Haikyuu Fan-fic
Pairing: Tsukishima kei x Kageyama Tobio
Not volleyball player AU
AU
Tobio's apartment was small but warm. Kei stood near the doorway like he didn't belong there, dripping water onto the carpet. Noir — the kitten — curled against his chest, clinging to warmth.
"What's his name?" Tobio asked.
Kei looked at the kitten, a soft expression flickering across his face.
"Noir."
They dried him with a towel and sat on the couch. Conversation was cautious at first, then slowly settled into something surprisingly comfortable. Tobio noticed the way Kei looked around — as if unfamiliar with safe spaces.
The small living room glowed softly under a warm lamp, the rain whispering against the windows. The kitten had curled up on Tobio's lap, purring like a tiny engine.
Kei sat stiff at the edge of the couch, his wet coat draped neatly on the armrest. His damp hair fell slightly over his eyes, and every time Tobio moved, Kei would glance up as if checking it was still okay to be here.
Tobio broke the silence first.
"You're… really good with animals."
Kei blinked, surprised.
"Animals make sense," he said quietly. "People don't."
Tobio let out a soft laugh.
"Yeah, people can be complicated."
Kei studied his hands.
"Complicated makes them dangerous."
That made Tobio pause. There was something in Kei's tone — not bitterness, not fear… something like memory.
"Did someone hurt you?" Tobio asked gently.
Kei didn't answer at first. Instead, he looked around the living room again: the shelves of books arranged by color, the messy coffee table with unused coasters, the mismatched throw pillows. Something about the space seemed to soften him.
"I'm just not… used to this."
"Used to what?"
Kei hesitated, then:
"A place where no one's yelling."
Tobio's breath caught, but he didn't pry.
"You can stay here as long as you need to calm down."
Kei's gaze shot up.
"Even though we just met?"
"You saved a kitten," Tobio said simply. "That says a lot."
Kei huffed a quiet laugh — the smallest one, barely there, but real.
After a moment, Kei asked, almost awkwardly:
"Why did you help me?"
Tobio looked down at the kitten sleeping soundly.
"Because you looked like you needed help more than you wanted to admit."
Kei opened his mouth as if to argue, but closed it again.
He stared at Tobio, really looked this time — his eyes searching, studying, almost trying to decode the kindness being offered.
"I'm not good at… talking," Kei said.
"That's okay," Tobio replied. "You don't have to talk perfectly. Just talk."
There was a long pause. Then Kei leaned back slightly, tension loosening in his shoulders.
"The truth is…" he said quietly, "I didn't know where else to go tonight."
Tobio nodded.
"Well… you ended up here. And you're safe."
Kei swallowed, emotion flickering behind his eyes — a mix of disbelief and gratitude.
"Thank you," he said, almost whispered.
Tobio smiled.
"You're welcome, Kei."
The kitten stretched in Tobio's lap, tiny paws reaching toward Kei. He hesitated, then gently scratched its head.
For the first time since Tobio found him in that rain-soaked alley…
Kei smiled.
Small. Uncertain.
But real.
And in that quiet living room, with the rain outside and a kitten purring between them, something fragile and hopeful began to grow.
Over the next days, Kei kept appearing in Tobio's life. A quiet dinner here, a shared laugh there. Noir curled onto Tobio's lap as if claiming both of them at once.
Kei never talked about himself.
But Tobio could tell—
this man carried storms inside him heavier than rain.