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Day 1: Competitive
Syaoran and Ronin have always had their small competitions ever since first meeting.
Wether those be who could stop the most points from being scored to who could chug the most soda, friendly competitions would be held over anything.
And Syaoran wouldn’t have it any other way.
No matter if he won or lost, no matter how small the stakes, he didn’t care about the outcome. Syaoran was just happy to see Ronin laughing and not fidgeting.
The two may not have known each other for long but Syaoran wasn’t blind. It was clear to him from day one that Ronin had lots of energy and no real means of letting it out. From bouncing on the balls of his feet to twisting at his earring and playing around with his numerous bracelets and necklaces, Ronin was restless and it made Syaoran restless just watching him.
So some small smack talk before a volleyball match and a challenge with the loser paying for the other‘s post game snack run and Ronin was giving it his all, running, jumping, practicing. And Syaoran wasn’t about to let him win, hell no! Where‘s the fun in that? So he was getting some extra exercise out of it too, diving after every ball, running from one side of the court to the other. And he also got to spend more of his time around friends.
It’s a win-win situation!
And that smug smile and laugh Ronin would have whenever he won was just a cherry on top.
Day 3: co-parents
No matter how much experience Katsumi had, looking after his five younger siblings never got any easier.
It was a Friday, 10pm and Katsumi‘s parents had just been called in for an emergency at the hospital on the one day they had gotten home early. So now Katsumi was trying to get Yumeko and Tamashini to bed while Tadaaki, Chiye and Kaedeko played Super Mario Cart, which the two twins desperately wanted to join in on. Usually, wrangling in two elementary schoolers wasn’t any trouble for Katsumi. However he felt like he had gotten negative hours of sleep last night due to him pulling an all nighter to finish his homework. Plus, practice with the Tokyo Pigeons had taken a toll on him as well. So now Katsumi was stuck in an endless cycle of tag with two very short, very fast and hyped up kids who were having a blast outrunning their big brother.
Then the door bell rang. Katsumi stopped and tried to catch his breath. He leaned on his knees and huffed. Tamashini took that time to circle him a few times before running off towards the bedrooms, giggling and closely followed by his twin sister.
„Katsumi, I can get the door.“ Chiye said. She placed down her controller but Katsumi shook his head.
„No- no, it‘s fine. I‘m good.“ He stood back up and wince when he heard his back crack. „I‘ll get it.“
Chiye nodded. When she looked back she saw that she had fallen into last place and scrambled to get her controller back. „Hey! That‘s totally cheating! You can’t just- AGH!“
Opening the door, the last person Katsumi expected to see was
„Isamu?“
There, in a leather jacket and with his hand apologetically behind his head, stood Isamu Takagi. „Hey, Katsu‘. Sorry for not calling, can I come in?“
„Yeah, of course. Are you okay?“ It wasn’t unusual for Isamu to stop by his home but when he came by without warning and to actually stay for a while it was usually a sign that something had happened.
„Fight with my mom.“
And there it was.
„Well, you can stay as long as you need. Do you want anything to drink?“
A quick „Katsumi-nii? Who‘s at the door?“ followed by a very excited „Isamu-nii!!“ announced that Tadaaki had come out from the living room.
The blond hadn’t even taken his shoes off before Tadaaki practically jumped on him for a hug. „Hey, dude.“ Isamu ruffled his hair before turning back to Katsumi. His mouth opened to reply but right then Tamashini came running past the doorway.
Katsumi sighed. „Hey, Isa? You wouldn’t mind helping me get Tama and Yumeko, would you?“
„'Course not.“ That easy smile Isamu wore brought Katsumi some solace.
Together they chased down the twins much easier. Isamu caught Tamashini and tossed him over his shoulder. The boy was giggling and squirming and kicking but Isamu held him securely. Katsumi got Yumeko. She was falling asleep just standing in a corner, tuckered out from following after her brother. So Katsumi scooped her up and him and Isamu brought them to the second floor. Once there, getting them to brush their teeth and wash their faces was much easier. And the moment Katsumi laid Yumeko into her top bunkbed bunk she was fast asleep. Tamashini however requested a good night story. So Katsumi sat down on the floor beside him.
Isamu watched from his spot leaned against the bedroom’s doorframe as Katsumi wove a story about a prince by the sea who possessed the powers of the ocean and his sister, a storm spirit, and their adventures, searching for a long lost sunken treasure. Tamashini was asleep long before the story had come to a close but Katsumi made sure he finished the tale.
Isamu came over and helped Katsumi back to his feet. „So,“ he whispered. „You up to watch a movie?“
Katsumi didn’t give an actual reply. He just laughed silently and nudged Isamu‘s arm with his. The brunette quickly gave each one of his little siblings a kiss on the forehead before quietly leading Isamu out of the room and closing the door. Downstairs, Chiye, Tadaaki and Kaedeko had relocated their gaming to the floor. Completed with blankets and all the decorative pillows from the sofa, the three were laying on their stomachs fully focused on their game. Well, Kaedeko had fallen asleep.
Isamu and Katsumi sat down on the couch with two mugs of tea. „Haaa…“ Katsumi sunk back and his head fell onto Isamu‘s shoulder. Through messy hair and low eye lids, the brunette looked up at his friend. „Thanks. I don’t think I could‘ve gotten them both to sleep without you.“
Isamu shrugged, making sure not to disturb Katsumi‘s head too much. „It’s no big deal. I gotta thank you for letting me stay over.“
„You‘re always welcome here.“ Katsumi closed his eyes and exhaled. „Everyone loves you. My parents won’t mind. Just…“
„Just rest, Katsu‘.“ Carefully, Isamu removed the mug from Katsumi‘s hands.
„Just… feel at home…“
And Isamu did. This family, this house, he felt a lot more at home than at his place.
Day 4: cousins
„Eek! You‘ll never believe what Motoya did for me!“
Dragged away from his Uncle Zenjiro by his cousin Yumiko, Isamu sat crosslegged by the door of her bed. Yumiko was laying on her stomach scrolling through her phone, searching for a picture of whatever it was she was talking about. Meanwhile Isamu was tossing the volleyball he had brought in hopes of getting to practice with his uncle a bit in the air.
„Mhm, great.“
„Oh c‘mon! I didn’t even show you yet! Wait- I‘ve got it in a sec.“ Isamu sighed. He tossed the ball up again but this time it flew too far to the right and dropped to the floor. Yumiko looked up. „Something on your mind?“
„It‘s about Katsumi.“ Isamu knew saying that was a mistake. His cousin shot up.
„What happened?“ She sounded way too happy asking that.
Isamu groaned. The back of his head hit the foot of Yumiko‘s bed. „He… Okay, so we were practicing serves one on one a few days ago, after practice with the Tokyo Pigeons. I was serving, he was receiving, because my serves had been terrible the entire day. And I got kinda frustrated, I guess.“
„Knowing you, you definitely did.“
„Do you want to know what happened or not?“
„Of course I do!“
„Ugh,“ Isamu rolled his eyes. Sometimes he thought that his cousin was way too up in his business especially when it had to do with Katsumi too. But something about this girl-talk (as she had called it once) was also comforting. „Okay, so I got frustrated, I guess. And after one of the serves, Katsumi decided that he was done. And he… so, he stood his ground when I asked to continue until I… lashed out. But he wasn’t mad? Somehow he wasn’t mad. He… like, put his hands on my shoulders,“ Isamu lightly touched his shoulder where Katsumi‘s hands had been. „And… he told me that, well, that my perfectionism isn’t good for me, basically. And then I leaned my head on his shoulder. And he pulled me closer- Which could mean nothing-”
„Isamu, you are so dense! He is so into you!“ Looking up, Isamu saw that Yumiko had moved to lay on her back with her head hanging over the edge of the bed.
„I don’t-”
„He held your shoulders.“
„Which could mean nothing.“
„He stayed late to practice with you.“
„It was the weekend. His parents were home for his siblings for once.“
„He let you rest on him.“
„That‘s just the kind of person he is!“
„Gods above!“ Yumiko swung herself back up.
„It could mean nothing, Yumiko. That… could just be how he treats his friends.“
„Or maybe it‘s how he shows he‘s crushing on you! You won’t know until you say something.“
Isamu ran his fingers through his hair. It could mean nothing. But maybe…
„Ah! Found it!“ Suddenly Yumiko‘s bright phone screen was right in front of his face „So yesterday me and Motoya were hanging out after his practice had ended. And since I went the entire way from here to Itachiyama, he wanted to thank me…“
Day 5: vulnerable
One step, two steps, three steps. Syaoran‘s eyes were strained, looking at the ground beneath his feet. Four steps, five steps, six steps. His fists were clench. His lip would definitely have teeth imprints for a while which how hard he was biting it. Seven steps, eight steps, nine steps. Syaoran turned a corner. Into a dead end alley. And sat down by some dumpsters.
The Tokyo Pigeons had met up in the heart of the city, on a street, closed for a fair which had not begone yet. Just enough space for a volleyball net. And plenty of small side streets to slip into and hide in.
Shiki, Danno and Isamu were still playing. Ronin was with them too, Syaoran bet. But the team’s libero decided to leave early.
Syaoran had never felt so hurt. He knew his dad, at this point he knew how he was too well. He really should stop getting his hopes up. And yet…
The boy hadn’t realized that he‘d started to cry until suddenly he was handed a tissue and a warm hand was on his back. He flinched and instinctively pulled away.
„Ah, I‘m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you. Hey, what‘s wrong?“ Now at eye level, Syaoran saw Katsumi crouched down, his backpack opened by his side and a soft expression on his face.
The purple haired boy shook his head. „Oh, Katsumi.“ He grabbed the tissue and began drying his eyes. „It‘s nothing.“ Once his eyes opened again, Syaoran saw that Katsumi had moved to sit beside him, back against the stone, building wall.
„Alright then,“ the brunette said. But he didn’t make any moves indicating that he‘d leave. No, in stead Katsumi pulled out his water bottle, uncapped it and took a sip.
Syaoran pulled his knees up and wrapped his arms around him. He was sure that he looked like a mess right now, sweaty, teary eyed, hair all over the place. He felt like a mess. A stupid, stupid, naïve mess. And in front of an upperclassman, too. Never had he felt this… vulnerable. He hadn’t openly cried in… Well, he couldn’t even remember. He didn’t even know what he looked like while crying. He didn’t like it. He hated crying because the moment you cry everything feels so much more. So much bigger.
The silence feels thicker. The stupid, stupid, stupid-
„Hey, Syaoran? Do you maybe want to talk about it?“ He flinched again. This time he had began to fully sob. Pathetically sob so much that Katsumi had to ask him again.
„Don‘t you have to be somewhere? For your siblings?“ The younger boy hated how wobbly his voice sounded. And he hated how it broke on the word 'siblings'. Syaoran wished he‘d have a sibling. He had wished for that so often.
„I planned in some time for grocery shopping today, so I have some time until my train comes.“ Syaoran sniffed. He wanted to tell Katsumi to go get his groceries then. To tell him that his siblings would be waiting for him if he missed his train because of him. He opened his mouth. „Y‘know, you remind me a lot of Tadaaki right now.“ But Katsumi spoke before he could. „He also likes to hide away when he‘s sad. I bet he‘d really like you, especially your dyed hair.“ Katsumi laughed and Syaoran glanced up. „He once talked about dying, like, pink streaks into his hair and since then Tamashini has had the same idea put into his head. I think that, deep down, Chiye thinks the idea sounds really cool too, but she‘d never admit that, haha!“ Syaoran sniffed again. When Katsumi looked down at him he quickly looked away.
A beat. Then two.
„My… dad. He said, yesterday, that… he‘d be home early today. And I… I thought-” Syaoran took a shaky breath. His lip trembled and he hated it. Katsumi placed his hand on his arm and Syaoran leaned against his side. Subconsciously, Syaoran began breathing like Katsumi. In… out. In… out.
„…I thought… he‘d… spend some time with… me.“
…
„But no. No he was home to get ready for some stupid work party.“ Syaoran clenched his jaw and ground his teeth. Naïve. Never again would he be that naïve.
„Hey, don’t do that. It‘s not good for your teeth.“ Despite his hard tone, Katsumi’s voice sounded steady and empathetic saying that. Like he knew what it was like.
Syaoran shook. He wasn’t as sad as he was angry now. „I canceled my plans with Eiko and Rina for him. He left me alone. Again.“
He wanted- He needed to-
His hands clenched, unclenched, clenched again. His arm shook.
He needed-… something. Something!
„Loneliness sucks. I… am familiar with the feeling. But, you‘ll never be alone here, y‘know. You‘ll always have us. And you know Shiki and Danno, they‘re always somewhere-”
In all his desperation to put his feelings somewhere, Syaoran turned to Katsumi and hugged him. He held him, squeezed him as tightly as he could. His face was hidden in his chest and he trembled with how tightly he was holding Katsumi but… the older boy didn’t seem to mind? Katsumi exhaled (as best as he could). Then he placed his hand on Syaoran‘s back and ran his hand up and down. „Yeah. You‘ll never be alone here. You‘ll always have us.“
Never again would Syaoran be that naïve again. Yet he found himself believing Katsumi.
Day 6: Curious
„So…“
After Katsumi and Isamu had left early because of plans they had made, Syaoran got hungry so him, Shiki, Ronin and Danno all relocated their volleyball playing to somewhere closer to a convenience store. Now Syaoran and Shiki had gone in to buy some snacks. Leaving Ronin and Danno outside. Waiting. Alone.
In the two years of playing together, neither had really kept a conversation with the other about anything besides volleyball. Even after Ronin and Syaoran had helped Shiki and Danno resolve their problems a few weeks ago, Ronin had gone to talk with Shiki and not Danno. Neither one knew what to talk about. Did they even share any similarities besides volleyball?
Ronin kept glancing at Danno, whose blond curtain bangs made eye contact hard. He watched as the other fiddled with his fingers. Ronin looked back down and kicked a small pebble. The silence was horribly awkward but if there was one thing Ronin could fill it was awkward silence.
„What animals do ya think ya could beat in a volleyball match?“
„Huh?“
Ronin slid the beads on his necklace back and forth. „Just, if ya had to make a team o’ six animals to play against in a volleyball match, who do ya think ya could beat?“
Danno didn’t say anything for a moment. Then I looked up from the ground and over to Ronin. „Is… Where would the court be?“
Ronin straightened his posture. „On land, like, in a gym or somethin‘.“ Danno nodded. Then he tapped his chin with his pointer finger and Ronin copied. „'Cause, I think the answers‘re obvious, but everyone I‘ve asked always picks the wrong options.“
„Uhm,“ Ronin looked up when Danno answered. „I think I‘d go with… a mouse, a cat, a fish, a jellyfish, a fly and a worm.“
Ronin smiled brightly. „Yeah! Ya get it!! Especially the worm and fish’re always on ma list!“
Danno tilted his head „What do other‘s say, usually?“
Ronin held his hand out and began counting. „Well, ma sister put a parrot on there, which I guess but also, the parrot could potentially spike.“ Danno nodded. „N‘ then my teammates said that they could beat a gorilla, which jus‘ ain‘t true.“ Danno could only agree to that. „Ma classmates once put me on the list, also not true! And Shiki said he could beat a bear but I think bears would be good receivers.“ And that made Danno laugh.
Ronin looked from his hand to the second year and smiled. Danno wasn’t much of a talker without Shiki around. And even when the spiker’s best friend was there, Danno stayed short with his words. So seeing him laugh was also a rarity. And Ronin couldn’t help but feel pride knowing he‘d made Danno laugh.
„That was a weird question to ask,“ Danno said.
Ronin‘s shoulders slumped. „Oh, uhm…“ He twisted a strand of his hair between his fingers and his eyes fell.
„I like weird questions. They‘re fun.“
„Oh!“ Looking up, Ronin saw Danno smiling at him. And he smiled back.
„Guess who got the last few Dorayaki~“ Ronin turned around at the sound of Shiki‘s voice. Danno perked up too. Syaoran came out holding the bag of Dorayaki and a bottle of coke. Shiki shook a smaller bag, handing it right to Danno. „And I snagged some Chocolate balls for you.“
Danno smiled again, Shiki grabbed a Dorayaki and his volleyball, Syaoran uncapped his drink and the group headed back to the street. Ronin fell behind.
„Hey, Aka‘.“ He hadn‘t notices Syaoran slowing his pace to match up with him. „You not hungry?“ Ronin shook his head. Syaoran shrugged. „Suit yourself, man.“
Ronin lifted his head again. Shiki and Danno were a few steps in front of them, cars were driving by, the sun was setting. He looked to the side. Syaoran‘s hair was falling out of his ponytail, he kept tucking one strand behind his ear to keep it away from his Dorayaki.
This is nice.
„Say, Ima‘.“
„Hmm?“
„What animals do ya think ya could win against in a volleyball match?“
„Pfft- Well, probably a lion.“
„A lion? No way!“
„Why not? Where‘s a lion gonna learn to play volleyball?“