Chapter Text
Beer bottles litter the ground and a thousand glass cups crowd the only table in the lobby. A bottle of Shochu peeks out from underneath one of the brown couches; the sound of glass rolling across the wooden floor rings in the common room when someone kicks it as they sit down.
Duly amazed, Kei stares from the hallway at the members of his dorm floor all gathered around a small, glass coffee table. He thinks that there has to be at least fifteen of them present: that’s not including the two girls someone invited over for their floor’s monthly game night.
Kei catches the eye of his roommate, Kageyama Tobio, sitting on an arm of a couch with a glass of beer posed to his lips. His eyes narrow in on Kei’s; the latter looks down at the floor. He knows if Kageyama finds out that he has no other friends on the floor besides his roommate, Kageyama (who specifically told Kei two weeks ago that they were not friends) would never let it go.
Kei keeps his mouth shut instead, and opts to sneak into the room once a rowdy argument starts between a few older students over whether sake or shochu leaves a worse hangover. He slinks into an empty cushion on the couch adjacent to the one Kageyama sits on. All four of the couches have been pushed up against each side of the coffee table littered with cards, cups, and a bowl of nuts. He notes his upperclassmen all sit on the other two couches, while he and his second-year peers sit on the two couches he and Kageyama occupy. He can’t tell the difference between any of them, however, and that doesn’t bother him very much. What bothers him is that everyone else seems to know each other already and the only person he knows is Kageyama . Even the girls--who don’t even live on this floor--seem to know everyone.
The loud conversations continue, though no one engages with Kei and he doesn’t engage with anyone either. He opts to pick up a cup from the stack of clean glasses on the edge of the table and holds it in his lap--waiting until the chatter stops to ask for a drain from the bottle of Shochu. It doesn’t, however, and that’s when an upperclassman takes it into his own hands to start the night’s unified shenanigans.
“Okay, okay, okay!” A boy with silvery hair calls into the room. He holds a cup of his own tight to his chest, an opalescent grin sitting on his lips. He looks tipsy already, if not fully drunken. “Come on, settle down! Are we going to play or not?”
Most of the room quiets down, though a few upperclassmen continue to whisper to one another until the silver-haired boy clears his throat for their attention with a loopy grin. Once the room is completely quiet aside from staggered, drunken breathing--he takes to speaking once again.
“We’re going to play Poker! Since it was Daichi and my turn to pick,” He starts, then after winking at the boy sitting beside him who Kei assumes to be Daichi, finishes, “that’s what we decided on. And no, you can’t complain!”
Groans echo throughout some of the room, though Kei doesn’t listen to them. His eyes still sit focused on the bottle of Shochu at the feet of a stranger as he gathers the strength to ask for it.
As Daichi swipes the deck of cards off the coffee table and pours them into his palms, Kei’s eyes scan the room and land on Kageyama. A frown makes its home to his face when he sees Kageyama talking to another peer. Kei has trouble grappling with the fact that even someone like Kageyama has friends here.
“Anyone want to cut the deck, or do you trust that I didn’t cheat with all of you sitting in front of me?” Daichi asks, to which the girl on his right swipes the cards out of his hand in one swift snatching motion. “Wow, alright. Kiyoko’s going to cut the deck…” He watches as she slices the deck before beginning to deal. “I guess she’s dealing too, alright!”
Kiyoko’s gaze is steely and intimidating as she passes a few cards to her right. She stops at an underclassman to ask, “You playing? We can only get ten in this game.”
He nods and she slips him a card, going around the circle and asking the same question to each peer sitting in.
When her eyes land on Kei, he freezes up. “Uh, I’ll watch,” he manages to sputter out and she skips him cooly. The boy sitting beside Kei passes up the game as well and slouches into the couch as Kiyoko moves down the line and speedily deals five cards to each player for some sort of stud poker game.
Kei takes the opportunity of her dealing to awkwardly turn to the boy next to him and ask, “Can you grab the Shochu?” as it sits at his feet.
With a grin, he grabs the bottle and tosses it to Kei easily. “Shochu? Really? Only Sugawara likes Shochu,” he says as he watches Kei unscrew the bottle cap. He pours a small amount of the liquor into his cup and passes it back to the boy when he’s finished.
“It’s better than beer,” Kei murmurs, looking down into his cup. His cheeks flush in a semi-embarrassed manner when he finds himself asking, “Who’s Sugawara?”
“Oh, the guy who’s definitely drunk off Shochu,” The boy snickers, then shakes his head. “I haven’t seen you around like, ever. What’s your name?”
It’s obvious the boy’s already drunk, holding a glass of beer between his fingertips. He’s grinning madly, waiting for a response.
“Oh, I’m Kei.”
The boy nods and swirls his cup around before taking a swig from it. “I’m Hinata Shoyo. You know anyone here?”
Kei grimaces, then scoffs. “My roommate, Kageyama.”
Hinata Shoyo perks up at the mention of the name. “He’s on the volleyball team with me. Kinda cocky, but he’s really good!” He nods and watches as the boy beside him picks up his cards off the table. His attention diverts almost instantly away from Kei as he says, “Ooo, what’s your hand look like?”
Kei takes a drink from his cup, the alcohol burns in his throat. He sighs as he realizes how antisocial he’s already become.
College was supposed to be this grand escape from his small high school. He was supposed to get drunk every night and party and make all of his old peers jealous when they met him again in the future and he was able to talk about his absolutely amazing experience.
He wasn’t having an amazing experience. It had been about four months since he started his first year and he wasn’t doing much of anything. This was the second (of four) game nights that he had attended. This was the second ‘party’ he had ever attended--and he only lasted ten minutes at the last one before he went back to his room to study and go to bed early with the comforting sound of Dragon Ball Z playing on his laptop by his side.
Even worse, he knew no one. No one from his classes but the flunkers trying to mooch off his notes ever approached him; at the same time, he didn’t approach anyone, either. He only knew Kageyama and he didn’t even choose to know him. He just ended up stuck with a cold, moody roommate who said, “I’m not your friend,” when Kei told his mother on the phone that he had made one friend at school so far.
So, according to Kageyama, he has made a total of zero friends in the time he has been enrolled and living on campus as a paleontology major. And to Kei, that is just embarrassing.
“Guys, guys, shut up! I’m trying to think!” Shouts one of the boys, holding his cards with one hand and his forehead with the other. It stirs Kei from his self-loathing and even manages to solicit a snicker out of him.
“With what brain?” Another boy calls out, then slams his cards down on the table. “Royal flush!”
The room ascends into an uproar, complete with groaning and yelling and throwing cards onto the table.
Kiyoko, though, makes no sound as she knits her eyebrows together. “Royal flush my ass!” She shouts, then slams on the boy’s cards with her own. “Where’s your king?”
“Used deuces!”
“We aren’t playing with wildcards, Noya!” She shouts, then flicks the boy’s cards towards him. “Pick up your cards, all of you! Were you just not listening when we went over the rules or are you too drunk to remember anything that happened more than five minutes ago?”
The boy, Noya, lowers his head in shame as he picks up his cards off the floor. He hiccups a few times before rearranging them in his hand, ignoring Kiyoko’s question.
Kageyama, who sits on the armrest right beside Noya, leans over and whispers something into his ear as he points to the cards sitting gloomily in his hand.
“Kiyoko, I already threw my cards down! Everyone already knows what they are!” One of the upperclassmen shouts, anguish drawn in his dramatic voice. His hand is askew, gripped between his thumb and middle finger with loose force.
“That’s too bad, then! You’re the one who didn’t even think to validate a royal flush on stud poker before you threw a tantrum! That’s on you,” Kiyoko barks back, fanning herself with her hand of cards. Kei has no idea what she’s talking about--however, it seems like everyone else does. How many parties has he really missed to not know anything about a card game?
Kageyama scoffs, then turns towards her. “Well, you would think that a ten through an ace would be distinguishable on its own,” He mutters, shaking his head. He looks down at his own hand with a grimace.
It hits Kei like a brick when he realizes that Kageyama also knows how to play. That Kageyama also knows everyone in the room. Even with his cold, unforgiving manner--he managed to make friends with almost everyone on the floor. Kei scans the room, none of them seem to throw any askew glances in Kageyama’s direction, so it’s safe to say that everyone knows him too.
He thinks it rather embarrassing. If Kageyama can make friends, why can’t he? How has such a social deviant as Kageyama had luck, and he hasn’t?
Kei watches Kiyoko swat at her underclassman’s head with a grimace. “You’ve always been such a dick,” she spits at Kageyama, before settling back into her spot beside Daichi and Sugawara.
It strikes Kei as odd that Kageyama would go out of his way to make friends and connections. Being on the volleyball team with Hinata Shoyo is understandable, but how could he have known Kiyoko? All of the questions pool together in Kei’s mind, swirling in circles for multiple minutes before he feels an elbow knock into his.
He peers to his left, where Hinata holds the bottle of Shochu with a devious grin. “Want anymore before Suga drains the rest of the bottle?”
Deep inside, Kei wants to pass up on the offer. He can only take so much of the burning taste, and it’s not as if he particularly likes it. He knows he’ll be ridden with a hangover tomorrow if he takes anymore, but a small, heart-on-sleeve part of him reaches out for the bottle and takes it with a smirk.
He longs to be a part of something, and he realizes now that he can start here. He shrugs.
He pours a generous amount into his cup before passing the bottle back to Hinata. The latter grins madly, hooting with excitement as he takes the bottle away and passes it down the line and back to Sugawara. “Alright! Tsukishima wants to party with us!”
His voice is slurred, there’s no way he’ll remember anything he just said in the morning. And somehow, that takes a heavy burden off of Kei’s heart--it takes away the feeling that he has to be someone specific.
“Why haven’t you come before?” Hinata asks, body swaying slightly. He looks up at Kei with some sort of genuinity--it startles him. No one has looked at him like he’s an equal before, no one in high school ever wanted to know him and no one ever bothered to ask him questions before.
“Oh, um, I’m not a fan of parties.”
Hinata nods, taking in the phrase with a languid blink. “Well, that makes sense. But you’re here!” He’s drunk. He’s so drunk, Kei thinks he should get a blanket and lie him down and make him drink water and go to sleep. Where did this sense of caring come from? Hinata hiccups, and when Kei doesn’t respond he keeps talking. “Well, I’m glad you’re here tonight.”
His words are warm when they register in Kei’s mind. Another first: someone is happy to be in his presence?
“Uh, thanks.” Kei scratches his neck. He’s not one to pour his feelings out, so he keeps them inside of himself and offers his care instead. “Do you want me to get you a glass of water?”
Hinata grins but shakes his head. “I’m okay, I’m okay! Are you okay? Do you need a glass of water?” And Kei notices that Hinata seems completely serious, his tone shifting from loopy to some form of drunken focus--his eyes are wide and he awaits a response.
He doesn’t get one.
Right as Kei is about to respond and soothe Hinata’s apparent worry, the person on the other side of Hinata knocks on the table to ask for silence-- a meek smile resting on his lips. “Excuse me, but,” he starts, then finishes by laying his hand of cards down on the crowded table.
His cheeks turn red as the majority of the room lurch up from their seats to gather around his hand. Kei takes to looking over as well; it’s a straight flush. Five of spades through nine. He knows that much about poker, at least.
He can’t help but crack a grin when Kiyoko pushes Noya aside to take a look at the cards, before effusing a light sigh. “Yamaguchi won. Hand over your cards, I’m shuffling.”
Howling discontented, the players all toss in their hands including a shy Yamaguchi with a look of soft pride reigning over his glimmering, lush facial features.
“Alright, let’s cycle out a few players. Who’s playing this round?” Kiyoko calls out, to which a few upperclassmen reply immediately. She hands the cards off to her right to be dealt.
Kei bites his lip. This is his chance to do something, to get involved, to be a part of something. He knows it with bitter bile rising in his throat.
The dealer slides cards on the table, merely raising an eyebrow to each of his peers to ask if they would like to join the game. Kageyama passes, Noya passes (after Kiyoko makes him), and the boy next to him joins in.
Then, the dealer is looking at Kei with eyes waiting for an answer.
“Uh, I’m in,” He manages to sputter out, watching as a single card slides towards him over the table. The interaction is over in an instant, but it rings in his vocal cords for another few minutes as the rest of the room is decided and the rest of the cards are dealt out.
Kei’s heart thrums in his throat as he picks up his five cards and rearranges them in his hand.
It’s a nice feeling to be included.
--
A few hours pass and the density of the room drops with each passing hour.
Kei remains sipping on the same cup of Shochu that he poured himself hours prior, and he sits alone in the same place he sat earlier. He watches the conversation before him quietly, indulging in Hinata Shoyo’s grandiose stories for a few minutes more before he rises to his feet and decides it’s much past time for him to go to sleep.
However, at the same time he rises, Kageyama does as well with a wild smirk. He finds his way over the scattered cups and nuts littering the floor and drunkenly slaps his hand down on Kei’s shoulder. He smells strongly of mint, though Kei is unable to tell whether it’s his cologne or his breath.
“Listen, four-eyes,” Kageyama starts, breath fanning Kei’s face. He realizes then that it must be cologne because the smell of alcohol hits him hard as Kageyama speaks. He holds his breath as his roommate steps closer. “I’m going to need you to not sleep in our room tonight.”
Kei steps back, confused. “What are you talking about? You need to go to bed.”
Kageyama rolls his eyes. “We’ve got a game tomorrow,” he says, eyes darting back at Hinata enveloped in a story he tells Yamaguchi. “And I need to let off some steam, otherwise I’m not going to perform the way I want.”
Once he realizes what Kageyama means by ‘letting off steam’, Kei’s cheeks tinge pink. He frowns. “Can’t you do that somewhere else? I have a class tomorrow morning, I need to sleep.”
“I didn’t say you couldn’t sleep,” Kageyama laughs, shaking his head as he wavers back and forth with his slurred voice. “You can always sleep with Yamaguchi since Shoyo’s not going to be in there.”
“What are you talking about?” Kei asks, pushing Kageyama back as soon as he rests his weight on Kei’s chest once again.
“It’s not a gay thing, I swear,” Kageyama says, frowning. “Just need to get some, you know?”
He giggles, leaning into Kei once again absentmindedly.
Before Kei can reply though, Kageyama taps on his chest and clears his throat. “Seriously, might as well get to know Yamaguchi now so you have a room to sleep in. Can’t promise this’ll be the only time. You get it though, right, four-eyes?” His words slur long in his last sentence; it makes the hair on the back of Kei’s neck stand on end.
He looks back at the only two others left in the room--a buzzy Hinata and a sleepy-eyed Yamaguchi--before flashing his eyes back on an absolutely plastered Kageyama.
“Fine, I’ll sleep out here tonight. But that’s my room too--”
Kageyama interrupts, not listening whatsoever. He pats Kei’s shoulder lightly as he says, “I knew I could count on you.” He wraps his arms around Kei to give him a tight hug, lingering a second too long, before giggling and pushing himself off.
“Shoyo, come on,” he calls out, wavering where he stands in place. Immediately, Hinata stops talking to Yamaguchi and wishes him a quick goodnight before running over to Kageyama with a glint in his eyes.
Hinata giggles when Kageyama throws an arm over his shoulders as they walk back to the room together--whispering and laughing to one another all the way.
Kei watches, a tight knot of disappointment in his chest, as they disappear into his dorm room and lock the door. Yamaguchi, from across the common room, watches too. Once he realizes what’s going on, a display of pity finds itself drawn across his face.
“Hmph. Do you need a room to stay in?” Yamaguchi asks, albeit quietly. Kei looks at him, but the former’s eyes rest on the floor. His pretty amber-skinned cheeks are dusted with a pink blush, but Kei swears that it has to be the alcohol.
Kei shakes his head. “No, I’ll just sleep out here tonight. Thanks.”
Yamaguchi nods, lingering for a few seconds longer. He picks up a few cups off the floor and throws them away. When Kei says nothing still, he walks down the hallway and into his own room right across from where the ‘lovers’ have locked themselves in and shuts himself away without another word.
Kei watches him all the way before throwing himself down on the couch and forcing himself into a night of shitty, shitty sleep.