falling into step

A Haikyuu! fanfic

by mew-tsubaki

- ^-^3

Chapter 3: A Day Off

Watari let the subject drop after Yahaba and the rest had bugged him that Monday. Rather, they'd let the subject drop after Watari had been so clearly uninterested in continuing the conversation.

Besides, as May trotted along at a decent pace and Miyagi teams began preparing for the Interhigh prelims, Watari's mind was solely on school and club. As had become the norm, Aoba Johsai had been seeded once again, but Irihata-sensei constantly reminded them that that was not luck but through their own efforts. "And," he reminded them at the end of practice halfway through the month, "if you keep up such efforts, you will be rewarded in the end." There was, of course, that gleam in his eye, the one he'd had the past two years, his hope to beat Shiratorizawa at the Interhigh glinting brightly in his gaze as Yahaba said a few things to end the day.

Really, though, Watari, like Yahaba, Kyoutani, Kunimi, and Kindaichi, was looking forward to playing Karasuno again. Yes, they'd beaten the crows last summer, but that defeat from last fall still stung.

In the clubroom, Watari shut his locker a little harder than necessary, but he ignored the curious looks of the others as he left and took several deep breaths, pacing himself down the stairs. He tried to shake the memories of last fall as he crossed the courtyard and headed for the school gate, and he let his mind wander a little as he hooked a left and continued down the street, heading home.

It was one thing for Karasuno to weigh on his mind still, as well as on the others'. But a small part of him wondered if it weighed on the alumni's minds, too, more so because they weren't around anymore and so didn't have the chance to get their revenge.

He chuckled to himself at the word choice. "Revenge" definitely sounded like something Oikawa would say, maybe Yuda, too. The other five probably wouldn't think the same way, although the feeling likely would be similar. With them, it would show on their faces.

Watari slowed to a halt at a stoplight and waited for the crossing sign to change, but he frowned as his mind wandered more than he wished. The faces of the senpai… It had almost been a relief, seeing Yahaba and Kyoutani with tears in their eyes. But seeing Iwaizumi so angrily holding it in, Hanamaki losing the fight and finally crying, and Matsukawa looking as though he had the worst case of the sniffles… Even the memory was heartbreaking.

The sign changed, and the libero noticed only when the hustle and bustle around him snapped him out of his reveries. He slipped through the foot traffic and passed by the shops on the street, looking forward to heading home and doing something else—maybe read a book or watch a DVD. Anything to get his mind off the seniors.

But that would be easier said than done, for, shortly before Watari reached the second crossing on his route home, he spotted one of those seniors standing behind an open truck in front of the hardware store. And that senpai, Matsukawa, was crying.

- ^-^3

The libero didn't even think before hurrying over to him. "Matsukawa-san! Are you all right?!"

Matsukawa looked no different than he had months ago. His hair and posture were the same, although it was strange seeing him in gray laborer attire. But, worse, his face was crumpled, his cheeks and eyes were red, and tears were streaming down his face. He turned his head slowly at Watari's exclamation, saw who it was, and pointed a cloth-gloved finger downwards.

Watari followed the motion with his eyes and saw a box lying on Matsukawa's foot. He tossed his duffle bag into the open back of the truck and squatted down to move the box. But holy hell, the thing weighed a ton! No wonder Matsukawa hurt. The best Watari could do was to push and tilt it on one of its edges so that Matsukawa could remove his foot out from under it. Freed, Matsukawa exhaled and leaned against the step above the truck's bumper before finally heaving himself up and settling down on the cargo floor.

He nodded his thanks to Watari after swiping at his eyes and taking a few more breaths.

"Are you sure you're all right?" Watari asked doubtfully. He dug into the smaller zipped pouch on his bag and found his handkerchief, which he passed to the other male.

Matsukawa nodded. "It just happened." He wiped his eyes and cheeks, but he saw the dirt he'd transferred from his gloves to the cloth. With a grateful smile and raised eyebrows, he pocketed the item, obviously promising to wash it and return it another time.

But Watari shook his head. "Don't worry about it. I didn't think I'd see you around here." To be frank, he hadn't thought he'd see any of them after graduation, though he knew that to be an exaggeration, since they still had family here.

Matsukawa nodded again and removed his gloves and then his boot and sock. "Keeping a low profile," he said with a light chuckle in his voice. He poked and prodded his foot and toes, but he didn't wince, though he hissed slightly instead. Aside from looking a bit red, his foot was fine, so he dressed it again.

Watari watched him, but his heart was still beating a bit fast from the minor emergency. Not to mention how odd it was, going from thinking of a crying Matsukawa to seeing it in person so suddenly… He laughed at himself, and he waved Matsukawa off when the other boy looked at him curiously. "Sorry, sorry… I was just thinking of you. All of you," he added after an odd beat.

Matsukawa smiled knowingly. "It's important to remember your dead."

Watari really couldn't withhold his laughter. "That's terrible, Matsukawa-san…!" But that sense of humor was very Matsukawa.

The black-haired boy shook his head. "We're fine, though. Honest. Shido's local, y'know, working and commuting to a nearby college, getting an early start." He ran a hand through his hair and took another breath, his voice sounding calm at last when he next spoke. "Sawauchi moved earlier this week, and Yuda's going at the end of the month. Same school in the fall."

That wasn't very surprising, although Watari was a little stunned to hear that Shido hadn't gone with them. "The others?"

Matsukawa glanced at him. His usual sly grin toyed with his lips before officially emerging. "Oikawa and Iwaizumi are still apartment-hunting."

The mental image made Watari grin, too. "I'm betting Oikawa-san's being far too picky for Iwaizumi-san's tastes."

"Nah. Just the opposite."

Watari blinked. Huh. So they could still surprise him, even now. "And Hanamaki-san?"

Matsukawa glanced at his watch. "Considering the time of day…" He pursed his lips and looked at Watari, his expression imperceptible. It made Watari wonder if he were considering sharing something he ought not to share.

So Watari changed the subject and glanced inside the truck, where there were several dozen other boxes. "And you're working."

"For now." Matsukawa glanced at his watch again and got to his feet on the pavement, stuffing his gloves in his pocket. He eyed Watari, those thick eyebrows raised again.

"Oh! Sorry." Watari grabbed his bag so Matsukawa could bring the door down and latch it. He gestured to the earlier offender, however, which still lay on the ground. "But what about that one?"

Matsukawa rolled his shoulders. "It's a delivery for here, so I'll just go ask for one of their manual lifts."

"Why don't I just give you a hand?"

The taller boy blinked twice, as if it hadn't occurred to him to ask. "Ah…it's quite heavy, though…"

Watari had positioned his bag's strap across his chest already, and he now squatted down with freed hands. "Yes, but it probably can't fall on both our feet."

Matsukawa gave him a wry smile, and Watari could sense him giving in then. So Matsukawa agreed to let Watari help, the customer received the delivery, and Watari parted with Matsukawa outside back by the truck.

Matsukawa nodded his thanks again, and Watari raised his hand to wave goodbye…but something in him itched, parting from a familiar face so simply this way. Maybe it was the need for the change of scenery that egged him on. Maybe it was the relief that had come over him after hearing how everyone was doing. So Watari added, "See you around!"

The other boy's eyes widened in surprise, but he flashed Watari a peace sign and a smile that was more friendly than was impish. So Watari knew he'd said the right thing.

- ^-^3

What can I say? I love slow builds. And minor charries. And I wish we knew more about Yuda, Shido, and Sawauchi, but I'll just have to indulge in my headcanons for now.

Thanks for reading, and please review! See you in ch4~!

-mew! -w-