"Did I say that right?" you asked.
"You need more help than I thought" Tsukishima snorted while smirking at you.
You pouted and stuck your tongue out at your step-brother.
"Yah!" you smacked his arm "I knew enough to speak to that social worker...
"I'm fine Umetoka-chan, I promise!" I sighed after the blonde had asked me if I wanted to go to the nurse for the third time. "But I'm worried, you looked really ill..." She said gesturing to my face which I assumed showed massive dark circle under my eyes. "I'll just need to go to sleep early tonight, I'm okay. Plus, Yamaguchi expects me to be there." I pointed out, not wanting to disappoint him with my absence.
After lunch, my exhaustion came back and hit me like a train. Having to force myself to pay attention and not moving made things 10x worse. but I wasn't about to disappoint my friends. They all felt better when I was there, so I was going to push through it. Suck it up. "Come on, we don't want to be late, do we?" I asked Hitoka and she solemnly nodded her head. Walking along next to me.
"So, does the team have any special event coming up?" I asked her, trying to get her in a better mood. "I think Takeda sensei is thinking about going to another training camp. Nationals is coming up so we want to be prepared!" She exclaimed, pumping her fist in the air out of excitement. "I'm sure it will thrill Kei," I chuckled, already imagining the face of dread he'd be sporting if they go.
"Is this training camp with Nekoma again?" I asked, wanting to see the infamous captain of their team that so effortlessly got under Nii-san's skin. "No, I don't think so, I think it'll just be a local one. Like those annual ones that are held at community colleges." I nodded, the plans of meeting my to-be partner in crime going down the drain.
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"Alright everyone! Start some laps!" Coach Ukai called, earning a couple of groans mixed with excitement from Nishinoya and Hinata. "Hello Kiyoko-senpai," I greeted the quiet girl as Hitoka and I sat down. She looked at me for a second before nodding her head. It was a bit awkward, but I figured she might be having a bad day too. "What did we miss Kiyoko-senpai?" Hitoka asked, getting an immediate answer from the former. Odd. I thought, Maybe I woke her up? Is she feeling a bit groggy too? Or maybe it's because we're not that close. We bonded though...
"Y/n-chan!" Nishinoya called, running up to me, he obviously finished those lap pretty fast. "H-hey!" I responded, giving a brief wave. "Are you feeling any better?" He asked, kneeling in front of me. I could get a good view of his face and my heart skipped a beat. I never understood people getting flustered over someone who freshly worked out, but now I did. The way his skin glistened and the flush of red adorning his pale face made me hold my breath. "Yes, I'm feeling a bit better." Lies, you feel awful. "I'm glad to hear that," he smiled and patted my leg, and that was it, I lost all brain function.
"I heard from Tanaka-kun that you guy hung out over the weekend, we all should hang out as a group!" He exclaimed, bouncing on his feet. I simply nodded my head, not trusting my words. "Oh! Tanaka-kun and I were planning on going to Ichibancho and walking around downtown Sendai. Is that something you're interested in? Possibly tagging along?" He asked, getting a little closer. If I didn't look like a tomato previously, I did now. Stop overthinking this, he likes Kiyoko, he just wants to be friends. "That sounds like fun..." I said, not realizing my mistake until Nishinoya cocked his head to the side.
"Haha! Your funny Y/n-chan! We're supposed to practice our English later! Remember?" Hitoka butted in, saving me from the embarrassment. "Nishinoya-kun is awful at English so you can't practice on him." She said, wrapping her arm around my shoulder. "Hey!" Nishinoya whined. "She'd love to tag along, she was just messing with you." Hitoka poked my cheek and Nishinoya smiled, "Great! Maybe we can talk more after practice?" He offered and I unconsciously nodded my head yes.
Coach Ukai called for all the players and Nishinoya waved me goodbye, I turned to Hitoka who smiled at me. "Thank you..." I muttered, feeling like tears would spill out of my eyes. I was tired, embarrassed, and I just wanted to crash and burn. Hitoka gave me a hug, "Don't worry, I know you'd do the same for me. You're my best friend after all!" She giggled, straightening my hair. Her face turned into a look of worry when she looked at me up close. "Y/n-chan, you should really go to the nurse, or at least go home, you looked like you're about to pass out." I didn't say anything, opting for a groan and resting my head on her shoulder. "Should I go look for Tsukishima-kun?" She asked.
"No!" I exclaimed, suddenly sitting up. Kei coming would mean worry, worry means questions, questions mean answers, answers mean the truth, the truth means causing more trouble. "Y/n-chan, your wobbling! Your obviously not okay..." I wobbled a bit more, trying to keep my balance, but that didn't work. I prepared for the fall but it never came, instead, I hit someone's chest and arms were placed on my waist, trying to steady me. I looked up to see a concerned Tanaka with an equally concerned Nishinoya. "Y/n-chan? What's wrong?" He asked, but someone answered for me. "She said she got no sleep last night, but I think she actually got no sleep." It was Hitoka, placing a hand on my back as I stood back up. "Y/n-chan! You're not better, are you?" Nishinoya spoke up, eyebrows furrowed.
"Obviously not." A voice from behind me said. I turned around to see a calm Kei, but I knew that he was really upset, fuming even. "H-hey N-Nii-san..." I nervously chuckled, shrinking under his hard gaze. "No sleep, huh? Why didn't you tell me?" He pressed, but I didn't answer. He sighed and picked me up, throwing me over his shoulder. That's when I noticed coach Ukai standing there too. Awkward... Coach Ukai sighed, "Take her home Tsukishima-kun, I don't want her to actually fall next time." He patted my head and told everyone to resume.
Unfortunately, I wasn't left alone easily as Hitoka, Nishinoya, Tanaka, and Yamaguchi were fussing over me. It was sweet to have people who care, but I also felt awful for making them worry. "Don't worry, I'll get her home." Kei sighed, picking up his gym bag. "Let me come with!" Yamaguchi offered, only to be shut down by Kei. "No, you can't miss a practice, especially with nationals coming up. I'll be fine." Still on his shoulder, he walked out of the gym and I gave a little wave to my stressing friends.
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"I'm not happy with you."
"I know."
"You worried me."
"I know..."
"You have to get some sleep."
"I know..." I sighed as Kei fussed over me some more, making me change into some pajamas and tucking me into bed. "Why didn't you sleep?" He asked the dreaded question I wanted to avoid. "Stress," I stated simply, hoping he'd drop the subject. "We'll talk more when you wake up. For now, wait here." He got up and walked out the room. Admittedly, it felt really nice to be in bed again, the warmth making me even more tired. I tried to keep my eyes open until Kei came back, but I couldn't, I let the shackles of sleep lock me up and it felt good. Not aware that a certain blonde slipped a dino plushie next to me as a snuggle buddy.
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A/n: YOU GUYS I MADE A BANNER AND WROTE ANOTHER CHAPTER I FEEL PRODUCTIVE
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