Chapter Text
Tadashi was rethinking his life choices as Saeko sped across the highway.
Splotches of gray and red (cars, Tadashi supposed) were flying past the window as the van reached 200 kph. OK, they weren’t going that fast, but it sure felt like it. He gripped his white plastic bag tightly; he silently prayed he didn’t have to throw up all over the chips, cookies, and drinks inside of it.
“Please don’t let us crash, please don’t let us crash, please don’t let us crash…”, Tadashi whispered.
A warm hand gripped his hand. He stared to his left; Tsukki’s warm smile greeted him.
“Hey, calm down. We’re gonna be fine. Tanaka told me that although her sister drives like a madman, she’s never gotten into an accident”, Kei said.
“You got that right! This girl’s record is clean!”, Saeko said, laughing as she dodged the slower-moving vehicles in front of them. According to the GPS, there were still 10 minutes before they had to exit the freeway. Tadashi gulped, hoping he could withstand just a few more moments of this highway horror. Kei, noticing the freckled-man’s unease, changed the subject.
“What foolishness do you think Tanaka and Nishinoya have planned for the Halloween party?”, Kei snickered.
“I wish I knew…”, Tadashi sighed. Those two were some of the rowdiest people he knew. Who knows what could go down tonight?
“I have a slightly bad feeling; but overall, I’m glad I get to spend this Halloween with you and the rest of the team”, Tadashi smiled.
“Same here, Tadashi”.
Kei gripped his hand tighter, eliciting feelings of comfort within the pinch server. Yes, everything would be alright. He giggled, wondering what surprises were in store for them.
Tsukishima watched his boyfriend brighten up. The setting sun blanketed his face in a bright orange that made his freckles all the more visible. He mentally pumped his fists in the air for having the courage to confess his feelings last month; the only regret he had in his life was not doing it sooner.
“What do you think the others will come dressed as?”, Kei asked.
“I have no idea. The second-years are so unpredictable that I haven’t the faintest idea what costumes they’ll be wearing. I feel like Daichi would make a good Frankenstein, though. And Suga could be some crazy, psycho-doctor”, Tadashi said.
“Yeah, I was thinking that too. I’m betting money that Hinata is coming dressed in a tangerine costume and that the King is gonna be stuffed in a milk-carton costume.”
Tadashi burst into a fit of laughter.
“Ha! Good one Kei! I wouldn’t be surprised if they did.”
“What about Asahi?”.
“Maybe he’ll come dressed up as Jes-”
“Absolutely not. Don’t even say it. I won’t be able to stop laughing if you do”.
“Awww, I’m just kidding, Tsuki.”
They both laughed and snickered as they traded ideas about what everyone would come dressed as. Tadashi had completely forgotten about Saeko’s unique (read: reckless) driving methods. His boyfriend had that calming effect on him. They would ground each other, helping one another to face challenges. Kei was the moon to his stars. Well, Tadashi never considered himself a star, but Kei frequently referred to him as one. He was so glad Kei shared his feelings. In reality, Tadashi was going to be the one to confess to him, but the middle-blocker beat him to it by just a few minutes. Tsukki had always been the more courageous one.
“Damn, you two are bigger lovebirds than I thought”, said Saeko. “Tanaka told me you two were smitten with each other, but I didn’t think it was to this degree.
I’d say you both simp for each other more than my brother simps for that Kiyoko chick!”.
“Hmph, at least our love is mutual. Tanaka’s is flat out one-sided”, Kei replied.
“Hah! So harsh but so true!”, laughed Saeko.
Just three more minutes until they were off the highway. Tadashi heaved a sigh of relief. Although he had calmed down, he still didn’t want to remain on the freeway any longer than he had to. After taking the exit, it was only four more kilometers until they reached Sugawara’s house.
“I hope Koshi knows what he is getting into”, Kei said. “He was so excited to invite the whole team over to his place, but I bet he won’t be smiling when Tanaka, Nishinoya, and Hinata trash his whole house”.
“I’m sure he took into account the risks. And Sugawara can be just as chaotic as them anyways. Heck, he might even take part in messing up his own place”, said Tadashi.
“Right, you never know with him”.
Tadashi stared out the window, scanning for a sign that announced the exit they would have to take. As he was looking out the window, a flash of red pierced the corner of his eye. He lowered the glass and looked behind; a red sports car was speeding down the highway, almost at the same speed as Saeko. It was swerving past cars, hurtling towards them.
“Hey Saeko, is some relative of yours driving that red car in the back?” asked Tadashi.
“Hm?” Saeko peered at her van’s side-windows. Sure enough, the car was there, dodging other vehicles. Oddly enough, it seemed as though it was targeting her automobile. She pressed on the gas harder; as if on cue, the car began speeding up.
“What the hell…”, said Saeko.
“What’s the matter?” Kei asked.
“There’s this red car that’s tailing us”, Tadashi replied. His thumbs twiddled together as his hands tensed up. Tsukki frowned.
“I’m sure it’s just your imagination. Maybe the driver is just in a hurry to head somewhere. The far-left lane is supposed to be used for vehicles going fast, after all.”
“Well, let’s test Tadashi’s theory out,” said Saeko. She steered the van to the middle lane; the car followed suit. She moved back to the left lane; the red vehicle mimicked her path.
“Yeah, that just about proves that car is following us”, said Saeko.
“Strange”, muttered Tsukishima. Why would some random people be tailing them? It sure as hell wasn’t any of his teammates; none of them owned such a luxurious automobile. He looked towards his boyfriend, who was clenching his jaw and breathing more rapidly by the second.
“Hey, it’s gonna be alright. Maybe whoever’s in that car is just playing some dumb prank on us.”
“Y-Yeah, I hope that’s the case,” said Tadashi. Saeko moved two lanes to the right to get ready to exit the highway.
“We’re approaching the exit very soon, so maybe we’ll lose them the-”.
Something bumped the van’s back violently. Saeko shouted, letting go of the accelerator. Tadashi screamed; he clutched Kei’s hand, the latter closing his eyes and trying to block what was happening from his mind. As Saeko’s vehicle came to a halt, she peered behind her, wondering who had hit her.
It was the sports car. It had stopped at the place where it had crashed into the van. Whoever the driver was remained inside, not coming out. Saeko cursed and turned off the van.
“That fucking idiot! Tadashi, Kei! Wait here. I’m gonna give that rich dimwit a piece of my mind”.
“Understood. We’ll be right here if you need us”, Kei replied. Secretly, he hoped he wouldn’t have to get into an argument with whoever was the maniac behind THAT car’s wheel.
Saeko slammed the door behind her as she stormed towards the other vehicle. Tanaka was right when he said his sister was a force to be reckoned with.
“K-Kei, is she gonna be OK?” whispered Tadashi. His teeth clattered together as he spoke. The crash had clearly rattled him. Tsukki smirked, putting on a confident face to ease his boyfriend.
“We don’t have anything to worry about. Tanaka told us his sister is a fighter. She’ll be able to hold her ground against whoever might be in that car.”
“Oh Kei, I hope so. I really, really do…”
Tsukishima looked out of the window to see what was going on. Saeko had approached the red car and was close to the driver’s side. Her fists were clenched tight. If that driver put up a fight, he would be in for one hell of a beating. They were safe. Nothing would go wrong. Everything would be fi-
The car began moving, its headlights blinding Saeko. She yelped as the car screeched forward.
“SAEKO!”, Kei yelled. She dodged to the left, the car narrowly missing her. But the car didn’t stop. It kept picking up speed, and it was zooming right toward the truck.
“Tsukki, what’s going on?!”, yelled Tadashi. He looked behind him and saw the car speeding towards them.
“Brace yourself Tadashi! It’s gonna hit us!”. He wrapped his boyfriend in a strong embrace as the car rammed into the van’s side.
CRUNCH
The sound of steel hitting steel blasted through Tadashi’s ear. It was like someone was crushing a can of soda. He screeched as his head collided with the floor. He placed his hands over his head, trying to ease the pain. In his dizziness, Tadashi could barely make out his surroundings, apart from a few noticeable details.
The truck’s windows had shattered. The glass that remained on the windows resembled a pair of jagged teeth waiting to devour prey. The pieces that fell to the floor glinted like crooked daggers poised to strike. The red car’s blinding headlights remained on, though they seemed to be moving farther and farther back. The circular lights came to a halt at the other side of the highway. It was only then that Tadashi realized he was holding onto Kei for dear life. And so was the middle blocker. And that frantic breathing…was that his own or Kei’s?
“T-Tsukki, what just happened?” whispered Tadashi. Tears were falling down his eyes.
“That psychopath just hit us again. This time, it was definitely intentional.”
Kei’s mind was still processing what had just occurred. Was the person in the car trying to kill them? Why else would they ram into the van a second time? No way was this some sick prank. Whoever’s behind that wheel was purposefully trying to harm them.
“W-We need to get out of here,” said Tadashi. He reached for the door, but Kei gripped his hand.
“No, it’s too dangerous. What if the person in that car is after us? If we get out, they might try to hit US with their vehicle!”.
“And what, staying in here is the better option?!”
“It’s safer than exposing ourselves to that car!”
“No it’s not! There’s no chance of escape if we remain in this stupid van! At least if we get out, we can find help!”
The two were arguing so loudly they didn’t notice the car’s blaring grumble get louder until it was too late.
The van’s back window shattered as the front bumper hit the freeway’s metal fencing. Tsukishima and Yamaguchi screamed as they were knocked forward. The force of the blow sent painful reverberations down their whole bodies. Because of the red car’s angled, calculated strikes, the van’s back now faced the highway while its front stared towards the highway’s edge. Tadashi noticed that they had hit the metal fencing pretty hard; it had crumpled like the way one crumples a piece of paper. If the car hit them again with enough force…
“Kei, please! We have to get out of here! We’re standing over a ravine! If that thing crashes into us another time…”.
Tsukishima grit his teeth. His boyfriend was right: if they got hit one more time; they’d likely get sent tumbling over the edge. But if they tried to get out…no, they had to leave the van. Though their lives were at risk in both situations, staying in the van would most likely guarantee death. Better to choose the option with the best chance of survival, right?
“You’re right, Tadashi. We need to get out.” Kei hurriedly reached for the door and pulled it open. Well, at least, he tried to. For some reason, no matter how hard he pulled, it wouldn’t budge.
“What the hell is wrong with this thing?! It won’t open!”.
“Huh?! But Saeko didn’t lock the doors!”. Tadashi tried opening his door too, but it refused to move. It was as if the doors were jammed, holding them prisoners. Did the van break down or something?!
“Maybe we can try and fit through my window?!”, yelled Kei.
“And risk getting cut by pointed glass?! Nuh-uh! I don’t want my stomach getting punctured by that!” said Tadashi.
“Well, what other choice do we have?!”
“I don’t know?! I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know!”. Tadashi looked around frantically, finally noticing that there were no other cars on the freeway. What the heck? Just what was going on?
“You two! Stop panicking! You’re not gonna come to harm under my watch!” yelled a voice.
Yamaguchi turned to his right and saw Saeko rushing to the window. She was panting and her eyes darted in all directions. Otherwise, though, she looked fine.
“Saeko! Are you alright?!”, asked Tadashi.
“I should be asking you guys that! Are you both hurt?”, Saeko asked.
“W-We’re both fine. Neither of us has sustained any severe injuries”, Kei replied.
“Oh thank God. I’d never be able to forgive myself if any of you crows got hurt under my watch. Also, Tanaka would kill me.” She gave off a weak laugh.
“Saeko, please help us get out of the car! The doors aren’t opening”, said Tadashi.
“W-What? I never locked the doors though. They shouldn’t be giving you any trouble.” She furiously fumbled with the door handle; no luck; the door wouldn’t budge. She then tried using her car key to open the door that way. But although it fit into the keyhole, the key refused to turn in any direction. It remained as immobile as a statue.
“Stupid van, stop monkeying around! We don’t have time for this right now!”, Saeko yelled. She raised her foot, ready to kick the stubborn door.
VROOM
They all stared toward the red car. It seemed to be charging up speed, waiting to accumulate enough energy to send them tumbling to their dooms.
“Shit, shit, shit!”. Saeko kicked the door as hard as she could. No matter how many times she kicked though, it was futile; she barely managed to make a dent in the door. Tadashi whimpered, staring at his feet.
“Tsukki…are we about to die?”.
Kei’s legs trembled. He was on the verge of tears too; but he refused to let them fall. He needed to stay strong for Tadashi. He needed to have hope.
“No, we’re not. Here, let me help you fit through the window.”
“But…the glass.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you don’t get any bad cuts. Just listen to me so you don’t get one lodged in your gut.” Tadashi gulped. He knew he was gonna get hurt pretty bad trying to crawl out the window. But the alternative was…no. He had to escape. They had to make it out alive. Not just for each other, but for their parents and friends. They’d all be distraught if they lost them. Tadashi steeled his face and dug his nails into his palms.
Unfortunately, his newfound courage came too late.
The car zoomed forward. Tadashi’s face paled as he heard its sinister growl growing louder. Kei began shaking again, but quickly got his nerves under control. He turned to Saeko with a resigned face and said:
“Saeko. Let go of the door. You’ll be hurt too if you hold on.”
“No way?! I’m protecting you if it’s the last thing I-.”
“I SAID LET GO!”, Kei yelled.
Saeko paled and she stepped back from the van. Tsukishima’s fury instantly subsided, making way for a sad smile. Tadashi was a sobbing mess, putting his head in his hands in some form of meager attempt to shield him from the impending crash. Kei stared at Saeko’s broken eyes.
“Tell the other crows that I wouldn’t have traded my time with them for the world. And tell Akiteru and my parents that I-”.
Kei’s last words went unheard. Saeko could only watch in horror as the red car smashed into the van’s backside. The force of impact broke the metal fencing and sent the gray vehicle tumbling down the ravine. The last thing she remembered was hearing Tadashi and Kei’s screams.