I'm headed back to my house at a steady run.
I thought this day would never end. A couple more of the guys ended up telling me how I was such a hero for saving Nakano.
I'm getting more and more uncomfortable with that every time someone says it. By the time practice was winding down, I was so ready to get the heck out of there and go home. I practically ran out of the gym, and I was halfway through changing my clothes before Yamaguchi even made it into the club room. I threw him this look of desperation and he just laughed, holding out his hand to me. I knew he'd understand. I gave him everything I had in my wallet towards the bouquet for Nakano, and bolted. As I left, a discussion was beginning about who would be bringing the the flowers to Naka-chan. I guess it might have been smart for me to do it, as I live nearest to her, but I just couldn't stand the thought of waiting another minute. My mother has demanded that I come home for dinner tonight, so I'm on my way to that, and as soon as she lets me, I'm going back to Nakano's house. Her doctor's appointment was earlier this afternoon, and I really want to know what he had to say.
My mom insists on making me tell the tale of what's happened over the past several days for the third time, and she's getting the short shrift on this deal, because I just don't want to keep talking about this. At least my mom doesn't compliment me on my supposedly heroic actions. She does say that it was a good thing I followed Nakano on her run. The words settle in my gut and squirm there, making me feel sick. I can't help but feel that if I hadn't fucked up so royally in the first place, Nakano wouldn't have ever even gone for that run.
Ugh, I don't want to go to Nakano's feeling upset like this. I ask my mom about her day, letting her vent about work and life in general and just giving myself some space to breathe. Nakano has enough to deal with right now, she shouldn't have to deal with me being a sourpuss. Mom is on a roll, grousing about the idiots she works with. I slowly get my breathing back under control, and the knot in my stomach slowly releases as I calm down. At some point, I must have shut my eyes, because they snap open when my mom asks "Feeling better, Kei?"
"Uh...Mom, I..."
"It's alright, honey. I understand. But you should not be blaming yourself for what happened."
"Really? Then who is to blame? Because none of this would have happened if I hadn't gone off halfcocked and tried to slug my teammate. So I think that pretty much lays all the blame for this right at my feet." All of that tension I tried so hard to let go of is back with a vengeance. Thanks a lot, Mom.
"Kei, you don't know that. You're linking together events that aren't necessarily linked. You can't know for sure that Nakano wouldn't have gone for a run at sunset on Sunday just because she felt like it. You didn't cause this. But thank goodness you were there to stop the worst from happening. Don't blame yourself for things that aren't entirely in your control, Kei."
Well that brings me up short. I say that to Nakano all the time. Am I really doing the same thing?
"Have you asked Nakano how she feels? Does she think this is all your fault?"
Of course she doesn't. She never would. Even if she should. Even if it is.
"Kei, talk to her. Apologize if you must, but listen to what she says afterwards. I'm pretty sure you're not listening to me, so I'm hoping maybe if she says it, you'll finally hear it."
I don't say anything. Honestly, I don't know what to say. My mother is looking at me with concern on her face. I don't mean to upset her, but I just can't help feeling like this. Mom stands up and hugs me as I sit at the table, squeezing me tight around my shoulders. "Mom, I...I'm sorry if I..."
"It's alright, Kei. Just talk to Nakano, okay? I don't like seeing you hurting like this. I made some strawberry mochi, why don't you bring her some? And promise me you'll talk to her about how you're feeling."
I stand up and give my mom a proper hug. "I promise, Mom."
Less than half an hour later, I'm standing at the Ogawa's door. Emiko-san lets me in. "Hi, Kei-chan," she says, hugging me, "Naka-chan is asleep at the moment. Come on in."
I'm carrying my schoolbooks as well a container of the strawberry mochi. She takes all my things, letting me change shoes and leading me to the kitchen, where Ogawa-san is once again making tea. Emiko-san places the mochi next to a pink box that I recognize. There's also a large bouquet of brightly colored gerbera daisies in a vase on the counter.
"Are those from the team?" I ask, gesturing to the flowers.
"No, they're from Tetsuro-chan and someone else named Kenma. Aren't they lovely?" she gushes, "But who is Kenma?"
I shake my head. I told Kuroo not to go overboard, but there's got to be at least a couple dozen daisies in that vase. "Kozume Kenma is Nekoma's - that's Kuroo's team - setter. He and Kuroo have been best friends since they were kids."
"Awww that's so sweet of Tetsuro-chan and Kenma-chan!" I can't help but smile as Nakano's mother reduces Kenma to another little boy that she knows having never even actually met him. Ogawa-san raises his eyebrows at me as if to say he noticed the same thing, and I chuckle. "What is so funny you two?" Emiko-san says, looking at her husband and I. Ogawa-san just shrugs his shoulders and passes me a cup of tea, which I gratefully sip on to hide my smile. "Oh, Kei-chan...who are the Gym 3 Boys?"
"That would be me, Kuroo, Bokuto, Hinata, and two other guys - Akaashi Keiji from Bokuto's team and Haiba Lev from Kuroo's. We all practiced together in Gym #3 at training camp over the summer, and Naka-chan usually joined us." I know why she's asking - that pink box is from the Gym 3 boys. It's cupcakes. Bokuto insisted that cupcakes were better than flowers to make someone feel better, because cupcakes always make him feel better. The rest of us decided not to argue with the logic of the Boku-bro and simply chipped in and let him pick the flavors. They're from the bakery my mom gets those strawberry shortcakes from, and I confess I'm looking forward to trying one.
"Well, I think that it is absolutely adorable that you boys sent Nakano cupcakes as a get well gift," Emiko-san says, giving me a sweet smile.
"Has Nakano seen these yet?" I ask, and Ogawa-san shakes his head.
"No. Nakano's been asleep since we got back from the doctor a couple of hours ago. She was pretty wiped out when we got back," he says.
"Sir, what happened? What did the doctor say? Is Nakano going to be all right?"
"Take a deep breath young man. She's going to be fine. But this did set her back a little. Dr. Ishigami advised her not to try going without her braces for a while, and for the time being, she's to treat her legs a minimum of three times per day."
I stare at Ogawa-san wide-eyed. Crap. She was so happy when we went out for Kuroo's birthday. She was so excited to be out without having to wear her braces. Her hope was to be out of them completely by January...and now that may not happen. Her recovery has been set back...all because I had to be the biggest moron on the planet.
"Don't look like that, Kei. She's fine. Dr. Ishigami also told her that there's no reason to believe that this will be in any way a permanent set back. And, since he knows what Nakano is like, he's already preparing to step up her physical therapy regimen to get her moving forward again as quickly as possible. To that end, she's got a session tomorrow - a long one - followed by an exercise regimen to follow at home. Then she goes in to see Dr. Ishigami again Thursday. If he likes what he sees, she'll be cleared to be at volleyball practice on Thursday afternoon."
My head is spinning. I feel that sick feeling in my stomach again. I place my palms on the table, looking down, blinking, trying hard to get control of myself. What the hell have I done? My god, I've hurt her so badly...she must be absolutely devastated. How the hell can I face her?
"She's just fine, Kei. She's not worried. She knows she can come back from this, and she knows you're going to help her." Ogawa-san's soft words startle me, I look at him with eyes already welling with tears. I really am such a weak fool. He's smiling gently at me, as is Emiko-san. How can they look at me like that? Don't they know what I've done? Don't they see? I open my mouth to try to apologize, to beg to be forgiven, when Emiko-san lays a gentle hand on my shoulder.
"Kei-chan, whatever it is you're blaming yourself for, don't. Your presence in Naka-chan's life has been nothing short of a godsend. She's stronger and happier now than we've seen her since her accident, and we're so grateful to you. And to the team, honestly. You all came into her life when she needed you so badly. I'll be honest, I think it's because of you that she's able to handle this set back so well. So please, Kei-chan, don't be upset. It's all going to be alright."
Do moms have some kind of psychic network or something? Or it is something more mundane? "Did my mom call you before I came over?" I ask, my voice a little rough. Emiko-san chuckles, now pulling me into a side hug worthy of Naka-chan.
"No, silly, but good moms all have that same innate sense when something is bothering their kid, you know? And I care about you, Kei-chan, and don't like to see you hurting." I can't help it, I smile softly as I surreptitiously dash away the tears in my eyes. I can't believe I'm sitting here crying in front of my girlfriend's parents. Emiko-san lets me go, and Ogawa-san claps me on the shoulder.
"You're just going to have to accept it, son, we're almost as fond of you as our Little Warrior is," he says with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. I take a deep breath, trying to once again calm myself down. I have to trust in their words, at least until Naka-chan wakes up and I can talk to her directly. But they've been with her all through this, seen her reactions to things. She might be able to hide stuff from her mom, but I don't think she'd be able to hide anything from her dad. So...maybe she really is feeling optimistic about her chances of bouncing back from this.
We chat a little about ordinary things - what Naka-chan needs to make up for school and the like - and I'm finally starting to feel a little more balanced when the doorbell rings. Emiko-san bustles off to answer it, wondering aloud at who it could be. Ogawa-san is telling me that he and Emiko-san will be celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary soon when we hear Emiko-san from the entryway.
"Shoyo-chan! How nice to see you! Oh, what a lovely bouquet of flowers! Come on in, let's get them into a vase."
"Pardon the intrusion, Ogawa-san! And thank you. How is Nakano?"
The Shrimp. Here. Now. And the rollercoaster ride continues as I once again feel my stomach clench. Ogawa-san pats me on the shoulder again and gives me a significant look. Yeah, I know. It's time I talked to the little lunatic and apologized. I've already been a blubbering mess of a little boy today, now it's time for me to step up and be a man and admit when I've done something stupid. I give Ogawa-san a firm nod as Emiko-san and Hinata come into the kitchen, chatting politely.
"Tsukishima! And you must be Nakano's father...it's very nice to meet you, Ogawa-sama!" Hinata bows low as Nakano's father stands up to greet him, chuckling at little - I'm guessing at the honorific. I stand as well, since the Shrimp seems to have forgotten to introduce himself.
"Ogawa-san, this is Hinata Shoyo..." I begin.
"...Karasuno's Number 10, who completes insane quick attacks with Tobio. It's a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for bringing such a lovely bouquet for my daughter."
Hinata stands up, his giant smile taking over his face. "They're from all of us - the whole team. I just got picked to bring them over. I had them make an orange bouquet because that's our team colors - orange and black. Do you think Nakano will like them?"
I look at the flowers that Emiko-san is arranging gently in a vase. Sure enough, the entire bouquet is shades of orange, including several orange roses. I can smell their sweet fragrance from here. Not bad, Shrimp.
"She'll love them, Shoyo-chan. Nakano is still asleep, but I'm sure she'll be up and about soon. Can I get you some tea?" Emiko-san finishes arranging the flowers, placing them next to the daises.
"No thank you, ma'am, but if I could have some water, that would be great." Hinata sits down at the table across from me as I resume my seat. Ogawa-san moves off to whisper to Emiko-san. Something tells me I'm about to be provided the opportunity to speak to the Shrimp alone.
Emiko-san places a glass of water in front of Hinata. "Well, I'm going to go see about getting my sleepy daughter moving. You boys just wait here, okay?"
"Oh, don't wake her up on my account..." Hinata starts.
"Nonsense, Shoyo-chan. She's napped long enough, and needs to eat some dinner anyway. Plus I know she'll want to see and talk to you both. She'll be along shortly." Nakano's parents leave, and now it's just me and the tangerine-haired freak sitting at the table, looking at each other. I'd rather chew my own foot off than have this conversation, but I know it's necessary, so I'm just going to fucking do it.
I huff out an annoyed breath and plow ahead. "Look, Hinata," I say in a rush, pushing the words out of me, "I acted like an idiot the other day. I..." dammit don't stutter, "I'm s-sorry." Shit shit shit shit why the hell did I have to stammer like a fool? Well, too damn late now.
He's looking at me like he has no thoughts in his brain at all, his stupid head cocked to the side and this blank look on his face. Well, I suppose that's par for the course for the Shrimp.
"Uh, what are you talking about, Tsukishima?"
I blink at him. What the...does he really have no clue what I mean? Is he that stupid? Or did this whole thing not even register on him?
"Saturday night. I almost punched you. I shouldn't have gotten so upset and I'm sorry." Well, at least my own surprise cured me of my stutter.
"Oh that," he replies, laughing. "Since you and Nakano are still together, I figured you talked all that out and she forgave you and everything was fine. So why are you saying sorry to me?"
My god...he really is a total moron. He doesn't get it at all. I've been all tied up in knots about this, and he doesn't even get why it's a thing. I don't know if I want to laugh out loud or punch him right in his idiotic face. I mentally slap the part of me that wants to punch him - that's how I got into this asinine situation in the first place - and realize that if I'm going to make this work, I'm going to have to explain it all to him. I sigh deeply. "Look, I never should have..."
"Were you really jealous? Narita says you were jealous of me."
I blink at him some more. What the hell is happening here...how does he keep making my brain come to...wait, what? "Narita?"
"Yeah, he was there, he saw what happened. He told me that you saw me as a rival. Which, I mean, we are rivals kinda, 'cause we're both middle blockers. But we're teammates too! So even though I'm not gonna lose to you on the court, I would never do something like that, Tsukishima! I mean, it's Naka-chan, and she's like the team's little sister or something, and I think all the guys feel that way about her. But she's your girlfriend, and you guys are great together, and I would never, ever go after a teammate's girlfriend, even if I did like Naka-chan like that, which I don't! That would be...well...just awful and mean...and you guys are my friends, even if you do kinda suck sometimes, Tsukishima. So I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression. I was just happy we pulled off the minus tempo quick. Were you really jealous?"
Okay, my head is spinning again, but this time from idiot overload. "Slow down, you moron, I can barely understand what you're saying. So, first explain Narita being there."
"He forgot something in the gym and came back to get it, and saw me and Naka-chan do the quick, and then saw you come running in all upset. And then after everything, he told me you looked like you were really jealous of me. Is that true? Because I don't understand how you could be jealous of me. I'm jealous of you, Tsukishima! You're tall, and you get good grades, and you've got an awesome girlfriend, and you're really smart about volleyball and are a great blocker, and it just makes me not want to lose to you even more because you're so good, and it's not fair that you and Kageyama get to go to special camps and I don't!"
And my whole world slips sideways again. I guess I'd never considered the idea that Hinata might be jealous of me. I mean, he's not wrong. I have a lot of advantages over him, not the least of which is not being a complete dumbass. But he's the volleyball machine - this crazy raw talent with his seemingly boundless energy and I never thought I had any hope or even desire to surpass him but now I do, I want to, because dammit I guess I really am a full-on volleyball idiot after all. How frigging lame.
"I guess I should have have realized that you wouldn't try something on Nakano, Hinata. I was feeling jealous, and I'm sorry I lashed out at you. It won't happen again." Well, I said it. Calmly and rationally. And I meant it too. It's not going to happen again. There's no need for it to happen again.
"It's okay. Everybody loses their cool sometimes."
And now that the worst is over, I can have some fun. I smirk at the little idiot. "I just hope you'll be able to keep your own jealousy under control while the King and I are at our camps, developing skills you'll never hope to have."
"ARGH!!!" His mop of orange hair suddenly slams into the table, and my smirk gets even wider. He's such a predictable idiot. "It's not fair! I'm not gonna lose to you guys just because you got picked for these camps and I didn't! I'm not gonna get left behind!"
"You know, if you weren't so damn annoying, maybe you'd get invited to these special experiences. Nobody wants to spend a week with someone as exhausting as you."
"Yeah, well I..."
"Well, hello there boys, sounds like you're having a nice little chat here," Nakano says as she comes sauntering into the kitchen. I realize two things immediately as I look into her eyes. One, she heard at least part of that conversation, and two, she's moving rather well and doesn't seem upset at all.
Wait, three...where are her braces? I'm at her side in an instant, an arm around her waist, holding her hand. "Naka-chan, you're supposed to have your braces on..."
She chuckles at me, but lets me help her to a chair. "Relax, Kei, I have them on under my sweatpants. My mom tells me that you've brought me some presents?"
Hinata indicates the flowers he brought. "These are from the whole team! We all chipped in, and I got an orange bouquet because that's our team colors, except they didn't have any black flowers, which I guess kinda makes sense." Nakano chuckles and blushes a bit. "There's a card too!"
Nakano moves to get up to go see the card, but I stop her, grabbing up the note that came with the flowers. "Don't Naka-chan, I can get that for you." I hand her the little envelope as she gives me a loving sort of glare.
"Kei, I need to move around. Dr. Ishigami said that the more I move, the quicker I can get past this. So it's okay - you don't have to do everything for me." I guess I must look crestfallen, because she immediately softens, taking my hand and squeezing it. "But thank you, love." She gets up and examines both bouquets, cooing over the card from the team and taking a deep breath of the roses. "Awww, Kuroo and Kenma sent me daisies! They're so pretty!" Her attention turns to the two boxes on the counter. "And what might these be?"
"Cupcakes from the Gym 3 guys and strawberry mochi from my mom," I tell her.
"Well, that sounds delightful. Care to share some sweets with me, boys?" she asks, her tone sassy.
"UWAH!" Hinata gasps, "I thought you'd never ask!"
We eat cupcakes and mochi and Nakano pours us all glasses of milk. Hinata asks her a million questions about what happened and what her doctor had to say. From what I can tell, she really doesn't seem too terribly upset about her doctor's instructions, and when Hinata asks if she'll still be able to try out for the girl's team next year, she confidently says she plans to. The Shrimp and I exchange a look at that. I'm guessing a lot of the team will have mixed feelings about her moving on and playing on a team of her own.
He goes on and on, asking about things all out of order and sometimes babbling about how much less fun it is to do drills when she isn't there. She tells him not to worry - that she'll be back at practice on Thursday. He father said that was contingent on her doctor giving her the go ahead, but she says it like there's no question it will be happening. I stay pretty quiet most of the time, nibbling on a strawberry mochi and watching Nakano.
"So how come you went to cross that street, Naka-chan? Where were you going?" the Shrimp asks randomly.
And because I'm watching Naka-chan, I catch it. A little flicker of her eyes towards me, a little flash of fear and worry across her face. A small stutter in her words as she answers Hinata.
"W-well, I was headed for Sakanoshita, so I was going to have to cross over at some point. Guess I picked the worst possible moment to cross, huh?" She rubs the back of her neck in embarrassment.
And suddenly, I remember. I realize why she crossed the street at that particular moment. This day really has been a roller coaster, as once again, my stomach drops and my skin goes a little clammy. I clamp my mouth shut, determined that I'm not going to lose it in front of the Shrimp again. She knows. She knows I know. I can see her eyes, looking at me with such tenderness and worry, even as she's still chatting with Hinata.
Before long, she suggests that he's got a long trip home, and maybe her dad should drive him. Hinata refuses, not worried about biking home in the dark. She walks him to the door, thanking him for everything and telling him she'll see him on Thursday. I can hear her rush back in to the kitchen. "Kei..." she begins, concern evident in her voice.
But at the same moment, her mom comes in. "Nakano, did you eat dessert with those boys? You haven't even had dinner yet! Honestly, young lady..." She looks like she's about to start preparing something, and I can see that Nakano just wants her gone.
I stand, moving from the breakfast nook table into the kitchen proper. "Don't worry, Emiko-san, I'll make her something to eat. We need to talk about the work she's missed anyway."
"Are you sure, Kei-chan?" Emiko-san looks up, glancing back and forth between Nakano and I. She then gets that knowing smile that Nakano dislikes so much. "Okay, I guess I'll leave the two of you alone, then. Tanjiro and I will be in the living room for a while if you need anything." She heads out of the kitchen as I hear Nakano mutter "All I need is for you to not be here right about now..."
Nakano looks at me worriedly, but I give her a small smile. "What do you want to eat?"
"Kei, I want to talk..."
"Eat first, then talk. What do you want? I'll make you anything you like. Heck, I'll even feed you, if you want me to."
Nakano chuckles at that, which helps me keep it together. I'm not having her skip eating because of me. Dammit, I will hold it together until she eats some decent food.
"How about furikake rice?"
"Not enough. I'm adding egg to it, because you definitely need the protein, and maybe some vegetables, if I can find some. Now, while I cook, open up my bag and take a look at the work I brought you."
She gets my bag, and we go over the work she's missed while I cook her rice. It's not long before we're headed into her room, my bag over her shoulder and her rice in my hands. As soon as the door closes behind her, she turns to try to engage me again. "Kei, love, I..."
"Sit and eat, please. Let me feed you. I'd really like to, Nakano."
We settle on her bed, sitting close together. I get her to sit back against her pillows, and I feed her carefully. We don't talk, and I think we both can feel it coming. I feed her the entire bowl of rice, and when she's done, I stand and place the bowl on her desk.
Returning to her bed, I bury my face in her lap, and sob like a baby. She runs her fingers through my hair and makes soft comforting noises. For the second time in as many days, I cry myself silly.
"Nakano, I'm so sorry. I never meant to cause you sorrow, or pain, and I've done both. It really was my fault, wasn't it?" I whisper out once my tears stop. "You thought I was a stalker. You crossed the street to get away from me. And that's why you almost got hit. It was all my fault."
"Kei, are you at all familiar with quantum theory?"
I snivel, looking up at her. She's looking at me with such kindness, so much love in her beautiful blue eyes. I am thoroughly confused. Quantum theory?
"Quantum theory tells us that any time a body has more than one possible state it can be in, the equations that describe it take into account all of those possibilities. It's only when a choice is made that the equation collapses down to reflect what actually happened." Her hand is still playing with my hair, and I even though I want to ask what she's on about, I lie still and wait. "Some scientists, but even more science fiction writers, I think, have speculated that for every choice, the universe branches out, making more universes so that all possible choices can be realized. Can you imagine that? So many possible universes, and so many more being created all the time, as choices come up. So somewhere, there's a universe where I died in the accident I had when I was twelve." I tense up at the words, I can't help it. She soothes me for a moment, skritching my scalp and murmuring gentle words until I relax a bit. "And there's a universe where you couldn't accept my feelings for you. I hope we remained friends, in that universe, but there's probably another one where we didn't. And there's a universe where you never tried to punch Hinata, and another one where I never went for a jog on Sunday, and still another where I went on the run but you didn't follow me. And even that one branches twice - one where I never crossed the street and was never in any danger...and one where I crossed, and got hit."
She gets me up into a sitting position next to her, cupping my tear-streaked face in her hands. "Kei, I don't give a damn about any of those universes, and I wouldn't wish to be in any of them. Because right here is where I want to be. Because the choices we've made and the things that have happened have made us who we are, and brought us together. They've given me someone I love so much. And to me, that's all that matters. You've been working so hard to teach me that we are the sum of all our experiences, good and bad. And it's true. I see it, so very clearly now. We don't have to like the bad experiences Kei, but I won't wish they never happened, because we learn from them and we come out from them stronger." She pulls me in to a warm hug. I sigh deeply, my body going a bit limp as I just let her hold me. "Kei, I love you, and if you still feel like somehow this is all your fault, remember you are also the one who made sure the car didn't hit me. So I think that balances things out, don't you?"
She's right. My mom was right too, as was Emiko-san. Funny how I was able to see so clearly when Nakano was heaping blame on herself for things she really didn't have control of, but when I did the same thing, I couldn't see it. Gods, I need her so much. I love her so much. More than that, we need each other, love each other. That's the best and most amazing thing of all. After all the ups and downs of today, in this moment, I finally, finally, feel like I'm ready to let it go. Nakano forgives me - more than that, she never blamed me for any of it in the first place. I've learned a difficult and painful lesson about jealousy, and I won't be forgetting it any time soon. I take in a deep breath and wrap my arms around my girl, releasing my tension in another deep sigh.
"I love you so much, Roses. Thank you, for taking care of me."
"I love you too, Kei. More than I can tell you. Don't you ever forget it."
We stay just like that, cuddling close on her bed, until it's time for me to go home.
🏐🏐🏐
It's Wednesday. And for the first time in five days, I feel normal.
I go through my normal morning routine, getting myself up and ready, and heading out to Karasuno. I miss Nakano as I walk to meet Tadashi, so I text her to tell her so. She doesn't reply, but that's not all that surprising. She's already at her physical therapy session by now, and she's pretty sure they'll keep her there most of the morning. She promised me she'd try to text around lunchtime, but not to worry if she couldn't.
I meet up with Tadashi, and we talk about nothing in particular as we walk. At one point, I look over at him, and he's looking at me with this curious little smile on his face.
"What?" I ask him.
"You finally really talked it all out, didn't you?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Exactly how the hell do you know that, Tadashi?
"Come on, Tsukki, I can see it. You're finally back to your normal self." Yamaguchi chuckles. "Let me guess, Hinata probably had no idea why you even wanted to talk to him, right?"
I roll my eyes. "Completely clueless."
"I'm glad you were able to talk with him though. I...kinda pushed hard to have him be the one to bring the flowers to Naka-chan's house. I was hoping you'd get the chance to talk things out in a more neutral location than in the gym where everything went down in the first place."
Dammit Tadashi, there you go again. Naka-chan is right, you are an awesome wingman. "Thanks, Tadashi."
He shrugs. "And everything is back to normal between you and Naka-chan, too, right?"
"Of course. Why wouldn't it be?"
"Oh, I don't know, maybe because I think you've been feeling guilty, like somehow, this whole thing was your fault. I was going to talk to you about it, but I knew you wouldn't listen to me. I'm glad Nakano has finally talked some sense into you." He's...smirking at me. Yamaguchi Tadashi is smirking at me.
"Shut up, Yamaguchi."
"Sorry, Tsukki."
Yep, everything is back to normal.
🏐🏐🏐
We're on a fifteen minute break at practice. I'm settled on a bench, texting with Nakano, who is apparently trying hard to absolutely kill me.
Roses
Hey gorgeous, guess what I just did?
Kei
I'm not sure I want to know.
Roses
A 3 mile run!
Kei
What? Did your doctor tell you to do that?
Roses
Yes, of course he did. And before you panic too much, Dad came with me, just in case there was any trouble.
Kei
You might have said that in the first place.
Roses
Yeah, but where's the fun in that?
Kei
I take it you're feeling pretty good since you're so willing to torment me.
Roses
Actually, I'm feeling pretty sore and tired. PT was brutal, just as I thought it would be. And now the run. And I'm still not done for today.
Kei
Go do your legs, beautiful.
Roses
Wish you were here to do them for me, lover boy.
I can't help it, I chuckle at the nickname. I'm typing back that I wish that were the case too when someone plops down on the bench next to me.
"What's so funny, Tsukishima? Checking out a meme?" Nishinoya asks me.
I resist the urge to click my tongue at the idea that I'd been sitting here looking at stupid memes. "No, Noya-senpai, I'm texting with Nakano."
"How's she doing?"
"Apparently very well. She finished a three mile run not long ago, and is going to be headed out to the volleyball court with her dad shortly."
Noya laughs heartily. "That's our Naka-chan. She is a total badass."
"Why do you like to call her that so much?" I confess I've always wondered about that. Not that it isn't true - I'm just curious as to why Nishinoya is so enamored of that word to describe her.
"Well, because it's true! And because I've not known too many other people as determined as Nakano. When she sets her mind to something, she's going to achieve it. I can't imagine that girl ever giving up on something or someone that she believes in. I think that's pretty awesome. She's doesn't care what anybody else thinks - she follows her own heart, and doesn't let anything get in the way."
I look away, hiding the smile that comes over my face. "Well, you're right about that, Noya-senpai."
"But I think the best thing about her total badass-ness is that she's so generous with it."
"What do you mean?"
"A lot of people like that are totally focused on themselves - their own personal goals. I mean, don't get me wrong, there's not necessarily anything wrong with that. Sometimes you need to do that. But Nakano looks beyond herself. She's just as dedicated to helping the people she cares about achieve their goals as she is to achieving her own. Do you know why she wanted to learn to do the minus tempo quick with Hinata?"
My eyebrows shoot up, and I look at the libero. Actually, in all of this, I never did ask her why she was so anxious to learn to do that. I assumed she was trying to challenge herself as a setter, but Noya seems to be implying it was more than that. I shake my head, not quite trusting myself to say anything.
"She was worried that Shoyo might feel like he could only be a valuable player if he played with Kageyama. She wanted to show him that he could work just as well with other setters - that he was a talented player all on his own."
I can't help but think back to the Shrimp's complaint last night about the King and I getting these special opportunities. I can see how that might be pretty tough on him in the confidence department. I wonder if some of those volleyball professionals watching us thought exactly that about the little menace - that without the King, he's nothing. "How did you find that out, Noya-senpai?"
"I overheard her talking with Kageyama about it. He was kind of giving her some grief about doing all this work just to make Hinata happy. But she said this wasn't about Shoyo's happiness - it was about his pride. Because he needs that to be an effective part of this team too. Girl is a total angel and a total badass."
I chuckle again. "Do you know, Noya-senpai, that Nakano often calls herself selfish? She'd probably say that her motivation for helping Hinata was a selfish one - she wants to keep working with us, so she can become strong enough to make the girls' team. Can't do that if we don't keep playing and winning."
Nishinoya laughs again and shakes his head. "If we were all as selfish as Nakano, the world would be a better place."
I couldn't agree with him more.