Chapter 30:
What happened after Kei blacked out was pretty much a scattered blur, according to Mizuki. Bokuto helped carry him on his back to the school infirmary while her, Kuroo, and Akaashi joined them. Mizuki's mind was in a delirious frenzy, and it took several deep breaths and Akaashi's comforting words in order for her to finally feel somewhat at ease. Meanwhile, Kei gained consciousness for a few minutes as soon as they reached the clinic but he seemed dazed and disoriented. The nurse insisted that they would take good care of him and assured them that he would be alright. Afterward, Akaashi went to find Coach Ukai and Takeda-san to report what had happened to Kei.
Word spread around quickly that night about Kei's current condition. His teammates, Mizuki, and the twins waited outside the clinic for the nurse to tell them what was wrong. To add to the stress, Mizuki felt like she couldn't breathe - one minute he was fine, the next he was on the floor, pale and unconscious.
"What was he doing before he passed out?" Yamaguchi inquired worriedly.
"We just finished practice," Akaashi answered, observing Mizuki's current state.
She was slumped over on the floor while Rina and Mina soothed her with words and hugs. She remained silent, replaying the day over and over again to see if she missed something. There was no indication that he was feeling physically ill, at least in front of her. Was there some illness he had that she was unaware of? Kei often kept to himself, and he usually never talked about what he was feeling unless she forced him to. Maybe he didn't want her to know that he was sick for her sake. Suddenly, the nurse walked out of the clinic with Coach Ukai and their teacher. Mizuki immediately stood up and braced herself for the worst news possible.
"Tsukishima will be fine," Coach Ukai assured, "He was overheated and he didn't drink enough water today which most likely caused his dehydration. It probably didn't help that he doesn't eat much either."
His teammates, as well as the twins, were relieved to hear that Kei was going to be alright.
"We'll keep him here overnight to monitor him, and we'll make sure to keep him hydrated and cool." The nurse added warmly.
"See? I told you he'd be fine!" Rina rubbed Mizuki's back gently.
"Can... can I see him?" Mizuki mumbled softly.
"I think it's best to let him rest for now," The nurse smiled tenderly, "I'll make sure to tell him that his girlfriend was thinking about him. I'm sure he'll appreciate that."
"I'm not..." Mizuki trailed off, not bothering to correct the nurse, "...Thank you."
As everyone got ready for bed, Mizuki made her way to the bathroom for a brisk shower. She felt somewhat comforted knowing that Kei didn't have any serious, underlying health conditions. Despite all that, her heart felt like it was about to give up, especially when she thought about what life would be like without him. She didn't know if she could think of a life without him, especially now that they've reunited.
As Mizuki lay down on her temporary futon, she removed the necklace he got her from when they were kids and stared at it. The silver chain had become somewhat rusty, and the T-Rex charm had become chipped and scratched. All sorts of memories came flooding back in her mind, ranging from when they were kids, to now. All the things that he said remained with her, and those words that seemingly had no meaning at first, began to develop significance.
"Welcome back, stupid."
"I want to be in your life. Sorry it took me five years to tell you that."
"I had fun today. I always have fun when I'm with you."
"Don't go. Stay."
"I want you all to myself, even just for a little bit."
"I'll always be there for her, no matter what. I promise."
"You love fireworks. We're going to see fireworks."
"You are my good luck charm, after all."
"Do you trust me?"
"Too bad, because I like you."
Mizuki clutched her necklace tightly, afraid to let go. She cherished her memories with Kei, and she realized now that she wanted more. She needed more, but more importantly, she wanted him. She cared about Kei a lot, and the thought of him disappearing from her life put things into perspective - a very important perspective that she had been denying, or perhaps, scared of accepting, all this time.
"You and me, lunch later?" His words from earlier echoed in her mind.
It's you, Tsukishima Kei, Mizuki thought to herself, smiling softly.
"It's a date," He said with a charming smile, which made her feel warm and fuzzy inside.
It's always been you.
~
"Where am I?" Kei muttered, rubbing his eyes sleepily.
"You're in the clinic." The nurse chuckled as she approached him to take his temperature.
"What day is it?" He sat up slowly, still feeling a bit lightheaded.
"Well, for you volleyball kids, it's day 3 of your training camp." She answered, shoving a thermometer in his mouth.
"What time is it?" Kei garbled, checking around the room.
"It's almost noon," She laughed tenderly, "You sure ask a lot of questions like your girlfriend."
"Girlfriend?" He raised an eyebrow curiously. Who was she talking about?
"Yeah. She wouldn't stop asking questions about you earlier," The nurse shook her head, "She insisted on staying with you but her teammates dragged her off to play volleyball."
Could she be talking about... Mizuki? No way.
"What happened to me?" Kei changed the subject, removing the thermometer from his mouth.
"You passed out due to dehydration," She explained thoroughly, "You're lucky your friends took you here immediately, otherwise, you would have had to go to the hospital."
"I'm feeling better. Thanks." He tried to stand up only to be instantly pushed back down by the nurse on the bed.
"Where do you think you're going?" The nurse huffed exasperatedly, "You haven't eaten since yesterday! You need to eat before you can leave this room!"
Kei grunted in frustration - this nurse reminded him of his mother.
"I'm going to get you some food from the cafeteria. Stay here or I'll make sure you don't get to participate in the remaining days of your training camp." She warned and left the room as Kei lay on the bed impatiently.
He recalled the events of last night and remembered how he was going to tell Mizuki how he felt about her. Did he seriously pass out because of how scared he was? It wasn't just depressing - it was pathetic. Granted, the nurse did say he was dehydrated, but the timing couldn't have been worse. Maybe it was his body's way of telling him that he wasn't ready for her to know how he felt yet.
"Kei...?" A voice murmured faintly.
He couldn't quite make out who it was by the door because his glasses rested on the nightstand beside him, but he only knew one person outside of his family that called him by his first name.
Kei smiled and said, "Hey princess."
As soon as he sat up, he felt Mizuki embrace him tightly. He didn't know how to react at first, but his instinct told him to hug her back. She still smelled like strawberries, he thought to himself.
"You idiot!" Mizuki cried out, tears forming on her eyes, "You had me worried sick!"
"It's not like I planned on passing out." He retorted, smirking slightly.
"I'm serious, Kei!" She frowned, breaking off the hug and facing him, "You passed out!"
"Why are you crying?" He shook his head, wiping the tears that had fallen from her face with his hand, "You're such a crybaby."
"Because! I..." Her lips trembled, fighting the tears that were about to ooze from her eyes.
Kei sighed, hating himself for making her cry again.
"I'm fine, I swear." He reassured her, "So don't cry anymore, okay?"
That broke Mizuki for some reason, causing her to cry even more despite his request. Kei knew he should be feeling guilty, but seeing her so worried about him made him feel strangely happy.
"Come here," He murmured, pulling her onto the bed.
Meanwhile, Mizuki was too preoccupied wiping away her own tears to notice that she was sitting on his lap. Her body was facing away from him as he rested his head against her shoulder, his lips mere inches away from her neck. He wrapped his arms around her waist and squeezed her reassuringly, wanting to make her smile. He was in love with her smile. Or maybe, more fittingly, he was in love with...
To Kei's surprise, she embraced him back affectionately in response.
"I'm sorry for worrying you," Kei murmured, feeling her warm skin against his, "It won't happen again."
"It better not..." Mizuki managed to say in between sobs. She felt so helpless after seeing him unconscious, and she never wanted to feel that way again.
They held each other in silence as Mizuki gradually stopped crying. She felt so comfortable around him that it kind of scared her a bit.
"There's something else on my mind." He revealed, not moving an inch. He wanted to stay like that for a little bit longer.
"What?" She mumbled softly.
Kei paused for a moment, before smiling a little, "I promise I'll tell you if my team and I win the preliminaries and go to nationals."
He vowed that he would tell Mizuki how he truly felt about her, no matter what. There was one catch though - his team had to win and go to nationals. His team would never, in a million years, win against Aoba Johsai or Shiratorizawa, so he felt at ease making this promise to himself and to her.
"What if you don't win?" She grimaced, meeting his gaze.
"You don't believe in me?" He teased, observing her reaction.
Her face softened, "Of course I do. I'll remember your promise."
"TSUKKI!" Yamaguchi slammed the door open, "I heard from the nurse that you're-"
Yamaguchi froze and stopped talking as soon as he saw Kei and Mizuki hugging. He felt as if he had disturbed a very important occasion. The two of them stared at him in surprise.
"...I'll come back later!" He shielded his eyes with his hands, not wanting to disrupt what seemed to be a very private moment.
"It's okay, Yamaguchi!" She laughed softly, "I'll be back later."
She left his embrace as their gaze lingered at one another a little too long.
"What? No kiss?" Kei smirked slyly.
"You wish." Mizuki rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out. She waved goodbye to both of them as Yamaguchi sat on a chair beside Kei's bed.
"I didn't see anything Tsukki, I swear!" He exclaimed, determined to keep what he saw in a locked vault inside his mind.
"Shut up Yamaguchi," Kei chuckled lightly, "Can I tell you something?"
"What is it?" Yamaguchi whispered fiercely.
"When I'm around Mizuki..." Kei lay back on the bed, smiling at the ceiling,
"I lose my mind."
~
After an exhausting afternoon with the nurse, she finally discharged Kei and cleared him so that he would be able to play volleyball. His teammates welcomed him with open arms, while Mizuki silently cheered him on from the sidelines. Although he had missed the majority of the morning and afternoon practice games, Kei was determined to join Bokuto, Akaashi, and Kuroo for extra practice that night. Hinata and Lev from Nekoma even joined them.
"I can't believe you passed out because you got so scared of telling her how you feel!" Bokuto guffawed, clutching his stomach, "That's pathetic, Tsukishima!"
"It's because I was dehydrated, overheated, and tired." Kei tried to explain to Bokuto who was now rolling on the floor, laughing obnoxiously.
"That's what they all say!" He wheezed gleefully.
"Who says that, Bokuto-san?" Akaashi inquired, keeping a straight face.
"... People, Akaashi! People!" He complained, his mood turning sour almost instantly.
Akaashi flashed a small smile at Kei, and he was grateful for the backup.
"Oh, Tsukki!" Kuroo cleared his throat, smirking wickedly, "Someone's here to see you!"
Kei noticed Mizuki waving slowly at him with a worried expression on her face. He jogged over to her and the two walked over to a nearby bench to talk.
"Are you taking it easy?" She asked, her eyebrows knitted in concern.
"I can't. I'm supposed to go to nationals, remember?" He retorted, a smirk forming on his lips.
She was not amused.
"Okay, fine," Mizuki huffed, crossing her arms, "Just don't forget to drink water."
"Of course." He smiled, liking how much attention he was receiving from her. If he knew this would be the outcome, he would've forced himself to pass out a long time ago. Just kidding... mostly.
"And, if you get too warm, make sure you rest." She continued, refusing to meet his gaze.
"Yes, I will," Kei smirked, leaning back on the wall comfortably. He could get used to this.
"If you start to feel dizzy, let Akaashi-san know. He's the only one I trust to look after you," She added softly, "I mean, Bokuto-san and Kuroo-san are great, but they're not exactly the most responsible people. Don't even get me started on Hinata or Lev."
"Yes, dear." He mockingly answered, causing her to become irritated.
"I'm serious, Kei!" Mizuki glared at him.
"So am I," He reassured, inching his face closer to hers, "Don't worry. I'm all better."
Mizuki didn't push him or move away. He had such a stupidly cute face.
"Promise?" She mumbled, watching her reflection on his glasses.
"Promise." Kei grinned confidently.
Suddenly, Kei was called over by Bokuto as they were about to start practice. After saying goodbye to him, she sat on the bench and sighed deeply. That was so incredibly embarrassing - she was acting like his girlfriend even though they weren't even dating. Pathetic. Absolutely pitiful.
"Oh! Toma-chan! There you are!" Kojima popped out of practically nowhere and sat down beside her.
"How's Tsukishima feeling?" She asked curiously.
"Better, I think," Mizuki murmured faintly, "He's in gym 3, practicing with Bokuto-san."
"That's good!" She beamed, clearly relieved, "And what about you? How are you feeling?"
Mizuki knew how she was feeling. The problem was, how should she deal with it?
"Actually, I was wondering if you could help me with that, Kojima-san." She murmured, smiling faintly.
"Oh?" Her upperclassman was intrigued.
"I think..." Mizuki laughed tenderly, her eyes shimmering with optimism, "I think I might like Kei."
Kojima raised an eyebrow before smiling, "Of course you like him. Aren't you two besties?"
"Oh c'mon..." She responded, facing her friend, "I think you know what I mean."
Kojima stared at her as she smirked triumphantly. She called it the second she witnessed Mizuki and Kei near the bus, seemingly about to kiss. Plus, it was so painstakingly obvious to her how the two felt. They literally cannot stop smiling around one another.
"I was wondering when you'd finally see the light, Toma-chan."