyama leaned over the railing and fixed his eyes on the ground below us.. "No. I do care. The truth is...I care a lot about you." He turned and kept walking up the stairs. His confession shocked me, but...I like Kuroo now. We reached the floor with the girl's rooms. "I'll tell Daichi and Sugawara you got back safe."

"Thank you for walking me here."

He nodded. "You're welcome." I watched him take the stairs back down two at a time. Well, that was kind of a disaster. I sighed and went to go take a shower.

* * Transition? Of course not! Timeskip! * *

I walked into breakfast a few minutes early. I was the first person at the table. I ate some fruit and enjoyed the quiet of only a few people in the cafeteria. Soon, everybody else began to arrive. Yaku and Lev sat down across from me. Kai sat next to Yaku. Kenma sat to my left. The rest of Nekoma arrived. Everyone was here. Everyone except Kuroo.

"Kai, where's Kuroo?"

"Oh. He said he wasn't hungry. He seemed kind of upset last night. I meant to ask you, did something happen at personal practice?"

"Uh, sort of. It's alright though." Yaku and Kai traded a look. "Do you know where he is?"

"I think he went to the third gym."

"Thank you." I got up.

"(Y/N), aren't you going to eat?" Lev asked.

"I will. I just have to find Kuroo first." I took my food and a second breakfast outside. He needs to eat if he wants to do well today. As I neared the third gym, I heard sneakers squeaking inside. I opened the door. Kuroo was practicing serves.

"Kuroo."

He turned around. "Oh. Hey, (Y/N)."

"Why didn't you come to breakfast?"

"Not hungry." He hit another serve.

"Well, you have to eat. I brought you some food. Come outside so we can eat together."

He sighed and followed me to the grassy hill where we sat last night.

"Thank you for bringing this."

"Eh, no problem. It's not a big deal."

"It is to me." I turned to him. He was smiling, but it wasn't his usual Cheshire-cat grin. It was small, barely there.

We ate breakfast together. I took the paper plates when we were done. "Go practice more. I'll throw these away."

"Thank you, (Y/N)."

I went back inside. Putting the trash in one of the big bins, I noticed Nekoma watching. I gave a thumbs up. Yaku looked relieved. He motioned for me to come sit with them. I decided to head over to them, but as I passed the table where most of the Karasuno boys sat, Tsukishima called out to me.

"(Y/N). We need to talk."

"Tsukishima, it's not really a big deal," Daichi said.

"What?" Something about this feels kind of...not good.

Tsukishima stared me down. "Stop hanging out with Nekoma." What?!

"Are you kidding me?!"

"No. For all we know, you could be giving them information on us, perhaps without even noticing it." ThE aUdAcItY-

"I'm not."

"Also...they aren't your team. We are," Yamaguchi added quietly.

Yamaguchi...unlike Tsukishima, I actually considered Yamaguchi to be one of my close friends on the team. Not just a teammate, but a friend. The decision was tearing me apart. Sit with Nekoma, I lose my team. Sit with my team, I might lose my other friends. I silently took a seat at the end of the table. Yachi and kiyoko were sitting with Ubugawa and Shinzen's managers. The Fukurodani managers sat with their team so it wasn't strange for me to sit with mine. There was nobody across from me, but Kageyama was next to me.

I didn't say anything for the rest of breakfast. I didn't say anything at lunch. Or the beginning of dinner. I picked at my food until a voice jolted me out of my thoughts.

"Oh my god, would you stop being so sad all the time?!"

I looked up, shocked.

"Noya!" Asahi said. Apparently the rest of the team was startled by what he said, too. Nishinoya looked directly at me, right in my eyes.

"I'm not sorry. Every day, I feel like we're growing farther and farther apart from each other. I don't want you to hate us. I want you to look back on your time in Japan with fond memories, and not feel like you were alone. You're not alone. We're here."

Something in me felt happy, but also sad.

"(Y/N), please don't cry..." Sugawara got up and hugged me. I touched my face. My hand came away wet from tears that I hadn't even realized were leaking from my eyes. I pushed my face into the top of his shoulder. I didn't want anyone to see me crying.

"I'm sorry. I'm really, really, sorry. I've been so focused on my relationships with others, I've been neglecting my friendship with you guys. I messed up. Please don't leave me."

Hinata ran around the back of the table and put his arms around me and Sugawara. Then Asahi and Daichi, Nishinoya and Kinoshita, Narita and Tanaka joined. Yamaguchi looked at Tsukishima and realized he wasn't going to, and then looked back at the group hug. He and Ennoshita were the last two. Kageyama and Tsukishima were the only teammates not in the hug. After a few seconds, it broke apart. Everybody went back to their seats. Kageyama was still next to me.

He hesitated briefly before leaning over and giving me his own hug. Just when I thought he was going to pull away, he mumbled something to me.

"I'll never leave you." And in that moment, I knew. Being with Kuroo was wonderful, but Kageyama... Being with Kageyama felt right.