Chapter Text
Ajax could have sworn he fell in love.
He was supposed to be focused on the play at hand, but his head turned and his eyes drifted to the opposing team’s manager. He was short, much too short to play football. Ajax wondered if that was why he was the manager. The back of his shirt read “S C A R A” with CO’ 23 written under what he assumed to be the boy’s name. He was beautiful, he wasn’t just beautiful, he was alluring. His indigo hair fell far enough to cover his ears, and to pair with that he had these piercing indigo eyes that could make you stop in your tracks. And that’s what Ajax did.
It felt like time stopped and the longer he started, the more he noticed. The twin pieces of hair at the back of the boy's neck curled as they jutted out. His figure was slim and his hands were beautiful. Every second Ajax started the more he was struck by awe. To think he was able to walk the same earth as someone that beautiful amazed him. But even though it felt like time stopped, it did not. Time stops for nobody. You could pray to god over and over again but that is a prayer he did not answer. The whistle blew and the breath was knocked out of Ajax as he was tackled by a Narukami football player.
“Tartaglia,” Coach Pierro’s voice sent chills down Ajax’s spine. It wasn’t a yell, but it wasn’t anything close to a melody. Still it shook him to his core. “Get your head in the fucking game.”
Ajax tried to listen to that ill coated advice his coach gave to him, but something didn’t seem to get through the poor gingers brain. He got tackled not once, not twice—but three times. Then he got taken out of the game.
The sideline wasn’t too bad, but “I’d rather be in the game.” Ajax mumbled to himself. He crossed his arms and stared. Not at the game going on, not at his coaches, but across the field. His eyes drifted to wherever the indigo boy ran. He passed out waters, gave players high fives, and he’d talk occasionally, but never once did he smile.
Unbeknownst to Ajax, Chevka was glancing over at him, trying to analyze what the hell might be going on in his head. “You know,” Chevka’s voice snapped Ajax out of his trance, “You’d be on the field if you weren’t so concerned about whether or not that boy is the love of your life or not.”
“Oh please,” Ajax wiped the sweat off of his neck and onto his red jersey. He looked up at Chevka—all brawn, no brains—but maybe this time the bigger man did have a point.
“You’re not exactly someone I expect to settle down—like at all—and you're not exactly someone I thought who was gay,” Ajax looked up at him with a furrowed brow, “But don’t risk it all for a pretty Inazuman boy from Narukami.”
Ajax let out a laugh, pitying Chevka for looking too much into something such as his gaze on a boy. “So you had your eye on him too?” The band’s tunes rang in his ear as he eagerly awaited the burly seniors' answer.
“How could you not, he is beautiful,” Chevka let out a laugh opposite of Ajax’s, it was light and sweet. Well as sweet as it could get for someone in his vocal range. “Maybe he’s Narukami’s secret weapon. Don’t you agree, Childe?”
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The clock read 6:00 PM. He had wasted most of the day laying in bed, sore from the previous night. Every Friday night during the fall he found himself under the spotlights of the football stadium. Parents and peers alike watch him make careful plays, making touchdowns, and winning games. So how come the next day, he’s being forced to fill out college applications.
Ajax respects his mother in every way, but it’s not like he loves when she’s yelling at him.
“Yes mama, I get it,” Ajax let out an exasperated sigh, they had gone over this whole college discussion at least 10 times now.
“But you don’t, Ajax, I’m not going to keep going back and forth with you.” She popped her hip out and leaned on the doorway in his room. Her lips pursed and her eyes softened before she looked at her son and began to speak: “I know you want to go to Brightcrown, but I’m worried.” Her voice was not harsh, but gentle. She walked towards Ajax’s desk and put her hand on his head. “I just want you to apply for other colleges, just in case. It wouldn’t hurt.”
“I know Mama.” Ajax gave his mama a sweet smile and looked down at his lap. She pulled his hand off of his head, but not before ruffling his hair. Ajax lifted his head and watched as his mother closed the door. He put his hand on his face, wiping downwards.
The sun dipped in clouds filled the evening sky. “Need 2” by Pinegrove switched on from his spotify shuffle. He turned his swivel chair to face the window in his room. The sky seamlessly blended from blue to yellow to orange. He stared at the horizon and it stared back at him.
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The sound of electric guitar on the TV rang through the room and out the door to the balcony. Kuni had his arms crossed as they laid on the balcony fence.
“I don't belong here” Kuni gently hummed along to the end of the song, his eyes not moving from the resplendent sunset. The colors were bold yet gentle, mixing to make the beauty of the world. Despite his unapproachable look, Kuni saw a lot more beauty in the world than most people—that being said—he also saw a lot more of the scum in people. Well, not all people.
The baggy white t-shirt wrapped around his waist as the wind blew. For one, the shirt was way too big and nearly covered the shorts he wore. The black denim shorts he had on were uncomfortably tight. God, he just knew Zandik’s neighbors hated him. The wind gentle pushed back kuni’s bangs
‘Need 2” switched on after creep had ended, and he heard an uncomfortable groan coming from Zandik. Kuni looked back into Zandik’s room. The room was in disorder. The walls were painted a blueish-black and covered in all kinds of band posters and printed out album covers. There were clothes that the light blue haired adult, he was 20 but still acted like a child, decided not to wear so he strung them all across the left side of his room. The only light in the room came from the door Kuni had opened and the tv playing music.
Zandik didn’t get up after making all of the grotesque groaning sounds—Kuni should have expected it, but part of him hoped the older one would get up and give him some sort of greeting. But alas, Zandik simply wasn’t one of those people.
Kuni looked back at the sky, and let out a deep breath. He picked up the edge of Zandik’s white t-shirt and tucked it into the side of his shorts. He walked back in the repulsive room and grabbed his phone off the desk that was littered with college assignments. For a minute he let his eyes puruse all the papers that he knew Zandik would never do.
He heard the covers shift around as the older boy sat up. He scratched his head as his gaze fell onto Kuni. There was an overwhelming scent of axe body spray. Almost like someone had lit a candle of it. It felt like Zandik was shooting lasers at Kuni. Both of them straightened their backs and the smaller boy turned around.
“You’re awake.”
Zandik’s voice was smooth and mature, “And you are leaving. You tend to leave me with a snarky remark. What is it, Pretty boy?”
Kuni sighed, “How you live your life is no longer my business. Don’t die,” Kuni walked to the door before continuing what Zandik called a snarky remark, “Dottore.” Kuni hated that nickname for Zandik, but it wouldn’t hurt to say it once.
Kuni walked out the door and slammed it before he could hear the answer to his ‘snarky remark’ Maybe he should have stayed a second longer, or maybe this was for the better.
The rest of the small apartment was no better than the state of Zandik’s room. Clothes were strung around the hallway. Posters poorly taped on the walls. Dirty dishes laid in the sink. One of the cabinet’s only had one door instead of the usual two. The missing door sat leaned against a cabinet on the floor, waiting for someone to give it the satisfied feeling of being together with its other half. The lone cabinet door was not much different than Kuni.
Before he walked out the front door and looked back at the apartment and its deteriorating state. He could have tried to fix it in all the times he had visited it but that wouldn’t have fixed the state of the renter. Kuni’s grip tightened on his phone and his eyelids drooped. His eyes twitched and his mouth transitioned into a frown.
He waited a second longer for Zandik. Perhaps he waited for the older male to rush out of his room and beg Kuni to stay, but that didn’t happen.
And then Kuni walked out the door, leaving behind the filthy apartment, and his filthy fling.
Life is so subtle sometimes that you barely notice yourself walking through the doors you once prayed would open.
Kuni wasn’t a monster, so slowly closed the door and his eyes almost welled with tears. Bugs getting inside would make the problems inside the house worse. He stared at the apartment number: 427—and then he walked away.
The walk hurt, Kuni’s heart shattered with every step.
Kuni thought of the fantasy of sitting down with Zandik after they both had a long day at work. Sitting down after they ate together, and did humdrum chores. They would have looked at each other and said “We made it.”
But maybe they didn’t
And that’s ok.