{kagehina} he smelled like oranges

Chapter 21.

Their group reached the first puzzle and Kenma took a look around. There was a stack of 6 large silver disks, a long hallway with a crystal ball type object at the end of it, and a beam of light coming from one of the walls at an odd angle. Kenma jumped up and down three times. That's when havoc ensued. Kenma and Endo snuck up behind their teammates and attacked. They were very outnumbered and everyone turned around and fought back. They were able to kill everyone but 4 people, but that's when Endo got stabbed. Kenma immediately let out a sharp gasp and murdered the person who'd done it.

He turned to the remaining three people, "Okay, you've got me cornered, but I know how to beat this puzzle. Let me live and we can figure it out together." The other people lowered their weapons and after a bit of discussion, allowed Kenma to live. Kenma turned off his mic for a second and turned towards the camera, "Endo got killed. The only person who's actually listened to me got killed. I'm gonna enjoy this." He switched to a private conversation with one of the others, "Hey, we only need three people to complete this puzzle, can you kill the guy next to you when I turn off the lights?" At first the other player was unsure, but eventually Kenma convinced him. Then, Kenma had basically the same conversation with the other two people separately. Then, he turned off the lights and there was the noise of a lot of weapons clashing and screams of pain from the different characters. Kenma flipped the lights back on and surveyed the dead bodies around him.

"That's much better," he said. He began propping up the bodies and forcing them to hold the silver disks so they could direct the light towards the orb. He'd almost finished, but that's when Peanut Butter walked into frame. Kenma looked at him, "I know what you're planning on doing. Don't even think about it." Peanut Butter stared back at him and then stepped on Kenma's keyboard, causing him to exit out of the game.

"Dammit, Peanut Butter!" Kenma yelled, "Not again!" He growled at the cat for a couple seconds then threw off his headphones, walked to the center of the room, and started screaming.

Kuroo came on screen and pulled Kenma into a hug, "It's okay, you're doing great sweetie. We do have neighbors though so maybe be a little quieter?" Kenma calmed down and leaned his head on Kuroo's chest.

Then, pushed away and looked over at the camera, "Kuroo, I'm still streaming, get away from me." Kuroo grabbed him and pulled him close again, "I don't care about that, Nut wronged you, and I'm going to comfort you."

Kenma struggled out of his arms once again, "Well I care, and stop calling him Nut, Peanut Butter is bad enough."

Kuroo walked over to the camera, "Sorry guys, but I'm ending this, it's the only way Kenma will actually treat me like his boyfriend." The stream cut off.

"They're so cute," Hinata commented.

Kageyama kissed him on the head, "Not as cute as you."

Hinata smiled and blushed, "I love you so much."

"Not as much as I love you," Kageyama replied.

There was a silence, and then Hinata whispered, "I'm sorry."

Kageyama held Hinata tighter, "What are you apologizing for, dumbass?"

Hinata gestured at the hospital room, "This. The fact that everything is unknown, that I don't know if I'll get better. I keep telling you everything is going to be okay, but I'm really just trying to convince myself." Kageyama put his hand on Hinata's face, to wipe away the tears that had started rolling down his cheeks.

"None of that is your fault," Kageyama told him, "I know that hope isn't a plan, but if it's the only thing we've got, we might as well have a lot of it."

Hinata forced a smile, "It's really strange hearing that from you, but I guess you're right."

Kageyama didn't know what else to say, so he reached into his bag and pulled out an orange, "Maybe this'll make you feel better." He split it, and they ate together quietly.

Eventually, Hinata broke the silence, "I'm worried. For the first time, I don't feel like everything is going to turn out okay. I know that's not what you want to hear, since I always try to be optimistic, but that's really hard right now."

"What did the doctors say?" Kageyama asked.

"They think that there's a very good chance it'll rupture. They offered surgery, but they said it could be just as dangerous so I didn't accept," Hinata said.

"You know if it ruptures you might..." Kageyama couldn't bring himself to finish the question.

"Yes," Hinata responded, "Of course I know, but surgery could cause that too so it's uncertain either way." There was another long pause. Hinata shifted, "Kageyama?"

Kageyama reached down and squeezed Hinata's hand, "Yeah?"

"If I was a better person, I would say that you should break up with me and never look back, so you don't have to go through all of this. I can't bring myself say that though, because I'm selfish. Promise you won't leave me," Hinata let out a shaky breath, "I don't want to die alone."

Kageyama felt tears well up in his eyes, "I won't leave you. I could never leave you. You're the best person I've ever met. I promised I'd always be there for you and I meant it."

Hinata buried his face in Kageyama's shoulder, "Thank you."

Kageyama leaned down, breathed in Hinata's orange scent, and murmured, "Please don't thank me for it, I would never even consider doing anything else, so there's no need."

"You're perfect Kageyama," Hinata told him.

Kageyama shook his head, "I'm not, I'm not even close. If I was perfect, I'd find out a way to make sure you were definitely okay, but I don't know how. You don't deserve this; I wish it were me. If I could trade places, I'd do it so fast."

"Kageyama don't talk like that," Hinata said, "I'd never want this to happen to you. Just say you wish it weren't happening to either of us like a normal person."

"You're right," Kageyama agreed, "but wishing anything won't change the fact that you might not... li... have much time left."

"At least if these are my last days, I get to spend them with you," Hinata smiled weakly.

"You deserve so much more. More than I can offer," Kageyama's voice became hoarse, "Why do you have to go? Why do you have to leave me? I know you can't control any of this, but I can live without you. I love you so much. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. I wanted to buy a dog with you, marry you, grow old with you. Why does it need to be cut short? I didn't get enough time. I want more time. I want more time," Kageyama repeated as he broke into sobs.

Hinata snuggled closer to Kageyama, "I want more time too, but we have to at least make sure we use the time we've got. If I only have a few days left, I'm making it count." He looked up into Kageyama's eyes, his own shining with tears, "Tell me about you."

"What about me?" Kageyama asked.

"Everything," Hinata responded, "I want to know everything that's important to you, I want to know about your first crush, your first kiss, your first friend."

"That's easy because the answer to all of them includes you," Kageyama told him, "You're my everything, you're the first friend and boyfriend that I've had, you're the first person I've truly trusted and felt like I can be completely honest with, and not a moment goes by that you aren't on my mind."

"I feel the same way," Hinata said, "I was so excited when we started dating, because I'd loved you for so long before that, and it turned out to be everything I'd dreamed it to be. If I could go back, I would've confessed my feelings much sooner. I wish I could spend an eternity with you, talking, playing volleyball, but most of all, just being by your side is what matters most."

Kageyama and Hinata stayed like that for the rest of the day, just cuddling and talking. By the end of it they'd basically told each other their life stories, interspersed with long tangents about how much they loved each other and how they wished they'd known each other since they were little.

It began to get late, and Kageyama forced Hinata to put on all the things that tracked his vitals. Hinata had taken them off earlier because he found them uncomfortable, but Kageyama was insistent. Hinata seemed to fall asleep pretty fast, but Kageyama stayed awake. He wanted to appreciate every moment as long as he could, just in case Hinata was gone soon. Eventually, he couldn't keep his eyes open any longer and he fell asleep too.