PSL /Overflow/ Open Post

[1foxgiven]

 What it says on the tin.

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[1foxgiven]

"I like all the seasons. Winter just feels... Cleaner."

Especially when snow starts falling.

Except in Tokyo, it seems there's only white on the edges. Or plowed into grey piles. Kita frowns as he side-steps a mound of slush.

"Most of the time."

[chromatic_coma]

Osamu chuckles as Kita warily eyes a dirty pile of old snow. "Clean. Yeah, I get what you mean. It's always quieter and everything's sorta soft grey, right? It'd normally be dark by now back home, but there's so much more light here, it feels like it's still daytime."

It's just early evening, but Tokyo is beyond lit up. As they walk to the train station, every storefront beckons them with neon and energy, and signs layered over signs.

"It's not as cold as I thought it'd be here, either. Guess that's probably a good thing."

[1foxgiven]

The colors dance. Bathing the streets in pink, yellow, green. Each sign tugs at Kita's vision, promising one wonder after another. He concentrates on the task at hand. Keeps close to Osamu.

In all this chaos, his friend's an anchor. Height and presence almost as familiar as Kita's own.

"Last Nationals - My First Year - It was so icy people kept fallin'," Kita recalls. "We couldn't go walkin around."

[chromatic_coma]

Osamu spares a chuckle at the thought as he weaves through the crowd, wielding his size and aura to keep people out of their way. Not that he's doing it on purpose, but it works for him regardless.

"Gotta say, it's hard to imagine you as a first year," Osamu admits. "I bet you were still wiser than your senpai."

[1foxgiven]

"I'm only a year older," Kita retorts mildly. "You played with some of 'em."

It's not ancient history.

As they turn a corner, green and white station signs appear. A train rumbles, shaking the sidewalk. Kita realizes in all this, he never asked where they were heading. Not in the usual detail. He just... went with things. Let Osamu make the plans.

How disconcerting.

"Sorry, shoulda asked - How far we goin'?"

[chromatic_coma]

"Right, yeah, but I mean the year before. What kinda third years were around when you were a first year. And did they look up to you, or did your wisdom go unappreciated?"

Osamu's teasing, but only just; he does really think that Kita deserves the appreciation, the attention. He's special. Always has been, even before Osamu met him, no doubt.

"Oh, sorry. Just four stops on the train, and then it's a five minute walk from there. Kinda close by, but it'd be a long walk. Hope it's okay with you? I did tell Coach so he knows where we're gonna be."

By train I meant subway (Only knows about Tokyo transport from internet)

[1foxgiven]

"Good. Thanks for thinkin' of that."

It's considerate. On the level Kita usually manages.

Bemused, he pulls out his IC card. Tapping it on the gate scanner.

"I wasn't tryin' to shake up the team. Coach just told me to watch. Tell him and Captain Wataru what I saw. Nothin' special."

All good! Tokyo has both above and underground trains.

[chromatic_coma]

"No worries," Osamu responds, leading the way through the IC card gates so that they get on the right train. The area they're headed to isn't especially popular, not one of Tokyo's big name neighborhoods, but every review promises this restaurant will be worth going out of one's way.

Osamu is excited, but not enough to distract him from listening to Kita. The train pulls up a short minute after they get onto the platform, and they board together.

"That's a huge deal. It's not like Coach asks for everyone's input. Most of the time he can't get Tsumu to shut up with his opinion." He adds, snickering.

[1foxgiven]

"Atsumu does have a lot of opinions," Kita agrees. Which may or may not be actual shade. Will the world ever know?

The train is crowded, but not oppressive. There's even a pair of open seats. Kita folds his arms as he sits. Not wanting to inconvenience any neighbors.

"Huge... Guess so. I'm lucky Coach took a chance."

[chromatic_coma]

Osamu snorts. "Well, you don't gotta put it politely."

Osamu sits down next to Kita, and is surprised by his next comment. "Lucky?" He repeats dubiously. "Pretty sure luck had nothin' to do with it. You earned his respect by bein' you."

[1foxgiven]

"Wasn't a typical recruit, though."

Kita's not arguing. Merely exploring the point. He does not question deserving everything he worked for, or his place on the team. Former place. The station slides away.

"That's amazin' players like you. Like Aran and Atsumu."

It isn't planned, but a noted variation. Osamu thought of first and solo.

Atsumu paired with someone else's name.

[chromatic_coma]

Osamu bristles a little bit at the implication. "You're an incredible player, too. Who else could adapt to so many positions, wherever Coach needs him? Or hold his own against a monster like Tsumu?"

Not to speak too highly of himself, because he knows he lacks Tsumu's drive.

"Coach has a good eye for talent. That's that."

[1foxgiven]

"Guess talent comes all kinds of ways."

For some reason, Osamu seems to be raring up for an argument. Which really isn't necessary. So Kita can at least agree this far. The rest is semantics, right?

There's a slight smile.

"And don't pretend Atsumu's the only monster I had to wrangle."

[chromatic_coma]

Osamu has the decency to look sheepish. "Ah, yeah, we've caused you a lot of trouble the past two years, huh. Sorry, Kita-san. Hope you won't cut us out of your life now that volleyball's over."

He seems quiet and contemplative, as if he really believes such a thing could happen.

[1foxgiven]

Kita huffs, amused. Except the mood doesn't lift. He looks over as the train slows. Trying to follow the strange line of reasoning, why it's got Osamu's body twisted up like that.

"Cut you out?

Here they are right now. Spending time together, not a volleyball in sight.

[chromatic_coma]

"We won't be on the same team anymore. And you graduate in two months. So if you never wanna see us again, you probably won't have to."

Osamu says with a small shrug. Just an observation.

[1foxgiven]

"Have to?"

Small though it may be, the shrug rattles. This doesn't make sense. If Kita didn't want to spend time with the team, he could have joined any other club. Certainly wouldn't spent all this time working out the kinks and issues. Especially the interpersonal ones.

Wound up here.

"I'm not followin'. I've never done this because I have to."

[chromatic_coma]

"Well, I dunno. When you signed up to play volleyball you probably weren't expectin' a pair of over the top twins to come barrelin' in for you to corral. You're a peaceful guy and we're... not that. So it'd be understandable.. Am I makin' sense? You're looking at me like I'm not."

[1foxgiven]

"But I was expectin' you. I saw your last Juniors match. You and Atsumu..."

It was one thing to read stats in a pamphlet. Another to watch the flesh and blood twins. Screaming and stomping, desperate for the ball. Like it was going to disappear any second. The game end before they wrung out every last scrap of love.

The memory still sends Kita's heart jumping.

"You were a level I'd never seen. Even if you spent as much time fightin' as playin' I wanted you on Inarizaki. Bad as anythin'."

[chromatic_coma]

Osamu can't even really answer that, but he can feel himself blushing a bit, cheeks heating up from the praise. Kita wanted them. Wanted him. Him and 'Tsumu, of course, but still. After all, it's not like he'd ever conflated the twins or made them feel like they were the same person or part of a set.

"And now? With volleyball out of the picture?"

[1foxgiven]

More people pour onto the train and Kita nudges over. Making room.

"Now..."

It's fair to ask. Kita's run out the clock with volleyball.

Time to think of the next stage

He's pressed shoulder to shoulder with Osamu and smells something... familiar? Clean. A scent he knows Osamu carries on him, probably a soap or shampoo. The detail clicks. Turns a thought loose, and Kita realizes he's happy.

"Now I feel the same. Even without playin', I wanna see what you do next. Still be friends."

[chromatic_coma]

Osamu feels warm sparks where Kita's body touches his. It's not like they've never touched before, but it still excites him like it's new. Embarrassingly, Osamu likes it too much.

But that warmth has nothing on how it feels to hear Kita promise that he still wants to be friends. That he considers them friends. Osamu should have known, maybe, but it still feels magnificent to hear.

"Good," he ends up saying, trying to subdue his desire to have an over the top reaction. "I wanna keep seein' you, too. You're really important to me."

[1foxgiven]

Kita doesn't know when they shifted into being friends, instead of Senior and Junior. Only that they have. The fact doesn't surprise, but Osamu's agreement gives something more. Solidifies what's being built.

"All right. Then it's settled."

Kita looks up as the train slows.

"This our stop?"

[chromatic_coma]

"Huh?" Osamu's gaze darts to the map in the train car, announcing the upcoming stop. "Oh yeah, this is us."

The conversation had distracted him; it was stunning to hear Kita so easily call them friends. Teammates, sure, but friends was different. Special.

He reaches for his phone to pull up the directions to this restaurant, and when the train pulls into the station, he starts guiding Kita towards the right exit.

"So this place's concept is Japanese fast-casual, so it's taking traditional foods and trying to make them more portable and convenient without sacrificin' the flavor, ingredients, or technique. It's small but their menu's impressive."

Talking about this is easy, and fun, and there's a light in Osamu's eyes. Excitement.

[1foxgiven]

Osamu's got that particular light in his eyes. Same as every time food gets involved.

Kita smiles. Eyes crinkling over the mask.

"How'd you hear about it?"

As promised, this area's clearly off the tourist track. Only a few other people trickle out with them. Kita doesn't have to stay so close to Osamu. It's simply nice to have the chance.