Welcome to my little writing haven! Call me Blobby (they/ them, 20s)
Primary Fandoms: Blue Lock, Kaiju no. 8, and Haikyuu!! Please note these include both anime and manga
What you will find: While not exclusive, I primarily write hurt/comfort, sickfics, and whump (think more old school whump - like injuries and environmental things). There might be some touchy stuff, but it is tagged as such
Interaction: Ask box is always open to good company!!! I got it a LONG time ago, but am finally working on things for bad things happen bingo as well as my own things. Once my first bthb is posted I may be open to ideas. Other than that I don't have bandwidth for writing requests right now
If you're curious, you can find my masterlist here
This is not concrete and will be updated as needed!
For kunigiri week 2025, prompts alternate sport (mixed martial arts) and injury!
If someone was going to get hurt, everyone expected it to be injury prone, fighting back to back weekends, Chigiri. When it's Kunigami taking a KO, Chigiri pays him a visit. And maybe their currently rocky relationship isn’t as rough as it seems
Only dropping a link, but I've got a fic going for Nightmare Fuel on AO3!
Blue Lock is a fortress begging to be the setting for a horror story escape, so I'm working on exactly that! It's also very fun trying my hand at writing horror
After both signing on to Manshine City and getting together, Kunigami and Chigiri spend their first Christmas together
Notes: This is for Lex!!! This is my first time successfully (I hope) writing fluffy, silly stuff, so I hope despite that (and an expedited revision time) it came out okay. Regardless I had a ton of fun writing this!
Only dropping a link, but I've got a fic going for Nightmare Fuel on AO3!
Blue Lock is a fortress begging to be the setting for a horror story escape, so I'm working on exactly that! It's also very fun trying my hand at writing horror
Only dropping a link, but I've got a fic going for Nightmare Fuel on AO3!
Blue Lock is a fortress begging to be the setting for a horror story escape, so I'm working on exactly that! It's also very fun trying my hand at writing horror
One small ping pong brain thought turned into this by accident.
Blue Lock Characters and what they might drive, by someone who doesn't know shit about cars, part 3: PXG, Sae, and the Master Strikers
Rin - used black sedan. He doesn't care. It's just a car and as long as it doesn't break or take away from his capacity to train he doesn't care. It's tidy, but there's a small collection of Popsicle sticks in one of the cupholders. People are rarely in his car, but if anyone tried to touch them he would snap at them. He is very good at getting through heavy traffic but gets impatient parallel parking.
Shidou - bright red bmw with a custom license plate. There's almost always music blasting and he often sings along. If you know the term, he's a masshole. He knows how to drive well, but actively chooses to be aggressive and live on the edge.
Tokimitsu - Volvo station wagon or SUV. He heard they were a very safe car and that's what he wanted. He also keeps a well stocked emergency supply stash on hand (and unlike Kunigami is very on top of expiration dates). He has a little figure air freshener on his vent to keep him company and reassure him during stressful, heavy heavy traffic and such.
Karasu - Toyota Camry. They're known for being reliable, affordable, and long lasting. That's what he needs in a car. It's automatic, but he knows how to drive manual. He was given a bumper sticker with a science pun, but it just lives in his glove compartment. His car also has a nickname only him and a couple other people know.
Zantetsu - silver Lexus SUV. This he has crashed because he mixed up the brake and gas while parking, so there's still a couple dents. He tries to keep a spare set of soccer equipment and a family size box of protein bars in his car but he often forgets to restock. He does not right on red (or equivalent assuming there's something similar???) because he intentionally was never taught that rule.
Nanase - Forest green Subaru. It is lived in, but comfortable and has a charm on the rearview mirror. He is always willing to drive and can absolutely be trusted to do so.
Charles - light green Fiat! No way all his siblings could fit, right? Wrong, he turns it into a clown car on the regular. You never know what kind of music you'll hear coming from it. He writes or draws things on the back window, regularly switching it up and taking notes on reactions. His trunk smells really bad from soccer equipment. And meet masshole driver #2; he's a menace when he chooses to be.
Sae - near mint condition white sedan. He doesn't care. It's just a car and as long as it doesn't break or take away from his capacity to train he doesn't care. It's tidy, but there is often a popsicle stick hidden somewhere. People are rarely in his car. He is very good at weaving through heavy traffic.
Noa - Honda Element, probably in a strange color. He got it used in good condition and for an especially good price thanks to the color. It was a reliable, rational choice. Fun fact Honda Elements were originally made with the intention to be young and hip (and to hold surfboards hilariously enough), and someone definitely told him that. Anyone who tries to comment on his car gets a comment like “my car is x amount shorter than yours but has more leg room” and promptly shuts them up. It's a funny little trivia fact for die hard fans, but Noa doesn't really understand why they care what car he drives.
Prince - A nice SUV. Maybe a Lexus or some other name brand car? He gives SUV vibes, and is pretty brand oriented. You could practically open a gym with the amount of random equipment that's in his trunk and you could practically open a clothing store from athletic wear from his sponsors in the back seat. He also has many playlists he sings along to.
Lavinho - an electric purple car that can go fast. He liked the styling and bought it without thinking ahead much because high level soccer money can let you get away with that. He has several fun things hanging off the rearview mirror and on the dashboard and takes it for joyrides.
Snuffy - Refurbished vintage corvette. It's very classy - black with red velvet interior and a polished clutch. He was involved in a lot of the refurbishing process himself. He had a much more modern high end car before this one, but after all the things heppened he sold it in a heartbeat and put care and work into breathing life back into this one. It gave him something to rebuild alongside himself.
Loki - red or black sedan in near mint condition, probably a relatively normal kind too, like a Honda Civic. Blends in on the outside and does what a car needs to do. He's not as into tangible status symbols as some of the other master strikers. Unsurprisingly it is very well kept.
One small ping pong brain thought turned into this by accident.
Blue Lock Characters and what they might drive, by someone who doesn't know shit about cars, part 2: FC Barcha, Manshine, and Ubers
Bachira - old sedan that nobody knows the brand or model of covered in a home done paint job and stickers. If he could get a hold of one, he'd love to have an old VW van. There's no AC so the windows are often cranked down. This car definitely has a name, and everyone knows it. This car is not referred to as “Bachira's car”, only by name. He likes to try to get that weightless feeling over hills and WILL complain if the roads are too flat or have boring of scenery.
Otoya- some sort of SUV. More details there aren't that important as long as there's space to bring everyone and everything he wants. At some point someone put glow in the dark star stickers on the roof. The sound system’s setting are constantly changed to fit whatever music is on. This car has a TON of mileage on it from spontaneous adventures. Otoya is the night driving expert of everyone in Blue Lock and has the best stamina driving. If he wants to go somewhere that's an 8 hour drive away, he'll just do it.
Reo - sleek all electric black sports car. His dad gave it to him saying “if you like sports so much, you can drive a sports car”, which doesn't really make much sense but yrah. He himself doesn't really care and would've been fine with a normal shaped car as long as it could park itself (and had a heated steering wheel and a good sound system and…). Ba-Ya taught him to drive well and he maintains that.
Nagi - white Toyota Camry. There's a cactus bobble head on the dash, but that's it. Nothing goes into his car that doesn't absolutely have to. He tends to ignore the speed limit and vibe it instead (luckily this is usually slower). He refuses to parallel park because it's too much of a pain. There's also impressively low mileage on it because he gets others (Reo) to drive whenever he can.
Chigiri - idk what but the most comfortable car he could get in his budget that has cruise control. If he's stuck with a long drive (and he really avoids them) he wants leg room. He also doesn't actually care how fast his car can go. There's no point in having a car that’s designed to go double the fastest speed limit around if there's no where to do that. He does drive fast, but he knows better than to get a speeding ticket. His car is lived in and if the trunk is closed off from the rest of the car it would smell a bit like a locker room if not for the air freshener ball thingies his sister gave him. There's often an accumulation of jackets and layers in the back seat for a while before he finally brings them all in. I could also see his solo driving go to listening be true crime podcasts.
Barou - red Audi. Probably a sedan. It is well tended to and always smells nice. He has a car wash membership. He refuses to start the car until everyone is buckled and is extremely adamant about it.
Aryu - purple Kia soul with a sunroof. He finds the unique shape “avant garde”. Inside he has a charm hanging from this mirror and possibly funky seat covers. It also always smells good and he has one of those things you stick on the windshield when it's hot to try to keep your car cooler. I can also see him naming his car.
Niko - one of those Jeeps you can take the top off of. He rare,ly does, but having the option makes him think of all the anime art with all the characters in a convertible of some sort. Even not being nice convertible priced, his used car is a piece of work and he has learned a few things about how to fix it. Either that or an old Honda CRV because he heard they sometimes have tables built in. There is a designated seat for his Yu-Gi-Oh cards when they travel with him and he actively stops more carefully when they're on board. He doesn't buy stickers or anything for his car, but a few people have given him some that align with his current favorite things and they're either up or in the glove compartment. His parents made him a mix CD of OSTs that are hard to find on streaming services and it can often be found in the CD player.
Aiku - Many options, but my favorite would be the smallest used sports car you can imagine. You would think he couldn't fit, much less you could put in a passenger next to him, but it's possible. The entire cabin low key smells like him (be it his actual scent, deodorant, cologne, whatever) and the trunk low key smells like soccer. Either way he amuses himself driving it.
Sendou - I can't place why exactly, but a Prius with some bells and whistles. It is spotless on the outside and is fairly well kept on the inside. He knows it's not super flashy, but he's not upgrading to something like that until he can get exactly what he wants.
Lorenzo - bmw in an obnoxious color. One day he'd like to upgrade further, but he's very aware of the costs of custom parts in really fancy cars. The outside is spotless. He drives like a madman and has gotten tickets, but hasn't crashed (yet) and is very good at getting through tight spaces. Can't ruin the paint job.
One small ping pong brain thought turned into this by accident.
Blue Lock Characters and what they might drive, by someone who doesn't know shit about cars, part 1: Bastard Munchen
Isagi - A used minivan (or maybe a station wagon) and he's keeping it alive as long as possible. It's kept clean and he often ends up designated driver for events, but there's still evidence it used to carry lots of young children. It's also manual and he can get a little “holier than thou” around it. There are remnants of a stick figure family on the back window he doesn't have the heart to get rid of, but he does also have a Bastard Munchen sticker or similar. The radio is always on. Actual radio
Kunigami - Subaru. Space for family and the capacity to take him all over. It's got a little dirt on the outside and you'll probably find a rogue empty water bottle and snacks in the back seat. He actually has a solid emergency supply in the trunk. There's one bumper sticker with a pun on it his sister gave him. On open, rural roads he likes to put the windows down and just go. Overall a decent driver though
Raichi - one of those Honda civics with a spoiler. This thing is well tended to and always spotless on the outside. He always has banger playlists at the ready
Gagamaru - A beat up, manual, kind of muddy old pickup truck. It has seen tons of back roads and looks like he literally lives out of it, because he kind of does. If you need a ride with him, he has to make room. There's an old school radio or gps on the dash and like 5 pairs of scratched sunglasses he doesn't wear. Fishing poles permanently live in the back, but occasionally one comes inside the cabin and is a major safety hazard
Igaguri - the oldest mercury sedan that still “runs”. We're talking over 300,000 miles on this thing. It's been in the family forever and frequently needs TLC. One of the doors is a different color from when it had to get replaced and none of the painted over rust spots match colors either. There's a 20% chance it turns itself off when changing gears and half the crank windows don't open anymore. Despite all this he always offers to drive because “I'm a good driver” (mostly true)
Hiori - it took a long time for him to get his own car because his parents wanted to be at everything, but he eventually got his mom's old silver-blue Prius. It had a bunch of soccer stickers from her that he hated, but he didn't bother to do anything about them until Karasu and Otoya helped initiate switching them out for things from his favorite games. Once he got his car, he was gone as much as he could. That thing was his freedom. Because of this, he low key lives out of it, but he is also still able to comfortably drive a friend or two without rearranging
Kurona - pink Honda fit or a mini cooper or something in that vein with a bunch of fun stickers and maybe a custom license plate. When he's in an especially good mood he cranks the music, but he usually forgets to turn it down when he gets out and is not ready for it the next time he gets in
Kiyora - I kinda want to give him a pickup truck. One with no functional back seat so there's only room for one passenger. No matter the vehicle, there's usually one of those big mats for breakdancing in the back and he’s messed with the car's sound system to make sure it doesn't sound like ass. He will hair trigger lock the windows because he saw first hand as a kid how playing with windows ended up
Yukimiya - Cadillac sedan in a classic color. Fits his model aesthetic. There is a diverse selection of sunglasses depending on exact weather and he will change accordingly even while driving
Kaiser - Lexus in any color but white. My instinct is deep blue. He keeps a nice car (status symbol) that's still reliable and not a huge pain to get repaired. It is spotless, but he simultaneously treats it as entirely expendable. Ness is the only other person who's ever been allowed in his car
Ness - yellow punchbuggy. Yellow cars were a rarity when I was a kid so I like to think that kind of thing drew him to it. It has a very fun and suiting fantastical name, but he doesn't tell anyone
Warnings: those old injuries relate to self harm and wildcard trauma
Notes: It's day 6! Revision time is over. Enjoy some KuniBarou for bllk rarepair week!!! Prompt: "you weren't supposed to hear/see that"
(Read on AO3 here!)
There was blood on the towel.
Barou was just leaving the sink area and there was a towel on the floor, right next to the doorway to the bath and showers, stained with blood.
Not a lot, not enough to truly be concerned, but enough that he easily recognized the still red stain on the blue and white fabric.
Barou scowled, running a hand through his long hair down for the night. It was one thing for bathroom sharing buddies to leave their shit around. It was entirely different when it was a biohazard. Even when it wasn't his dorm, but Bastard Munchen’s (he was about to leave after seeing Isagi), that started to cross a line.
He padded further in. Whoever left it couldn't be far and he was not touching it himself. The locker rooms in general were quiet this late, so they should be easy to find.
Upon entering the furthest section of sinks, there was someone he hadn't spoken a word to in a very long time: Kunigami Rensuke.
His previously well kept spikey orange hair was now dull and overgrown, still damp; previously strong and bold physique now somehow bulkier and shredded; previously warm auburn eyes cold, dark, and distant beneath his bangs.
His drastic change in appearance since the second selection was still jarring enough, but what he was doing pulled at something within Barou.
He was hunched by the far sink. His shirt was on, but his pants were discarded, one leg of his briefs pulled up high. He was pressing a piece of gauze against the top of his thigh that would have been concealed underneath.
The shared first aid kit, a piece of used gauze, and an open bottle of hydrogen peroxide solution sat on the counter next to him.
Frustrations over the bloody towel took the back burner.
“You shouldn't put peroxide in an open wound,” Barou said.
Kunigami jolted.
He looked up. Something flickered his gaze.
“Fuck off,” he said, pressing the gauze in his hand more firmly across his thigh. “I'm fine.”
Oh Barou knew what that meant: not fine.
Not fine at all.
“Bullshit. I can see the blood.” Barou walked over, close enough to smell Kunigami, feel his body heat.
Those things hadn't changed.
He was still a human furnace, he still had that subtle yet strong, distinct him scent that Barou could never quite shake the appeal of.
“Well you're not supposed to. Pretend you don't see it and fuck off. I can take care of myself.”
“Then why are you using peroxide, dumbass. It kills your cells on top of pathogens and can irritate your skin.”
Kunigami glared at Barou.
Barou dug in and held the eye contact.
“Why do you care,” Kunigami finally said.
He pulled the gauze away from his thigh and quickly started pulling his brief leg back down.
He wasn't fast enough to keep Barou from seeing what he was treating.
A skewed lattice of deep red horizontal lines lay across the top of his thigh. Maybe eight or so. The thin slashes furthest from the center were partially healed, lowest one a fresh scar. The very edges of every cut, area farthest away from the center of his thigh (right where a barbell might make contact with a lot of different exercises), were also partially healed.
Barou quickly but gently put a hand on Kunigami's wrist, stopping him from fully covering the bare, angry cuts.
Kunigami looked at him again, a fresh wave of emotions threatening to spill over. Alarm, fear, anger, confusion… relief?
“These are old,” Barou said. His voice was gruff, words blunt, but he didn't hide the care behind his words. “They need to be properly cared for to heal.”
He went to guide Kunigami's hand away, but was met with resistance.
“That's none of your business. Don't touch me.”
Kunigami yanked his hand away with enough needless force his knuckles snapped against the side of the counter.
He looked away, hiding his eyes near completely behind his bangs. He balled up his hand into a fist. He grit his teeth.
If Barou wasn't very wise with his next words, Kunigami was going to either bolt or pick a fight.
Or maybe cry.
Barou let silence hang heavy in the air for a few minutes, putting physical space between the moment and his next words.
“You made it my business when you left your bloody towel in the hall,” he said, tone even. “So here's what's going to happen. You're going to go take care of that, and then you're going to come back here and let me help you get those cuts to actually heal. Then this all can stay here, between us.”
Kunigami remained quiet for a moment, still looking away.
“Fine.” He sniffed.
He walked past Barou, their shoulders brushing, and went to deal with his things.
As Barou watched him go, he still felt their touch linger.
There was always something that drew him to Kunigami. He couldn't place it exactly, besides his impressive physicality on the field, but it was there.
Barou ignored the thought and turned to the sink counter and looked through the contents of the first aid kit.
Kunigami had everything he needed to properly care for the cuts, so why wasn't he letting them heal?
Maybe he actually didn't know?
Then it hit him.
Those marks weren’t accidental.
Whether directly from who knows what in Wildcard or Kunigami himself, Barou didn't know, but someone brought a blade to him with the intention of harm, of pain.
His blood went cold.
Then hot.
He had managed his fair share of cuts and abrasions between football and family, but never something intentional.
Anger surged through his veins. What the hell did Ego do to him?
~
Kunigami returned a couple minutes later, expression back to his default before Barou surprised him.
He shouldn't have come back, but he said he would.
Kind of.
Regardless he still kept his word.
He stopped a couple steps from Barou, standing tall.
Barou was the only one who knew. He may even have figured out those cuts were no accident, but instead from one day when he just snapped.
That one day when he just snapped and found a gap in his memories. Then he found them. And then he was done tending to his hair, done recognizing himself in the mirror, finally accepted the hell had gotten to him and was all he had left.
Since then he remembered his resolve every time he saw those cuts on the only bare skin Ego didn't see, every time a barbell or a dumbbell or a foul or even just friction ripped them open all over again.
Who was he kidding, Ego probably knew anyway, he just didn't care because he performed well. Barou was the only one who knew and cared.
It was a lot unintentionally shared. Kunigami just had to stand tall.
“Alright, sit. I'm assuming you're clean?” Barou motioned to a free space on the counter.
Kunigami ignored the question. Of course he was. He was drying off after the baths when he noticed the stupid cuts had ripped open again.
He should've known since they did so often.
But here he was.
Kunigami hopped up onto the very edge of the counter.
“Can you uncover your injury again?” Barou washed his hands and pulled out a pair of nitrile gloves.
Kunigami looked away. His heart pounded in his chest, in his ears. The cool countertop beneath him, medical supplies next to him, harsh Blue Lock lighting, silence except for the two of them…
It was a different place, and this time the person checking him may care for more than just his stats, but so much was similar.
He could practically hear the snap of the gloves going on already.
Ego loved making them do that.
But he still found himself pushing all that away and doing as he was told, willingly revealing the slashes to someone else for the first time.
“I'm going to look closer to make sure they're not more serious,” Barou said. “Then we'll make sure all the peroxide is gone, add an antibacterial, and cover it for the night.”
His tone was gentle. He couldn't place exactly what it was yet, but something about it was familiar.
In a good way.
Kunigami didn't look up, but nodded.
Barou's hands came into view, gently folding back the hem of his briefs a little more to reveal the highest cut.
Kunigami's eyes widened.
He wasn't wearing the gloves.
Instead Kunigami could feel the warmth of his hands, the texture of the well tended callouses on his fingers. While he was gentle, his touch was firm.
Nothing like the icy, hyper light touch of Anri or the way Ego traced his gloved nails over his skin, then manipulated his limbs like he was his doll.
It was different.
…it was okay.
He could tell Barou cared, he could tell the intent was genuine.
Barou was always genuine in his own way.
“It looked like you didn't like the gloves,” Barou said, breaking the quiet, pulling his hands away. “I can put them on if you prefer.”
Kunigami felt his face heat up.
“This is fine. …thanks.”
Barou didn't say anything, instead taking a step over and wetting a clean washcloth.
“Let me know if this is too hot or cold,” he said.
He wrung out any excess water and returned to his place in front of Kunigami.
For a moment their eyes met, Barou's deep red eyes wholly focused on him. Through the intense stare was undeniable warmth. It wasn't icey or calculating, just full of fire. Despite the intensity, despite even the hint of aggression to his precise movements, he was full of welcoming warmth. It was all merely from care and a byproduct of strong work ethic.
He felt… safe, okay, maybe even right.
Barou began meticulously wiping away any residual peroxide. The mild lingering stinging and white fizz at the edges of a couple cuts was removed with a gentle sweep of the warm, wet cloth.
Barou was quiet as he went, taking in every detail, ensuring the entire area was free of the peroxide Kunigami had been using.
His understanding had been that peroxide stung, but kept infection at bay. It was nothing more than a good and painful way to tend to minor cuts.
Guess he just didn't know how it worked.
Barou finished up and set the cloth aside.
“I'll give it a minute to dry a little.”
He pulled a tube of antibacterial ointment and fairly large padded bandaid out of the first aid kit
“You don't need to use that,” Kunigami said.
“It's what will cover everything. Would you prefer a pad of gauze and tape?”
No. He'd prefer neither. Something that big, especially for a couple little cuts, was embarrassing. He didn't survive wildcard just to baby something so minor.
But he had agreed to let Barou take care of it.
Kind of.
And it would just be them. Nobody else would know.
It probably would feel better than the ointment sticking to everything anyway.
“Both options suck. Do what you want.”
There was no bite to Kunigami's words.
Barou glanced at him.
“Will you rip it off as soon as I leave?”
“No.”
“Good. Then I will “do what I want”.”
An expression briefly passed over Barou's face Kunigami couldn't quite read before it was gone. He didn't want to call it smug, but it was something similar. It was only there a moment, but he knew he saw something.
The air went quiet for another minute while they waited, mood just a little lighter.
Content with the status of his now clean cuts, Barou began one by one applying antibacterial ointment in generous yet reasonable sweeps across each slash in his skin.
Unlike how Kunigami had been treating himself, it didn't hurt. Barou was still gentle, soft.
Kunigami was suddenly very aware of how close him and Barou were to each other, just how sensitive an area he was letting Barou not only touch but care for, how (almost) intimate it was. How his care, while uniquely his, tugged at old memories in a good way.
No no no, Kunigami was here for one thing and one thing only; the only thing he had left.
And yet
“You close with your family?” he asked softly.
Kunigami didn't know why he asked, but the words came out before he could stop them.
“What?” Barou exchanged the ointment in his hand for the bandaid.
“Your family. Are you close?”
Barou opened the package and exposed the adhesive.
“Yeah. They mean a lot to me.” He placed the padded area over the lattice of deep red lines, smoothing the adhesive areas into place around the border.
Barou let out a breath. “I even took care of my baby sisters for a little while once and we got really close.”
He had sisters too…
“Did you get to see them after the U20 game?”
Barou gave him a curious look.
“I did.” Despite the look he answered freely.
“It was nice to see them, even if only for a little while. Stand.”
Barou took a step away, finished with his work.
Kunigami hopped off the counter. He bent and extended his knee and hip, testing the stretch and squish of the bandaid.
There was minimal.
Impressively minimal.
“Good?” Barou asked.
Kunigami nodded.
Barou gave a little nod of acknowledgement, slight hint of a smile showing, and began washing his hands.
Kunigami pulled his briefs back down over the area and put on his pants. It was way more comfortable not having the cuts rub straight against the fabric.
Too many emotions threatened to well up all at once all over again. He didn't deserve this, he had even thought he didn't want this, but it felt so nice.
He looked down, hiding his face behind his bangs.
“What about you?” Barou turned off the sink.
“What about me?”
“Are you close with your family.”
Was he close with his family? Absolutely. Closer than anyone for the longest time. His older sister was his first friend. He looked up to her and his little sister looked up to both of them. His parents were supportive and fair, even when his dad did drink a little extra.
“I was,” he said shortly. “Especially my sisters.”
“I didn't get to see them though. My first step out of Wildcard was into here.”
Why did he keep going?
“I don't know if I'll be able to be close with them again.”
Nope. That was enough. Kunigami clenched his jaw shut.
He needed to stay in control.
Barou gave him a funny look.
He walked over, standing tall directly in front of him.
Then he did something Kunigami wasn't ready for.
He took both of Kunigami's hands.
“You will” he said. “Whatever shit my sisters might happen to get into I’m with them and I care for them. I imagine your bond with your sisters is the same. We don't give halfway.”
Kunigami's breath caught in his throat.
Anybody else he would've lashed out and left, maybe earlier that evening Barou too, but something about it didn't feel like Barou was just trying to comfort him.
He seemed to actually understand in a way.
Kunigami had been hit with realizing how much trust went into this entire situation earlier, yet it hit again like a truck.
“You don't get here by giving any less,” he managed.
Barou gave his hands a little squeeze.
“Well you know how to give more.”
He did. He knew the cost.
“You don't know even half of it,” Kunigami said. He squeezed Barou's hands back.
“I don't need to.”
They stood there in silence, taking each other in. Kunigami was even able to register Barou's incredibly light, delicate scent.
Their lives and journeys to this moment were so different, but some things weren't. Some things still made sense without being the same.
Something bonded them.
“Make sure to give it time to air out in the morning,” Barou finally said, snapping them both back to reality. “then keep taking care of it until it's healed. Don't let this be a waste of my time.”
He separated their hands apart and motioned to Kunigami's upper leg.
Kunigami gave a silent nod.
“Thank you.”
“Don't mention it.” Barou started heading out.
That was it, everything Barou said he would do was done.
Something started deflating inside him.
“Will I see you again?” Kunigami asked before he could stop himself.
Stupid.
“You'll have a high enough salary for U20s won't you?” Barou said, still moving. “I'll see you there.”
He stopped in front of the door.
“If you want to learn more from the king himself, I wouldn't be angry if you visited Italy sooner.”
What?
“There's nothing I need to learn from you,” Kunigami said.
“Bullshit. Come and you'll see. Just make sure your leg is healed.”
“I believe you will see. My leg will be fine.” A smile threatened to tug at Kunigami’s lips.
He had never trained with Barou, only seen him train and played against him.
Barou had the start of a grin himself. And some sort of other fire behind his eyes.
“I look forward to it. Good night, Kunigami.”
“Good night.” Kunigami's words were breathy, just watching Barou head out.
He couldn't help let his gaze linger. His long dark hair may have been down, but he could still remember the sharp, well kept hairline and smooth flawless skin at the nape of his neck underneath.
Maybe next time he could see that too.
Kunigami shook his head. He shouldn't get distracted. Football, winning, that sole narrative he had left, was priority.
~
The next night Kunigami pulled out the first aid kit and headed to the far sink. The cuts were finally starting to rapidly heal. They still ripped a little bit during training, but now that they were being actually given attention, it wasn’t as severe as before.
Only a couple more days of this and he would be done literally bleeding from Wildcard. It felt weird to accept that, and part of him still wanted the physical pain as a reminder, but he would listen, not make Barou's actions a waste.
Kunigami began cleaning and treating the remaining unhealed cuts, following Barou's movements from the night before
Despite how few interactions they had, he found himself remembering those moments with Barou. He was intentional, but warm and trusting. No fear, no more misguided sympathy, no cold expectations, no plotting to exploit.
He was the only one to treat him like that.
Kunigami finished with the antibacterial ointment and went to pull out one of those silly large bandaids.
There were only smaller ones.
“Shit,” Kunigami muttered. He rifled through the rest of the first aid kit.
Not more bandaids big enough. There must have only been one.
He grit his teeth. Hopefully nobody would be able to track that back to him.
Gauze and tape it was.
Kunigami selected a pad of gauze and set it up on his leg, then pulled out a roll of tape.
The moment the pads of his fingers made contact with the distinct fabric/ adhesive combo, it was like a jolt of electricity was sent through him.
He ignored it and began to peel off a section.
The sound, the stretch, the scent, the texture…
Kunigami was slammed to a halt in what he was doing. A wave of cold rushed through him. His vision threatened to tunnel. His breathe caught.
The tape never hurt him.
Not even when it was in Anri’s hands.
It never hurt him, he just hadn't touched it since wildcard.
So why was he having such a visceral response?
As fast as the sensations came on, Kunigami exhaled the worst of them in the next breath. A hyperawareness still stuck to his skin, but the world was back in his control.
He secured the piece of gauze, focusing on his breathing as he went, and pulled his his brief leg back over.
This was so stupid, so humiliating. It wasn't that different than the bandaid, yet the way it stuck to his skin was so much tougher to accept. Kunigami set his jaw tight as he finished cleaning up and put away the first aid kit.
Just a few more days of this and then he would be healed enough that he could find himself filling out a request to visit Italy.
Just for training, though. He couldn't get attached to anyone anymore, no matter how much he may want to. Just for training.
Kunigami thought he was just allergic to Chigiri's cat when he went over to study. Turns out he was wrong. College AU
Notes: I wrote this VERY quickly so editing has been very brief, characterization has not been looked over, I just let it come to life. Apologies for anything that seems off because of this. Enjoy!
(Read on AO3 here)
Kunigami fidgeted with his jacket and stared at the door in front of him.
He had studied with Chigiri plenty of times, but this time was different.
Last semester when they were in the same calculus class, they rapidly realized they needed to team up if they wanted to survive. They usually found a nook in the library, claimed a table at the campus coffee shop, or even covered the blackboards of an empty classroom. They were focused and productive, but it was casual, routine.
This semester they were both in physiology, but as Chigiri seemed to pick up the material fast, Kunigami hesitated to ask to study together again. He wanted to, but why would Chigiri? Now coming up on their first big exam, Kunigami finally admitted he may not just want, but need his study buddy again.
And when he asked Chigiri after practice, he said “sure. Reo’s coming to my dorm to make Nagi study for it, so you should come too.”
“Then I don't have to listen to him whine the whole time,” he added quieter.
It made sense. Chigiri’s roommate preferred his bed to most places and they might as well just all study together. But it was his dorm. It was private, personal, intimate. As far as Kunigami knew, only Reo had ever been allowed in their space, and Reo was a special case.
But now here Kunigami was, books in hand, at dorm 267.
He took a breath and knocked.
“Hey I'm here.”
The door cracked open and Chigiri's head poked out.
“Come in.” He smiled and let Kunigami in.
Chigiri and Nagi had gotten lucky in their dorm room. There was enough space their beds didn't have to be stacked and the window was large, but it was comfortably warm. There was a cushy rug across the middle of the floor.
One side was very obviously Nagi’s. There wasn't much for decorating, just a free promo poster taped to the wall and a cactus. His single notebook for all his classes and miscellaneous papers were strewn across his desk. a laptop charging cord snaked across his unmade lofted bed. The only part that didn't look disheveled was the top of his dresser, where items were spaced around an empty spot.
Chigiri's side, on the other hand, was personable. There were a couple small plants on the windowsill, a large selection of teas on his desk, multiple blankets with tasteful patterns made up his bed, and a black cat lay nestled on his pillow.
“Sorry I forgot to mention I have a cat,” Chigiri said. “This is Yami. He may take a while to warm up to you, but is friendly.”
Yami opened his eyes upon hearing his name, glancing over at them.
His response was very suiting for his owner.
“No worries,” Kunigami said, cracking a little smile. “I don't mind cats at all.”
He held out his hand for the cat to sniff. Yami obliged, then proceeded to get up and hop on the window sill to continue his nap.
There was a moment of quiet.
“You can put your stuff wherever and get comfortable. Nagi texted me he and Reo just left the dining hall so they should be here any minute.”
Kunigami nodded and took off his jacket. He set his books down and took a place on the floor by the head of Chigiri's bed.
Chigiri looked at him with an unfamiliar expression. “Would you like some tea? I was going to make some.”
“Actually, yeah, That would be really nice.”
Kunigami didn't drink much hot tea compared to those around him, but it just seemed right for studying in Chigiri's cozy dorm.
Chigiri turned on his electric kettle.
“Preference?” he motioned to his selection.
“Uh,” Kunigami got up and looked through.
He had never had most of the flavors there. There were even a couple he hadn't heard of. How did you even pronounce rooibos?
He was saved by the door unlocking. Nagi and Reo were here.
“Hi, sorry we're a bit late,” Reo said, setting his compact bag in the clear spot on Nagi's dresser.
“There's no late for this,” Chigiri remarked. “Tea?”
“Can you make the one you made last time?” Nagi asked. He plopped onto his bed.
“I was going to let Kunigami choose.” Chigiri said.
“It's okay. I'm open.” Kunigami stepped back from the teas.
“You okay with buckwheat then?”
“Yea-” Kunigami cut himself short with a sneeze.
“Sorry. Yeah that's fine.” Kunigami quickly finished his statement.
Chigiri nodded and selected one of the little jars.
“Okay while that's heating up, where do we want to start?” Reo asked. “I didn't like the order we covered everything in class, so I was thinking maybe we could start here...”
Kunigami had missed their little study sessions. Chigiri was right, Nagi spent an impressive amount of time whining about how pointless some things were only for Reo to coax him back to the subject at hand, but it was manageable. Every time it happened Chigiri would roll his eyes and make up bizarre examples of what they were studying.
At some point Yami had gotten bored with the window sill and got playful, running across their papers and playing with a little toy.
It was nice. Kunigami had missed studying with Chigiri. And truly the banter between Nagi and Reo just made it feel lighter than the cram studying it was.
The one thing he didn't appreciate, however, was how he could slowly feel his nose stuffing up, a headache start to form, his throat begin to feel dry.
What the fuck?
Nagi and Reo had started arguing about how stupid the term “medial” was when Kunigami sneezed again and knew he could not just sit there any longer.
“I'll be right back, sorry.” Kunigami quickly excused himself and went to the bathroom.
He closed himself in a stall and blew his nose. It really didn't help much, but at least now he wasn't at risk of having his nose run all over.
Still, though, what was going on with him? It was like the second he came over to study his sinuses just decided to fill.
…was it Chigiri's cat? Kunigami hadn't spent that much time around cats, so maybe it was Chigiri's cat? Was he just allergic to cats?
Whatever. He was taking too long. Kunigami blew his nose again for good measure and headed back.
But twenty minutes later he had to do the same thing again.
“Sorry,” Kunigami apologized when he returned. All three of them were quiet, waiting for his return.
“...I think I might just be allergic to your cat.” Kunigami decided to briefly explain. “I don’t know, I've never spent much time around cats before.”
Chigiri made a funny face and looked him over.
“You could have just asked for tissues. Do you need anything? I have allergy meds.” Chigiri opened a drawer and tossed him a travel pack of tissues.
“thanks.” Kunigami caught the pack. “I'll be fine.”
It was very late when they finally finished up, but Kunigami felt much better about the material going into the exam tomorrow. Chigiri may have been doing better than him in the class so far, but it seemed he wasn't as far ahead of him as he had thought.
Kunigami's dorm felt cold and eerie after the warmth of Chigiri and Nagi’s. His original roommate, Kira, had transferred less than a month into last semester after disagreeing with their football coach. Kunigami had at least put sheets on his empty bed, but it was a little funny having that much empty space.
At least there wasn't a cat to be allergic to.
Not that it would stop him from going back to Chigiri's should he be invited again.
He hoped he was invited over again.
Annoyingly, the headache and runny nose hadn't subsided yet, but it was late enough - and Kunigami was tired enough - that he fell asleep without much hassle.
Kunigami woke up not to his alarm, but his throat so sore every breath grated against it. His nose was totally clogged, headache only worse.
He groaned internally and picked his head up to check the time.
4:38 am
Immediately his nose started to run. And now there was a tickle in the back of his throat too.
Fuck.
Kunigami wasn't allergic to Chigiri's cat, he was sick.
And in just under 5 hours he had an exam to take.
Kunigami started coughing.
Fuck.
When the short lived coughing fit ended, he let his heavy head flop back down on his pillow.
He could make this happen. It was Friday and all he had today was that exam in the morning and practice at 5:30. It was just a head cold. Inconvenient and uncomfortable, yes, but if he took cold meds he would be fine. He could take the exam, lie low for a few hours, practice, and have the whole weekend to recover. If he needed to, he could move his Saturday strength session so he could sleep in.
It would be fine, he could do this no problem.
But first, he needed to get back to sleep.
Kunigami sat up and downed half his water bottle. The cool liquid was soothing on his throat, but the second he was done, it was just as scratchy as before.
That wasn't going to do it, and now his stomach felt all sloshy.
He wasn’t one to revert to medicine quickly, but time was of the essence. Cold meds it was.
He used up the last of the tissues Chigiri gave him and made his way to his first aid stash.
His heart sank.
He knew he had brought some when he moved in. He remembered unpacking them and putting them in there with the rest of his and Kira’s supplies.
Unless Kira took them with him when he moved out.
It would have been an honest mistake, and it wasn't like Kunigami frequented the first aid stash, save some adventures with turf burn, so it wasn't unreasonable for him to have never noticed.
Kunigami groaned and ran his hands harshly through his hair.
It wasn't even 5 am and his day just kept getting worse.
It was going to be harder now, but he could still make it. If he was smart.
He felt bad taking a roll of the shitty college toilet paper from the bathroom, but out of tissues, that was his only option at this hour.
He stuck the roll next to his bed and shoved a hoodie under his pillow. It was lumpy, but the little extra elevation might help increase his chances of falling back asleep.
After his body attempted to cough out a lung.
Kunigami didn’t remember falling back asleep, but he woke up again to his phone buzzing, feeling even more tired.
Chigiri: You coming? Class starts in 5 minutes
Kunigami checked the time.
Fuck.
He must have slept through his alarm.
He practically leaped out of bed, frantically got himself together, grabbed a mask, and bolted to his exam.
Kunigami spent too much of the exam stifling coughs and willing his runny nose to stop, but he made it. The exam itself was fine
“Feel better,” his professor said with a sympathetic smile when he handed in the exam.
He must really look like shit.
As soon as he got out of the classroom, he couldn't hold it in any longer.
He started coughing uncontrollably. He leaned against the wall for support, trying to get his air.
“Well you look like shit,” a familiar voice said behind him.
Kunigami turned around.
There was Chigiri.
At least it was Chigiri. He trusted him to be accurately honest.
“I don't think I was allergic to your cat,” he said sheepishly.
An expression of what almost looked like relief came over Chigiri.
“Do you have any more classes today?” He asked.
“No, just this.”
“Good, because if you did you wouldn't be going.” Chigiri lowered his voice a little. “I have classic lit now, but do you need anything?”
He seemed intent, maybe even a little concerned.
“... do you have any extra cold meds?” Kunigami finally admitted.
“Oh my god, do you really not have cold meds?”
“I think Kira took them by mistake when he moved out.”
“Well that fucking sucks. Geeze.” Chigiri checked the time.
“Go rest. I'll bring you cold meds when I get out. Let me know if you need anything else.”
Chigiri headed off to his next class, leaving Kunigami watching in a daze.
He felt a mix of emotions in him. He was so grateful to have a hand. He honestly was still feeling worse and worse as time went on. It being Chigiri was somehow even more comforting. Something about his presence, his casual confidence, sincerity, style of expressing his emotions (or trying not to), he just felt good, felt right, to be around. Kunigami wouldn't admit it, but to a degree he craved time around him.
But then he felt so small, so weak having to ask for help for a silly head cold, making Chigiri go out of his way for him.
Whatever.
Kunigami shook it off, took his emotions with him and trudged back to his dorm.
There was enough natural light he didn't bother turning on the overhead light, he just sat down on his bed and set up camp. Back against the headboard, toilet paper within reach, water bottle next to him, laptop at the ready. As tired as he was, he doubted he could fall asleep anytime soon.
He shivered.
No.
Please no fever. He didn't feel feverish yet, but he just really didn't need something else to floor him right now.
Kunigami pulled his blanket tight around him and pulled up The Avengers.
At some point he must have gone from watching the movie with glazed over eyes to asleep because he woke up to his phone ringing. Not a text notification, ringing.
“Hello?”
“”Hey, did I wake you? I tried texting.””
Chigiri.
“No, you're fine.” Kunigami tried to clear his throat. “What's up?”
““What's your dorm? You're in WC right?””
“Yeah, 266.”
“”Thanks””
Chigiri hung up.
It had to have been less than a minute later there was a knock on his door.
“Be right there.” Kunigami pulled himself up and made his way to the door.
“Hey.” Kunigami felt himself relax upon seeing Chigiri.
“Hey. Got your cold meds. Looks like you need it.”
“Thank you. Uh, you can come in if you want.”
Chigiri nodded and entered.
He opened his bag and pulled out the item of interest, popping open one of the blister packs and handing it to Kunigami.
“You can sit down, you know,” Chirgiri said once Kunigami took it, judging his makeshift setup. “It's your dorm.”
Kunigami set himself back in his bed just in time to start coughing again.
“Sorry.” Kunigami picked up his water bottle.
“Do not apologize for being sick. It happens.” Chigiri paused.
“Now, what's going on? Actually a cold?”
“Think so.” Kunigami pulled his blanket back around him.
“Sore throat? Any fever?”
“I don't think I have a fever, just cold.” It was starting to be a lot of work to sit up on his own. “My throat hurts a little.”
“Okay. I’ll bring some tea then. Looks like you need a few more things here.” Chigiri glanced at the toilet paper. “Including tissues. You're going to rub your nose raw with that.”
“Probably too late.” Kunigami’s body was slowly giving up on sitting up on his own and found himself starting to rest against the wall.
“Figures. Have you eaten?”
Oh.
No, he hadn't. He had been in such a rush it never occurred.
That was not like him.
“I'm going to take that silence as a no. What do you want?”
“I can get food. You don't need to go for me.”
“You can barely hold yourself upright and I need to get lunch for myself anyway.”
Kunigami pulled himself back off the wall.
Within seconds he started feeling faint.
Maybe Chigiri was right.
“Okay. If you don't mind,” Kunigami admitted, putting his weight back on the wall. “I don't need anything special.”
Chigiri nodded.
“Thank you. I'll be back in 20ish. If you start feeling worse than this, call me.”
Kunigami hummed an affirmative and Chigiri was off again.
Kunigami hated to admit it, but Chigiri was right: at this point this cold was flooring him.
~
Chigiri looked around his room for a big bag. Kunigami looked utterly miserable. He claimed he wasn’t running a fever, but Chigiri really wouldn’t be surprised if he was.
Something in him twisted seeing him like that. He wanted to make him feel better. He wanted to let him get comfortable against him, fall asleep watching a movie, have a lazy day and let him be vulnerable, unconditionally trust him somewhere other than the pitch, let him heal by his side.
It was weird. It was a feeling he wasn’t used to. He didn’t know what to do with it.
Chigiri shoved his thoughts away. His wants weren’t the priority. The priority was to get Kunigami comfortable and recovering.
Chigiri settled on his laundry bag, grateful he had just done all his. He added his spare pillow, a blanket, a box of tissues, tea. Did Kunigami have supplies to make tea? He might as well just bring his electric kettle too.
“What’s going on?” Nagi looked up from his bed, where he was playing some game with Yami curled up with him.
“Kunigami’s sick.”
“So is he not allergic to Yami?”
“Nope.”
“Well that’s good at least. I’d hate to be allergic to him.” He sat up.
“...how’s his appetite?” Nagi asked.
“Well it’s almost one and he hasn’t eaten, so probably not great.”
Nagi opened his snack drawer and pulled out a jelly drink.
“Give him this, then. Easy to eat.” He tossed it to Chigiri.
That was actually a really good idea.
“Thank you.” Chigiri said it with as much sincerity as he could.
Okay onto the dining hall.
Which was good because Chigiri was starting to get hungry himself.
~
Kunigami had barely moved by the time Chigiri was knocking on his door again. If anything, he had just slumped down further, mind like mush, waiting for the cold meds to kick in.
“I hear you.” He hauled himself up and let Chigiri back in.
He was surprised by the amount of stuff Chigiri had with him. He set to-go containers on his desk and started pulling things out of a big bag. He replaced Kunigami’s balled up hoodie with an actual pillow and placed another blanket at the foot of his bed. He replaced Kunigami’s toilet paper roll with an actual box of tissues. He set up his electric kettle on Kira’s old desk and filled it. And he pulled out a jelly drink and set it next to the real food.
“The jelly is from Nagi,” he explained. “Do you want that or some solid food first?”
“Normal food is fine. Thank you.” Kunigami sat back down, tucking his legs under his blanket, temporarily propping his head up on his hands.
“Thank me by getting better.” Chigiri opened one of the containers. “This one’s yours.”
Kunigami accepted the warm food. Rice, umeboshi, chicken, some veggies separated from the rest in case he didn’t want them. It was a thoughtful gesture.
“Thanks. Um, if you want you can sit down too. No pressure, I don’t want to get you sick.”
“I trust my immune system.” Chigiri took his place next to him and opened his food.
It was pretty quiet as they began to eat, save when Chigiri got up to prepare tea.
“Do you have a preference this time?” He asked.
“You can pick. I doubt I’ll taste it much.”
It was true, Kunigami could barely taste what he was eating.
“Fair enough.”
“What were you watching?” Chigiri asked a little later.
“Just a comfort movie. Then I don’t have to worry if I fall asleep.”
“Yeah? Which one?”
“The Avengers, first one.”
“I’ve only seen the first one.”
Kunigami perked up. Really?! Of all the things they had talked about, film had never come up.
“I wasn’t really expecting you to have seen it.”
“I mean superhero movies aren’t my primary genre, but they can be good.”
“What is your primary genre?” Kunigami put down his empty container.
Between the food and cold meds he was starting to feel vaguely more alive.
“Probably sci-fi. I’m not a movie buff or anything,” Chigiri replied, putting down his own container. “I like movies that get you thinking but still have good action.”
That made more sense with everything Kunigami knew about Chigiri.
Kunigami thought a little bit. They had eaten, he had cold meds, they had tea available, now what? Chigiri didn’t need to stay, but Kunigami wasn’t really ready for him to go.
“Have you seen Doctor Strange?”
Chigiri gave a little smile. “You’re not the first person to mention it to me, but no.”
“If you like weird time stuff, you might find it interesting.”
“I might.”
They were quiet for a moment.
“Would you like to watch it? I don’t have anything to do until practice later,” Chigiri finally said.
“Yes, if that’s okay.”
“It is.”
They adjusted positions so they could balance Kunigami’s laptop across both of them.
“You’re warm,” Chigiri commented as they became flush to each other. “You sure you don’t have a fever?”
“I think I’m just struggling to regulate body temperature.”
“Look at me,” Chigiri said.
Kunigami looked, locking eye contact, taking in details of Chigiri’s face he hadn’t seen before. His breath hitched.
And he had to turn away coughing.
When he finally got his breath back he returned to Chigiri, patiently waiting.
Chigiri brought a cool hand to Kunigami’s forehead.
He frowned and brought his other hand to his own forehead.
“My hands are too cold to tell. Give me a second.” Chigiri got up and pulled a thermometer out of his bag.
“Not that I don’t trust you, but it could go either way.” Chigiri handed it to Kunigami,
“It’s not going to change what I do really,” Kunigami remarked before putting it under his tongue.
“No but it would be something to keep an eye on.”
A few seconds later the instrument beeped and Kunigami handed it back to Chigiri.
“37.6. Told you.”
“Well thank you for humoring me then.” Chigiri cleaned it off and returned to Kunigami’s side.
“Ready?” Kunigami asked, pulling up the movie.
“Yeah.”
He hit play.
They were only twenty minutes in when Kunigami could feel his eyes growing heavy, start to feel a little colder.
Unconsciously, he curled into Chigiri, head tilting onto his shoulder.
“Oh, sorry,” Kunigami quickly righted himself as soon as he noticed.
“Relax. You can rest there.” Chigiri’s words were soft.
“Okay.” It was barely a whisper. Kunigami laid his head back against Chigiri and was out within minutes.
When Kunigami stirred, he noticed the room was quiet. He cracked an eye open.
Chigiri was reading a book, seeming perfectly content. The laptop had been moved off their laps.
It was incredibly cozy.
Kunigami let his eyes drift back closed, just letting it be.
Until a telltale tickle in his throat told him otherwise.
He turned over and started coughing. Hard, like when he had just left his exam. His head pounded with each failed attempt at a breath.
A hand came to his back. Gentle, not doing much more than just being there.
“Come on, you’re okay”
The words were so quiet they barely reached Kunigami.
Slowly, he started to regain his air, one breath at a time.
“You alright there?” Chigiri asked. “Your breathing was getting labored before you woke up.”
“I’m fine.” Kunigami took a few sips from his water bottle.
“Think the cold meds are wearing off,” he added.
Now that he was vaguely awake, he noticed the exhaustion, headache, congestion, all of it had returned to its previous level.
“Well,” Chigiri looked at the time. “You’ve got another half hour before you can take more.”
“...And I’ve got fifteen minutes before I need to head to practice.”
Oh right, they both had practice. If he could take meds again around the start of practice…
“I see what you’re thinking,” Chigiri cut him off. “Don’t you dare try to come to practice. The first thing you did upon waking up was hack up a lung. You wouldn’t make it through the warmup.”
“Unfortunately, I was coming to that same conclusion.”
He felt defeated. Defeated by a stupid cold.
“Good. Want me to tell coach?”
“I’ll text him.”
Kunigami pulled out his phone and sent the short message to Ego.
“This sucks.” He blew his nose and laid his head back against Chigiri. “I hate missing practice.”
“I’m sure, but you’ll survive.”
Kunigami hummed an affirmative and let his eyes return closed.
“Hey KUnigami.”
He woke up from his light doze.
“I have to go now,” Chigiri said. “Let me know if you need anything. Dinner, company, anything.”
He extracted himself from the bed.
“Okay.” Kunigami sunk into the pillow, fully laying down. “Thank you. You really didn’t need to do all this. I’d have managed.”
“Well turns out I care about you. Don’t forget you can take more cold meds in fifteen minutes. I’ll see you later.”
“See you.”
And Chigiri headed out.
Kunigami felt warm as he watched Chigiri make his way out.
Chigiri learns Manshine shares a wall with Bastard Munchen in an unfortunate manner: Kunigami is sick.
warning: emeto (nongraphic)
Notes: I'm back (how did a year go by?) and with a new obsession! (I will say, some stuff on their use of phones in later arcs seems a little ambiguous to me and I didn't feel like deep diving to figure it out, so I am taking liberties for the "plot")
(Read on AO3 here)
It was unfortunate really, but this was what Chigiri got for hydrating too close to bed: a trip to the bathroom at 4 am.
It was quiet when he shuffled in and did his business, but it didn't stay that way. As he washed his hands, the noise of someone getting horribly sick echoed from the other side of the wall.
Chigiri froze. He knew the bathroom bordered another dorm, so it probably wasn't a teammate, but he had never handled people throwing up well.
Whoever it was finished a retch with a loud cough. It sounded so awful another twinge of anxiety crawled up the back of his neck.
But something about that cough, it reminded him of a time back in the first selection he didn't realize he held onto: Bachira had surprised Kunigami while he was drinking water, leaving him coughing and sputtering.
Something about that cough was familiar.
Could it be Kunigami? No way.
Chigiri dried his hands and tried to listen for any more clues, but it had gone quiet.
Suddenly there was another loud retch and Chigiri was done facing his fears for the night.
Chigiri went back to bed, but he just laid wide awake. He just couldn't shake the feeling that it could be Kunigami. Maybe it was Bastard Munchen on the other side of the wall…
He ended up staring at the ceiling recalling the sound over and over, trying to compare memories, for far too long before he finally snatched up his phone and called Isagi.
After a couple rings it went to voicemail.
But then he got a text.
Isagi: What's going on? Can this wait until morning?
Chigiri: Do our dorms share a wall?
Isagi: idk why?
Chigiri: Someone's sick and it sounded kind of like Kunigami
"Isagi is typing" showed up for an agonizingly long time.
Isagi: I don't hear anything, but I'll step into the hall and see if I notice anything
Isagi was the best.
Chigiri: thanks
When Chigiri didn't get another text for almost an hour, he finally found himself dozing back to sleep.
He woke up in the morning to a new text.
Isagi: you were right Kunigami was really sick
Chigiri went from groggy to fully awake.
Chigiri: Is he okay ?
Isagi: idk I haven't seen him since I got up
Isagi: I have to go and won't be back for a while but I can wedge the door if you want to check in? He's the last door on the right when you enter
Chigiri: sure thanks
Chigiri sent the response before realizing how dumb it would be to go check on Kunigami. They had barely spoken since he came back from the wild card, he's sick, maybe still violently sick, and there's cameras all over. Chigiri didn't know what would happen if he just went into Bastard Munchen's dorms without permission.
But something didn't sit right. They may not have talked much in months, but they had gotten close before their team lost in the second selection.
And yet he still didn't want to lean on what they had before if it didn't matter to Kunigami anymore.
Whatever. Chigiri had morning conditioning himself in twenty minutes. He could decide what to do during the break between then and afternoon.
Like Isagi said, the main door to Bastard Munchen was wedged open with a cleat so beat up it was probably unusable. Chigiri glanced around one last time as if he could easily find the cameras hidden around and stepped into Bastard Munchen's dorm.
The dorm setup was mirrored to that of Manshine's, and the theming was slightly different, but it was comparable. With everyone out, probably still at practice, it was uncomfortably quiet.
Chigiri made his way to the last door on the right like Isagi had said and knocked softly.
No response.
He waited a little bit then tried again.
Still no response.
Chigiri made a face.
Fuck it.
He opened the door as quietly as he could.
Sure enough, one of the four beds wasn't empty.
Kunigami was curled onto his side, his overgrown orange locks splayed out across the pillow and hiding half his face. He was gripping his blanket tight to his chest but it mostly only covered his legs at this point, leaving his shirtless back open to the world.
Despite the grip on the blanket, his jaw was slack and his breathing even. He almost looked peaceful.
Peaceful if you ignored the distinct "sick person" aura, his off complexion, the sweat sticking just the closest hair to his skin, and his apparently now permanent dark bags under his eyes added to with full on bruising. He must have burst some of the little blood vessels from the force of throwing up last night.
Chigiri spent a moment taking his space in. There was a thermometer, blue lock water bottle, and what looked to be an empty medicine blister pack on one of the shelves next to his bed.
Chigiri felt something deflate inside him that he wasn't expecting. The small bag in his left hand containing a sports drink and small container of okayu felt heavier.
What, was he expecting him not to be in good hands when Isagi found him?
At least now he had a choice in drink.
Chigiri set the contents of the bag down next to the water bottle. Kunigami was still fast asleep.
Okay, Kunigami was alive, getting rest, and had what he needed to start feeling better. He could go.
But he stood there a moment longer, decided to look around the compact dorm some more.
The rest of Kunigami's stuff seemed to be organized pretty much the same as before, the only new addition a beat up notebook labeled "training". Two of the other beds in the room were lived in but tidy. The third space was totally unmade, covered in random clothes, soccer crap, and a destroyed cleat that matched the one propping the outside door. Amongst the impressive amount of clutter on top of that person's shelves, Chigiri made out a mini pad of paper and pen.
Chigiri walked a half step to the notepad, and ripped off the top piece. He might as well write a quick note so Kunigami at least knew the new stuff that appeared was for him.
"...Chigiri?" Kunigami's voice was raspy and groggy.
Chigiri whipped around, crumpling the half written note into his pocket as subtly as he could.
Kunigami was slowly bringing himself to a sitting position. His auburn eyes were glassy from both sleep and quite possibly fever. He rubbed his eyes and ran a hand through his thick hair.
"What are you doing here?"
He sounded awful.
"Heard you were sick."
Kunigami's eyes darted around.
"Who told you that? What time is it?"
"It's a little after 11:30."
"... and I heard you last night. Turns out our dorms share a wall."
"Fuck," Kunigami muttered. He reached between the bed and the wall and fished out a shirt. "Sorry, you didn't need to hear that."
"Nothing you can do about it. Feeling any better?"
Kunigami let out a breath. "Little bit. Think I’m done puking at least."
He started pulling on the shirt before making a face. He promptly pulled it back off and dropped it next to the bed with a damp thud.
He looked around a little more and noticed the items on his shelf.
"Fuck," Kunigami swore under his breath.
Without warning, Kunigami grabbed Chigiri's wrist. Before he could react Kunigami had pressed his hand to his clammy forehead.
Chigiri was stunned.
"Do I still have a fever?" Kunigami asked.
He looked up at Chigiri, waiting for an answer.
The heat radiating off him was intense.
“Probably.” Chigiri moved both his hands to touch Kunigami's cheeks, then neck.
"You're really warm." Chigiri brought his hands away and picked up the thermometer.
Kunigami glowered at the instrument, but let Chigiri put it under his tongue.
He looked up at Chigiri with a much softer stare, then started watching the numbers climb.
There was finally a beep at 38.9°C.
"You really had to ask if you had a fever?" Chigiri said. He took the thermometer and put it back on the shelf.
"It was worse when Isagi found me."
"That doesn't make it better!"
"Whatever. I'm not allowed back on the field until it goes away."
Kunigami pulled his blanket around his hunched shoulders, covering up his freakishly muscular physique. He looked defeated.
He looked miserable.
"I brought you a drink and some okayu," Chigiri finally said, changing the subject. He motioned to the small container.
Kunigami glanced over at it, then back at Chigiri.
"Why?"
"I thought you might want something mild and not dining hall food right away."
"You made the okayu?"
"Yeah. It's not hard."
Kunigami gingerly picked it up and lifted the lid. A little steam billowed out. He inhaled slow, taking in the soft scent.
"Why?" He put it back down. Something softened in his gaze.
It almost looked like he was going to cry.
"I just told you why."
"That's not what I mean. It would be easier for you to beat me if I’m out of contention."
"What? We already played each other, it doesn't matter."
"We're not done with all the games."
True.
"I don't want to beat you because you're sick. I'd rather beat you because I'm better than you. You're also my old teammate and friend."
Kunigami hid his eyes completely under his overgrown bangs.
"I'm not the same delusional person I was then."
"People change. I'm not quite the same either."
"They’re not comparable."
"Maybe not, but I don't care." Chigiri thought carefully about what to say next. "I don't need to act like I'm walking on eggshells or be a total ass. That just makes everything awkward."
Kunigami didn't respond right away.
Chigiri felt his heart start to race. Did he fuck up?
"...um, do you want -"
"Shut up." Kunigami cut him off.
He let out a breath and looked back at Chigiri.
"Thank you for the food and kind words." He said it a little rough, but it was genuine.
He turned and picked up the pocari sweat, cracking the seal on the bottle. He wrinkled his nose at the scent, but took a couple sips.
He closed his eyes, let out a breath, and laid back down on his side.
He looked rigid and uncomfortable.
"Is it okay?" Chigiri asked.
"Yeah. Feels better than water, just tired and nauseous."
Chigiri hummed in understanding.
"Then get some more rest, but try to get through that bottle if you can."
"I will." Kunigami shifted and pulled the blanket tighter around him.
"You should go, I don't want to get you sick."
"You won't get me sick."
Chigiri didn't start moving right away.
He eyed the pad of paper again.
"Um, if you need anything, text me." Chigiri wrote down his number and set it next to the pocari sweat.
"Probably won't but I'll text you. Stay healthy."
"Feel better."
Chigiri slipped out and clicked the door shut. He made his way back to the main entrance.
The door flew open and Isagi nearly ran into him.
"Oh you're still here! The rest of my team will be here soon so you should hurry." Isagi side stepped out of his way and kicked the beat up cleat away from the door.
"I was just leaving. Thanks for letting me in."
"No problem. How is he?"
"Still sick but not throwing up."
"Improvement at least. Thanks for checking in. He probably appreciated it more than when I barged in on him last night."
Raichi's voice echoed beyond the door.
"You should really go. Don't get sick!"
"I won't."
And with that, Chigiri bolted.
Later that day Chigiri got a text from a new number.
Unknown: Kunigami
Another text followed: a picture of an empty pocari sweat bottle and container previously containing okayu.
Notes: This is by no means how I wanted to end this fic in terms of prose. I wanted to fill out some more of the fluff and maintain the pacing I used throughout the rest of this fic, but I decided it needed closure. Thank you for reading!
Masterlist Part VII
It was no surprise Osamu managed to cook something pleasant on limited ingredients in the dark. Kita didn’t register everything around them as they ate, the wind and rain phasing in and out with the light chatter between the others. He knew he had a warm meal and the people he cared about were safe and comfortable.
And Daichi’s reaction to the pork bun brought back as much normalcy as they could get.
“Suga,” he started, trying to hide his expression of childish delight with a stern tone. “Where did you get these?”
“We made them,” Suga replied, giving Kita a little squeeze to imply his credit.
“They taste just like the ones from Sakanoshita.”
“Brings back all the memories, right?” Suga gave him a cheeky grin.
Daichi tried to keep a straight face. “...You stole the recipe.”
“Noooo.”
“He stole it,” Kita said.
“Way to throw me under the bus.” Suga looked at Kita, that playful, mischief making expression of sheer pleasure.
“You stole it and you didn’t tell me until we were halfway through making them for the third time.”
“I didn’t know you were into bad boys, Kita,” Atsumu hummed, a grin forming as he observed the stupidity unfold.
“There was no need to tell you. I didn’t do anything wrong,” Suga continued.
Kita let out a breath. “It’s disrespectful.”
He gently leaned into Suga’s side, careful not to irritate his hidden injury.
“It’s fine”
Daichi made an exasperated face. “Just don’t let Ukai find out. We don’t care much, but he will.”
Daichi was correct. There was enough wrong for Kita to say “Suga, no”, but Suga wasn’t (usually) an idiot about what lines were okay to cross and by how much.
And while Kita had never met Ukai, he’d heard stories that rounded him out to be wonderful and caring, but with just enough of a temper to not cross.
“It’s our secret,” Suga confirmed.
“Yeah, our secret you committed cooking sacrilege,” Osamu added.
---
Hours passed and night fully claimed the already dark sky. The rain and wind evened out to a white noise. The five of them talked, played cards (NOT spoons - Kita made sure of that) until Hayami the cat decided to roam the top of the kotatsu, then talked some more. There were frequent check ins, but it wasn’t overbearing. There was a warmth, a comfort, that familiar mix of safe and play that often filled Kita and Suga’s home started drifting back. The scent of rain mingled with the tatami mats instead of garden, battery powered light brightened the room instead of the sun, there was minimal movement room to room and there was more dirt in the home than there had ever been, but it was right.
They ended up all crashing in that same room. Everyone had half heartedly protested the idea, but Daichi had already been dozing in and out, Hayami splayed out across him, coating his chest and lap with gray hair (It was a funny thing really - the one who was the least of a cat person out of them was the one the cat had decided was the perfect person to sleep on.) and it was apparent nobody truly wanted to leave anyone else alone. Suga had coaxed Daichi awake just enough to shift him out from the kotatsu and on a futon between the rest of them. The twins splayed out around them all, and Kita and Suga curled into each other. Between the long day and the warmth of Suga, Kita was asleep in minutes.
- - -
Despite falling asleep so easily, Kita did not get a good night’s sleep. He was always a light sleeper when they had company, but he heard Osamu get up to get an extra blanket, Atsumu kick one off and start snoring softly, Daichi toss and turn, obviously unable to get comfortable. And Kita knew there truly was nothing he could do about it.
He was eventually woken up by his dying phone ringing.
Kita scrabbled for the device piercing his ears best he could without disturbing Suga.
“Hello?” He answered, hoping he didn’t sound as sleepy as he was.
“”Hello. Are you the owner of a blue Nissan Note, license plate…””
Oh.
That’s Daichi’s car.
Daichi’s car still stuck on the side of the road maybe half a kilometer from a massive wreck.
“No, but I am with the owner.”
- - -
It was a bit of a whirlwind from there. The twins said their thank yous and goodbyes almost as if it were a normal gathering. The remaining three picked up Daichi’s car (which had miraculously stayed in good condition through the thick of the storm) and got his broken foot confirmed and cared for.
Daichi stayed the full weekend as planned, and while it was without electricity and involved a lot of instant ice packs and painkillers, the mellow atmosphere wasn’t boring or heavy and the stress and panic of the night before was soothed by the warmth of an adjusted normalcy. There was a mutual warmth from person to person, care put into the food they could make, humid air brought back the faintest scents of rain and flowers inside, and Hayami kept claiming Daichi’s lap no matter what else was going on.
hii can you do a kawashira (kawanishi x shirabu) emeto sickfic? it's okay if you don't want to do this though!!
shirabu comes to practice even though he feels so unwell and kawanishi takes notice of this and tries to make him go back to his dorm but shirabu is like really stubborn and doesn't want to go to his dorm so he maybe ends up vomiting on the gym floor and that's when he agrees to going to his dorm cuz he's embarrassed and doesn't want to look at his teammates. bonus points if the other shiratorizawa members are also featured but ofc kawanishi and shirabu are the main ppl for the fic. another bonus points if shirabu whines and slightly cries in pain from a bad stomach ache and kawanishi tries to help him ease the pain!!
I hate to say it (trust me I've thought about this a lot), but I don't really have a good enough grip on Kawanishi to give him a major role the way you would like. So sorry
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