I'd totally forgotten to crosspost from AO3
For some reason I can really see Kei liking the front bottoms, I'm also trying to explore their characters a bit, do tell me if it is too OOC.
Rapture
Mauve curtains hang beneath golden eyes, and the paleness of the skin surrounding them only helps make them more glaringly obvious.
He lifts a hand to his cheek, silently brushing against the soft skin, and pulling it aside, disturbing the symmetry. Maybe it's not a good idea to appear at school like this, maybe it'll be too obvious that his exhaustion is due to more than being forced to wake up at an ungodly hour.
Maybe.
It's not like it happens all of the time.
No it doesn't.
He just has bouts of it, the insomnia, he can feel it creeping up on him days before it actually starts, until there comes a night when he realizes he's been laying flat on his back, counting the cracks on the ceiling and trying to figure out which of his figurines makes which shadow when the stray car drives past his house –it doesn't happen that often, not in Miyagi, at least-. It has been what? Four days now, he can usually hold out pretty decently for the first three, afterwards, it's hell, perhaps getting worn out and tired to the bone will help.
Sometimes it does.
Sometimes it doesn't.
His limit is seven days, though sometimes, when he does manage one or two hours per night, it can stretch far, far, far longer.
He considers ditching again, but he knows he won't –Even when Suga-san was in the team and would have fussed over his disheveled form with his worried gaze, he would have borne with it, not to say anything about now, when the most sensible people in the team are Yamaguchi, who he can sidetrack and Ennoshita who doesn't quite know how to deal these things without Suga yet- he's no longer reluctant to admit how much he's come to enjoy the club, and the training camps… well, were where that acceptance really began.
Tsukishima Kei lifts the hairbrush to the place where his curls are sticking out from laying looking up at the ceiling for too long.
When he's done, he sighs and goes to make himself a big cup of coffee.
.
.
He catches an hour of sleep in the bus.
It's not enough, but it helps.
.
.
Shinsen high, is again, already ripe with life and movement when they arrive, summer is quickly creeping up on Tokyo and there are little yellow leaves floating around everywhere and flowers everywhere, some in full bloom, the early ones wilting already at the hint of suffocating heat that fills the air, though it's nothing compared to what's to come.
Miyagi's summers are somewhat harsher than Tokyo's but that doesn't take away from the latter.
He notices that the purple under his eyes is fainter.
Good, Yamaguchi was looking worried.
Kei doesn't dread running into the observant people from other schools, the ones he knows at least. Mostly because, the ones that would have asked have gone off to college and the ones that remain lean more towards giving people their space.
The morning is a bit too bright, or maybe he's been up for too long in the darkness every night, who knows. They are set to stay for four days, and Kei will stay for another three helping his brother move into the apartment that he'll be sharing with his girlfriend.
Tanaka should help too, he muses, after all, it is the brute's sister that Akiteru is shacking up with.
Oh well, he won't have to spend as much time around the energetic ace like this.
Everyone is rubbing their sleep-heavy eyes, blinking at the place like it's the first time they are there, even Hinata and Noya seem less energetic, although it does make sense, practice ran late last night.
They arrive at the gyms, this time around there's no one to lead them there, he figures it's because everyone assumes that they already know the way, and they do.
Upon entering, he searches for the new captains, they're mostly what he predicted and not quite hard to find, altogether, he spots number one's in the back of the shirts of Akaashi, Fukunaga, and some boy from Shinzen that he doesn't remember very well.
It hasn't been much longer than a second that they've been standing there, watching everyone do their stretches that a tall, long mass of energy and a mellower, blond haired head, both wearing red uniforms, approach them, more specifically Hinata.
Haiba Lev seems to have grown about an inch – Kei is sort of amazed by the fact that he has to look up at someone so much- and Kozume Kenma's hair is now slightly longer, from what he can tell with the ponytail at least, it almost goes past his shoulder-blades.
Hinata is on them in a second, almost being carried away by Lev while chattering excitedly at Kenma, and both Akaashi and Fukunaga have come to say hi to the team and greet Ennoshita, the new captain, properly.
As he expected, Akaashi's eyes sweep over the purplish bags under his eyes and his pale skin, but he doesn't seem like he'll say anything, at least not for the moment.
As small chatter is made, Kei stands off to the side, sweeping his gaze over the gym, there are of course, many new people, that's to be expected, though everyone who played in first and second year last year seems to have come back too.
Coach Nekomata sits to one side, speaking quietly to Shinzen High's coach, he's looking peaceful and smug as ever, and beside him…
Beside him is the one person he didn't expect to see hanging around.
Kuroo looks just the same, except for the folder that he's holding, and the gym shorts and tank top, which are black instead of red.
Across the gym, the older man seems to notice someone watching him, he turns his head around and his eyes meet Kei's.
A slow, satisfied smile on one side, a stupefied blink and a wave on the other.
And then, Kei is pushed into the locker rooms by the throng of his own teammates, all of them eager to start practice.
.
.
.
Kenma asks him, that's probably why he says yes –well that's probably why the sly cat coach sent Kenmato ask him- though he does really want to see his team again and make sure the new first years aren't fucking up, well, he's literally buried in schoolwork.
He's sitting on the floor of Bokuto's living-room, justlookingat the amount of papers and the two thick books that he's been given over for Golden week.
The owl himself has a similar pile of his own, and Kuroo sort of wants to scream
-well, there go his plans-
It wasn't like he didn't know from the get go that choosing law would probably cut down on his free time severely, but this was just cruel.
-although he would've read the Roman Law book regardless, insofar, it's his favorite subject-
"Man, Kuroo, how are we going to finish this, like ever?" Bokuto throws his head back, over the seat of the sofa "And I wanted to see Akaashi too"
Kuroo perks up "Well, we can always swing by for a couple of hours, they are doing the training camp in Shinzen again, right?"
"Yeah, but, the commute takes so long" the owl whines "I wanted to see my little disciple too"
"Who, bro? The shrimp?"
"Yeah" the owl turns to him, smiling mischievously "And I bet you wanted to see glasses-kun too. Bro"
Kuroo at least has the decency to blush and look away "Well, maybe?" He tries, and as Bokuto –who knows everything about his sort-of crush because Kuroo needed someone to rave about it This One Time- dissolves in cackles just as Tetsuro's phone rings.
Huh, Kenma? Wasn't he in practice?
"Hello Ken"
"Kuro" The blond sounds bored "Are you doing anything on Golden week?"
That takes him by surprise "Uh, no? Well, I have a shitload of assignments and- "
"Good, could you be assistant manager for the week? Naoi sensei went to Nara; Coach says you'll get a room for yourself since he's staying at his daughter's and you'll be paid- "
"Wait, what?"
So he ended up being the Assistant Volleyball coach while Naoi sensei is at his honeymoon, it is sort of taking on a bit more than he should.
Still…
He has his own reasons-the pay's pretty good too-.
-and he has worked out a deal with Nekomata, he'll stay until three pm each day of golden week and then, well, there's a pretty good public library close to Shinzen-.
Law waits for no man, after all, and neither does the world.
He's observing the Fukurodani first years, there's a lot of promise in some of them, the same can be said for Nekoma's though.
Speaking of, he turns around to check on his own team, only to find that his tallest member and vice-captain have disappeared from sight.
It's not hard to find them though because, well, Lev has grown, again, and his silver head is like a landmark across the gym, and beside it, the much shorter blonde and ginger heads are fairly easily recognizable, if not distinctive as well.
Karasuno has arrived.
Tetsuro doesn't even try to avoid turning towards the golden eyes that he can feel on his face, he's mostly accepted it, his attraction towards the younger man, so when their eyes meet, reveling in the surprised expression that has taken over Tsukishima Kei's face, he smiles lazily at the other, just in time for Karasuno's new captain to start pushing his team towards the changing rooms.
-a blush is sort of threatening to crawl up his face though-
-he's not gonna let it-
.
.
"Kuroo-san" Ennoshita; the first to come out of the changing room smiles and shakes his hand "I didn't expect to see you here"
"Yeah, well, our other coach went to visit his bride's family in Nara and I was available."
Karasuno's captain shoots him a look that says that he doesn't believe it's just because of that at all "I see"
.
.
As his luck would dictate it, Karasuno's first match is against Nekoma, and because of this, he gets to see Hinata dragging both Tsukishima and Kageyama along to greet him and Nekomata.
Nekomata smiles at them in his usual grandfatherly way, without losing so much as an ounce of his mischievous, cat-like aura, he asks after their coach's grandfather and then releases them onto Kuroo.
Hinata has not grown an inch and is bouncing with excitement, Kageyama and Tsukishima have slightly grown and they look slightly more apathetic –although the former is smiling softly down at Hinata, hmmm-.
"Kuroo-san, didn't think we'd see you here!" Hinata bows, beaming "Are you the new assistant coach?"
He laughs "Nah, our other coach got married, I'm just filling in for him"
"Ohhhhh" Hinata says and Tetsuro can't quite keep his head turned to the shrimp any longer –well he manages to notice Kenma looking at the ginger from the other side of the court, but that's neither here nor there-.
His eyes shift to Tsukishima; whose arm is still in Hinata's firm grasp.
The blond notices his gaze, and bows "Hello, Kuroo-san"
When he straightens up again, Kuroo realizes there's something different –aside from the slightly longer, thicker curls that Tsukishima sports.
-it's no wonder he does notice because he spent more time than he cares to admit sort of gawking at the pretty first year with an amazing game sense for his age and experience last year-
And he can't help but feel a bit worried.
There are dark shadows under the other's eyes and his skin is a pasty white –while Kei always has been pale, this looks unnatural somehow-.
After some more small talk, most of it from Hinata, the three second-years are called to the court and Tetsuro stares after them.
It was probably just a bad night's sleep, although he refuses to chalk it up to that completely.
Tetsuro turns his gaze back towards the court, just in time to see him jumping, back stretching and arching slightly towards the front, lean arms forming the block that slams Lev's spike against the other side of the court, and body subsequently falling to the ground with practiced ease, almost too lightly, Kei has always been on the thin side, he muses, Tetsuro could probably pick him right up, carry him-
-this time, he does blush-
.
.
.
Kei crosses a look with Akaashi as they leave, last year, he'd probably have headed to the third gym after dinner, but the older man doesn't signal for him to and so, Tsukishima doesn't –without Kuroo and Bokuto It'd probably feel sort of weird anyways- though they did engage in polite conversation earlier.
-He kind of glosses over the fact that he's hyper aware of Nekoma's former captain's absence after they took a break in the afternoon-.
He's dead tired, though he doesn't quite feel sleep hovering over him.
He still heads for the rooms.
Yamaguchi catches up to him, his shorter legs keeping a faster pace to stay by Kei's side
"Tsukki, are you ok?" he turns his head to the side, eyes meeting his freckled friend's face "I mean you were playing fine but you've looked tired l-lately and…"
The sentence ends off in a small mumble, Tsukishima strains, but he can't quite catch any of it.
"Sorry, I didn't catch the end of that "he says, voice gravely and eyes shifting to the empty hallway in front of them.
The shorter man hesitates and looks away, though his step doesn't falter "I said that you looked like you haven't been sleeping well"
Kei almost stops to consider his answer, he's probably not being that obvious, Yamaguchi would realize since he knows Kei well after all, so getting flustered might just make things worse. Instead, Kei places his hand on the team room's doorknob and turns back to Yamaguchi again "I've been reading a book, so I didn't catch much sleep last night or the night before."
He smiles, and though Yamaguchi looks like he has his suspicions, the green haired man asks "What book, Tsukki?"
"The one our Lit professor recommended" this seems to draw a blank "War and peace, remember?"
It's not a total lie either, he's not really into historic literature, and while the book is interesting and gripping, it is dense, and the language is complicated, he's at around page two hundred now, and though it is definitely not what has caused his recent sleepless nights, it has helped fill them as he awaited the imminent dawn and the moment Kei has to get up and be a functional human being –well aside from his coffee runs at two or three am, the rich liquid help him feel less tired, in the end, it's not like he's gonna be able to sleep without having some, so Kei figures he's better off doing so-.
Again, Yamaguchi hesitates "Is it that good?" well the shorter man is worried, that's for sure.
Tsukishima shrugs "I've liked it, so far."
"You're not done with it yet?" the other squeaks.
Kei laughs, even if he were dedicating every minute of his insomniac hours to it, he wouldn't be much further than halfway into the book. He raises an eyebrow at Yamaguchi "Have you seen the length of that thing?"
"Uh, no?" Tadashi says, and Tsukishima is glad that he brought the damned thing along.
He turns the knob and walks into the room, heading immediately for his backpack and pulling out the impressive tome, he holds it out to Yamaguchi, who turns it around in his hands a couple of times and then passes it back to Kei "See"
"I guess… but you should get some sleep Tsukki"
"I have"
"Are you-?"
And in that moment –Kei will thank the heavens for it, since Yamaguchi, despite not being particularly perceptive to most people, does know him pretty well- Hinata and Noya –whose energy has not been dampened in the slightest with becoming a third year- burst into the room, with a sleepy looking Kageyama trailing behind them.
"What's that Tsukishima?" the ginger speaks up first "Don't tell me we have to read it; did I forget?"
Kageyama snorts "No one would give high school students that to read in a week boke"
"Well, it could be for later Bakageyama"
Kei slips the book into his bag again.
"As if- "
"Some of us do have the extra neurons to read for pleasure, you know?" he says, without much bite, although it is enough to rile the two idiots out.
"What did you say?!"
"I'll have you know…"
Tanaka comes in as well and joins the bantering, and though Yamaguchi's worried eyes are still on him, all seems like it'll be right in Kei's little social bubble.
.
.
Lights out is at 10:30
There are no cracks in the ceiling to count here or cars that pass close enough for them to make shadows that he can entertain himself with.
He grabs his book, new earbuds and phone and sneaks past his teammates quietly at 12:43.
.
.
There's a sort of faculty room close to the locker rooms –well it's a room with a coffee maker and a few comfortable couches that the Shinzen coaches organize for the visiting ones- Tsukishima discovered it on the last night of their last training camp when the insomnia hit yet again.
There's no one there at night, there's a coffee maker, and he brought some of those little coffee packets just in case the sleeplessness continued.
He's grateful for that, the tower of plastic cups and the gallon of water that seems to remain in the dispenser.
The room is down the same long, dark corridor as the gyms, so unless someone decides to come by, there's no chance of anyone getting curious about the light and coming to check out what's going on –in the end, what are the chances that any of the most likely, exhausted people in the rooms will get up for a midnight stroll? -.
It doesn't quite happen like that, it's certainly not a midnight stroll, but when Kei is pouring the water –three cups, it's what the packet says it's for- a tired, weary voice arises from the hallway.
"Huh? Someone left the light on?"
He recognizes the voice immediately.
At least it's not one of the coaches.
Oh well.
A couple of seconds later, the doorknob jingles and in walks Kuroo Tetsuro with a face that's the picture of exhaustion, a book thicker than Kei's under his arm and a packet of coffee similar to the one that lays emptied beside the coffee maker.
The older man blinks at Kei a couple of times before he seemingly comprehends that yes, the younger man is there, and no, neither of them is asleep.
"Tsukki" he says in a drawl "What are you doing here?"
"Don't call me that" Kei says and upon taking another look at the older man he decides to tease him, because, why not? "Well, as you see, Kuroo-san, I'm making coffee"
Kuroo snorts "Fine then, Tsukishima"the dark haired man all but drawls out his name "I meat why you're awake"
"I was under the impression that it was a normal state of human beings" Kei smirks, and sees in the other's eyes the irritation hat starts forming.
"Ha, ha, funny" Kuroo says "Asleep is another, you know? Sleeping. That thing most people are doing at this hour"
Kei turns around and starts the coffee maker "Well I don't see you doing so either"
Without looking back at Kuroo, Kei walks over to the softest looking couch with his book and plops down.
Not really surprisingly, Kuroo follows him, Kei feels the older man's weight settle beside him "I don't think you have two books on Roman and Greek law to finish"
Kei regards the man out of the corner of his eye, his head is resting on the back of the couch and his eyes are closed, his eternally messy hair even wilder as if he's been running his hands through it fairly regularly during the past several hours.
"As good as" he says, and when Kuroo opens his eyes, he holds the book in front of him.
"I'm pretty sure that's not a book you'd be assigned to read in high-school" he says "It's on the program of one of my classes for next Year"
"Uh" Kei shrugs "I never said it was an assignment, I'm just in the mood for reading"
Narrowed eyes, the same color as bronze are observing him now, tracing over his probably renewed dark circles and slightly bloodshot eyes "So you can't sleep, I thought so earlier too"
"I don't really feel like it" Kei says.
"Uh huh" Kuroo says lifting his head and snapping the tone open, blinking at the extremely small font and the crammed letters. "After a whole day of physical activity you don't feel like it." His eyes rake over the characters "I'm your sempai, you know? I wasn't born yesterday"
"Think what you will" Kei says, and opens his own book, singling in on the rather unpronounceable name of one of the characters.
They stay like that for a couple more minutes, there's AC inside, so the room is cool, and Kei is acutely aware of Kuroo's body heat beside him, radiating from his black clad –sweatpants and a tank-top- body.
It's disconcerting, almost distracting, for some reason.
Until he notices the other's head drooping towards the book, and hears the distant beeping sound of the Coffee machine.
Kuroo keeps drooping onto the book.
Careful not to move the other man, Kei gets up, setting his book down to the side on the low table by the sofa and heads to the coffee maker.
.
.
.
"Hey" something nudges him on the thigh "Hey"
A scent that reminisces of heaven has filled the space around him, and the room is at just about the right temperature.
Still, he's a bit uncomfortable, his back hurts.
Sitting up for so long…
Wait, why am I sitting?
Last he remembers, he was reading about the legislation of Julius… Paulus, yeah so why?
Oh god, don't tell him it's morning already.
His eyes snap open, and he leans back with a start, back bolt straight as the room comes to make some sense in his head.
Someone snickers to his side, he turns to see them and his gaze clashes with golden eyes and thick square frames.
"Just like a cat, Kuroo-san" Tsukishima Kei says, he's holding a plastic cup out at him, it too, smells delicious.
"How long was I asleep?" he says, reaching out to take the cup from Tsukishima's hands like a man dying of thirst.
"About fifteen minutes, I'd say" the cup changes hands "It's hot" Tsukishima says, and he's not joking, Tetsuro's always had a bit of a cat tongue too, but he says nothing "I was going to let you sleep, but then you almost fell over"
"Thanks" he says, sipping at the coffee "When I fall asleep I usually can't wake back up on my own"
"You should sleep though" Tsukishima says, leaning back into the soft couch "If you're tired enough to fall asleep like that" he looks tired too, though, has since morning, and his eyes are now somewhat bloodshot too.
"Nah" Kuroo answers, as the blond takes a gulp of the coffee, wincing, but grateful for the effects he's starting to feel, he notices the other cradling his own cup in his hands and blowing into it, Tsukishima hasn't even taken a sip. "I can fall asleep in any position. I'm hitting the sack as soon as I finish this chapter tho'"
Tsukishima smiles "Let me guess, you just started it"
"Tsukki! How did you know?"
"The coffee" speaking of, Tetsuro's cup is already almost empty –and the coffee is finally at an acceptable temperature-, Kei's remains full.
"Heh, always been perceptive haven't you" he says and finishes the coffee, standing up with the cup in his and setting down his book "Hey, do you mind if I get another cup? I'll make some more"
Kei looks up with his pretty eyes –now that he's more awake, he's also more aware of the younger man's presence, he has to look away for a second- and shrugs "Sure, you seem to need it more than me"
And so, he goes to load the machine.
By the time he comes back with his coffee, Kei is resting with his head thrown back and one of his earbuds plugged in while the other dangles by his side.
The coffee cup rests empty on the table, beside his book, as if Tsukishima drained it all at once.
Kuroo looks at his textbook and looks back at Tsukishima.
"So, are you going to tell me why you can't sleep?"
Open mouth, insert foot.
Tsukishima shoots him an annoyed glance and goes to put the free earbud in his ear.
Well, it's not like it really is any of his business, Tetsuro muse, it seems he struck a nerve, he normally does with Kei.
And so, he panics "What are you listening to?" He really hopes he's not blushing.
Again, Tsukishima glances at him and then sighs "It's an American band, I don't think you'll know them"
"I'll have you know my English is very good."
Tsukishima sighs "The Front Bottoms?" Yeah, he doesn't know them "No?" Tetsuro shakes his head, Tsukishima smirks.
"Can I listen in?" Tetsuro says then, he doesn't really know if it's because he wants to see what kind of music Tsukishima likes or because his brain feels like it's gonna liquefy itself if he tries to read another word about Julius Paulus right now.
Kei raises an eyebrow at him and wordlessly hands him the earbud, Tetsuro shimmies closer to him, their legs are about an inch from touching.
"I thought you had to study"
"I do" Is all the answer he gives, Tsukki shrugs again and lowers his slightly swollen eyelids to the phone's screen, restarting the song.
You caught me doing push-ups in the morning
Before everyone else woke up
The band's sound it's a bit unique, but that is not a bad thing.
In fact, he finds himself liking the tune, not to speak of the fact that some of the song's lines could be applied to him.
I've got them bad boy blues, baby.
Well, he does.
"So?" Tsukishima is staring at him; he wonders for how long he has been.
"They're cool" he says, trying to sound nonchalant, he has a feeling that he manages to.
Kei turns back around.
God.
Cheeks burning, he reaches for his textbook, he can feel Tsukishima looking at him, but the blond doesn't make any comments, and limits himself to throwing his head back and staring at the ceiling with big honey-colored eyes.
Tetsuro stares hard into the book, and purposefully repeats each line in his mind.
The chapter has three parts, he's finishing the second when he feels his mind fogging up, at some point, Kei picked up his own book and his eyes are now glued to the characters printed in the white pages.
Tetsuro throws his head back, closing his eyes and promising,promising, that it's only gonna be for a second.
The song that's playing has good lyrics.
It's a black eyed trust, respect with pain.
A love I'll learn when I've been through the same.
And then he's floating in a strange haze of comfort, and the sofa beneath him seems to let him sink further into its softness, the warmth beside him seems to be somewhat in contact with him.
The sleep is dreamless and comfortable, the kind that an exhausted man needs.
He wakes up with his cheek pressed against something warm and hard, as his eyes open and the room swings into focus, he realizes that there's music playing in his right ear still, although it seems to be some kind of anime song this time, and the hard thing he's leaning into is not so much as hard as it is bony, it's Tsukishima's shoulder.
For a moment, upon seeing the two books neatly placed on the coffee table, he believed that the other man is asleep, and so, he pushes himself off of the other's frame –with reluctance, because despite the relative discomfort of the bony shoulder, he was happy in that position- as softly as he can, fearing to wake the other up.
Yet as soon as he moves, Tsukishima's voice fills the room.
"Good, you're awake" He's staring at the ceiling again, with eyes half-open, though they look less swollen, maybe he did catch some sleep? "We should get going, it's almost six"
"Are you ser-" he says "Did you sleep at all Tsukki?"
"A bit"
Before he can ask any more questions, the younger man gets up and gathers his things, proceeding to head for the door, but not before veering to the left, to serve himself some of the long forgotten coffee.
"Won't that be cold?" he says before being able to stop himself, despite feeling rested, Tetsuro's mind's still a bit foggy.
The other shrugs his sagging shoulders "I don't particularly care, Kuroo-san"
Tsukishima turns around again.
"Hey, Tsukki!"
"Uh?"
"Thanks"
And then, Tetsuro turns around to pick his own things up, all the while feeling a familiar warmth expanding and taking root inside his chest.
This'll probably be around 3-4 chapters. I'd love to hear what you think.