Hello friends! I'm back with another fic, this time about Free! I've been thinking about what blind!au should I write for a long time, and then, I read Dedicated by TheAwkwardFairy and Metaphorically make a blind man see by tomcollins and they were just so cute that I needed to join the blind!Nitori party. (Go read them as well pls, they're on ao3.) So yeah here it is. Enjoy! C:
"What have I been thinking," Nitori sighed as he sat on the floor between his yet-to-be-unpacked belongings. Right, just what has he been thinking? Going to Samezuka. It was pretty far away from his home so it was obvious that he would live in the dorm during the school year. Yet still, he just now realized what a bad idea that was. He arrived just a few minutes ago and immediately regretted it.
Actually, he did want to do it. He knew that he was a scaredy cat and everything, so he wanted to do this to become more independent. His parents were really against it. They were horribly overprotective. No wonder; he was clumsy even when he still could see, but when he lost his sight it got even worse. So in response to that, he became extremely cautious about everything. Of course, he got used to it as time passed, but he still did feel better doing things slowly and carefully rather than embarrassing himself.
And yet, there he was: all alone in his new room, his new home, at a famous school with an incredible swimming team.
What am I even doing here? he thought. Yeah, he was there to swim. He loved to swim. Thus, he wanted to attend a school with a swim team. Why did he end up in Samezuka in the end, he didn't know himself. True, he wanted to get away from home, but he realized what a stupid decision that was too late.
He sighed again and rested his head against the cold wall. He wondered what would his roommate be like. He had some guy read the room placement list to him, and he memorized the name immediately: Matsuoka Rin, second year.
A senpai, huh…Nitori thought. Had someone already told him about his condition? If not, how would he react once he finds out?
Nitori was scared. He gulped as he tried to fix his thoughts on something else. He started to wonder what bunk his roommate prefers. He was willing to give it to him since he didn't particularly care and also, it was his senpai, he knew his manners. He sighed again and stood up, deciding to start unpacking so he'd have finished by the time his roommate arrives.
It wasn't even five minutes when he heard the door creak open and a low voice grunted "Hey" the moment after.
There it was.
Nitori took a deep breath, turned to the door and smiled.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Nitori Aiichiro, a first year. I hope we can get along," he said and bowed, hoping it was in right direction.
"Matsuoka… Rin. Nice to meet you too."
Rin was a bit surprised when he reached his hand out to Nitori and he didn't shake it. Then he realized he was back in Japan, and he should let go off his Australian manners. Though, it still felt a bit weird. Whatever, he thought and put his bag on the floor.
When Nitori straightened up, he noticed something. He was facing him, yet his eyes seemed… empty. Unfocused. Like if he wasn't looking at him, like if he wasn't looking at anything. Rin scowled a bit, but decided to let it slide. I'm being too perceptive, he said to himself and took one of his boxes, put it on one of the tables and started unpacking. When he looked around the room, he noticed something else; an object on the other table has caught his attention. It was a silver, metal object, kind of like a bunch of sticks lying next to each other…
"Ah, Matsuoka-senpai! Would you prefer the top or the bottom bunk?"
Rin turned his head to Nitori, expecting to meet these empty eyes again, but that didn't happen. Instead, Nitori was looking over his shoulder. Rin turned to look if there was something he could be looking at, but there was nothing but a plain wall. He looked at the table again. Yeah, it really did look like a cane. Nitori was obviously waiting for his response, still looking… nowhere.
Suddenly, it all made sense.
"You're blind."
Rin didn't actually mean it to come out as a statement, but in the end it did. Nitori's expression changed; more than a surprise it looked like he's been encountering something he has feared for a long time.
So he didn't know, he thought to himself.
"U-um, yes… I am," he stuttered a bit.
He bit his lip so he wouldn't ask "Does it bother you?", because he felt like doing it, but he was afraid of the answer he could get. His senpai didn't sound like the most friendly person after all. He waited for him to say something. But the only thing he heard was "Oh". Then, silence filled the room.
Rin unpacked a few more things and found his wallet, while Nitori moved to his own boxes.¨
A blind kid… he thought. I've been expecting everything but this. He sighed quietly.
"I'm going out," he said after a while as he walked towards the door.
"Ah, okay…" Nitori mumbled.
But before he left, he stopped for a second and said: "I prefer the bottom, if it's okay with you."
Nitori's eyes widened in surprise. Then a large smile spread on his face, and it was obvious that he was relieved.
"Yeah! I prefer the top anyway!"
I apologize for it being so short and kinda hurried and offhand, but I'm leaving to a con tomorrow and I still can't find my cosplay pants, yet I wanted to post it. I will work especially on the summary ahaha orz So until next time! (And once again, bless u mizu for being my beta!)
