streets ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ hq / shirabu kenjirou

26: yeah. always.

You felt tears pooling in the corners of your eyes. No one had ever cared or put this much effort into a friendship with you. This was the first time you felt like anyone genuinely wanted to make sure you were okay. Instead of responding to Oikawa's statement, you begin to break down. The three boys share a worried look, each of them rushing to remove their shoes prior to stepping into your home and steadying you before you collapsed. You leaned into the brunette's shoulder as he stroked the top of your head lovingly. "I-I'm sorry. I'm s-so sorry. All of y-you are s-skipping school for m-me b-because I'm being a-a b-baby."

"You have nothing to be sorry about, baby. Your feelings are valid. You have every right to feel hurt." Oikawa coos.

"You're not being anything at all, Y/n. We all skipped school because we love you and we hate seeing you in pain. I'd do it again and again for you." Suga frowns, rubbing circles into your back. Shirabu bites his lip to hide the shakiness in his voice. He wasn't the best in these kinds of situations.

"I'm pretty sure everyone would skip just to be sure you're not dead."

"C'mon, let's run you a bath and then feed you. We can talk after all that's done." Oikawa suggests. You nod slowly, a little embarrassed by the fact that they had to babysit you. Your sock-clad feet patter across the house to the stairs, the three boys following behind you. Tooru places his hands on your waist to keep you upright while going up, knowing that your legs were close to giving out any minute. He was so amazing.

Suga asks you where the bathroom is, so he can get everything ready for you while you gathered your clothes. After making sure you were secure with the older boys, Shirabu goes back to the kitchen to reheat the food your parents had left for you. When everything's good to go, the boys leave you to undress and get in the bathtub. Once situated, you call them back in. You were sat with your knees to your chest and you arms wrapped around them, your body hunched. Suna's posture was really starting to rub off on you.

Oikawa sits on the closed toilet located next to the tub while Suga sits on the floor. The silverette fills a cup with the warm water and pours it over you, shielding your face with his other hand. He proceeds to help wash your hair while the brunette rubs small, comforting circles into your bare back.

"Y/n, do you want us to leave so you can wash your body?" Sugawara asks, leaning back a bit to meet your eyes. You slowly shake your head.

"Can you just turn around?"

"Of course, baby." Oikawa presses a gentle kiss to your forehead, twisting so he's facing the corner. This way he won't catch your reflection in the mirror. The other boy does the same.

You release a soft sigh, hissing when the soreness of your legs kicks in after extending them straight out. The wash cloth feels like a little piece of heaven on your skin as you lather your body wash into your arms and chest. You finish as quickly as possible, draining the tub and grabbing the towel waiting for you on the towel rack. "Um— Koushi? Tooru?" You wince at the difficulty of trying to stand, once again needing the assistance of your friends. They turn back to face you, understanding your dilemma almost immediately. They each take one of your hands and place their free one behind your shoulders for support. Their eyes shut quickly since you hadn't been able to wrap your towel around yourself.

The three of you go back to your room so you can take care of the rest of your basic needs then change into the clean sweatpants and the t-shirt laid out on your bed. Suga takes your dirty clothes and the towel you'd discarded of to your laundry room while Oikawa aids you down the stairs. As soon as Shirabu gains sight of you, he brings your food to the table.

The silence is deafening, eyes watching your every move. In all honesty, your appetite was hardly there, but you knew they wouldn't let you not eat. So here you were trying to shove a spoonful of rice down your throat to satisfy them. After all, they really were just looking out for you and your health. You couldn't blame them. You'd gone radio silent after the twins, Kita, and Suna left your house. And whenever anyone tried to reach out to you, you wouldn't respond. Which is why the three setters were here in the first place. Aside from seeing Shirabu the night before disappearing from the face of the earth and your parents going in and out of your bedroom, this was your first human interaction in days.

"What are you gonna do?"

You look up from the bowl, expectant expressions awaiting your answer. To be fair, you had no idea. You didn't know what the right decision was. It just all seemed so meaningless now. Your head shakes tiredly. "No clue." You scoop up some more rice. "What can I do at this point? All I can do is just wait for everything to pan out on its own without any interference. If I truly meant to them what they said I did, they'll come around. If not, then so be it. At least I know I weighed out my options. Telling me to focus on myself for a bit was probably the best advice I could've heard. They're all graduating soon anyways. So, it looks like I dodged a bullet in a sense."

Oikawa and Suga just nod, finding your response sufficient enough for them. They share a look before glancing back over at you. You nod subtly. "Go ahead. I'll be fine. It's your last year, I don't want you guys missing your last moments with your teams." They both give you sad smiles, standing from their spots to say their goodbyes. Tooru gives you a kiss on the top of your head and Koushi embraces you tightly, his thumb caressing your cheek.

"I'll text you after to see how you're doing."

"I'll see if I can swing by again this weekend just to check in."

You watch as they let themselves out, leaving you alone with your strawberry blonde counterpart. Shirabu lets out a sigh. "I'm here you know? It may not be much, but it's the best I can do for the type of person I am." He avoids your gaze. Your bottom lip finds purchase between your teeth. You close your eyes to push back the emotions threatening to climb up to the surface. "I know. You don't understand how much it means to me, Kenjiro. Thank you."

"Mhm. I'll always be here in that sense, okay? Just an Fyi." His eyes flicker back up to you, a faint fluster dusting his cheeks and his nose. You gift him the weakest of smiles— the most you could manage without overworking your feelings at the moment.

"Always?"

"Yeah. Always."