Chapter Text
The red-head tapped his fingers rhythmically on the cedar check-in counter, humming a song his neighbor had been playing the night before. His eye twitched, noticing the pencil markings scribbled on the corner of the counter.
Must've been Futakuchi. That asshole can't control his stupid note-taking.
Grabbing an eraser, he furiously erased the small notations, blowing what was left on the carpet floor. Putting the eraser away, he let out a yawn, stretching his arms out in relaxation.
This is so bogus. I should be in the kitchen with Osamu-kun right now, cooking some shit up. If the showcase is next month, then I got-
The revolving doors swung open. Tendou Satori sat up in a jiffy, letting out a nervous breath as a young man walked in, an angry expression on his face and his shoulders hunched. The man at the counter tilted his head curiously, shoulders deflating in relief.
"Kindaichi! What's up little man?" He cooed, putting his hand up for a high-five. The boy ignored it and huffed.
"Tell Oikawa-san to never partner me up with Kageyama ever again." He snapped. Kindaichi let out an exasperated breath, "Why the hell would he mix a podcast director with.. that?"
Kindaichi pointed outside to a black-haired boy, screaming at an elderly man with pure rage in his fiery blue eyes. Tendou snorted, picking at his nails, "Well what was your task for this week?"
"To find a yearly sports promoter for the hotel. You know, branch out." Kindaichi groaned, head in his hands, "I guess it would make sense to sort me with the avid sports interviewer dude-- but we're on separate floors, and he got mad the second the first company rejected us!"
Tendou snorted, a smirk playing on his face, "Sounds tough."
"Believe me, it was hell." Kindaichi sighed, "What'd you get?"
"You already know I just man the phones." Tendou chuckled, "I'm not really anything. 'Kawa just has me here as reception for the time being."
I wish I could do more though.
Kindaichi's eyebrows flew up in surprise, "Oh, so Oikawa-san lets you stay here as long as you actually work?"
"Same as you. Except more boring." Tendou shrugged, clicking his tongue. Not wanting to drag the conversation any longer, he hummed, "So I can assume you did the daily work? I can check you off?"
"Uh huh. Oh and check Kageyama off too. He's out there doing.. something illegal-- but we got the work done!"
"That's.. great."
Tendou takes out a clipboard and puts a check beside Yuutaro Kindaichi and Tobio Kageyama's names.
TENDOU SATORI
Receptionist #1
The red-headed man who stumbled into the hotel by accident. By which he got into an accident. A car accident. Having no one else to turn to, he threw himself into the arms of the hotel's management and they drove him to the nearest hospital. Realizing how expensive the medical bill was, Oikawa Tooru decided to be the bigger person and pay for it himself. Now, Tendou's in his debt and the only way to repay it is to work at the crappy hotel in reception, since his broken leg stops him from doing anything else. Close connections with one Osamu Miya.
Floor: 2 (Employee-only)
Talents: He can make a damn good chocolate eclair.
"-And then I told the dude, 'If ya' don't like the photos, then fucking throw them away! It ain't shit on my bill!'. Then he got all cranky and threatened to sue me so I threw the light at him and started running and then the police chased me and then I got arrested for assault. I had to wait a whole year to get out, can ya' believe it?! So then I tracked down the photographer, took back the camera, and then I said-"
"Utter one more word and I swear Miya, I'll stuff an elephant down your throat."
Atsumu Miya pouted, scratching his nose in fake melancholy. Across from him sat Sakusa Kiyoomi, busy looking up Tokyo locations on his phone in one hand and shoving chips in his mouth with the other. They sat in the middle of the food court. Both men were tasked together for the week by Oikawa, to Sakusa's dismay. It wasn't like they were strangers; they both lived on the fourth floor of the hotel, and in fact, they were next-door neighbors. Atsumu was an aspiring model while Sakusa lived his life as a freelance photographer.
Their task for the week? Forego a complete photoshoot in three locations in Tokyo. Atsumu as the model, Sakusa as the photographer.
"Now that's not a very nice thing to say to yer' partner."
"Don't you dare call me that. You make me wanna puke." Sakusa deadpanned. He sighed, tossing another chip in his mouth, "Look. We gotta focus. We've gotten nowhere in the assignment and I'm not trying to get kicked outta the hotel."
He watched as Atsumu ignored him, pulling out his own phone. He cleared his throat, "What're you even looking at?"
Atsumu grinned, "Modeling agencies."
"You should be looking at places for the photoshoot!"
"Then what have you been doing? I'm the model! I don't hafta' do anything." Atsumu snarled, leaning back in his chair, "I just gotta sit there and look pretty."
Oikawa-san had terrible instincts. Why the hell would he set someone like me with this.. this- horseshit-looking punk?
"You are so annoying." Sakusa seethed. In anger, he spat a chip at Atsumu's face. Atsumu reeled back in his chair, yelping in disgust.
"Ugh! Yer' disgusting!" Atsumu gagged. He grabbed a nearby open water bottle, chucking it at Sakusa's face. He watched in ecstasy as the water engulfed Sakusa's curly jet-black hair.
Sakusa inhaled slowly.
Atsumu watched in excited expectancy as he shut off his cell phone with a click and his eyes flicked towards Atsumu's. Atsumu snorted, cackling as Sakusa downed the last chip in the bag. By the next exhale, Sakusa was diving across the table towards Atsumu, screaming.
"You wanna talk about assault?! I'll show you FUCKING ASSAU-"
"I'm guessing things aren't going so well over here?"
Both men turn in exasperation towards the voice. There stood Matsukawa Issei, another staff member, arms crossed and grinning.
"U-Uhm, not at all! Things are goin' swimmingly!" Atsumu coughed, faking a smile.
"Swimmingly, huh?" Mattsun hummed, "Don't worry, I'm no snitch. I may be your boss, but I'm-- like, super cool."
Sakusa gulped, "We're still trying to find good locations for the shoot. I want it modern, but not too basic. Miya here-" He shot daggers toward the blonde, "-Won't cooperate."
"Hmm." Mattsun's eyes brightened, "I got it! If you do a modern, but like-- still mediocre in popularity restaurant-- you'd get a good shoot plus a sponsor. Win-win. Maybe promote the food a little, increase it's visitor count, and then film some places nearby."
Atsumu squinted, "So yer' saying, shoot at a poor place."
"No, you idiot!" Sakusa snapped. He turned to Mattsun, "Sorry, Matsukawa-san. He's not right in the head."
Mattsun blinked, "Yeah, I can tell, with the.. mess and all."
Sakusa and Atsumu looked around in unison, gaping at the mess they had made. Water everywhere, water bottles without their caps across the cafeteria, and bags of open popcorn and chips all over the floor.
"You're gonna get us kicked out Miya. And if you do, so help me, you won't have a face to model with anymore."
SAKUSA KIYOOMI
Photographer
This clean-freak gremlin knows how to get what he wants. Impossibly blunt, he was fired more than thirty times for insulting the subject during a photoshoot. Deciding it was time he went solo (and being unable to afford an actual home), Sakusa turned to the hotel, who welcomed him with open arms. Neighbors with Atsumu Miya, his current task partner, whom he cannot stand. However, he has to admit Atsumu is the perfect subject to use to bounce back in the photography industry.
Floor: 4 (Photography and Fashion)
Talents: Aside from taking well-organized photos, Sakusa has flexible wrists.
ATSUMU MIYA
Model
If having a twin has taught him anything, it's that Atsumu knows how to enable a person, no matter who they are. Known for his modeling fiascos, Atsumu has never been able to land a stable gig due to his inability to keep his mouth shut. After their only home burned down, he and his twin Osamu ventured to the hotel to pursue their dreams there. Neighbors with Sakusa, Atsumu has begun to find him endearing, looking for a profound way to ask the prickly man out without getting stabbed between the eyes. Close friends with Hinata Shoyou and Suna Rintarou.
Floor: 4 (Photography and Fashion)
Talents: Hard-core manipulator. He once convinced Hinata his father was the president of the United States.
MATSUKAWA ISSEI
Sectional manager
One of Tooru's closest friends and a former professional photographer, Mattsun took charge of the people on Floor 4, overseeing all assignments done by them. Considered one of the most lenient managers, he assists anyone falling behind, and even sneaks more help than needed. Deathly claustrophobic, so he spends most of his time out of the small hotel rooms, roaming through the first floor, where he met his other half, janitor Hanamaki.
Floor: 2 (Employees-only)
Talents: Rumor has it he has the fastest hands in the hotel. That's probably why he's so sufficient.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.
Kenma Kozume groaned, pressing SAVE on his computer before trudging to the door. He rubbed his eyes groggily as he swung open the door to his hotel room.
"What now-?"
A tall man with unkempt hair strode in, a plastic bag in hand. He grinned his devilish grin, flopping onto Kenma's bed without a word. Kenma hummed, a small smile playing on his face. He sniffed, rubbing his nose as he nodded in greetings.
"Good afternoon to you too." Kenma clicked his tongue, making his way back to his seat. The man sitting criss-cross applesauce on his bed cleared his throat.
"Well?" He boomed.
"Well what." Kenma replied from the chair, seconds away from falling asleep.
"Welllll- You got a storyline yet?"
"No, Kuro. I don't have a storyline yet." Kenma frowned, continuing to slide on his headphones. To be fair, he hadn't even started the week's project, and despite knowing he was falling behind, he didn't give two fucks.
Kuroo Tetsurou rolled his eyes, kicking the frame of the bed impatiently, "Well did you even leave the room today to meet up with your partner?"
Kenma froze mid-game, sucking in a breath. That's right. He had organized a meeting time with the reporter to find inspiration-- what was his name?
"You forgot his name, didn't you." Kuroo stated, eyebrow lifting.
"Did not."
"Did too."
"Did not."
"Then what's his name?"
"It was-- uhm. Hilda- Hillbilly- Hilloosii-"
"It was Hinata Shoyou. The one on Floor 3?" Kuroo cleared his throat, a smirk playing on his face. Kenma scowled.
"That's what I was gonna say!" Kenma resolved, continuing to flick the game controller buttons, "Hinnyshiba Shawonka."
Kuroo stood up, jumping off the bed. Kenma flinched; he knew the room below his-- Sakusa's room-- would be complaining about that. Paying no mind to it, Kuroo commanded, "Oi. Listen to me."
"Come on, Kuro-"
"Pause it."
"I'm so close-"
"Pause it."
With a groan, Kenma removed the headphones from his ears, looking up at Kuroo with annoyance. Kuroo, in turn, put his hands on his hips, clucking.
"You know this is your second strike. Tooru's not gonna be lenient anymore. You don't complete this week's assignment, you're getting the boot."
"So?" Kenma shrugged.
"So, you needa take this seriously!" Kuroo threw his hands up in the air, "I don't know what I'd do without you here! You're like-- the only one I can stand!"
"Not true. You have Daichi and Teru."
"You're the only one I want to have stay, how 'bout that?" Kuroo bit the inside of his cheek, "You're the only person I barge into everyday, and I like having you here. I'd miss you if you got kicked out."
Kenma went silent, the grip on his controller loosening just a little. He blinked several times, his cat eyes piercing into Kuroo's with amusement. Kuroo held his breath waiting for a response. Instead, Kenma giggled, "Fine then. I'll go visit the reporter. Because you're so persuasive."
Kuroo's eyes lit up excitedly, "Awesome! You know what? I like you so much I'll ask my fans for some advice with your game! I gotchu!"
"Right.. How's your task going?"
Kuroo grinned, "Amazing. My collab with Hoshiumi really pulled in fans. We just need to keep it steady and I'm all good for the week."
"So you're doing loads better than me."
"I mean, it's not THAT-"
"What's in the bag?" Kenma's eyes flicked towards the plastic bag.
He shrugged sheepishly, "Well I stopped by the kitchen and I saw Osamu and I thought I'd ask him to make a little something. He wasn't busy at all, so I just asked him if he could whip up some apple pie. He got all defensive and like-- didn't wanna at first but y'know me. I convinced him like the charmer I am and here it is." Kuroo handed Kenma the bag, and the boy couldn't automatically smell fresh pastries. He looked at Kuroo with glee.
"You're a lifesaver."
"Tell me about it."
"Let's half it."
Kuroo pursed his lips, "Dude, you haven't had anything in your fridge for days. I know, I checked. This is for you and you only. I wouldn't have done this for any oth-"
"We're either halving it or it's going in the trash."
Kuroo threw his arms up in defeat, "Well when you put it like that.. fine." Kenma silently cheered, grabbing the bag from Kuroo's hands. Before opening the box, he blurted.
"You do know the reason I didn't meet with Shoyou was because I was waiting for you.. right?"
"I'm sorry, what."
KENMA KOZUME
Video-game developer
The first person to appear on Floor 5, Kenma spent all of his days in his room, never leaving it. It was only until Kuroo drunkenly barged in did Kenma ever have a visitor. Now tied at the hip together, Kenma is developing an indie game. He's brainy with the mechanics but when it comes to actual storytelling, he has not one fucking idea of what he's doing. The only time he remotely leaves his room is to spend time with the financial advisor, Suga, Kuroo, and the janitor Hanamaki. Was it mentioned that he forgets personal hygiene and has to be reminded by the love of his life? No? Well it is now.
Floor: 5 (Technological Development and Graphics)
Talents: He can go three days without sleep, even more without food.
KUROO TETSUROU
Influencer
Kuroo only came to the hotel because he heard it was the most popular in Tokyo. To keep things short, he got the wrong hotel. However, he decided to extend his stay after meeting Kenma Kozume, whom he first thought was a social experiment. Despite his non-bohemian behavior, Oikawa loved the thought of the potential romance, and decided to let Kuroo stay. The more he got to know him, the more Kuroo concluded he was the most genuine person he had ever met and decided he wanted to be by his side forever. Of course, he's too much of a coward to say these things out loud, but with the help of his fans, Kuroo plans to make Kenma his by the end of the month.
Floor: 3 (Online and Influential Personalities)
Talents: Can spread a rumor to one person, and it'll appear on the news. The rest of the hotel hates this, as most of them are on the lam.