Work Text:
Tanaka laid on a bed, staring up at his phone. It was technically lights out, but who would sleep at 10:30? He closed his eyes briefly, nope- still not even close to tired. He sat up, looking around. There was a book on the table, he didn’t read much but whatever could work to pass the time. Wait- no, it was one of those really old ones that everyone knew about but didn’t really know about- one of the ‘classics’. He was sure it was good for a reason, but he didn’t feel like having to research old English just to be able to understand what was going on. There was a tv, maybe he could just mute it and put subtitles on. There was a pencil and he brought a notebook, maybe he could try drawing something? Just then, there was a soft knock on his door. He panicked- Daichi was probably doing his rounds. He hurried to jump into his bed, pulling the blankets over him. A few seconds passed, a tinier, softer knock, and then a tiny, feminine sigh. Tanaka’s eyes shot open before he jumped out of bed. Just before reaching the door, he heard a small, “Tanaka..?” He opened the door and saw Kiyoko standing in front of it. She was wearing a huge sweater and shorts, her hair down and framing her face.
Was this some sort of dream?
He pushed any violating fantasies out of his mind- he was trying really hard to respect her more, he started feeling a little guilty about it.
“Kiyoko?”
“Hey… um…” She was quiet, her eyes down. “Do you have any medicine?”
“What for?”
“Pain- pain meds… I uh-”
“Are you alright?” She was quiet a moment,
“Just cramps.”
“Hmm- I didn’t see you stretching or any- oh, like… those cramps.” He saw her face flush red. “Yeah, I got some, come in- don’t wanna get yelled at by Daichi.” She stepped into his room and he turned the lamp on, digging through his bag. He tossed her a bottle of pills. She smiled gratefully at him, suddenly wrapping her arm tightly around her stomach, pressing her fist into her side. Tanaka stood up quickly, “Are you okay? Do you need to sit down or anything?” She furrowed her eyebrows, taking in a sharp breath before nodding,
“If you don’t mind.”
“Yeah- of course.” She sat down on the edge of his bed and he wrapped the softest blanket around her shoulders, sitting next to her. “Is there anything I can do?”
“I don’t know.” She whispered. He felt awful for her, she’s gotten hit by Asahi’s spikes before and didn’t look like she was in as much pain as she is in now- it must hurt way too bad.
“Do you want to lay down?” He asked. She nodded slightly and the two of them laid down, only a few inches between them with the small bed. They laid quietly for what may have been minutes but could have been hours.
“Could I ask you something?” She asked quietly.
“Sure.” He whispered back. She jumped slightly, as though she hadn’t expected him to have been awake.
“Could I ask you to do something?” He nodded, she could see it just barely in the dark room. “I… I don’t mean to um… when this happens, this week I get… gosh, I feel embarrassed saying this, I’m sorry. It’s just that I feel more physically touch-starved than normal and- and you’re right here and…”
“Do you want me to hold you?” He said for her, she spoke, exasperated,
“Please.” She moved towards him nearly instantly, her face nuzzled into his chest. He couldn’t say how many times he’d thought of something like this, of holding her, and now it was finally happening. He wrapped his arm around her, rubbing small circles into her upper back. She wrapped her legs around his waist, her face now buried in his neck. She smelled like something sweet, like sugary strawberries. “Thank you… this is… this is nice.”
“Y-yeah, it is.”
“Do you know where I’m staying this week?” She asked,
“I don’t.”
“Next to Kageyama’s room.” That was all the way across the building- that means…
“Why didn’t you stop at someone else’s room?”
“Because you wouldn’t be in their rooms, Tanaka.” He flushed red- was she flirting? He stayed quiet, unsure of what to say. “I don’t want to think everything through now, but I’ve wanted to be held for a long time- but specifically I wanted to be held by you.”
This must be a dream.
“We can talk more of everything through when we get home, but maybe… well, I dunno. I didn’t mean to be so forwards…” He smiled into her hair,
“No, no that’s okay.” He paused, “We’ll talk about it later. Do you feel better now?” She nodded,
“Much better.” She pulled away from him, he tried hard not to show his disappointment, but she turned over, took his arm, and wrapped it around her waist, pulling him into her.
“You read?” She asked,
“S-sometimes… why do you ask?” She pointed to the book on the side table- The Great Gatsby,
“That book- it’s a really good one, I was just wondering if it was yours.”
Maybe Tanaka would take the time to freshen up on his old English.