Take Me Home (Tendou x Reader)

Chapter 31

As the night started coming to an end, everyone started slowly preparing to leave. As you and Tendou would be taking the same train but in opposite directions, you had agreed to walk to the station together.

You hung around him as people started telling each other goodbye and that's when someone said something to Tendou that hit you like a lightning bolt.

"See you Monday at school and, I'm sorry for being a week late but still, happy birthday!"

You had to literally bite your lip until you were on your own on your way to the station.

"It was your birthday last week?!" You asked him as soon as it was just the two of you.

"Yup." He said nonchalantly.

"Why didn't you tell me? If I had known I would have gotten you something!" You said, but before he could speak you continued. "And you kept quiet last year as well?! Why would you do that?"

"Easy there, don't blow a fuse." He shushed you, which only succeeded in riling you up more. "It came up in class by coincidence. I'm honestly not used to celebrating my birthday so it never occurred to me to tell you."

"Oh." You were silent for a moment before speaking up again. "I'll have to buy you a present then, as soon as I can."

"No need to go that far." He chuckled. "And besides, I never got you a present either, since you never told me your birthday either."

"Oh." You repeated and then laughed. "I guess both of our birthdays were a bit of a non-event last year. Anyway, I'm getting you something this year, even if I'm a week late."

"I'll return the favor if you tell me yours." He said and you gave him the date.

Your conversation branched off from birthday gifts and it felt like the 'old times' again. When your train arrived he saw you off with the hug you had grown accustomed to last year and you went home feeling giddy.

That same weekend you went to the nearest mall in search of an appropriate gift for Tendou. It took you the whole day and you went by every store twice before you spotted a hoodie just when you were about to call it a day.

It was in pastel. Pink on one side and purple on the other. One of the sleeves was green while the other was yellow and the hood and pocket were blue. It was not necessarily the first thing you would think of as a gift for a male friend but to you, it just screamed 'Tendou'.

You stood doubting for a few moments but in the end, decided to get it. If he didn't like it, he could always come and trade it for a different one.

You gave it to him that Sunday evening when he came to lend you his Jump and it seemed that your instincts had been right on the mark. He thanked you profoundly and promised to get you something for your birthday as well. He later made good on that promise when your birthday rolled around and got you a backpack you once pointed out you found cute.

That weekend seemed to have assured both you and Tendou that your friendship could still be the same as it had been in your first year. And as the second year of high school progressed, you both started inviting the other to hang out again.

When your parents weren't home, you met at your house a couple of times. You played video games, went to the arcade, or sometimes even just went out for a walk.

Other times you hung out with the guys from the volleyball team, sometimes joined by some of Tendou's other friends. Yamagata and Semi started asking you to come to watch one of their games and you always promised them that someday you would.

Sometimes, you also went with them to karaoke nights again and it was after a few of those evenings that a realization hit you.

It was something that you had wondered about in the past a few times: why had you been so keen on becoming friends with Tendou, when you had never been inclined to do the same to other kids that got bullied?