YEAR ONE 6/8 Bathos & Kismet
The reason people find it so hard to be happy is that they always see the past better than it was, the present worse than it is, and the future less resolved than it will be. ~Marcel Pagnol
Tadashi Yamaguchi pushes open the door to the small flat, his eyes squinting into the dim room.
"Impressive." The ibis drawls behind him, clearly unimpressed.
"Sorry, Tsukki. This was the best I could do." He says apologetically, setting down the candle the innkeeper had given them. The only reason they are actually even staying the night in an inn is because the blond had decreed that he would sooner nail his wings to the floor than spend the night outside.
Tadashi didn't mind camping at all, and he'd have assumed the ibis would be cool with it, too, given how he had a penchant for early mornings. But after the first night of this trip, Tsukki had flatly refused to sleep on the ground out in the open again.
Although… it may have had something to do with the freaking bear that had ambled through their small clearing in the early gray hours of the day. It'd simply just walked through their campsite, minding its own business; they never even had the chance to fully wake before it was disappearing through the brush again.
The blond hadn't said a word and simply turned the most cynically astonished expression on him. It was a rare look for the ibis and combined with the bizarre reality that a bear had just walked through their campsite within feet of them, it had made Tadashi snort at its sheer vibe of 'What the flying fuck?'.
Still, while Tadashi could see how that could make someone definitively uneasy, the bear hadn't even done anything and nixing camping options all together might've been the slightest bit overkill in his opinion. As he eyes the single bed with misgiving, he's sure one of them would be better than this.
The room is tiny, with little more than a small bed that probably won't even accommodate Tsukki's full height, a worn dresser, a single chair, a small desk for writing, and a sole window that is large enough to allow them to see freedom but never reach it should there be a fire— which seems like an alarming possibility given the careless state of the rest of the building and the number of drunken idiots surrounded by candle flame in the tavern downstairs.
Tadashi is amazed that Tsukki's actually holding his tongue as much as he is, because the ibis is a massive neat freak and hates disorder. The crow can't help but be awed at his resolve when he drops on the scuzzy blanket that's draped across the bed and rubs his eyes.
"We're being followed, Yamaguchi." He says quietly, his tone evenly conversational and Tadashi's train of thought disintegrates.
"Oh… I had that feeling, but I wasn't sure." He says, marveling at how the blond is so collected. Tsukki's unperturbed demeanor is calming, and it keeps him level, too. "What do you think we should do?" He asks and sharp yellow-umber eyes rise to meet his own dark ones in the low candle light.
"We'll leave early tomorrow. If we can't lose him, we stop at Ukai's and have him send a runner."
"And after that? We can't go back to the house if we have a tail…" He says.
"Not sure. If nothing else, we can just make it look like a stopover and keep heading down the coast. Just keep running until our hound gets careless, and we either capture him or give him the slip I suppose."
"That sounds like it'd be a pain." He murmurs and Tsukki shrugs.
"You can check the rookery off your list; is there anywhere else you'd like to go?"
Tadashi blinks at the question. He's had the impression that the ibis had never been too keen on this air trip in the first place… is he really suggesting they extend it?
Internally, the freckled crow is grinning shyly at the thought despite how he's grown to miss the others in the scant week he and Tsukki have been away. Just him and the tall blond again like it was before they stumbled on the freak pair and the three cats does have its appeal, but… as it sits, they are still several hours' flight from Sheru Bay and they've acquired a shadow.
"I don't know Tsukki. We've already stirred things up with this one, and the others will worry." He says with a soft smile.
"I didn't ask about the others, Yamaguchi." He says, his voice flatlining. The smile on the freckled crow's face reaches up into his eyes and he drops beside the bed, his gaze finding a crack in the wood floor self-consciously.
"I guess… I think it would be cool to see the prism cliffs on the west coast? And maybe—"
"Yamaguchi." Tadashi breaks off, his gaze snapping up to meet Tsukki's, his cheeks burning at the way an eyebrow creeps up the ibis' forehead.
"What?" He asks in a small voice.
"What are you doing on the floor." The way he says it, it isn't a question and Tadashi blinks at him owlishly.
"Eh… the bed isn't very big? You can have it." He murmurs, but Tsukki's skepticism blooms across his face.
"We frequently occupy a space smaller than this. You don't know what's been on the floor, so do get off of it."
"Ah. Right." Tadashi says hurriedly and scrambles to his feet.
He doesn't point out that the same could definitely be said about the bed; he's positive the ibis is well aware of that fact without him having to mention it. He shifts his weight awkwardly until Tsukki half sighs and moves over so he can settle beside him.
"So the prism cliffs. Anywhere else?" The ibis says, his umber gaze fixed on the opposite wall and Tadashi smiles softly, his chest swelling with quiet content.
"I kind of want to see the mountains in the winter with all the snow, but that would get really cold for you." He says.
Tsukki isn't a crow like him and wouldn't have the same tolerance for lower temperatures so he'd never considered the option… but the ibis had directly asked and he would give him nothing but honest answers.
"You want to go freeze on some mountain?"
"It's supposed to be one of those humbling 'make you feel small' things, I think." He says before catching the ibis eying him a little mockingly, and he finds his hands with a sheepish grin. "Right, the cold is an issue. It's a stupid idea… I just thought it'd be cool no matter what if I got to see it with you."
The blond doesn't immediately reply and Tadashi glances up at him uncertainly, wondering if he overstepped somehow. He's met with an umber gaze filled with critical study that flickers away from him after a moment.
"Eh… forget the mountains. Maybe we can just go back to the rookery someday. We will know people next time, so we won't just be winging it." He tries, unsure what to make of the contemplative expression that furrows Tsukki's brow. He's not sure if the dubious glance the blond throws his way is what he was after, though.
"They were all really nice, you know. Can you imagine having grown up with family like that?" He babbles, wondering if Tsukki can hear the wistful lament he feels.
They hadn't been so lucky to have been surrounded by a real family. Tsukki had an older brother that he hadn't stayed in touch with who was probably worried sick about him, but they'd been largely on their own for most of their lives. Seeing all the people still at the rookery dying for information on the former first unit… the overwhelming love conveyed— and extended— to them was difficult to bear and heartbreaking to leave.
They'd stayed with Momma Yu, stepping into a modicum of the two smallest crows' lives surrounded by the pandemonium of siblings and constant visitors. Tsukki had lost a couple more flight feathers to Noya's younger siblings over the course of their stay, but he'd barely seemed to notice. The ibis had largely been a wallflower unless directly addressed during their days in the Nishinoya home, opting to leave storytelling to Tadashi despite his occasional anxiety induced shyness.
He'd told their hosting family all about Noya, Hinata, and Kageyama. He'd told Suga's mom all about the thrush and his leveler. He'd told Saeko and Asahi's mother about the loudest and quietest of the two former unit members. He'd talked about the beach house and the cats and the owls, and he'd talked about Ground Volley.
Everyone had been wonderful, the Nishinoya matriarch herself nothing short of everything Tadashi imagined a mother would be. She'd been soft spoken and kind, yet firm with the Nishinoya children when they got out of hand. She'd offered quiet advice over evening meals, picked up on their tastes and catered to them. She'd openly radiated warmth and happiness… and she'd been ever attentive and every bit as concerned for them as Tadashi imagined she'd be with Noya and Hinata.
Being in the presence of Momma Yu had initially set the freckled crow on his heels, reeling under the onslaught of ancient half formed impressions of a time when he'd had a mother, too. And within hours, he hadn't wanted to leave this woman who'd all but taken them in as simply two more lost avians to add to her family. She was the reason they'd stayed an extra day in the rookery, the reason they were coming home late.
They were supposed to return this evening, and their absence will likely cause no amount of worry for everyone at the beach, but Tadashi was the one who'd asked to stay and he can't bring himself to regret it. He shakes his head slightly.
"They had so much there Tsukki. They had futures and families— still have those people and their love. I feel foolish, but I'm envious."
"It wouldn't be the perfect world you imagine, Tadashi— don't forget that they left all of that for a reason." The freckled crow blinks before nodding his head slightly.
Tsukki's right of course. Few of the former unit voiced much about their reasons, but Suga had told them a little about the nature of Hinata's and Kageyama's escape once. The simple fact that Momma Yu, this sweet woman who clearly loved all of them and not just her own sons, had been the one to help them leave said more than words could ever explain.
No mother would chance the water for her children if the shore were safe.
Yamaguchi drops his head against Tsukki's shoulder, his thoughts plunging into a melancholy gloom. He hopes the ibis won't mind the contact, is relieved that it doesn't even seem to register with the taller avian.
They all seemed to have something harrowing in their past. He and Tsukki have their own tragedies having lost their parents at the same time, and he wishes the ibis would send his brother a raven sometimes. Akiteru is the last remaining blood relative the blond has and Yamaguchi knows the guy has stayed in the same place for the last six centuries expressly so that Tsukki would know where to find him. It's been probably close to a century since Tsukki last spoke to him, and Yamaguchi's considered sending him a message from Sheru Bay if for no other reason than to let him know they are still alive. Perhaps, if the ibis asks where he wants to go again, he will suggest a visit to see Akiteru.
Lev is something of a mystery, the freak pair and two cats having stumbled upon him on their way to the coast. He is smart, but perpetually a child, despite the fact that the freckled crow is positive the cat was every bit as old as himself or Tsukki. The lanky cat has remarked that he was simply wandering alone when they found him and thought it would be fun to tag along, but there are moments where he gets lost in thought and Yamaguchi is positive he's trapped in a memory with the way his normally happy face slips into hollow seriousness.
He knows Kenma and Kuroo used to be part of a cat clan in the interior, but they don't talk much about the people they'd spent time with, so he assumes they parted on either horrible terms or final ones. Akaashi had told them once about how he'd met Bokuto and it had been chilling to learn the reason behind owl parl hunts… and it had made complete sense why Bokuto had never mentioned it. The entirety of the Karasuno unit had fled the rookery—what should have been a place of safety—after Hinata had been grounded which was a horror out of nightmare in and of itself.
The last year on the beach has seemed like a dream next to what everyone has gone through. Like a delirious hallucination that they will eventually have to wake up from to face the real world once more. It feels like that fuzzy place right before sleep has a chance to fully wear off and he first opens his eyes. Yamaguchi pulls in a quiet sigh.
"You're right Tsukki. They obviously fled something horrible… but I can't help feeling like we're bringing it right back down on them again."
A/N: Woot! Have some Tsukkiyama :)
I am running on like no sleep for the last 2 days, just finished pulling my third 10 hr shift, and I'm pretty sure sleep deprivation induces some form of psychosis. My SO is concerned. I feel like a zombie, but I'm actually motivated to write which usually means whatever I get done will be crackfic worthy. This should be entertaining. I wonder if a Monster or Red Bull will enhance the lunacy. Have an awesome night you guys!