Going Caving Yakulev/Levyaku

I'm Stuck!

After a few minutes, the third year realized he couldn't hear Lev behind him. He glanced back.

There was nothing there. He blinked, hoping his eyes were playing tricks on him. No. Lev was gone.

Yaku's first reaction was panic. Where could he have gone!? I swear he was right behind me just a minute ago!

Wait...When was the last time I looked back to check on him?

Comprehension dawned on the libero. He hadn't seen Lev since just before the intersection. He cursed aloud. He had assumed the first year had followed him, but apparently not.

Yaku turned around. Luckily, the trail had been getting wider and higher here, so he had plenty of room to maneuver. He could even walk hunched over now, which he did to save his knees. He retraced his steps. His thoughts were consumed with worry for the middle blocker.

Did he go left? How? I was directly in front of him. Did he get stuck? He shouldn't have, that crevice earlier was the tightest spot and he made it through that alright. Did he go back? Why on earth would he have done that?

What the hell happened?

He made it back to the intersection.

"Lev?" he called, poking his head into the cavern. There was no sign of him. Yaku swore again and tried to think. The third year had glanced back and seen him before they got to the intersection.

He paused. When he had last seen Lev, the half-Russian was several meters behind him. There was a blind curve just before the intersection. Could he have not seen me go into the right tunnel? The curve could have prevented him from seeing me. But if that was the case, why didn't he call out to know where to follow me?

"Damn," the third year said aloud. That seemed like the best explanation. And if that was the case, Lev had probably taken the left path.

SHIT! His eyes widened. If the middle blocker thought Yaku was still somewhere in front of him, he would keep going through the tunnel, which got tighter and tighter before finally stopping. Yaku could just barely fit all the way through it. He doubted Lev could.

Wasting no time, the libero hurried into the left turn.

"Lev?" He said again. Sound echoed in caves, so they should be able to hear each other long before they could see one another. Nothing. Yaku kept moving, frantic now. After several long, tense minutes, he called out again. But this time, he heard a soft whimper ahead of him.

Yaku picked up speed. He had long since returned to moving on his hands and knees, but he went as fast as he could.

"Lev!" he called. "Are you there? Hello?"

The tunnel was getting tighter now. Yaku dropped to his belly, crawling across the hard stone.

"Is anyone there!?" He yelled, desperate. Did I imagine that whimper? He thought. Then he heard a sob coming from somewhere ahead of him.

"Lev! Answer me, you stupid skyscraper!" he shouted, his heart pounding. "LEV!"

He heard more sobs, getting louder and louder. They sounded scared. Is that him!? Is someone else down here? They hadn't seen anyone else in the cave all day.

He moved faster, not even noticing his arms were bleeding from the sharp rocks around him. The sounds of crying were bouncing off the walls, making it hard to estimate distance. The trail was going to end soon, and even Yaku was feeling a little squashed. The ceiling was very low now, and he could touch both sides of the wall with his elbows.

"LEV!?"

He squeezed around a corner and nearly ran into Lev's legs. His top half was obscured from Yaku's sight by a depression in the ground and a corresponding dip in the ceiling. The middle blocker was shaking uncontrollably, his body racked by loud sobs.

"Lev. It's okay. I'm here." Yaku spoke softly, trying not to startle him. Then Yaku realized something.

"Why isn't your headlight on?" The only light was coming from Yaku's headlight. While Lev's top half was hidden by the cave, the light he carried should reflect back. But no light shone through.

"It...shut off..." His voice was edged with barely controlled fear.

"Hell," Yaku growled. "The batteries must be getting old." He tried to remember if he had bought his own recently. Thank God, I did. 

"I can't see," the middle blocker whimpered. Without any artificial light sources, he was in total blackness. Yaku's heart clenched. Oh, Lev... He brought out a handheld flashlight.

"Don't worry, I have extra." The third year gently touched Lev's calves to show him where he was. He pushed the hand flashlight along Lev's side so he could reach back and get it.

"This is it. Press the back for light. Don't blind yourself." Lev shifted. There was a slight tapping sound, then light reflected weakly back at Yaku. 

"I thought you were ahead of me...I couldn't hear you..." The first year whispered, still crying.

"I took the other turn. This is a dead end. I'm sorry, I should have made sure you were behind me." Yaku's heart hammered against his chest as he rubbed Lev's legs comfortingly. God, he liked this boy.

"Shhh, it's alright," he cooed, making his voice soft and soothing. Lev's cries got quieter.

"Can you move?"

"I think so..." Lev's voice cracked. He shifted position, but the narrow walls restrained him from squirming sideways, which helps you crawl on your belly.

"Yaku-san, I'm stuck! I can't get out!" His voice got higher and his sobs became loud again.

"Calm down, Lev. We'll get you out. Just relax for a moment." Yaku studied the situation. When the floor got lower, so did the roof, so everything above Lev's waist was concealed by the dip in the ground and the ceiling.

Yaku did have a lovely view of his butt, but now was definitely not the time to dwell on that.

"Good. Now, I want you to lay as flat as possible. Stretch your arms out in front of you. I'm going to grab your legs and pull."

"But I can't fit!" The half-Russian sounded perilously close to losing it. If Lev lost it right now, Yaku didn't think he could calm him down.

"Yes, you can. Trust me." Lev's breathing slowed down to a more normal pace.

"Are you ready?"

"Y-yes," the first year whispered, his voice quivering.

Yaku yanked hard on his legs. At first, nothing happened. Then Lev slid backward. Knowing he needed to keep his momentum going, Yaku kept pulling, his own body curling up to make enough room in the tunnel. Lev's lower back slowly came into view, then his upper back. Yaku's arms ached. He was heavy.

The middle blocker whimpered again. The sound gave Yaku strength.

This was Lev Haiba. His teammate, his friend, and his crush. And he was depending on Yaku to get him out.

The third year strained. He needed to move away so he would have room to pull the middle blocker toward him. He let go of the half-Russian so he could crawl backwards.

"Yaku-san!" Lev cried out. "Don't leave me alone!"

Trite much? He thought, but his heart crunched at Lev's anguished wail, trite or not.

"I'm not leaving you. I just need to crawl backwards so I have enough room to pull you out."

Lev sobbed. The sounds of his tears tore at Yaku's heart.

"I thought you were leaving..."

"I'll never leave you, Lev."