The Captain's Choice// Kuroo x reader

ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕥𝕨𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕪 𝕗𝕠𝕦𝕣

"Y/n! Hey, wait up!" Kuroo jogged to catch me. Anger boiled inside of me at his choice of words. 

I can barely walk a regular walking speed. How is it so hard to catch up to me? 

"What do you want?" I snapped a little harsher than I meant to. 

He recoiled his arm that had reached out for me and looked down at the ground we walked on. I couldn't bring myself to apologize after I'd been humiliated in front of the entire team. 

"You shouldn't be walking out on your own. You could fall." He muttered as he must've known he's treading on thin ice. 

"Oh yeah? So, you're just going to follow me everywhere now? What happens when I go to class, huh? Or have to go to the bathroom? You aren't my father, Kuroo." The use of his last name slapped us both in the face, but my pride and anger were not letting me soften at the way he stepped back or apologize to his hurt expression. 

"I promised your mother I would be here and take care of you. In sickness and in health." He stood firm despite his shaky hands that I'd noticed with anger towards myself for causing them. 

"We aren't married and she isn't here to grade you on how well you're taking care of me. I'm not sick! I'm hurting! I lost my best friend and my goddamn leg! Leave me alone." I muttered the last bit trying not to fan the flame. I could hear his footsteps trailing slowly behind me as I walked and felt the anger rage harder. 

I turned towards him practically on fire, "I said leave me alone!" 

He came up closer, but I pushed him back stumbling a little by the weight shift, but handling myself enough to turn around before I had to meet his eyes that I knew would be full of hurt and shock. 

I walked away from him towards the park that I knew had a track. He did not follow me, nor did he speak as I left. 

~ 

"Fuck!" I screamed hitting the ground hard once again. The track, unforgiving and taunting, was not helping my moral or my  pride. 

I pushed myself back up and attempted to jog again. I'd walked this track a hundred times running the image of Kuroo stumbling back from my shove down into the cement, but it never left. 

I jogged a good half mile then decided it was time to run as I had decided a hundred times. The result didn't change: I fell back down ignoring the gasps and stares as everyone gawked at my leg no longer hidden because I changed into shorts. 

I hated this metal. I hated the way it offered me full range of motion, but never actually gave me it. I could tell it hated me too. 

I felt a strong pair of hands on my shoulders lifting me up back to stand. I turned to see Lev full of concern, but still smiling. 

"I don't need your pity." I snapped at him, but he didn't flinch as I thought he would. 

"Good because I wasn't planning on giving it to you." 

His words stunned me and brought a smile to my face as we stared at each other. He calmly began walking allowing me to join him. 

"What are you doing here?" I ask him plainly as I was trying to keep the satisfaction out of my voice that he'd not treated me like a fragile piece of glass. 

"I always come to run after practice. You know you've been here all day, right?" He increased his pace with a sly look in my direction. I matched him sending a smirk back. 

"Looks like I'll start doing the same. Running buddies?" I laughed when amusement spread across his face. 

"From the looks of it, you can't even jog." Lev laughed and I laughed harder. His teasing was welcomed because it was different than the concern. I felt myself again. 

"Oh shut it. I bet I can beat you." I picked my speed up and gasped when I almost fell again, but caught myself to continue running. 

"Oh, it's on!" Lev ran with me and I could tell he was slowing to let me win, but it felt nice to run nonetheless. 

"Y/n!" A sharp tone stopped my triumphant run as well as Lev's. 

"Oh shit." Lev whispered amused at the sight of Kuroo who sternly walked over to us. 

"You aren't supposed to be running yet." Despite his stern tone, concern was practically dripping off of him. I hated him for it. 

"Why the hell not? I didn't feel any pain!" I lied throwing my arms out just barely missing Lev's head. 

"Haiba, how could you encourage this?" He ignored me and shot his stern look at the boy who'd crumble long before I did under it. 

I stood in front of him glaring at Kuroo, "He did absolutely nothing except treat me like I'm myself! Maybe you should fucking try it!" My tone shocked all three of us, but I couldn't back down now. 

I stomped away after laying a small hand on Lev's arm and grumbled under my breath when I heard Kuroo trailing behind me. I didn't turn, but I did try to run again. He didn't stop me as I sprinted back home with tears of pain streaming down my face. This is my penance. This is the price I pay for the boy I didn't save. 

"Y/n!" Kiba sprinted out of the house and hugged me tight. His eyes trailing up my leg with a whistle, "Looks like my sister's a cyborg now!" He joked and a smile crept on my face. 

"Oh shut up or I'll make you one too!" I chased him inside without a glance at Kuroo who shut the door behind us. 

"Robots are taking over the house!" Kiba screamed when I caught him and tickled him until I couldn't bare the pain of standing anymore. 

I calmly sat down at the kitchen, "Hungry!" I complained. 

Kuroo seemed withdrawn. He was not there even if his body was and it was my fault. I'd run more tomorrow as penance for hurting him. For now, I laid my head down and let him fix me food that I didn't thank him for. 

"We need to talk." He finally said after Kiba had finished eating and went to go to bed. 

"No we don't." I snapped and moved to get up. I barely suppressed the wince that putting the contraption on the floor brought me. Kuroo noticed and got up but I held a hand up to stop him, "I'm going to get ready for bed." 

"You need help in the shower. I can-" 

"I'll figure it out!" I yelled which effectively shoved him back on his stool as I struggled to get up the steps by myself. 

I ripped the contraption off in my room and shoved my hand over my mouth to suppress the cries from the pain. I used the contraption as a walking cane as I made my way into the bathroom and sat on the wall of it still crying hard into my hand. 

It's my fault. It is all my fault. I'm pushing Kuroo away and I've killed a boy. I deserve this and it's all my fault. I hate myself. And so does everyone else. 

I will never recover.