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Training camp in the mountains had seemed like a good idea at the time. The school had a small mountain hut they rented out to clubs at different times, and since no one used it during the winter months, it was easy to get on club budget.
Training camp in the the mountains wasn’t a good idea now, with the whole Seijou team crammed into one small room, huddled together as close as possibly and wrapped in as many futons as they could find, additional blankets brought from home by those that were prepared for this trip.
The only ones absent were the Coaches, who were assured by Oikawa that they could trust the team alone for an entire hour, whilst they went shopping for supplies to restock the fridge. It was supposed to be done by the last team here on their final day, but since it had been so long since anyone had booked this training house… Well…
Nobody wanted to eat the mouldy food, although Oikawa had dared each of them to lick the extremely out of date butter. Not even Hanamaki - daredevil of the team - had done so. Iwaizumi had smacked the butter out of Oikawa’s hands, and Kyoutani had then launched it out a window where it could hopefully melt in the compost heap.
Not that it was the right temperature for melting things. If anything, that stick of butter was going to end up like a brick.
“Aren’t the Coaches taking a little long…?” At the cautious question, muffled from deep within the blanket puddle, Matsukawa checks the time on his phone and his brows furrow.
“Yeah… They should’ve been back about half an hour ago.”
“Someone get up and see what’s taking them so long.”
“Are you crazy?! It’s fucking freezing out of the pile!”
“Hell no am I getting up.”
“Can’t. Legs are numb. Pity.” The complaints fade into silence, and then there’s a weary sigh from the very bottom of the pile.
“I’ll go…”
“You brave soul…” The blanket pile wriggles and the others groan as they’re jostled, limbs colliding with others and a small draft entering the heap as Kindaichi crawls out. He shivers at the air and attempts to steal a blanket to take with him, except Kunimi pulls it back.
“...You’re an ass, Kunimi.”
“Toughen up, Princess.” Kindaichi huffs and rubs at his arms to try and keep somewhat warm as he trudges out the room and through the corridors, teeth chattering and goosebumps breaking out. He makes it to the front door, and taking a deep breath to steel himself against the inevitable flood of freezing air, readies one hand on the sliding door.
“Why do I always get the short end of the stick…? No, wait, I volunteered. Shit. Why do I keep getting myself into these situations?” He sighs with a scowl, shuffling closer and shrinking in on himself as he slides the door open.
Immediately, he slides it closed again. With an expression of lowkey pain, he trudges back to the room, crawling his way back into the blanket pile. He sighs with relief at the warmth, and then Watari pokes his ribs.
“So? What’s the verdict?”
“We’re snowed in.”
“... What?”
“We are… Snowed in. It’s up to my waist already, and it’s still snowing.” For a heartbeat, there’s silence, and he wonders if they’re contemplating his murder for delivering the news.
“Wow, guess we’d better not let Iwa-chan outside.”
“One more crack about my height, Shittykawa, and I’ll send you out the fucking window.” It goes quiet again, the team revelling in the warmth, until Yahaba seemingly comes to his senses.
“So what are we going to do about food?”
“Goddammit, Yahaba, we’re trying to astral project to forget about that!” A pillow flies towards the lump under the futon that could be Yahaba, but a grunt reveals it hit Kyoutani instead. For a split second, Hanamaki fears for his life, but there’s no retaliation. Instead, Iwaizumi pokes his head out from between two blankets.
“We could try and find or make something ourselves.”
“Iwaizumi, all we have in the cupboard is honey, and potatoes. What can you even make with those?!”
“Honey-covered potatoes.” Matsukawa stares at the first year using his leg as a pillow, curled up like some kind of cat. His nose twitches in disgust as he thinks about the food combination.
“... Kunimi, please shut up.”
“No, no, he’s right. We have honey roast parsnips, why not honey roast potatoes?”
“Well when you put it that way...”
“I told you.”
“But don’t you need oil to cook it with, and melted butter to mix with the honey?” Iwaizumi groans and drops his face into the pillow in front of him, shuffling backwards to retreat into the blankets.
“No idea, then.” It’s too cold to venture out, and the blankets are still shivering on account of Kindaichi, struggling to warm up, with Kunimi trying to kick him away so he doesn’t get colder from Kindaichi sapping his warmth.
“Fuck it.” He’s cold already, so he pushes himself up out of the pile, stomps over to his suitcase, and starts pulling out multiple clothes. Hanamaki watches him with one eye open, peering out a small gap between futon and pillow.
“What are you doing?”
“Layering up.”
“There’s enough room for all of us, you don’t have to sit on your own-”
“I’m going outside.” A whole barrage of shrieked protests and accusations of being crazy are thrown his way, along with Kyoutani’s grunt of “you’re gonna die.” and Kunimi latching onto his ankle to try and stop him doing possibly the stupidest thing of his entire life.
“We don’t know if the Coaches are okay or not! Someone has to go check!” He tugs on as many clothes as possible, stuffing layer upon layer. Three pairs of trousers, four shirts, one baggy hoodie, six socks, and one hat later, he waddles his way down the stairs towards the genkan to put on his shoes and a winter coat.
“Kindaichi, stop.” He can’t look over his shoulder with the thick clothing, instead lying flat on his back so he can look up at Iwaizumi, who stares down at him unimpressed, despite being swaddled in blankets.
“You can’t go out there. It’s dangerous. There could be an avalanche, you could get lost, there’s a risk of hypothermia, and what if you slip over the edge of the road? It’s far too dangerous.”
“Doesn’t that make it even more important to go and see if the Coaches are okay then?” Iwaizumi sighs, crouching down and flicking Kindaichi’s forehead.
“They trusted us to stay here. Which is exactly what we’re going to do. How would we explain that you went missing when they come back?”
“But we’re snowed in… So they must be snowed out.” Confronted by the logic, Iwaizumi’s nose scrunches up and his expression twists, eyebrows furrowing and narrowing his eyes. Kindaichi grins up at him the longer there’s no rebuttal.
“... Just get back upstairs.”
“I have to do this, Senpai. I can’t help worrying that they’re not okay, or that the snow trapped them before they reached town, or that we’ll have to starve because they can’t get back.”
“We’re not going to starve. The snow will melt.” With a deadpan expression, Kindaichi shuffles to his feet, and slides the front door open, gesturing to the height of the snow wall and the blizzard still coming down above it. Iwaizumi sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose.
“Okay. Alright. I get it. We’re completely snowed in. But there is no way in hell you’re going out in that.” Kindaichi steps closer to the wall. Iwaizumi narrows his eyes. Despite the little internal battle going on inside, Kindaichi doesn’t let it shows on his face as he turns around and pushes out into the hazardous conditions.
“Dammit, Kindaichi! Get back here!” He tugs his hat down a little further, stubbornly pursuing even though it’s really hard to walk through snow when it’s up to his waist. The compressed weight of it, fortunately, acts as steps as he carves it out with his hands and the front of his shoes. He manages to get on top and looks around cautiously.
White.
As far as the eye can see, there’s nothing but the grey in the clouds, the white flurry coming down, and the thick blanket of snow all over the land. He can’t even see where the mountain ends and drop begins. The pine trees looming over the snowy landscape are weighed down by the snow on their branches, and as a huge clump breaks off and send snow skittering over where the edge appears to be, Kindaichi understands what Iwaizumi was saying about avalanches.
Gulping, Kindaichi takes three more steps before one of the trees creaks and his nervous disposition wins out. He bolts back down the little ‘staircase’ he’s made, sliding on his butt at one point, and skedaddling back into the genkan where Iwaizumi waits with crossed arms and a very smug smirk.
“Sh-Shut up.”
“I didn’t say anything~.”
“I could see it on your face.”
“Maybe if you’d just listened in the first place.” Blushing, Kindaichi looks down at his feet as he starts unwrapping himself, shaking off the clumps of snow that stick to him.
“Yo, are you guys coming back up yet?! We’re putting on a movie!” Matsukawa’s shout from upstairs has them both huff, and Kindaichi sheepishly kicks off his shoes, placing them back where they belong. He leaves the conversation to Iwaizumi.
“What movie?”
“Rudolph the red nosed reindeer!”
“Which one?” There’s hushed giggled before Oikawa shouts back as gruff as possible.
“WHY WEREN’T YOU AT ELF PRACTICE?!”
“The 1964 one, then. C’mon Kindaichi. We’d better join in and get you warmed up again.” Iwaizumi isn’t blind to the very slight shivers coming from the first year, and claps him on the back as he herds Kindaichi up the stairs and towards the blanket pile once more.
Watari wriggles over to make room, holding up the blanket for Kindaichi to slip under as Iwaizumi returns to bothering Oikawa and Hanamaki with his permanently cold feet. Watari wriggles in close, whispering as the title sequence starts on Oikawa’s Ipad.
“We’re watching the 1994 one after this, Isle of Misfit toys, Tokyo Godfathers, and then Elf!”
“Sounds good.”
“Shh! It’s starting!” Watari rolls his eyes, but the two stop whispering to each other and settle down, watching the movie despite the howling winds outside. They might all be snowed in, but at least they’re all together and having fun, laughing at the movie and building up inside jokes, all cuddled together like a family that found each other.
They fall asleep sometime after the fifth movie, having randomly picked them from suggested videos. Deep in slumber, they’re oblivious to a car returning, low voices talking downstairs, and then the door to the room opening.
Irihata and Mizoguchi huff in amusement with peaceful smiles, the former moving to take Oikawa’s Ipad from his hands and put it on charge instead, Mizoguchi arranging the blankets and pillows that have been fought over and tousled during the movies, making sure everyone is tucked in and comfortable.
“That’ll do for now. We should do some cooking for when they wake up.”
“Mhm. I’m just glad they all stayed together. And inside.” Irihata laughs softly at the statement, deciding not to mention the wet boots and copious layers of clothing he’d spotted hanging over the hallway radiators. He doesn’t need to send his assistant on a rampage, chewing out the kids.
“Let’s leave them to sleep.” Irihata makes for the bedroom door, holding it open and waiting for Mizoguchi to fuss over the last blanket, which Kunimi automatically wrenches back every time he tries to pull it away. Sighing, he gives up.
“Keep it then, stubborn brat.” The words are harsh, but his tone is warm and soft, betraying just how much of a weakness he has for the kids. As he’s walking out, he feels a small tug on his trousers, just below the knee. Looking down, he sees Kindaichi rubbing at his eyes and fighting back a yawn.
“M’glad… You’re okay…” Mizoguchi wobbles a smile, crouching down and tugging the futon cover up to Kindaichi’s ears where it had fallen down to his shoulders.
“Go back to sleep... We’ll be here when you wake up.” In a sleepy daze, Kindaichi nods, settling back down and closing his eyes. His breathing evens out so quickly that he doesn’t feel Mizoguchi ruffle his hair fondly, and then walk out the room under Irihata’s grinning observation.
“I knew you were a softie~.”
“Oh, shut it, Senpai.”