"This isn't the way back to school, Kou-san." Eijun insisted, resting his chin on his palm, his whole weight on his arm.
He heard them laugh softly, and then Asahi made a turn when they reached the stoplight. The city at night was beautiful. The lights were like fireflies in Eijun's eyes, and people were like nothing but ants crowded with one another.
He was still muddled on how Asahi and Suga were here as his chaperone or whatever the hell they were doing. After that surprising shriek of his, he finally calmed down and started to ask them questions that they never had the chance to answer because Eijun continued stacking up the questions. They just let him be in the end.
"I know," Suga said, lightness in his voice. "But please wait until we arrive at our destination, okay?"
Eijun's head suddenly popped out over the center console, surprising the two in front. Even in darkness, they both could tell the kind of face Eijun was giving to them.
"That's the thing!" Eijun bellowed. "I keep on asking you both where in the world are we going! And where is everyone? Daichi-nii? I wanted to see Ryuu-san and Chikara-san!"
"We're going to a place where Asahi's friend owns," Suga looked at him and started to untangle some bits of his hair. "You need to replenish your muscles after that game, after all."
"But I could just eat when I get back in the dorm," Eijun replied. "And my dorm has a curfew. I told the boss and Rei-san I would go back in late in the afternoon, but I think I might have underestimated the time." It's a bit before seven o'clock. Still early, and the curfew would be at nine pm but Eijun had told his coaches he'd be back by now. He doesn't want to break their trust. He looked at the road Asahi's been taking. He hasn't been to this part of Tokyo before. He could hear the soft jazz playing on the radio, obviously Asahi's choice of song. Great taste, Eijun noted.
"You don't want to have dinner with us? I thought you missed us?" Asahi teased. He took another turn to what Eijun figured was a parking area next to a hotel.
This might be the place that that certain friend of Asahi owns. A restaurant in a hotel in Tachikawa, he finally saw a sign where they are right now. It looked fancy. Too fancy for a country boy such as Eijun. What kind of person was Asahi's friend to own this fancy restaurant?
"I DO miss everyone!" Eijun roared, turning back to the adults. Asahi had to lean away from Eijun. Otherwise, his eardrums wouldn't last for long. "It's just that they're strict when it comes to these kinds of things. Remember when I told you guys the first time I got late on my very first day on the team?"
"Don't worry, I handled it already," Suga grinned. "You don't have to worry about anything, Eijun. We promise we won't let you go over your curfew. The night is still young." Eijun squinted at him. The fact that they're limiting their answer to him already raised a suspicion.
"Fine!" Eijun pushed himself back to his seat as Asahi turned off the engine. "At least tell me the reason why you guys had to go all the way to hiding yourselves right after the match. I was looking everywhere for you guys!"
"Oh, Eijun," Suga unbuckled his seatbelt. "Now, where's the fun in that?"
Eijun glared at the backs of his companions as they walked their way inside the elevator. The restaurant was on the highest floor, and at each stop, Suga had to scold him not to look at people every time they were in the elevator. They were like those rich people Eijun had always read in the manga. Those snobby-looking men and women. They just stared at him up and down, probably because of the way he was wearing, but ignored him. Eijun didn't like that they were looking at him like some kind of pest.
They have finally reached the highest part of the hotel, and Eijun had to follow the two. He stared at the people around them. All clothes were appropriate for the place, and he realized he was a bit underdressed- just his shirt, volleyball shorts, and shoes when he got out of the arena. Well, in his defense, he didn't know that they'd surprise him like this. He tugged Suga's shirt and walked closer to him.
Suga recalled the way Eijun shrieked when he saw them both grinning at him. Just as how the Karasuno had planned it would. Eijun was, after all, fun to tease. It's a no-brainer why the twins and Kuroo find in every bit of their time(and every chance they get) to rile the boy up. The Karasuno team would also do so but only occasionally.
"I thought you guys went back to Miyagi tonight," Eijun lowly said, staring at the glassware and the shiny chandelier above as Suga continued leading the way.
"Who gave you that idea?" Suga snorted when a waiter and the manager greeted them. It seemed that the staff knew them, particularly Asahi. If Eijun could remember when he got out of the van, someone came out to greet them as well. He could've sworn that person addressed Asahi as 'Azumane-sama.'
"Can you blame me?"
Asahi was busy talking to the manager, so Suga had Eijun all to himself. If Eijun weren't so distracted, he should've noticed by now that they're approaching their private room on the most inner part of the restaurant, a bit more privacy to everyone's preference.
It was Daichi and Ennoshita's idea. Since they knew it wouldn't be such a great idea to put Tanaka, Nishinoya, and Eijun in one open space, and they'd kick them out even before they'd order anything. And luckily, the owner was Asahi's loyal client, so they gave them a handsome discount for the room.
Suga didn't notice this when they got out, but now that they're in a well-lit area, he saw tight bandage strips around Eijun's knee.
Ignoring the pitcher's questions, he frowned. "What happened to your knee?"
Eijun flinched and unconsciously crossed his legs- his right leg over his left. "I won't tell you anything until I get to see everyone!"
Suga raised an eyebrow, half-smiling, as he slid the sliding door in front of the wide-open and inside were the people Eijun had been looking for since this afternoon.
"We're all ears to listen to every bit of it, Eijun." Suga twirled around his finger and made his way in his seat next to Daichi as the others were smiling and grinning at the boy right at the entrance with his mouth wide open, still not sure whether to continue his complaint about their absence a while ago or just forget it all and greet them once again.
Asahi pat him gently on the back, and he, too, made his way inside, waiting for him. Everyone was.
He closed the sliding door and rolled his eyes.
He chose the former. Yes, Eijun could be like that sometimes.
"Before anything else!" He crossed his arms. He sounded angry, upset, and pissed, but he was smiling until it felt like his lips reached his ears. "I want each and every one of you to explain- wait, Yuu-san!"
Nishinoya jumped on him before Eijun could even finish whatever he was about to say. They all tackled him as if they'd won a volleyball match. Eijun squirmed, struggled like they're a pack of zombies and he's the only live human there.
"You guys are killing me!" He wiggled his way out when Yamaguchi played with his cheeks. He fixed the wrinkles of his shirt and took a deep breath.
Everyone was here. It was unfortunate that Hinata and Kageyama were the only Karasuno members not to be here but they still have tons to do back in the arena. He's debating himself whether to continue his grumbling or not.
"Eijun!" Hitoka called. Back then, Hitoka was taller than he was. And during the team's practice, he and Hitoka would hang out, along with Kiyoko- both their first love that never bore anything in the end. It was an innocent crush back then, Eijun would follow Kiyoko back and forth to fetch water jugs to the team and Tanaka and Nishinoya would go around and pick a fight on him for being too close to Kiyoko. Such a thing did happen and all Eijun would do was laugh at his past self.
"Bachchan!" He called back out of reflex; his inner 11-year-old self came over him. Now, Eijun realized how small Hitoka really was. She's now looking up to him and him down to her, but that didn't matter. For both all they now, it's like they're back in the gym talking nothing but how amazing the players were.
"I couldn't say much when we're in the arena but you were so amazing! You were swooosh and then, Hinata-kun was all fuuu!" Hitoka smiled, slowly making him forget why he's ever upset at them. "When you did that rolling thunder-like Nishinoya-san did, we were all cheering for you! And the first set? I didn't know you could toss that well, Eijun. Suga-san was proud! But the last one was the highlight of all. You definitely showed them how good you are in the court!"
"That's our Eijun, all right!" Nishinoya slapped his back. Eijun made a quick yelp at Nishinoya's surprisingly strong hand. "What did I tell you? It doesn't matter which sport you are going for, so long as you give it your all!"
"I still think he overdid it, though," Tsukishima interjected. He's probably the only Karasuno member that didn't tackle Eijun. Everyone's head turned to him, and always the party pooper. "If you all had the chance to take a good look at him before tackling him, he got himself injured."
"WHAT?!"
Everyone analyzed him, from his head, arms, reaching to his legs and then they finally saw the white bandage around his knee. They eyed him suspiciously.
"Wait!" He gasped. "I could explain!"
"Didn't I tell you this earlier, Eijun?" Suga said as he glanced at Daichi, who was eyeing his cousin's knee in a way Suga couldn't even explain. "We're all ears."
Eijun explained, carefully, in full detail what happened. During his explanations, a waiter knocked at their door and wheeled in their food. He got distracted and stared at the food being served. When he heard a loud, disgruntled cough, he knew he had to continue his explanation. When he was done, Tsukishima was the first one who burst out laughing, all the while covering his mouth with his hand. Eijun glared at him at the corner of his eye.
"I swear I don't get you volleyball freaks and your inability to ignore such obvious conditions in your bodies when you play volleyball!" He wiped a tear-off, heavily recalling Kageyama's denial of a nosebleed in their first year and Hinata's insistence to play more with a high fever. Oh, those times.
"Shut up, Kei-san!" Eijun gruffed as he started placing curry on his plate and some boiled potatoes. "It was a spur of the moment, okay!"
"If I recall, there was someone who injured his pinkie during the final qualifying round back then but insisted on getting back in the court,~ " Suga hummed, snickering as he put his elbow on Tsukishima's shoulder.
"Eh? Who is that burdensome fellow, Kou-san?" Eijun took a big chunk of rice and swallowed it down like it was no one's business.
"Hmm, I wonder who?"
Tsukishima ignored the snickering and laughter from the others and continued enjoying his meal. He would never admit that he's on the same level of a volleyball freak as Hinata and Kageyama. No way.
"You're not mad at me, Daichi-nii?" He said, but he didn't look at Daichi's way.
"Why not start by looking at me when you ask me that?"
Yeah. Everyone felt that. Captain or not, Daichi still had that authoritative tone even when it came to his cousin.
Eijun gulped, and then he faced him. To his surprise, Daichi looked at him with tender eyes. "Are you mad at me?"
"Was it intentional when you did that?"
"No. It's because of the," he started to wiggle his toes. "sweat. But I know I should've told Shoyo-san when I got hurt, but I just couldn't. It was selfish of me, and I've apologized to everyone, even the coach."
"Then, I'm not mad," Daichi breath out, taking a piece of steak from his plate before Suga could steal it from him. "The fact that you acknowledge it, and apologize for it, is already enough. Plus, I know Hinata and Kageyama were enough to scold you. Am I right?"
Eijun suddenly recalled what happened in the infirmary. Hinata and Bokuto were flaring up all over the roof, Atsumu's face turning red, Sakusa judging him, and then the Adlers took turns from scolding and lecturing him. Kageyama was calling him an idiot, telling him not to follow the footsteps of a certain idiot too, and Haru sneered at him. It was the worst.
"R-right." He dropped a sweat, and they all continued eating.
Eijun was between Tanaka and Nishinoya. They agreed that Eijun would get to choose which seat he would like to pick before telling everyone about his injury, a decision everyone would soon regret. He was about to choose the one beside Daichi, but after realizing the look his cousin and Suga gave to one another, Eijun had a feeling that he shouldn't, doesn't, wouldn't want to be where they were at that moment. He just had that feeling. It turned out he regretted sitting right across them.
Eijun felt the excitement of Nishinoya as he shared his tales to everyone about his latest adventure around the world. Everyone had something to share: Hitoka proudly announced her project getting accepted in her company, Asahi shyly admitted that the famous siblings, Lev and Alisa, would be the models for his latest summer collection, Narita getting into a relationship, Tsukishima's upcoming game, and the possibility of the Sendai Frogs getting promoted to Division 1 because of the rising of ranks and might be a reality if it continues rising.
Seeing everyone laughing, bickering, and sharing their accomplishments with Eijun made him realize they've all grown up. Even him. Seeing how Suga and Daichi would tease Asahi from time to time, or Nishinoya making fun of Tsukishima, he realized that some things would never change.
And then, a thought.
It would've been nice if they all played volleyball again. And maybe, just maybe, they would feel the same way as well. He knew Nishinoya stopped playing ever since he started traveling. Still, every once in a while, Nishinoya would send everyone in their group chat that he was playing volleyball with the locals of the countries he had visited. Before going back to Japan, the latest one was in Italy.
And sure, the three former third years are in their respective career, but even Eijun could tell they still have that athletic build. He heard from them anyways that they're part of the Karasuno Neighborhood Association, except for Asahi since he's in Tokyo, playing with the new members of the current Karasuno team from time to time along with the rest of everyone else here. And Tsukishima's a pro, so he's still playing volleyball even now. So there's no reason not to play, right?
He remembered his knee again and frowned. Damn it.
Wait no. Eijun shook away his thoughts. He can't. It's getting late anyway. And just like what the doctor instructed him: he needs to rest so that his knee would heal faster. He shouldn't be this indecisive again.
"So, Eijun!" Nishinoya beamed at him, setting down his mango shake. "Wanna play volleyball after this?"
Well, what do you know?
"I can?" Eijun looked hopeful. There's a reason why he always admired Nishinoya, and this was one of them.
"Of course you can! So long as you won't get to jump too much, I see no reason for you not to play!"
"Are you sure?" Eijun asked incredulously. "But my knee?"
"We got Chikara and Ryuu to check up on you if something serious happened. Right Chikara?"
Ennoshita jumped up at the sound of his name. He couldn't hear what Nishinoya had to say since he was too busy listening to Daichi's stories as a police officer, and it was just getting interesting. Instead of repeating what Nishinoya had to say, he just sighed and just went with the flow. "Yeah, of course!" And then he went back to listen to some more of Daichi's stories like the rest of the team was.
"See?" Nishinoya grinned. "But if you're so insistent on not playing, does that mean your scraped knee is more than just a scraped knee?"
"The skin opened," Eijun winced at his recollection. "I could still jump and move as usual, though. The only problem is the stinging pain right after I move a lot. Sure, it's a simple scraped knee, but I rather rest my leg for a day than just wing it since I'm a pitcher, and I want to be in my best condition for the Summer Tournament next month."
Nishinoya hummed. Tanaka stared at him and nodded. Tanaka pats his shoulders, and Eijun could smell a bit of steak sauce on his hand. It made him want to add some more meat to his plate.
"I almost forgot that you're a baseball player now. You grew up so fast."
"Surprisingly mature to boot!" Nishinoya grinned.
"I AM mature," Eijun pointed out, and then he instinctively looked side-to-side, as if Miyuki would pop out of nowhere to give him one of his snarky remarks. "It's just that there are people who are just underestimating me!"
"Like who?" they tilted their heads.
"W-who?" Eijun hesitated. He bit the bottom of his lips and tasted the curry sauce. "Uhm, Tetsurou-san!"
"You called Kuroo by his first name?" Daichi overheard them and turned his attention to Eijun. "What happened to that weird nickname? I thought you hated the guy."
"Hate is such a strong word, Daichi-nii. He's a pretty cool guy if he doesn't let his personality overflow that much. I can't dislike someone who taught me all there is about volleyball, after all. No matter how annoying they can be."
"I'm surprised you managed to keep your ground when it comes to Kuroo-san," Tsukishima smirked. "He isn't called the master of provocation for nothing, after all."
"I've handled worst," Eijun let out a chuckle, thinking about Miyuki and all their bickering. How Miyuki would find ways to rile him up and how Eijun quickly took the bait right after. "Tetsurou-san is nothing more than just a pond compared to someone I know."
"There's actually someone like that?" Suga raised both his eyebrows, interested in the conversation they were having. "Tell us more, Eijun!"
"Miyuki Kazuya, my team captain back in Seidou," Just saying his name right in front of them made his cheeks burn hot, so he took a piece of meat and chewed it before continuing, "At least Tetsurou-san still has that sincerity in his words sometimes, but this guy doesn't! That guy's a whirlpool. He's the captain, yet he's always acting like he's not! A captain is expected to give some genuine advice or even some words of encouragement, but that guy makes fun of me in the mound, says the wrong kind of words, sometimes he could be annoying as hell too and irresponsible! I had to wake him up every morning just to make sure he wouldn't oversleep. One of these days, the first years will look down on the first string because of him, I tell you!"
The ones who went to his school earlier raised an eyebrow. The Miyuki Kazuya Eijun had described wasn't the Miyuki Kazuya they'd met. Rather, the Miyuki they've met was an awkward teen, letting others say what needs to be said instead of him and would always talk when necessary.
"Miyuki Kazuya?" Tanaka drawled like he was thinking of something. "AH! Do you mean that guy that Daichi-san and them met before going to the arena? It's no wonder they took too long when they visited your school."
"Tanaka Ryuusuke." Daichi glared at him. A dark aura rose behind him.
"What? What did I say?" Tanaka appeared innocent. Someone forgot to tell him not to tell Eijun. Nishinoya was that someone.
"Y-you, guys..." Eijun appears shaken up. They met Miyuki? And wait, they went to his school earlier? Then that means...
"YOU GUYS WERE THE ONES WHO TOLD THEM I'M PLAYING VOLLEYBALL?!"
"Wait! Wait! Eijun!"
Eijun went wild in that room. And at the end of their lovely dinner, everyone had to pay more than what was supposed to be planned for the rest of the night.
It was a long and profound explanation coming from everybody, and each detail they've told Eijun made him bury himself out of sheer embarrassment- waiting for this day to be over but at the same time extending the time to spend more time with them. They'd continue the plan to play volleyball, however, and it's to a place Eijun had least expected them to go. Eijun doesn't know how to react to that, exactly.
He's getting dragged along with whatever the heck they're planning, and it's obvious Suga's the one planning everything. The fact that he and Rei knew each other was already too much. What's worse was when they finally told him they planned to play volleyball with him in his school, and to his surprise, Kataoka allowed him despite his knowledge of Eijun's knee.
"No." He shouted, making a giant 'X' with his arms, as he noticed the familiar roads heading back to his school. "I rather let them see my injury than see me play volleyball!"
"But they already saw you play volleyball?" Tsukishima pointed out, flicking the teen's forehead. "Doesn't matter anymore. They're bound to find out sooner or later."
"That's because you guys told them!" Fumed, he grabbed his signed ball and gripped it tight, pretending it to be a stress ball. "You guys had no right to tell them about my past."
"You're the one who blurted it on live television," Tsukishima retorted. "Your teammates just happened to watch the sports news until they saw you play with the rest of the high schoolers and getting interviewed. You do realize there's still an old article about you in your middle school days, right? It's natural for them to be curious since you're their teammate."
"I only let myself get interviewed because I know they'd be out in the field during the day! Besides, why do we have to play volleyball at my school? Can't we play somewhere else?"
If Eijun was like this when he found out the Karasuno team met his teammates, perhaps it was a good idea not to tell him that they'd sent pictures of him when he was playing to his teammates.
"You have a curfew, remember?" Yamaguchi reminded him, trying to calm him down by massaging his back. "Your coach allowed us to use your gymnasium and asked the staff to fix it up for us. Did you know your school's volleyball team is also one of the strong teams here in Tokyo?"
He recalled back in his first year, he happened to pass by the practices of the volleyball players. A ball flew out towards Eijun, and by instinct, he chased after it and leaped over to get the ball. He threw it back to the players and never came back to that place except perhaps during PE. "Yeah, but Itachiyama is still the top team in Tokyo," He remembered Haru and figured he should send him a message once he goes back to the dorm if he still had Haru's number, that is. "But why would boss easily allow that? That sounds too good to be true."
"He was understanding," Suga tried to reason out only for Eijun to be puzzled even further. "He's thankful? And uh, grateful for something. Let's just say Takashima managed to convince your coach."
Eijun scoffed, hugging the ball. "Since when did you guys start being this secretive to me? Did it come with age?"
"We're only a few years older than you, brat. We even let you call us by our names." Tanaka ruffled his hair.
"Yeah, but you guys love me still!" Eijun drawled, pulling out his tongue. "I like calling you guys by your names. It feels...right. Even if I chose baseball, there's no doubt volleyball was my first love."
"Ew, no thanks." Tsukishima squinted his eyes, pulling away from Eijun. "Just say you're thankful for us introducing you to the sport. You don't need to sound so happy about it. It doesn't suit you."
"TSUKISHIMA KEI." Everyone yelled at him.
"What?"
Eijun shook his head. As he hugged the ball around his arms, he could see Asahi pulling out in the driveway right in front of his school.
'Not yet,' He curled back, and his gut hung loose inside until he got out of the van.