Chapter Text
It was a warm spring morning, the soft gush of wind made the atmosphere feel breezy. Standing in front of a grocery store was Haizaki, Asuto, and Mizukamiya who had just finished dutifully following the manager’s order to buy groceries for the team. After all, it was their turn to pick the essential items for everyone back at the base.
“We got everything right?” Asuto asked the other two before carrying all the bags from the shopping cart.
“Yes, I have ticked off everything from the list Ootani gave us,” Mizukamiya answered the younger, “Let’s bring these back for everyone.”
The three of them proceeded to pick up the plastic bags containing all the necessities they bought. The bags were all quite heavy but it was still manageable. The boys started off their journey back, they walked through a small alleyway on the way home, passing through a small convenience store that managed to catch Haizaki’s eye. He laid eyes upon one of the store items, it was a small box, a piercing kit. Once he realized what the packet was, Haizaki’s eyes sparked with slight joy.
The teeanger had always wanted to get his ears pierced. Ever since he was young, piercings have always intrigued him, the shiny metal pricked through your skin, accessories that can be in obscure shapes and colors, it looked really cool to him. However, his parents were strict, he was never allowed to get one even when he asked softly. But he’s a grown person now (he’s not even an adult yet), he can make his own decisions even if this horrible choice will probably result in a very long talk with his mom but to him, it was his only chance of getting pierced. In the end, he decided that he’ll get the pack. He has enough funding to purchase the kit.
“Wait!” Haizaki called out, Asuto and Mizukamiya glanced at him, “I’m gonna go in this store and grab something.”
Mizukamiya looked over his phone, scrolling through the group chat. The chats were flooded by messages from Atsuya and Goujin of how hungry they were while the others didn’t really respond or replied with a simple affirmation.
Asuto peeked at the older boy’s phone, “They really want to eat,” he said. The blue haired gazed over to Haizaki, the latter was fidgeting, seeming like he really wanted to get into the store.
He sighed, “Okay but please be quick, the others are getting impatient,” Mizukamiya stated while the gray haired boy nodded in response.
“I’ll take one of the bags from you first so it's easier for you to look around,” The older man insisted. Mizukamiya took one of the bags from the other’s hands. Without waiting much longer, Haizaki then quickly dashed inside the store to buy the box. He swiftly scrambled to search for the tool kit he wished for since he was a little kid.
After what felt like two minutes, Haizaki found the box that appeared to be glistening in glitter, it was as if the packet was chanting ‘Ryouhei…’ repeatedly, hypnotizing the boy to purchase the package. Haizaki grabbed the box with no hesitation and rushed over to the cashier.
Once he was done buying the piercing box, he put it in his shopping bag that had other items he bought for himself. He went over to where the other two boys were waiting. They seem to be chatting about the next match but Haizaki wasn’t really listening, he was internally elated to get back to his dorm and try his new acquired piercing tool.
“Alright, let’s go,” He said, Asuto and Mizukamiya nodded, they continued their journey back home.
Haizaki, Asuto and Mizukamiya have made it back to the building. They went to put the groceries in the common room where currently most of the members are. Some were discussing the next match while the rest were playing games, practicing or in their dorms. Haizaki didn’t bother staying in the place for too long.
After he put down all the bags, he rushed over to his dormitory, bringing his personal belongings with him. Haizaki then sat on his seat, the boy took out the tool box and laid it on his table, his hands were slightly trembling due to his eagerness. The teen roughly unpackaged the kit, once he saw what’s inside, he was quite confused. Haizaki knew that the package would obviously contain a piercing gun. However, the pack did not provide him with any earrings.
The boy thought that it would have been inside the tool box thus, he doesn’t need to buy his own piercings till later on when he wants to change it. Turns out, the box only had the gun, a few small wet alcohol wipes and some needles. He blinked a few times, quite disappointed he couldn’t start the process of piercing his ears immediately.
“God damn it!” He lamented. Haizaki supposes he would have to go out again and buy himself a pair of freshly picked ear piercings.
Creak…
‘Somebody’s here,’ He thought and he gazed over to whoever opened the door. He wasn’t surprised once he laid eyes upon who it was, his roommate, Kira Hiroto. Known as “God Striker” or whatever he named himself, Haizaki doesn’t bother remembering as his senior always gives him a brain hemorrhage.
Haizaki looked back at his box as he pretended the latter didn't exist. He wondered why he had to be stuck with this guy as his roommate. Did anyone in the team not think about the disaster that could unfold having the God and the Devil in the same containment? Like when the two tried to stab each other in the eye with their rulers or when one of them tried to shove tissue down the other’s throat. He wonders how they were not separated into different rooms at all.
He sighed, it was too late. Here they were, roommates, stuck in each other’s presence daily.
Despite all the crazy nonsense that happened, Haizaki and Hiroto are surprisingly at peace with each other as time goes by. Perhaps they changed for the better, lessening down their egos and hanging out with one another more frequently during their free time. Plus, they were quite used to each other’s company and habits at this point in time already. Even if the two still have their usual banter, it was far more tamed and less chaotic but still competitive and petty nonetheless.
Hiroto walked over towards the younger boy sitting at his desk, his piercing kit opened. Haizaki acknowledged that the older teen was behind him, speculating what he was doing, presumably thinking that he’s an idiot or something. The latter didn’t say anything for a while which was quite peculiar to Haizaki as he is normally infuriatingly talkative.
“You forgot to buy the earrings, huh?” He finally spoke. Haizaki groaned, of course he’d figure it out. Although Hiroto can be gullible or foolish at times, he’s quite observant. His senpai laughed, finding this whole case amusing much to Haizaki’s humiliation. After being with the guy for a month, Haizaki has grown a lot of tolerance for his upperclassmen.
“Shut up,” The younger retorted, “I thought the box would at least supply me with some piercings.” Hiroto’s chuckling died down slowly.
“Heh, I guess,” Hiroto shrugged, “You should have at least read the back of the box, it usually tells you what’s in the pack.” Haizaki then flipped over the box, Hiroto was right, it does tell you the items provided. He internally cussed to himself.
“See, I’m right,” The senior smiled smugly, earning an exasperated whine from the other boy.
‘..How does this guy know?’ Haizaki wondered.
“Back then, I bought a kit too,” The curly haired replied, “Hence why I knew.” Well that answered his internal query.
“You pierced your ears on your own?” Haizaki questioned impulsively.
“Hm.”
“Why not get it professionally done?” Haizaki continued, curiosity seething, “Couldn’t you just have done that instead? You’re a rich boy,” He weightlessly mocked, making sure to at least slightly irritate the other. After being acquainted with Hiroto for a while, Haizaki knew which buttons to push to piss off the teen but not to the point of a huge breakout. One of those said buttons was about his wealth.
“Do not question my life choices,” He countered.
Hiroto went silent for a short notice before opening his mouth, “..I didn’t feel like asking my old man for cash.” Haizaki didn’t expect a proper answer from him, the answer in itself also felt deeper than what the other made it seem.
The younger boy was going to tease Hiroto about his father but his plans were put at halt when he heard the older teen’s tone having an underlying feeling of anger and hatred. It seemed like, his dad is a sensitive topic to him that if Haizaki ever dared to interrogate Hiroto, he would get thrown off into the sea to drown and get devoured by sharks.
Haizaki decided he wanted to live for a little longer and not have his rival be the reason for his death. (Not that he cares if Hiroto ever went to jail, of course not.)
“Fair,” He said, “I guess you’re just that lazy,” resorting to a light mock instead. The latter flicked his head, it didn’t hurt that much, the underclassman guessed that Hiroto took the joke well.
“You should probably get yourself some piercings before stabbing your ear,” The upperclassman spoke.
“I know that, noodlehead,” Haizaki rolled his eyes.
Hiroto sighed, probably tired from the nickname Haizaki always calls him. He tried telling the boy to stop but obviously he didn’t listen even if he was younger so the other just put up with his shenanigans.
“There’s a store that sells piercings downtown,” Hiroto stated, “I saw there’s some cool ones there.”
‘He sounds like he’s trying to ask me out on a date,’ Haizaki contemplated, he shook the idea away from his mind, pushing it further into the back of his brain. Haizaki would rather shoot himself in the head first before accepting the fact that he likes his annoying senpai.
“I’ll check it out after this.”
“I’m coming with you!” The older one exclaimed, “I’ve been wanting to see the place but haven't got the time.”
“Eh, what have you been doing these past few days?” The younger asked, not letting the other teen reply, “If anything you’ve been lounging in dorms all day.”
“Shut up,” He scowled, “My legs haven’t been wanting to cooperate with me.”
Haizaki scoffed, “You’re just a sloth.”
“I said what I said,” Hiroto replied, trying to play it off as cool, “Anyways, I’m leaving now, up to you if you wanna come or not. But I’m not waiting for you.”
“Never expected you to be the type to wait,” Haizaki responded, “I’m going.”
He got up from his desk, despite what Hiroto said, he was actually waiting for him by the door, likely knowing that Haizaki would go with him. They walked out of the room, locking the door before leaving. Before escaping the base, both boys went to go to tell their captain where they were heading to make sure their teammates wouldn’t panic, thinking that the two had gone missing.
“Alright! I’ll tell the others,” Endou said enthusiastically. They thanked him then afterwards, left the building, going off to their departure to the outlet.
“They are surely getting along!” He exclaimed, looking out from the field to see the two teens bickering on the sideroad.
Hiroto and Haizaki were trying to find where the shop was located. They’ve been circling around the place for a few minutes, this was an indication that Hiroto isn’t the best at geography.
“Where the hell are we going?” Haizaki asked, clearly lost in the middle of the town.
“I don’t fucking know,” The other one answered, growing agitated, “Here, why don’t you try reading the directions?” Hiroto showed his phone to Haizaki, the taller one glanced over the screen.
“Stupid, we’re supposed to go that way,” Haizaki pointed to the left side of the area, “Seriously, do you not know how to read a simple map of the city?”
The latter stared at the distance ahead, not gazing up to see Haizaki’s smirk.
“Never really used a map,” Hiroto grumbled, ashamed. The taller one was taken back before cackling.
“You truly are a spoiled and sheltered kid, huh?” Hiroto nudged his shoulders.
“Shut it,” Hiroto frowned, his ears shifting color to a pink hue. “It’s not my fault that I tend to use a car more than public transportation or walking down the streets,” He elaborated.
“Wow, you didn’t have to brag about it like that.”
“I’m not bragging, dumbass!” Hiroto crossed his arms while Haizaki laughed at his reaction, who was growing embarrassed over this whole situation and tried to swiftly change the topic.
“C’mon, let’s get moving,” He uttered, grabbing the long haired boy’s wrist. Haizaki leisurely calmed down from his burst of laughter. Yet, he still didn’t realize that his wrist was still being pulled by the other. Hiroto didn’t say anything about Haizaki being neutral as he gets dragged around. They strolled like that for a while, with the older’s hand still wrapped around the younger’s wrist.
When the two reached their destination, Hiroto finally let go of his hold. That was when Haizaki just realized that they were “holding hands” (more like caging one’s wrist from moving) for the entire duration of the walk. He looked over to the shorter one, Hiroto seemed like he didn’t know that their hands were attached for the whole time. But, deep down, the upperclassman was actually very hyper-aware of their physical touch but didn’t want to let go of the hold as it felt cowardly.
Both teens silently agreed to pretend the incident never happened.
The two boys stepped foot into the shop. The store bells chimed.
Ring!
The two boys looked around, there were so many different accessories. Not only were there earrings but also nose, belly, eyebrows and lip piercings. It was a paradise for die heart fans of these glamouring accessories.
“Woah, so many choices,” Hiroto voiced, “Damn, that one looks hella sick.” He pointed to the one being displayed in a glass container. The design resembled a dragon, the silver metal shining bright enough to blind someone.
“Looks expensive,” Haizaki commented, “You could probably buy it though.” The latter just shrugged at his attempt of mockery. The two decided to go their separate ways and look around the store, trying to find a pair that would suit their tastes.
Eventually, Haizaki found a pair that he liked. The earrings appear to have a black diamond, shimmering luminously. He searched for the price tag and when he saw the price for the accessory, it stunned him. The price was incredibly expensive for such a simple item, he checked again before the store clerk came to him.
“Do you need any help?” She offered assistance, she then gazed towards the box Haizaki was holding, “Ah, that is our newest collection, the Black Swan.”
“I see,” He grumbled, “Um, are there no discounts?” Hopeful that there is a price off.
“Sorry, but those are new so there are no discounts at the current moment,” The clerk answered, “The reason for the price is because the gem is also thirty percent of a real diamond.” The teen nodded at her reply, thanking her. The store clerk smiled then excused herself to assist another customer.
‘So that’s why it’s so pricey,’ Haizaki was disappointed that he couldn’t afford the earrings. He was about to put back the pair to where he found it before someone interrupted him.
“Oi, Haizaki, did you find what you want?” Hiroto strolled over to the boy who had a quite saddened look on his face. The older one gazed towards the box that Haizaki was holding.
“I did but..”
“Let me see that,” He roughly took the box out of the younger teen’s hold and examined the earrings.
“It’s fucking expensive for such a simple design!” Haizaki finally continued his sentence.
“Well, it is made with some real diamonds,” Hiroto explained while the taller boy huffed.
“I know,” Haizaki ruffled his hair in distress, “Urgh, I’ll just buy a cheaper one online or something.”
Hiroto didn’t say anything in return but instead took the box with him and left. Haizaki noticed and followed behind Hiroto as he went to the cashier.
“Hey,” The longed haired boy called out, “What are you-”
“Shut up,” Hiroto sternly hushed and the boy zipped his mouth shut.
Haizaki was not really anticipating what his senior was doing so he stared at him in confusion. Hiroto then purchased the box and canceled the other pair that he was going to buy, making the underclassman even more perplexed. After purchasing the piercing, Hiroto dashed towards the door to leave, passing through Haizaki who was still baffled. He stepped out of the store, Haizaki trailing behind.
“Why the heck did you buy that?” Haizaki bluntly questioned, still confused over the other’s actions.
“I figured that you’re too poor to be able to afford the accessory.”
“Hah!?”
“So I bought it instead,” He smugly said, “And I’d give you one half of the earring if..” The younger one raised his eyebrows.
“You let me take the other half of the earring,” Hiroto smirked, making Haizaki’s blood boil.
“So, you want me to wear one half while the other you wear it instead?” He questioned, the latter nodded, “Yeah, not happening.”
“Suit yourself. I was trying to be nice but I guess my kouhai refuses my kindness.” Hiroto taunted, “I’ll be taking both ear studs then or you could pay me seven thousand and seven hundred yen,” He joked.
“That seemed even more costly than the store. You’re charging me more!” Haizaki retorted.
“I went through all that trouble to buy the jewelry, I deserve it.”
The long haired boy was death glaring at the older.
“Never told you to buy it,” He mumbled though Hiroto didn’t hear what Haizaki murmured under his breath.
He sighed. There’s no point in arguing, Hiroto would still win since Haizaki is at the short end of the stick. The younger one decided to think about the idea for a while, it was a free gift, he doesn’t need to pay so..
“Fine, I’ll accept your proposition.”
The upperclassman choked on his spit, not expecting the younger to agree to his pathetic attempt of asking to match ear pieces together.
“For real?” Hiroto uttered in disbelief, “You’re lying to me aren't you?”
“Why would I lie about this?”
“You would actually.”
Hiroto was correct, Haizaki would lie about it but he isn’t right now, he’s being serious.
“I’d take anything for free anytime. Plus, it was pricey, making you buy it for me is to my advantage,” Haizaki smugly explained.
“Tch, sure,” He rolled his eyes while the underclassman smickered, “Let’s go back.” Haizaki nodded and the two drifted off to go back to the base.