fight or flight

3. When We Hide

At the restaurant, Tadashi sat next to Hinata, the only person he knows fully. Kei didn't know if he wanted to sit next to his closer friends, or to take a risk by sitting next to Hinata and Kageyama, 2 of the many people he hates. He decided to take a risk, the first in the entire year.

*

"What!!! Tsukishima sitting near me! Now my dinner will be messed up!" Hinata exclaimed.

"Oh shut it. It's lunch anyway." Kei snapped back.

"Well, I'm moving. Yama-Yama-kun, let's go."

"Boke, there are barely any seats left," Kageyama said.

"There are 2 near dumb and dumber." In which Kuroo is dumb, and Bokuto is dumber.

A few minutes droned on, words thrown and phrased were spat, Kageyama and Hinata decided to leave.

After the bickering, Kei couldn't help but notice that Tadashi still seemed comfortable.

"Are you okay? I know that you feel most comfortable with Hinata." Kei said.

"I'm fine," Tadashi replied. "Really."

"Well, okay then," Kei said as he sat down.

"You were going to say sometime earlier."

"Oh, it's stupid. I can just find out later."

"I wholeheartedly believe that it wouldn't have been stupid."

"I was going to ask you to tell about yourself."

"See? Not stupid. Okay, let's start. You know my name, of course. We're the same age so I don't need to tell you that. Umm... I think birthdays are boring so I don't tell anyone. I'm a literature major. Oh! I have this kinda embarrassing hobby/interest. Wanna know?"

"Of course. Just in case blackmailing you is necessary next year."

"Rude!" Kei said with a good-natured smile. He knows anxiety can take words and make you suffer, so he tried to look as nice as possible. This was definitely hard to do for Kei.

Tadashi giggled, voice angelic and soothing. Kei felt comfortable and relaxed with him, even if they only met today.

"Well, here it is. Icollectandlovedinosaurmemorabilia." Kei said in one breath.

"Could you say that once more?"

"Can I just write it? I don't want some people in this group to know."

"Okay, whatever works for you!"

As Kei wrote it down as quickly as possible, while covering the note with his other hand.

"Here. After you read it, rip it up and send it to the depths of hell."

"How about I just throw it away?"

"As long as no one knows. Well other than you, my brother, and parents."

Kei covered his face while Tadashi read it.

Tadashi laughed and giggled. Kei blushing bright red, under his hands.
"Oh, my god! This is so cute!"

"...Really?"

"Really."

Both of them lightheartedly laughed, to much of Kei's surprise.

"Well, what about you, Yamaguchi?"

"I still have an undecided major, though I'm leaning towards teaching, probably children."

That is pretty hard, Kei thought I would rather die than deal with other humans.