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Tsukishima is getting more and more irritated by the second.
His fingers have begun trembling one set ago and now one of his eyes are threatening to twitch.
Just one more set.
He can't wait to go home, eat dinner, change from his sweaty and sticky training clothes, and finally take a well-deserved sleep preferably without waking up the next day or the day after that. All he wants to do is rest.
Just one more score.
And...
“Nice kill!” Somebody shouts.
Then there were clapping of hands. Someone from his side had patted his shoulders. All Tsukishima could hear was the beating of his heart in his ears.
“Tsukishima, Kageyama. We'll leave cleaning duties to you today.” That was Ennoshita-san.
Tsukishima nods in acknowledgement. He wipes the sweat trailing down his forehead before moving to start collecting the volleyballs scattered all over the gym. He doesn't notice that Kageyama is already following his actions.
All he can think about was going home.
Then he remembers he'll be walking alone tonight. Yamaguchi was still in the middle of his three-day absence due to visiting relatives from far away. It's fine. He could use the silence. He can listen to his playlist all the way. Everything's fine.
They finish up quickly without even as to uttering one word to each other. That is until they reach the club room to gather their personal things and Kageyama makes it his business to speak.
“Hey, Tiredshima.”
He snaps up, looking behind him where Kageyama was leaning on one of the lockers.
He raises an eyebrow in question. “What, King?”
“I'm a vampire,” Kageyama announces casually.
And Tsukishima searches for a sign, any sign, on Kageyama's face that might give away the fact that his teammate and their resident idiot was playing with him. There's none.
So he laughs, finding the outburst ridiculous. “The fuck you are.” He closes his own locker with a thwap before facing Kageyama entirely.
“Look at my fangs.” Kageyama bares his teeth, pointing at said fangs, which to his credit were indeed sharp-looking. But leave it up to Tsukishima to remain disbelieving.
“You could've gotten that done in the dentist.” He crosses his arms. Honestly, if this is one way of Kageyama trying to explain to him his preferences to his own body, Tsukishima wouldn't dare judge. He's seen worse creative choices than getting one's teeth sharpened. And it would be very typical of the boy, to resort to such ways of trying to get someone to understand it.
“Then how would you explain these?” Kageyama grabs his duffle bag from the floor and rips it open only to reveal several familiar-looking package, some of them already empty with straws still punctured in.
“Those are cartons of milk,” Tsukishima says as a matter-of-factly. “And you always sip one too many of them during practice.”
Kageyama shakes his head. “Yeah, no, those contain blood.” He even rips up one the empty ones open so as to show him what was inside. The liquid remains were color red.
“Why the hell are you telling me all this, anyway? You couldn't have picked a better time.” Tsukishima exhales. Maybe, maybe he's willing to play this game with him after all.
“Because you're being targeted.”
“Excuse me?”
“I know you haven't noticed but a bunch of my kind have been following you around walking home for some time now.”
“And how would you know that?”
Kageyama opens his mouth only to shut it again.
“So, you're also following me around then. What the hell?”
“Look, all I'm suggesting is that you let me walk you home just until they lose interest in you. You get to safety and I get to sleep peacefully. No harm done.”
Tsukishima snorts. “I thought vampires don't sleep.”
“We're nocturnal not insomniac.” Kageyama simply stares at him.
In fact, there's no giving away that he might start cackling soon just to tell Tsukishima this was all one big prank he was tasked to complete after losing a bet with either Hinata, Yamaguchi, Yachi, or maybe the three of them combined. And so he sighs.
“Fine, come on. Walk me home or whatever, King.” He waves a hand around before slinging his bag on one shoulder and makes his exit from the club room. Kageyama swiftly trails behind him.
Tsukishima doesn't bother talking to his new walking companion.
Instead, he lets his mind flit around the idea of vampires. Of course he knew of the existence of supernatural creatures at present time. But they were very rarely seen. And they heavily populated the metro more for some reason. And Tsukishima has never encountered, much less spoken to one all his life. Until tonight, apparently.
If there is one thing he liked about Kageyama, on the other hand, it is the fact that he also thrived in silence. There was no need for him to fill the space with sound. They never really had to speak unless absolutely needed. There wasn't an urge to break the silence no matter how thin. Tsukishima kind of appreciates that.
“Wait.” Kageyama grabs him by the elbow. Tsukishima flinches at the contact. Kageyama's hand is freezing cold. Has it always been like that?
“What now?”
“I want to get pork buns.” Kageyama points to the side with his free hand. Tsukishima follows its direction. He hasn't even noticed until now that they've already reached Coach Ukai's store.
“Fine.” He sighs before marching up to the store. Kageyama finally lets go of him.
The raven-haired boy emerges outside, brown bag in hand, and a glint in his eyes. Kageyama is the only one who'd get that look in his eyes for successfully purchasing pork buns as if he won the olympics, Tsukishima thinks.
“So, are there any vampires following us now?” He wonders aloud once they continue their walk.
Kageyama sniffs. “I don't think so.”
“There's not much of me to go around. I don't see why I would be a target of the likes of you.”
“It's because of your blood,” Kageyama shortly fills in.
“And what about my blood?”
Kageyama huffs, muttering something incoherent on his own.
“What did you say, King?”
“I said... it smells sweet...”
He frowns at the shared information. He doesn't know what else to say so he keeps his mouth shut for the remaining duration of their walk and Kageyama doesn't bother to volunteering anymore than that.
Then they finally reach the front of his house.
“Well. I hope you can sleep peacefully now, Your Highness.” Tsukishima says though it lacks the sarcasm he had intended to let on.
“Wait.”
He rolls his eyes. If Kageyama does this one more time, he's gonna have to strangle himself.
To his surprise, cold lips press itself on Tsukishima's cheek.
“Okay. Bye, Tsukki.”
Before he could even react, he hears shuffling of feet and Kageyama is no longer in front of him. Gone. Poof. Vanished.
What in the hell was that?
Tsukishima stands there, stumped. Speechless. And if it weren't for the cold breeze of the night knocking him back to his senses, he would've just stood there dumbly for one too many seconds.
When he eventually gets to bed ready and all to go to sleep, Tsukishima catches sight of a text message just sent to him minutes ago.
It was Kageyama.
[Received, 11:11 PM]
Night Tsukki
Thx for letting me walk u home
He scoffs at his phone screen.
[Sent, 11:18 PM]
Don't call me that.
Also, is that it?
[Received, 11:20 PM]
Huh
[Sent, 11:20 PM]
You kissed me, King.
[Received, 11:21 PM]
That was fr good measure
[Sent, 11:22 PM]
The hell does that even mean?
[Received, 11:22 PM]
So others wont bother u anymore
U dont have to worry about it happening again
[Sent, 11:23 PM]
Of course I'm gonna worry about it again.
[Received, 11:24 PM]
Why
Fuck it. Tsukishima might as well have gone insane. This isn't him. Someone else is piloting his mind and fingers. None of this is happening. None of this is real.
[Sent, 11:25 PM]
Because that had better not be the last
[Received, 11:27 PM]
Oh ok
[Received, 11:33 PM]
Wait what
Do u like me
[Sent, 11:34 PM]
Nevermind.
I am not having this conversation with you.
Good night.
[Received, 11:35 PM]
Wait
Kei
:(
No fair. He used his first name on him.
[Sent, 11:39 PM]
Fine.
I like you, Kageyama Tobio.
Now good night. Seriously.
The next morning, he will blame his sleep-addled brain for everything that transpired here.
[Received, 11:41 PM]
:D
Good night
I like you, too seriously
He shuts off his phone, of course not by missing those remaining texts from Kageyama. If he tossed and turned unable to sleep that night thinking about his one act of bravery enough to render a troop of soldiers dead, nobody else had to know.
Safe to say, however, that Tsukishima earns himself a vampire boyfriend at the end.