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"Good morning, my name is Watari Shinji. Nice to meet you."
Azumane was prepared to bow first, as he was the one entering the room last, but his new roommate had been prepared in a way better than him.
In surprise, he only blinked at the shorter male with the almost shaved head and the friendly big eyes of his. The young man's smile was polite and sympathic. He wore a simple college swearshirt and some sweatpants. (Today was Sunday, so there was no need to go out, right?)
Everything of his being made Azumane's nervousness go away in an instant.
The brunette freshman sighed in relief and wiped off the sweat from his forehead.
"Thank god, you don't seem like an aggressive college student or so," he murmured which made the other guy lift his eyebrows.
"What?"
"Ah, n-nothing!!" Azumane stammered, then finally bowed, too. Damn, now he had almost embarrassed himself! ... No...he had embarrassed himself, hadn't he? And he was still standing on the threshold of his new home for the next four years, without even introducing himself!!
"N-Nice to meet you! I'm Azumane Asahi! First year, Fashion design."
*
So the first days were like this:
Waking up early, so there was no need to rush. Getting used to the bed which was sponsored by the college. Getting used to the semester's schedule. Managing bathroom times and else...nothing really happened.
Watari wasn't someone who had partied every day, and Azumane was neither. To be precise, they didn't go to the wild parties of the frat. So they usually spent the Sunday in their room, sitting over homework or reading books in silence. Maybe going out for a walk or to the nearby conbini, but nothing more. The week was busy enough and they were tired after all the lectures and knowledge they had to gain.
But it was on Wednesday evening though, that Watari always came back really late. He didn't say where he headed to and of course, he wasn't obliged to let Azumane know. It was his private life after all. However, this Wednesday, seven weeks after getting started with their studies, Watari was really late.
Looking at the alarm clock next to him, Azumane noticed that it was ten minutes before midnight and his eyebrows narrowed. Right then, the door was opened by someone. Only that it was louder than usual, too. With a BAMMthe door even hit the wall, which made the bearded man almost jump out of bed. Wide-eyed, he stared at his roommate, now. Sttumbling into the room and nearly falling to the ground he was held back by two hands from behind on his shoulders.
"Geez, that was too much!" Azumane heard a second voice, coming from the corridor.
Getting up for real, he glanced at two other boys behind Watari, who seemed to be around their age. Concerned eyes and wearing helpless expressions, they noticed Azumane and needed a moment to find some words. Drunk. Like Watari. Just not that bad.
"Ah, sorry! I think, he drank too much!", the one with the light-brown coloured short hair (was he imitating the Beetles?), smiled apologetically, "I'm Yahaba Shirabu, one of Watari's fellow students."
Azumane nodded, "Azumane Asahi, thanks for taking care of him."
"Actually, it's the first time, I've seen him like that," the other young man said. He had dark-green hair and some clearly visible freckles, "Y-Yamaguchi Tadashi, I'm sorry that he...we lost control?"
"N-No, don't worry!" Azumane waved off, "I'm here. It's alright. From here on, I take care of him. Don't worry. Can happen!"
The two other nodded and saw themselves off with another excuse. There was nothing left they could do for Watari, right? The only thing the poor guy needed was his bed to sleep and - if it went worse - a bucket to puke.
But Watari was better than his obvious state would tell and had made it to the chair at his desk. Resting his head on the desk's surface, he closed his eyes and sighed with a hiccup.
"So cool..."
"Are you okay?" Azumane closed the door behind the two, and turned around to his roommate, "You really look...wasted."
Watari's eyes flickered through the room, trying to focus on the other male, but failed. That was too exhausting. Every move was exhausting! Even thinking was exhausting! With an aching sound, he put a hand on his forehead.
"Hurt..." he mumbled, but Azumane didn't understand from the distance and got closer.
"What?"
"Head...hurt..."
"Yeah, the alcohol, I guess?" the bearded man smiled softly, "Should I get you some water?"
"Yeeees..."
Azumane felt a little pity for him, but well...the hangover was something, Watari had to deal with. He couldn't skip that part.
Going to the storage corner, Azumane came back with a bottle of water, opened it, and handed it over.
"Here."
Watari's tired body shifted in slow motion: He lifted himself up, reaching for the bottle and missed at first, but got it by the second try.
"Thaaaaaanks", he slurred again and took a sip, "You know?" he asked, looking very focused on Azumane, now.
"Huh?"
"You're really a nice guy. You know. Really."
Azumane blinked and couldn't do something else than grinning. Rubbing the back of his neck he gave a little laughter. Drunk guys were always something. Well, some of them are aggressive but others are simply funny. Watari seemed to be the latter.
"Ha, ha, is that so? For handing you a water bottle?"
"Yeeeeah, totally nice!" Watari nodded and sat up straight, drinking some more water. So much, that Azumane almost wanted to stop him, as his stomach might not take that amount of liquid. "I mean, look at you!" His index pointed at Azumane and air poked him. "Look at you, Azumane-san!"
Azumane still blinked at him in wondering, not getting, what Watari wanted to say. Therefore, another sigh followed, this time much more audible. Almost in disappointment.
"You're handsome! And cool! And kind! I'm sure you have a girlfriend, outside college, right?"
"U-Uhm...ehm..." Stammering, the taller male blushed and tried to avert the eye-contact. Where was that coming from!? And did he have to answer?
"So do you?"
Couldn't he just dodge the question? With something smart?
"Do you?"
"N-No, I haven't."
"So you are gay?"
What the hell! Watari!! Azumane was shocked by the straightforwardness, which came up now. It was the alcohol, of course, but still...what the hell!!
"N-No?"
"Ah, okay...so...are you...how was it called? Yamaguchi told me..." Watari thought for a moment. "Are you a-"
"I'm just single!" Azumane interrupted him, before he could make any other assumptions and also, because he wanted to finish that talk.
"What a waste!" Watari leant back into his chair and he put his head into his neck.
"Maybe you should go to bed, now. Take a rest?" Azumane suggested, before this could go on.
Making a step towards Watari, he grabbed the other's wrist, trying to pull him up.
The drunken male chuckled, got up, but tripped over his own feet, barely able to keep himself together. Bless whoever, that Azumane caught him. Chuckling again the drunken man nudged into Azumane's chest.
"Gosh, you're warm, too!" he slurred once more, which let the brunette stiffen. The hell with alcohol! He never would take a sip again! And he never would let Watari take a sip again! Well...of course this was just spoken hypothetically, as he couldn't stop anyone, but for that second Azumane wished he could.
"Come on, you really need the sleep!" Azumane even got a bit strict by now, having his roommate hanging in his arms like a puppet and trying to drag him to the bed opposite his own. Watari lifted his head as he felt his feet shuffling - did they still belong to him? - and he tried to look eyes with his rescuer.
"Kissable lips!" he cooed.
And that was enough. Enough, so Azumane got half of an heart attack, twirled around and pushed Watari onto the bed.
"Sleep. Now."
*
The next morning was a rather late morning. Watari didn't know when he opened his eyes, but because the sun shone bright into their room, although the curtains were closed, he could guess it was about noon.
Ouch. Headache. Stabbing. Like a knife.
Holding his forehead, he gave a sound of pain and tried to sit up. Slowly. Awfully slow. Too much of this and the world would start spinning.
Finally being upright, he looked around and noticed the silence of the room. He was alone. Azumane's side with the bed was tidied up.
The jacket on the wardrobe gone. He was out.
*
It took some time until Watari was able to leave on is own. A painkiller and lots of water later, he still feared that he had to wear sunglasses due to light sensitiveness the whole day, but at least he felt a bit more like human again.
"Hey Watari-kun, how are you feeling?"
It was Yamaguchi, who came across the corner in the main building, as they both had the next class together.
"Yeah, somehow between sick and tired?"
"I'm so sorry, we have-"
"No, no!" Watari interrupted him and lifted his hands as a sign that the other shouldn't be worried, "It was my own fault. I shouldn't have drunken so much. I'm sorry that I bothered you!" Yamaguchi gave a wry smile, and they entered the seminar room. "But thank you, that you two brought me back."
"Sure thing!" his fellow student nodded, "We were just lucky, that your roommate was there."
"He was?"
Yamaguchi lifted his eyebrows. Oh...so...the typical loss of memory due to hangover?
"Yeah, he welcomed us and I bet he helped you into bed?"
Sounded reasonable. Watari nodded, taking his seat and took out his pens and notepad. So, he should thank Azumane later, right? Or should he apologise first?
*
So poor Watari didn't remember, what he babbled yesterday, but Azumane did. He knew that he couldn't avoid the other the whole day, but this morning he had tried and succeeded. Azumane had never been the brave kind of guy, he seemed to be:
His appearance was tall, his fascial expression often gave the impression of a dark, grumpy man. Instead, he was a really emotional person, overthinker and sometimes he'd rather draw signs in this palm with his index to pray for better outcomes.
Hence, he was kind of scared of the confrontation.
Maybe Watari didn't remember anything? Maybe he remembered everything?
This thoughts haunted Azumane the next six hours of his day. He couldn't concentrate in fashion design history class, he couldn't concentrate in design basics and he couldn't concentrate when he stood in the mensa and forgot what he wanted to buy. To the annoyance of everyone behind him.
With a long and deep sigh, he came back to the dorms in the afternoon and opened the door to their room. When he was entering, Watari just came out the bathroom and looked at him with a friendly smile.
"Azumane-san!"
"Watari-san?"
Both men blinked at each other, not knowing how they should start.
How much did the other know?
"Well...I wanted to thank you for taking care of me yesterday. I drank too much and eh..."
"S-Sure!" Azumane replied quickly, and swallowed down a lump in his throat, "I-I mean..." Seeing a questioning look in the other's face, Azumane tried to explain himself better or the other man, "Do you...remember anything?"
Watari lifted his eyebrows and gave it a second thought. Did he? ...
"No...I don't think so? I know, I was brought here by Yamaguchi-san and Yahaba-san, but...that's it?"
Azumane nodded. This was good. Nothing to be embarrassed about.
"Did I say something weird, Azumane-san?"
"N-No..."
"Ah...well...I know that I'm sometimes a bit...intimidating when I drink..." Watari rubbed the back of his head and smiled apologetically. "I-I'm sorry if I said something-"
"No, all's okay!" Azumane waved it off again and shook his head, "Nothing strange."
"Um...welll, fine...but...maybe...I can repay you? Somehow? For babysitting me?"
*
Azumane didn't know if it has been a good idea to agree to the offer, Watari had given him. He didn't even understand how this could be a repay when he actually has to do something?
It had been years since he had been into a gym. Well, not exactly into a gym, but going there to play volleyball. He had been a member of the volleyball club in middle school, but after a sports injury in the last trimester of his third year, being inable to use his arm for months due to a tennis elbow, he quitted. His teachers also recommended to him that he should focus at least on another kind of sports and so he did. But if Azumane was honest with himself, he missed it. Volleyball.
Stepping inside the gym was a blast for his senses: The odour of the vinyl floor, the sound of squeaking shoe soles, the happy mood of everyone... It brought him back to his best days and he felt his heart beating faster than usual.
"Azumane-san!" Azumane looked up, spotting Watari, who came over, wearing his sports clothes, "Great, you did it!"
"Yeah!" Azumane nodded, a little bit helpless as he wasn't sure if he would still fit in the sport or not?
"You need to change, don't you?"
And so Watari led him to the changing room, where the brunette tall man took his time to get into his own sports wear. Leaving the room with his water bottle and towel, he stepped into the gym again and was welcomed by the captain of the team:
"Hello, Watari-san told me that you would give it a try?"
The other man was tall, maybe even taller than Asahi, and he seemed to be in a good mood himself: his big catlike grin, his amber coloured eyes which showed curiosity.
"I'm Kuroo Tetsurou, current captain of the team, 2nd year."
"Nice to meet you. Azumane Asahi," Azumane introduced himself and shook hands with the other. A strong grip.
"Well then, Azu-kun, let's start!"
Azu-kun...? What the hell?
But even if the nickname wasn't funny, the session was. Being introduced to the other members of the team, they started with warming up their bodies and mind. Running, some strength training, and finally getting a ball into his hand, it didn't take long until Azumane got used to that feeling of hitting and receiving again.
He also spotted Watari's two fellow students, Yahaba and Yamaguchi, when they were working on their attacks.
Yahaba was a setter, determined to play as perfect as possible for his hitters. He seemed calm, but sometimes he had a little outburst of impulsiveness, when it came to a miss of him or a great attack of a hitter.
Yamaguchi, instead, wasn't really good at volleyball. Attacking wasn't his favourite and receiving was on a level, there you could say had only learnt the basics. But he was better at serving and so the float ones could be tricky to get, as Azumane experienced first hand in the game, the last task for the practice session.
"Azumane!" he heard his name and looked up. The ball was coming to his side, a perfect back set from Yahaba. Azumane inhaled and focused his mind on the ball. He waited a moment and approached. Jumping up, his hand hit the volleyball right into the opponent's court side. Back line.
"Woha!!" the other team members cheered, and the atmosphere clearly changed all of a sudden.
"That was awesome!" Yahaba laughed, "You're really good! Have you played before??"
"Eh, in middle school," Azumane admitted, a bit flustered by the compliment.
"Wait, weren't you the ace back when? Seikoudai middle school?" the setter went on as if he had remembered something.
"Y-Yeah?"
"I knew it! I watched that final match against Yarukawa middle school! When you got that record, being the MVP!"
Ah...that match. Yeah. It was in the second year and he had been played his best match there. Actually, since when he had claimed the role of the ace in his team. Azumane smiled a bit, cherishing the memories of the past.
"Well, that has been a while, ha, ha. My skills are a little rusty."
*
Continuing the match, Azumane noticed that the other team was getting better and better. He actually had a hard time with the them! Especially against Kuroo, who was his opponent in front of the net and blocked him out as often as possible. But although it was kind of frustrating, it was also very thrilling. So much, that when the match ended with a 27:25 for Kuroo's team, two hours of practice in total, Azumane almost wanted to beg for another round.
"Azu-kun!" Kuroo called over and waved to him, that he should come closer.
Drying his neck with his towel, he stepped over to the awaiting captain.
Kuroo put his hands in his hips, "To keep it brief: Will you come again?
Azumane blinked in irritation about that direct question, and then put his lips into a thinner line. Anxiety crawled up. His most unwanted topic to talk about...
"Well...I don't know," he hesitated, "I mean-"
"Your hitting strength is great, your serves are, too. You also have a good feeling for blocking, but of course we should work on that," Kuroo interrupted him as he felt that the ace seemed nervous, "If there isn't any real reason you can't participate, the answer should be yes."
And this was the exact comment why Azumane gave a quiet sigh. He looked at his right arm, which didn't hurt right now, but maybe it would in the future? Sometimes, when he draw too much or had too heavy bags in his hands, the pain got him... Could he actually be a reliable player like this?
"Well...I can't promise to be there regularly," the bearded man replied in a serious tone, "I mean, I'd like to, but actually..."
The captain followed Azumane's glance and he got an idea what the brunette was referring to.
"Hey, this isn't pro league!" Azumane got a clap on his shoulder and he looked up to Kuroo, who smiled, "Just try this. I guess, the other guys like you and it would be an honour to have a real ace in our team. If it's too much, it's no problem that you can take a rest or so. Nobody is forcing you and noboy will blame you if you take care of yourself, okay?"
*
"I'm glad you came today!" Watari said, when he sat down on his bed, rubbing the water off of his head, as he had just showered, "It was really fun, don't you think so?"
Azumane looked up from his sketchbook and after a second, he nodded with a little sigh.
"I'm glad, too. Yes", he agreed, concentrating on his drafts again.
"Kuroo-san talked to you? So...you will join the team?" Watari asked a little bit later, still his eyes on the other in curiosity. Actually, he hadn't taken his eyes off of him at all, as he was up to ask something else.
"Mhm."
Watari smiled for himself, somehow happy to have something in common with his roommate now. They had to stay here for four years together, and if they maybe could be buddies or friends, well...this would make it easier, right? It wasn't that Azumane was unfriendly or so. But they both were calm in their personality and therefore, they both had to open up a bit to each other, right? Volleyball was a wonderful possibility to do so!
But before...he had to make something clear. His memory had still its lacks, but here and there some snapshots came up of that night after drinking too much...
"Azumane-san?"
"Hm?"
"I still have the feeling, that I did something strange, when I was drunk."
Azumane stiffened and then sat up right. Turning around on his chair, he swallowed. Why the hell did Watari bring up that, now?
"You know...I don't wanna have something strange here between us. We're roommates and maybe even teammates from now on, right? So...if I did, please tell me." Watari's experession was serious, too. Too serious for Azumane's liking.
And so the latter sighed and gave in, "Well...not exactly. You were just...a bit clingy," he explained, looking down at pencil strokes again.
"Clingy as in holding onto your arm?"
"Something like this."
"And what else?" Watari knew that there must be something else. Azumane had a strange reaction when he had apologised poorly before, and now he was, too: the tall man seemed embarrassed, his head was turned to the side again. As if he tried to hide. "Azumane-san? If I upset you or so...I wanna know."
"Well, not exactly," the other mumbled and gave a helpless little laughter, "You were only a bit clingy, gave me compliments, and asked me out if I have a girlfriend or boyfriend or so, ha, ha. Nothing serious."
...
Watari's eyes widened and he couldn't even blink on that. Oh my...that was embarrassing!
"W-Why didn't you say so sooner? When I asked you?" His voice was almost strangely high-pitched, and Watari felt the heat rushing into his cheeks.
"Because I didn't wanna make it awkward for you?!" Azumane bursted and turning suddenly around now, also red in his face, "I-I mean it's always most embarrassing for the one, who was drunk, right?"
They stared at each other in disbelief.
Another similarity.
They both cared too much for other people's well-being. Rather enduring an embarrassing moment, if this meant that the other had it better.
Oh man...
Watari had to chuckle. Quietly for a moment, then louder and then even Azumane couldn't hide a grin and joint that laughter.
Something to overcome this situation together.
"Well then...welcome to the team!" Watari held out his hand and was finally able to stop even the chuckling, "And the next time you're coming with us!"
"You mean, drinking? Only water!" Azumane smiled and took his hand to give it a firm and heart-warming shake.