𝘾𝙍𝘼𝙑𝙀 | 𝙍. 𝙎𝙪𝙣𝙖

𝙩𝙚𝙣

it still wasn't dawn, and we were already in front of the bus, waiting for the twins to arrive. after receiving mizuki's messages, i hadn't slept a wink, so i was starting to yawn every minute.

"i purposely gave them the wrong time hoping that instead of arriving late, they would come right on time..." aran sighed, looking at his phone while browsing through his social media.

the entire team was gathered in the school parking lot, some half-asleep, others scrolling through their phones. suna was seated on the ground, headphones on, eyes closed.

if the girl he spent the night with is fukurodani's manager, i'm in for a week of teamwork. not to mention the joy of sharing a room with her. how thrilling.

i decided to stretch my legs and head to the vending machine around the corner. the lack of sleep was starting to get to me, and i needed a caffeine boost and some snacks to keep me awake during the journey.

just as i punched the buttons for my preferred drink, i sensed someone stepping up beside me. i didn't need to look to know it was suna. his presence had a way of announcing itself.

"you mind grabbing me a pack of chips?" he said casually while passing me some coins.

i sighed inwardly but nodded, keeping my gaze fixed on the machine. "sure, whatever."

as we waited for the machine to dispense the snacks, suna broke the silence. "you look like you haven't slept at all."

this time, i did look at him, and i regretted it instantly. he had the same dark circles under his eyes as i did. "speak for yourself. rough night?" i redirected my attention to the machine to collect what i had ordered.

he nodded, and i sensed a hint of remorse in his eyes. i might have thought it was about yuki if he hadn't followed up with:

"i'm sorry for not responding to your texts," he sighed, opening the bag of chips. "i should have told you i couldn't make it yesterday. things got hectic."

"it's okay, i've been busy too," i said casually, taking a sip of (f/d). truth was, my weekend had been filled with anime marathons and texts from kuroo.

"yeah, i can tell... speaking of, how was your friday?" he sounded cautious.

for some reason, i hesitated to tell him the truth about my dinner date with kuroo. he hadn't exactly opened up about his rendezvous with yuki, so why should i spill the details of mine?

"nothing much, went out to dinner with my mom." he squinted his eyes at me. "you know how it is, she buys my apologies when she realizes she messed up with me."

by the look on his face, it was as if he could see through my lie but before he could say anything kita suddenly appeared "hey, the twins are here. let's go."

upon boarding the bus, i chose a seat in front of the twins, next to itami. suna, on the other hand, settled in a seat behind them, putting his headphones back on. it felt like a deliberate move, a physical representation of the emotional distance that had grown between us.

.・。.・゜✧・.・✧・゜・。.

a while had passed, and most people on the bus had succumbed to sleep. through the window, the city was now a distant sight, giving way to the rural area where we would spend the next five days.

i could feel myself about to doze off when i felt a tap on my shoulder.

"y/nnn...." atsumu appeared between the seats, his tone not indicating anything good.

"whatever it is, the answer is no." itami opened her eyes slightly, hearing our whispers.

"this will interest you." this time, it was osamu who leaned over, chuckling quietly not to wake the others.

"you didn't tell us you had a boyfriend." atsumu grinned. "i thought we were friends."

"boyfriend?" itami furrowed her brow.

"what are you talking about?" i didn't understand what he meant by that, and my face looked at the three pairs of fixed eyes on me in confusion.

"come on, don't play dumb." this time, it was aran who was on the other side of my bus row.

now, i was truly lost. what...?

"stop with the hints and tell me straight up what the hell you're talking about." i said aloud. by this point, itami was fully awake, and the twins were looking at me intrigued.

"they're talking about friday, y/n." suna's voice, cold and irritated, filled the bus.

damn. he was listening to us the whole time.

i hadn't told anyone about my date with kuroo. it's true i had called itami to help me pick an outfit, but i didn't mention who i was going with. how the hell do they know? i felt my cheeks turning red.

"the team met to have dinner downtown, and we saw you passing by holding hands with nekoma's captain." kita said, accompanied by a yawn. now everyone was awake, looking at me with interest and amusement. everyone except him, who had closed his eyes again and put on his headphones.

but how?

oh. i then remembered that group of guys laughing and feeling like someone was watching me. it was them.

i had lied to suna's face, and he knew it.

"kuroo?" itami had a weird look on her face, almost as if she were hurt.

is it because i hid it from her?

i didn't respond to their questions; i simply told them that i would explain later. when everyone finally grew tired of asking, i decided to do something about it with what i believed was one of my closest friends, who continued to play the indifferent card. i couldn't help but feel a twinge of frustration at his behavior.

as the bus rolled on, i shuffled towards him, tapping him lightly on the shoulder. he pulled off his headphones, looking at me with a cold detachment.

"can we talk?" i asked, keeping my voice low.

he raised an eyebrow, "save it, i've heard enough."

i hesitated, not wanting to make a scene in front of the team. "you know this isn't necessary. you met yuki last night too, didn't you?"

i could see the gears turning in his head as he tried to figure out how i knew. so i was right, it was her.

he stared at me for a moment before responding, "it's not about that. enjoy your dinner dates, y/n. i'm not interested."

and with that, he put his headphones back on, effectively ending any attempt at a conversation.

"you know, if you weren't a complete jerk, maybe i would've cancelled on kuroo for you."

with that i returned to my seat, feeling like the biggest idiot on the planet for trying to be the bigger person and address things when clearly he was just pushing me away.

i hate him.

i closed my eyes, wanting to forget everything. i know i told him i didn't want labels, but i couldn't help feeling a pain in my heart when he didn't deny meeting her.

.・。.・゜✧・.・✧・゜・。.

a/n: short chapter bc five days of drama -- and smut? -- are yet to come :3