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“It’s okay, Kageyama”, Shouyou whispers in his jacket. “It’s gonna be fine. Just be silent, be broody, you always do it so well so just do what you always do and don’t squawk.”Because Kageyama is a nice, good boy, and much more compliant than his human namesake, the crow shuffles against his chest, a soft and comfortable mass of warm feathers over his heart. Shouyou takes a deep breath, holsters his briefcase along, and steps into the 4A dormitory.The apartment is large enough, with two bathrooms and one room for each of them –which is the wisest decision management has made in a while, as he wouldn’t want to stand in place of the poor sod that would have to share a room with Sakusa. Jet black walls stand over minimalistic furniture, perfect to hide soot traces from flare-up and explosions; the American kitchen, however, isn’t going to do him any favor, as anybody could walk into the living room or to grab a snack and find him leaning over a cauldron I the middle of the night. Whatever, the bathroom will have to do; he rushes past his roommates, luggage wobbling behind him, and takes possession of the room nearest one of the bathrooms.“Oi, Shou-chan! Make yerself at home, why don’tcha?”“Oh give him a break, he picked the smallest room anyway! That’s so nice of you, kouhai!”“Are you sure you’ll be alright with that room, Hinata-san? According to the lay-out, the window doesn’t even open completely.”“Nah, thank you!” he yells through the door, holding onto his jacket as Kageyama starts getting agitated –he’ll have to cast a muffling spell soon. The room is perfect, large enough to store all his things. Besides, he may never have been good at runes and arithmancy (too many formulas and stuff to memorize), but he knows enough to fix a jammed window, thank you very much. He opens his briefcase –a marvel of enchanted gears and magical tinkering his sister gifted him last Yule- and pulls out his cauldrons, clothes, bird perch, apothecary kits, recipe books, candles, plants and a large, wooden second-hand vanity that unfolds like origami to arrange itself into the shape of a corner of the room.“So, what do you think Kageyama?” he watches as the bird flies in circles, content not to be restrained anymore. “This is our new home now.”“Squawk!” he responds, much in character, and Shouyou is quickly reminded of the muffling charm he needs to cast on his door.Well.Time to get to work.
*****
Technically, Miya Atsumu isn’t the youngest kitsune alive in modern Japan. That honor belongs to Osamu, born exactly one minute and twenty-seven minutes after him from the same fox. Psychologically, he’d argue he’s even the third one, since Suna spent the first twenty years of his life in a deep magical slumber until Kita found his den.But, well. Technicalities aside, he is still a very young, one-tailed fox. He’s pretty talented, in his mighty opinion –having been raised by much stronger spirits, going to school as a human kit with his skulk, developing his favorite human appearance through his and his brother’s collective efforts. But today, away from his earth and brother for the first time in his life, he will admit he’s a little over his head, getting overwhelmed after long days of practice and exercise. He wonders how Osamu is fairing, back in Osaka, under the cutthroat pressure of the gastronomic world; if he ever slips and almost turns in the middle of his kitchen on a busy day. So far, Atsumu has handled this well, slipping into a bathroom when he felt his magic slipping, taking a deep breath. He was getting it under control, both his handle on stress and his control of finer transformation elements such as his fucking tail, he was doing amazing. And then they announced the dorms, and he almost shifted here and then at the news. How is he supposed to hide his true form all the time?Thankfully, the rooms lock from the inside, so he doesn’t have to worry about anyone catching him asleep; he’ll just have to spend most of his time in the room, and hope the team doesn’t take it as a slight against them especially Sakusa. It’s so unfair, too; he had finally gotten closer to his crush, after years of playing and trying his hand at what people seem to call “pulling pigtails” in an effort to get his attention. And now, when he finally got human flirting figured out, all of this is going to be screwed, and Omi is going to think him a callous asshole, just because management couldn’t mind their own business! “Team bonding”, what a joke! He’s bonded with his spikers plenty enough, thank you very much, and ruining the image they had of him is certainly not the way to go about all of this.“Are you okay?” Sakusa asks, and maybe he’s paranoid from the stress and weight of his secret, but there’s a suspicious glint in his eye that sends him reeling.“Yeah, yeah, sure, I’m great!” he tries for a chuckle, but his breath gets stuck in his throat when he feels the tip of his tail poke through in his jeans. “I-uh, I’m gonna go, yeah? To my, uh, room.”“Sure, take your time, there’s no problem.” Sakusa is smiling, but he doesn’t like the tone of his voice. “And, you know, Miya… You can always talk to me, you know? I don’t want you to feel like you have to keep secrets.”Yeah, he doesn’t like it, not at all.Atsumu bites his lip, and dashes into his new room.
*****
It’s not like Koutaro has ever had issues with money –his childhood home was always filled with heaps of gold, and if he ever found himself in want of a snack before school, a lovely silver bracelet or convenient collection coin would sprout up at his feet by coincidence. His parents had told him that hiding his identity from the world would become bothersome, but as he had sailed through high-school and the beginning of adulthood passing as human with minimum stress, he didn’t put too much stock in it. So of course, he’s finding himself a little blindsided here, having to move in a dorm with three other normal, non-magical humans who wouldn’t take too well to him turning into a Chilean magic bird in the living room because he didn’t have enough to eat.Shouyou disappears into his room without caring for pleasantries, and Atsumu follows soon after, looking about as stressed as Koutaro feels. He hopes this isn’t a testament to how uncomfortable his friend are rooming in his company, and glances timidly at Sakusa –only for his eyes to stumble on the man’s shiny, golden wristwatch. Shit, how could he have forgotten? Sakusa is like, filthy rich, that much is evident from his fancy clothes and the obnoxious car he drives around. Of course a guy like that would have a golden watch –and probably a golden cravat broach, too, and silver-rimmed gem cufflinks, and probably several of those, designer watches and a little golden chain and all and Koutarou is fucked, because objects made of precious metals tend to disappear around him, only to be found at his feet or in his pockets whenever he’s hungry, how is he supposed to explain such a thing!Here is a to-do list for the things Koutarou now has to worry about at all times:-act normal, with normal emotions and performance, like a normal, well-balanced human;-be a great (but normal!) volleyball player;-don’t be so weird and needy to annoy your friends until they’re tired of you;-don’t let the people that live in your home catch you in bird shape;-don’t accidentally steal your rich friend’s fancy stuff;-don’t get caught eating metal;-figure out a way to get enough money to maintain human form in the flat.Amazing. Just, perfect.“Bokuto-san, are you okay?”He jolts, realizing that he’s been staring at his teammate’s watch for far too long, and decides he has to do something to distract himself from his thoughts before he starts oozing golden light out of sheer stress. Food, yes. Human, normal food that fills the belly and gives energy and that people, half-bird or not, eat so that they don’t die. Food that he likes to eat, likes to cook, that make him the athlete he is but is not enough to keep the avian part of him from shifting into an alicanto at the end of the day.Koutarou rolls up his sleeves, and gets started on the spaghetti. ***** The team is acting weird.Often, people mistake Kiyoomi for unobservant because he’s so “antisocial” and “gloomy”, but they couldn’t be more wrong. They forget how he grew up with Komori, how he has a degree in psychology, how he’s always the best at talking smack during games because he spends so much time gossiping about the other players. Traditionally, that’s an activity he shares with his cousin, and even with the distance they have their daily shit talking phone call. Lately though, he finds himself sharing that part of himself with Atsumu, having realized that their combined sharp tongues are much more powerful than when they waste them on riling each other up.Anyway, as composed and unbothered as he may seem, he notices things, like how Shouyou was padding his jacket nervously like he was smuggling drugs, and then locked himself into his bedroom for the remainder of the day; how Atsumu has locked himself in the bathroom five times since they moved in for five minutes at least, which is another mark in his theory that his friend is hiding a panic disorder; or how Bokuto, who always seems so confident and almost glowing with energy nowadays, seems so stressed and nervous he burnt himself three times making dinner for the group.“You think he’s okay?” he whispers to Atsumu over the table, watching the spiker dump his peppers directly on the stove rather than in the pan.“Maybe he’s just a real bad cook?”“I can hear you guys, you know that?”“Are you okay, Senpai?” Hinata slides into the kitchen with unruly hair and a pungent scent of smoke. Bokuto finally emerges, his spiky hair ruffled and uneven, with unpleasantly smelling plates.“Aw, don’t worry about me, my disciple! I’m just an a-okay, perfectly normal guy!”Kiyoomi wonders if all of his flatmates have psychological disorders.“Oooh, spaghetti! My favorite!”Neither of his friends seem to find the nasty smell unappealing, so he figures he ought to make an effort to be pleasant on his first day in. As soon as the sauce hits the back of his tongue though, fire erupts in his throat, violent and nasty and he can already feel his vocal cords swelling.“Bokuto”, he chokes out as the doubt settles in. “You didn’t put garlic in the sauce, did you?”“Yeah, why? Oh shit, you don’t look well. Oh damn, are you allergic?”“Uhu.”“Well, fuck.”Indeed. It’s a horrible day to be a vampire.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Fuck. Shit. Damn.Sakusa is dying, and for all of his magic, Atsumu has never felt so useless before."Fuck! Shit, damn, uh, somebody call the hospital!""Don't... argh- take me to, hah, the h- hurgh-hospital."Well, Omi better be thankful he's dying, because otherwise he would have already decked him for such an outrageous suggestion."Sorry, Omi, I ain't letting yeh die cause yer mysophobic ass didn' wanna go t' hospital.""Wait!" Hinata cries out, "I have an epi-epi- epi-thing!" and dashes into his bedroom.There is a crash, something like a squawk, an explosion, and then the ginger is back with soot on his face and a vial in his hand that doesn't look anything like a damn epipen.“Got it!”“What is this, Shouyou.”“Oh, it’s an epipen! It’s just –uh, lacking the pen part –but it works! Here, hold on, just a second –”And of course, because Shouyou is the fastest motherfucker on their team and arguably the Japanese V league, he ducks under his arm and shoves a knife in Omi’s thigh before he can react.“Oh my god!”“What the hell?”“Spirits Shouyou, is that thing even sterilized?”“Of course it is, who do you guys take me for?”He opens the vial and begins to pour it in the wound –and Atsumu would shove him away, but Omi spasms into his arm and he checks for vital signs on reflex –only to find none. Sakusa doesn’t have a pulse, his body is ice-cold to the touch, his breathing is more akin to a death rattle than a gasp, and yet he’s still conscious, glaring at him with hot-coal eyes and wheezing profanities at Hinata.“What was that? Oh my god Hinata what did you do?”“Chill out alright, I swear I didn’t poison it! The wound isn’t even deep, he should be fine for next practice… Huh, that’s weird?”“What is?” asks Sakusa, sitting up-straight and coughing in his hand as if he hadn’t been having spasms and clawing at his neck thirty seconds earlier.“Well, you should have regained some color by now, never-mind your pulse… You look alright though, how’s your breathing?”“Perfectly alright, thank you very much. I should have warned you I’m allergic to garlic, Bokuto, I’m sorry. For future reference though, please don’t attempt to bring me to the hospital. I have my own medicine in my bedroom, I would have been fine.”“You almost died though…”Sakusa jolts out of his hold, eyes suddenly cold as an iron ring in the snow, and he withers under his team-mate glare.“I do not consent to being taken to the hospital, Miya. You would do well to respect that.”He stands up, swift and dramatic even in the dignity of his gait, and walks over to lock himself in his room.
****
Hinata Shouyou has two passions in life: volleyball, and potion-making.Volleyball came as a surprise in his second year of middle school, when he was riding home and saw the Little Giant on TV through a display case; potion-making though, that was since forever. His mother likes to joke about how it's because he feel into a cauldron bubbling with Winged Stepped Brew as a toddler, earning himself a lifelong proficiency in acrobatics and sprinting. Shouyou, though, thinks it has more to do with the fact that had to be good at something, and with the way he failed to memorize spells and runes, never mind arythmantic reasoning, it had to be something fun and practical, and there is nothing more exciting than the bubbling of a cauldron as smoke billows out and changes colour in his hands. Besides, getting into volleyball helped a lot, if only because he got it in his head that he would somehow invent a potion that would make him grow taller and be the best at volleyball (he didn’t. In hindsight, he should have taken growth hormone).He has always liked his pet projects best, the last in line being a potion-brewing twist on the philosopher's stone. However, ever since that accident in his first year of high school when Daichi almost died he makes sure to always carry at least one vial of healing dew anywhere he goes, and he's never been more thankful for it than tonight, when it very probably saved his grumpy teammate's life.Given how frustrated Sakusa seemed earlier, though, he didn’t expect to be thanked for it anytime soon –and he certainly didn’t expect the conversation to take this turn.“May I enter?”“Um, yeah, sure, just a sec!” He shuffles around, swaddles Kageyama in his sheets and hopes the sex-muffling charm embroidered into them works to cover his bird noises and movements. “Uh, come in!”Sakusa does so, careful and slow as if he expects the handle to burn his skin off, and glances around with an oddly solemn expression. His eyes wander over the bird perch, hard to identify in the absence of a bird, to the vanity, which looks even more out of place in the moonlit room.“Um. Uh. So, uh, what’s up?”"Hey, so, I wanted to thank you about earlier because, you know, whatever it is that you did helped, I guess? That situation was, um, profoundly unpleasant, and I am glad it was resolved quickly thanks to your, um, help."It's a rare sight, Sakusa looking so flustered, and to witness his razor-sharp tongue fumble over itself feels like a high privilege."Oh, you're welcome! It was no biggie!""It most certainly was, but thank you. Um, may I sit?"Shouyou nods, if only to soothe his teammates nerves as he stands like an uncomfortable pole in the middle of the room, and pats around the bed quickly to shoo Kageyama away from the edge."Actually, Hinata, there was something that I was hoping to discuss with you if that's alright. I'm not sure if you know this, but I actually have a degree in psychology, and I've noticed a few things today that worried me a little bit so I was wondering if we could have a quick um, chat about it?""Oh yeah! Is this about Atsumu-san's anxiety issue that he thinks we don't know about?Cause like, I definitely got something in there he could use, but I don't know how it'd turn out on a peeing test thingy and I don't wanna get him in trouble.""...Right. While I've noticed it too, and I'm sure Miya appreciates your concern, that wasn't what I meant. I... Hinata, I don't want to overstep here, but you understand that you are not less worth than Atsumu or us, right? You are aware that your professional career is no less important nor legitimate?""I do! That's really sweet, Sakusa-san.""Okay, but -um, what I mean is, you don't have to deal with this alone, alright? What you’re going through, I’m not pretending that I get it, but there are people out there who deal with it as well. It’s easy to believe you’re alone in that situation, but I promise you, that’s not the case, alright?”Huh? What’s this about? Fuck, did Sakusa clock him already? No, he would be freaking out, demanding an explanation, no way he’d be so calm learning about the existence of magic. This is all some kind of misunderstanding, or better yet, a strange dream from all today’s emotions, and soon he’ll wake up and this awkward conversation will never have happened. His teammate is still talking, oblivious to the storm taking place in his head, so he nods intelligently and tunes back it.“and uh, all I’m saying is, there are options for you, groups and stuff with professionals and people who’ve gone through similar things. And erm, if you ever want to talk about it with a teammate, or fuck it, a friend who might get it just a little bit –my door is always open. I mean it.”“Sure, Sakusa-san. I’ll think about it.”“That’s all I ask”, the guy says, way too relieved for somebody who almost died two hours ago. Shouyou smiles tightly, closes the door with a relieved sight, and gazes mournfully at the crow resting peacefully under his sheets.Hopefully nothing disturbs his beauty sleep.
****
Something is up with Shouyou –something magic. Atsumu didn’t pay it much mind at first, because you know, Sakusa was dying, but something about the content of the vial he shoved in Sakusa’s leg definitely tickled his snout in the distinct way of magic. Now that he’s paying attention, he can still scent the faintest whiff of magic seeping from underneath the ginger’s door, faded but undeniable. It’s strange though, the guy smells so overwhelmingly of humanity, all that smoke and pigeon stench couldn’t cover how human his friend smells –even a old, powerful kitsune like Kita couldn’t conceal his presence this well. What sort of creature could he be to feign humanity so well?Fortunately for Atsumu’s wild beast of a curiosity, he so happens to have the best powers for solving mysteries: invisibility, to follow leads in the daylight, and the ability to tail them straight into their dreams. Comfortable in his bed, he sips out of human form, curling into wisps of smoke and slithers into his teammate’s psyche.Shouyou's mindscape is weird, to say the least, and not at all what he expected. Most people's dreamscapes are a reflection of their personality, a resurgence of their innermost self and their hidden desires; of course, there is also the case of nightmares, but he doesn't smell that particular sense of dread and urgency, just an odd discomfort that seems to float up around him.Atsumu finds himself wandering over a colourful and luscious forest of which the foliage is constituted entirely of bright snakes and poisonous frogs curling and huddling against one another in a gigantic rainbow jigsaw swirl. Slithering in, he finds Kageyama Tobio, Japan's second best setter (first according to the charts) sitting in a clearing in his underwear and making flower-crowns with dandelions. "And there you go..." He hears him mutter, pressing the stem into the flower, "deep breath, in and out. There we go, good girl, look how well you took it, oh yeah. You like that, huh?"What the fuck. Is this some kind of elaborated sex dream? It looks like a sex dream, but the grass is made of swarming larvae and the sky is hot pink.Suddenly, dream-Kageyama raises his head, eyes a bottomless pitch black pool, and drops the flowers on the floor."Who's there?" He asks in Hinata's high pitched voice before wavering, an adult female voice, Iwaizumi's stern baritone, Shouyou's teenage sister, Atsumu's very own, some sort of corvid. "Show yourself! Natsu I swear if you figured out dream-walking and used it to prank me I'll hex the hell out of you. I can do much worse than human Kageyama in boxers if you test me. Want me to make him take them off? Where are you? Come out or -croaa- fuck! Get out of my head!"And just like that, he's evicted off the dream and wakes up in his bed, panting and confused, with his tail wrapped in horror around his snout.Well, that was wild, but at least he has found the answers to his questions: Shouyou is a rare male witch, and one powerful enough to alter their dreamscape.He feels weirdly worn, like he just played the Adlers, and more than a little humiliated; but none of this matters, because he thinks he just found the solution to his biggest problem.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The official time it takes for Koutaro to steal Sakusa’s watch? Something between one and nine hours after he almost murdered him for dinner, apparently. He knows that because his teammate casually mentions it during practice the next morning, just like that, between two tosses: “Hey, you guys didn’t happen to see my watch by chance? I think I may have misplaced it during the move.”Of course, Koutaro handles the situation with the outmost discretion and grace –by immediately stumbling over his own feet and having an uncontrollable coughing fit.“Are you alright, Bokuto-san?”“Ah, don’t worry disciple! I just need to, uh, take some vitamins I forgot in my bag. Captain, can I?”“Sure, don’t go getting sick so soon in the roommate program! Alright, everyone take five!”He doesn’t wait for the whistle to be blown, rushes to the locker room and open his bag before anyone can follow suit to check –and for sure, there it is, golden and shiny under his change of clothes.Spirits, no.
*****
“We need to talk.”“Aaah!”Shouyou flinches so hard he drops the ointment pot on the vanity, which opens a drawer and swallows it in.“Did- Kageyama, did you just speak?”The crow tilts its head to the side as birds often do and flutters off its perch.“Really , Shouyou? You named your crow after that prat? Squawk!”“What the –I need to sit down. Oh boy, what a mess… Okay, I’ll bite. Who are you, and what are you doing in my bird?”Not-Kageyama hobbles up to the vanity and sits in the centre, legs spread forward like a manspreading anthropomorphic bird. It takes him a second to notice the absence of reflection in the centre mirror, the blond-furred fox in the left one, and Atsumu’s cocky face in the third-wing looking glass.“Holy fuck, Atsumu is that you?”“Squawk! So what d’ya think, nice possession huh? I can’t do humans yet, but ‘m working my way up! One day I’ll do Omi-Omi in his sleep –it’s gonna be epic.”“What? No you can’t do that, that’s so intrusive! Wait, speaking of that, are you the one who snuck into my dreams last night?”“What can I say, I’m a fox of many talents.”“Ha! Bet you regret that now.”“Yeh fucker, I ain’t never gonna look Kageyama in the eyes with that flower dom shit yeh just pulled.”“You have to admit it was funny though! Plus you had it coming, sneaking into people’s subconscious like that, that’s so rude!”“Wait, really?”“Yes really! What, were you raised in a barn? Wait no don’t answer that, you’re a fox, you’re a fucking fox.”“Uh, kitsune actually.”“That so? I only see one tail there buddy.”“’m still growin’, yeh ass! Anyway, I’m sorry, I didn’ know it was rude to step in other people’s dreams. Suna and I did it to each other and Samu all the time growin’ up, ‘s good practice. I won’ do it again. There, good?”“And you won’t try to possess me or the others unless it’s a life and death matter?”“Urgh, fine, yeah, promise. Now, I was sayin’, we need to talk. Look, I’m in deep shit, I’m a twenty years old goddamn fox, separated from my earth and trapped in a buildin’ with three –well, two non-magical people who musn’ discover us.”“I mean, yeah, sure, I get that. But what’s the issue? You know I won’t tell anyone if you don’t tell on me, what’s the problem?”“Squawk squawk! The issue is I can’t control it! Whenever I get overwhelmed or like, stressed out, my tail pulls out and I could control it when it was just volleyball because I get in the zone but now we’re living all together and Omi almost died yesterday and Koutaro’s actin’ all sketchy fer some reason an’ I keep rushin’ in my room or the bathroom barely in time to shift back! Ya know how it feels to sit down fer lunch and feel yer tail poke through immediately? Well it’s not good!”“Oh, wow. That’s a problem for sure. I thought it was just anxiety…”“Oh yah get it, thank the spirits. I can’t get caught Shouyou, they’ll never let a creature that breaks the laws of physics play volleyball –no, never mind my career, what if they go after my brother? What if they hunt the whole skulk down?”“Thank the spirits… Wouldn’t that just be you? Never mind that, here’s my issue: it’s not that I don’t want to make you a potion to fix your problem, but I can’t really do that, you know? Witch magic is made by and for humans, you know? I mean sure we commune with nature and all but we rarely even meet mystical creatures –it’s not like you guys let your presence known exactly! So like, I can’t make a potion to fix your magic, because I don’t know anything about your magic! Honestly, you’re better off fixing that stressed out problem first.”“Cool, then why don’t just do that? Please Shouyou, I swear I’ll repay it double, no triple! Can’t you just make me a little potion or something to make me less stressed?”“Goddammit, what even is my life? Here I am, sitting on my bed, debating the ethics of magical cannabis with my demon-possessed bird.”“Squawk! Not a demon!”“Alright, sorry, sorry. Look, my issue is I could fix you something, magical and less harmful than weed, but it’d still fog up your brain and all, and I’m not sure you’d be able to play volleyball like that. Besides, I’d honestly rather not think of how that would turn out in the pee drug tests, can you imagine? ‘Good news, the cannabis test came out negative, however we found traces of a previously unknown molecule that we honestly think should be impossible to synthesize.”“Damn… Is there really nothing else I can try?”“Well, why don’t you try non-magical tricks to like, lower your blood pressure? Non-magical people have like, a ton of breathing exercises and stuff for that kind of things…”“Really? Could you teach me?”“No I can’t! I have no clue how these things work, my coping mechanisms include talking to my pet raven, over-exercising and making potions that would have fixed my past mistakes! But –hey, wait a second, I know who can. You should talk to Sakusa-san about it, Atsumu-san, I’m sure he’ll help!”“Squawk, squawk!”“Hey, don’t you squawk at me, it’s a great idea!”“Is it? Did ya miss the part when I said nobody could find out?”“No, don’t be silly, I meant talk about the chill-out techniques! He already thinks you have like, anxiety issues, he told me last night. And he has a psychology degree, so he knows all that stuff. You should just tell him you’re stressed, he can help!”“Huh… You know what, that doesn’t sound that dumb when you put it like that.”“I know! I can have good ideas sometimes, too!”“…I feel like you’re just a bit too excited saying that. Alright”, he sighs, comically hopping up on its brittle bird feet and flying back to the perch. “I’ll give it a try, what harm can it do? Besides, ‘s not like I have much of a choice. Thanks, Shouyou.”“You’re welcome! Now leave Kageyama alone, he’s gonna be so confused when he wakes up. I’m gonna take a nap and this time I don’t want any kind of presence sneaking in, you hear me?”“Trust me mate, if I never step a paw in yer dream hellscape again it’ll still be too soon. Sleep well!”With that, wisps of smoke rise off of the crow, and it flops over in confusion as the invading presence lets it be.
****
He calculated the operation carefully. Really, he did! Sakusa was watching a movie in the living room, Atsumu was doing some kind of research on his laptop next to him, and Hinata was reportedly taking a nap in his room. From there, they couldn’t even see the corridor around Sakusa’s room; he was just supposed to slip in, put the watch back in the least suspicious place and slip back into oblivion quietly. And at first, it went well, he sneaked in with no problem and found the accessory drawer, woefully deprived of luscious golden arrays for him to take a discreet little bite of, but appropriate nonetheless. So how did they end up in this situation? “What are you doing in my room?”“Aaah! Sakusa, what are you doing here?”“This is my room, which I don’t remember inviting you in. What are you doing in here and –wait, is this my watch?”“Um.”Oh yeah, that’s how they ended up like this. Koutaro panicked, critical thought frozen under Sakusa’s ice-cold deadly stare, and took a nice, big bite.“What the fu- shit, quick, spit it out! Oh my god, how did you even do that, wait, did you actually swallow it? Dude, how sharp are your teeth? No, never mind that, are you okay? What crossed your mind?”“Uh, sorry? Like, I’m really sorry man, I didn’t mean to uh, do that. Eat your watch. That’s probably super expensive and you must have really liked it and so that was, uh, super rude. Sorry.”“Bokuto, no, forget that, are you okay? Do you need to go the hospital? Is this, like an eating disorder thing? Wait, I think it is, I read about it in children and pregnant women… Bokuto, are you iron deficient?”And really, you can’t fault Koutaro for his impulsive reaction, caught in such a panic while Sakusa tries to rationalize the unfathomable –he panicked, alright? He drops the watch, and turns into a bird.“…I need to sit down.”“Squawk!”“So, you’re a shiny golden bird. And, oftentimes, a human too.”“Alicanto, technically. Well, my dad’s a human–don’t ask too many questions about that.”“And you can speak? Okay, that’s fine, technically not any weirder than my shit… Okay, alright. Er, first up, don’t worry Bokuto, I won’t tell anyone about this.”Oh thank the spirits. He’s still unsure whether that’s so simple, but Sakusa is his friend, so maybe they can figure something together, right?“Oh quit looking so worried, how do you even do that, you’re a bird! I mean it, I won’t tell anyone, I promise. Now, does this, this situation have anything to do with the fact that you just bit my watch?”“Yeah, um well, I kinda have to um, eat silver and gold. Else I can’t really, you know, maintain human form. But I didn’t mean to steal your watch, really I swear! Precious metals are just, uh, attracted to me I guess? Especially when I’m hungry. And well, with the dorms I can’t really hang around in bird form anymore so I’m just like, hungry all the time.”Sakusa sighs, looking very much like all fight was sucked out of him, and lets himself fall on the bed.“You know, I’d have given you the watch had you asked.”“Wait, for real?”“Of course. I wouldn’t want my friends to go hungry.”“Woah… Wait, Sakusa, does that mean we’re friends?”“Do not! Don’t hug me, I swear I will take it back.”He doesn’t even try, content with flapping his wings and squawking happily.“But, Bokuto, I’m sorry; I’m not sure how to help you. I don’t use that much silver and gold, my family has always found it distasteful to flaunt our money. Wealth whispers, or something.”“So you don’t have any…”“No, I’m sorry. Well, I probably have a ring somewhere in there, and you can have the rest of the watch, but that’s about all I can give you. I’ll check if I can take out some money are buy you stuff next time I go into town if you want.”“No no, it’s okay, you don’t have to waste your money on you, I’ll figure it out! I’m just happy we’re friends, and glad that I didn’t accidentally ruin everything or eat an heirloom… That would have been awkward.”“Ha! That it would have been, that’s for sure.”Sakusa smiles, and maybe Koutaro is struggling to keep his secret, maybe he’s hungry and struggling and uncertain of what the future holds but for now, he’s just happy he has made a new friend.
****
This can’t go on. He knows maybe he’s being impatient, and he told himself he would give him time, but Kiyoomi is concerned. He can’t help it! It’s not Hinata’s fault that he can’t sleep, that he lays in his bed like a corpse in a coffin with his eyes wide open and can hear every creaking door, every squeaking of the floor and the most feathery of footsteps. It’s not his teammate’s fault either, that even after years in therapy and a psychology degree, that he still gets afraid in his night, straining to hear the drumming of a heart that doesn’t beat anymore, ready for the beast to come back and kill him once more.Be that as it may, he can’t help but hear the noise, tonight as last night, in the corridor by Hinata’s door; he hears him sneak in the near-bye bathroom, he smells the smoke and the water boiling on the fire, and he worries. Hinata is so peppy in practice, so joyful and full of life, you wouldn’t believe he’s spent the whole night doing drugs. Does he take an upper in the morning before joining them? How long has this been going on? More concerning is that this is Hinata, who lives and breathes volleyball, and has never made a contingency plan for anything in his life –who is doing this. How far along is he, how advanced in his addiction that he takes drugs every night when he is an athlete? The worst part is of course he knows of surprised checks, he must have undergone some in his time in Brazil, and he was concerned about Atsumu getting caught when they talked about it last night, so why does he do this to himself? What’s the plan when he, who has never shown interest in anything but sports, gets busted and isn’t allowed to play anymore? Go home and take drugs until he overdoses and dies?Maybe he’s being dramatic, and it’s not like him to be so concerned about the well-being of strangers, but yesterday’s run-in with death- or whatever it is that happens when an undead is destroyed- has left him rattled and a little shaken, and he’s really started to think that he should have chose that addiction elective. Maybe then he’d have more to base himself on than the two hours lecture he got on it in psychopathology, maybe if he had a little more sanity and social skill himself, maybe if he could rely on his flatmates –but they have enough issues with their anxiety, which he’ll have to talk about with Miya too, and he was such a dick last night, and the other one is a hungry magic bird and he’s so rich but he can’t even feed his friend and maybe if he wasn’t a fucking vampire-This would all be so much easier if he could just sleep. Of course, he’s not really an insomniac, and hasn’t felt the effects of sleep depravation since he was five, but he still mourns the sensation of quiet and restfulness that comes with shutting his own mind for the night. Kiyoomi takes a deep breath, covers his ears to shut out the noise, and tries to pretend like he can still dream.
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“May I come in?”“Huh? Oh, sure, come in Omi-Omi!”His pale, dark-haired teammate steps into the room with a careful kind of elegance, as if being allowed to enter Atsumu’s humble den was a privilege that could be taken away any moment now. After his chat with Shouyou about consent yesterday, he researched it a bit on the internet and as it turns out, humans do indeed care about it for more than sexual reasons, and hate it when their homes, rooms, minds or even personal space are intruded on –the more you know. According to the internet, that makes Sakusa, who is always so respectful and careful to ask before entering anyone’s space, a green flag, something to noted and appreciated. He says so, and Sakusa looks almost bashful, though he doesn’t blush, sitting next to him on the bed at his invitation.“Thank you. If I’m being honest, I don’t feel I have most merit in the matter; I know first-hand the consequences careless behaviour can attract.”“What do you mean? Did someone hurt you?”“It’s… It was a long time ago. Some, urgh, woman who didn’t really get boundaries kind of attacked me, and it kind of had a lasting impact on me I suppose? It really felt like dying, and I know I should be over it by now, but it’s kinda hard to when I haven’t slept ever since…”“That’s terrible, Omi-Omi. I‘m sorry it happened to yah.”“It is what it is, I suppose. Hell, why am I even telling you all that? That’s not what I’m here for, we were supposed to be talking about you!”“No no, ye’re fine, I like talkin about yeh, I’m interested in yah! Wait, no, that sounded wrong –well, not that it would be a problem, yah know, because uh, ye’re very handsome and stuff, but also ’s inappropriate given the conversation and I wouldn’ want but ‘s not like I wouldn’ ever-“ “Huh, Hinata told me you wanted to talk to me about something.”Oh thank the spirits, he thought he was never going to stop talking.“Yeah! He, uh, I tend to get a little stressed, yah know, and it’s a pain in the ass… Shouyou said you thought I had like, anxiety and stuff and that there were resources that could help?”“Yes, for sure! Did you have any questions, or would you feel more comfortable if I asked you about some stuff?” The end up talking for a long, long time, until the day breaks and the setting sun seeps into the room like tendrils of golden magic. Sakusa’s voice is oddly comforting, like a soothing lullaby that makes him want to lean in and lay on his friend’s shoulder with his neck bare and eyes half-shut. He also makes for amazing company, regardless of the eye-candy, and Atsumu is surprised to find his advice much more helpful than he’d thought. He teaches him meditation, hands in a cup by his belly sitting criss-cross applesauce on the ground, and Atsumu is surprised to feel the wisps of magic swirling across his body as do his thoughts and to let them flow, free and feather-light, instead of holding onto them in strict discipline; for the first time, he relents control, and feels the power flood at his will in kindness, not in obedience.“Yah know, Omi”, he whispers, laying on the mattress inches away from his friend’s face. “I know someone who’s really could at like, puttin’ people ta sleep. I could hook yah up with them, if ya want?”His friend’s laughter is sad, but lovely nonetheless.“At this point, I suppose I’ll give it a try: I’ll either be right, or pleasantly surprised, either way it’s a win.”“Who knows?”Sakusa smiles, and Atsumu loses himself in the ink wells of his eyes.
****
Two down, one to go; as far as Kiyoomi’s concerned, he’s totally winning this flat-mate thing. Empowered by his successes and the dizzying shine of Atsumu’s hazel eyes, he sneaks until the far-side bathroom on the left at night.Covered in the shadows by the sink, the caricature of a preying vampire, he watches with confusion as Hinata pulls his material from a comparatively tiny suitcase. He expected weed, a lighter and a vipe, maybe bags of white powder or shiny little pills… Instead, Hinata produces a firepit, a ladle, an oversized engraved wooden spoon, a whole bunch of herbs, preserved insects and all-around suspicious vials, and a large metal pole. Fascinated, Kiyoomi watches as he lights the fire, fills the cauldron up with water from the bathtub and various ingredients and starts steering, whispering in reconstituted proto-indo-european under his breath. Soon, the mixture starts to bubble, and green smoke that smells like how he’d imagine a frog would taste fills the room, odd but not repulsive. Hinata curses under his breath, adds a sprinkle of ruby-red powder and vigorously stirs the cauldron counterclockwise, shoulders only relaxing when the smoke turns a sickly yellow. Slowly, it brightens up to the taint of a newborn chick, then into something sunshine and lemon-y, before settling into elegant golden wisps that have the ginger cheering enthusiastically. Enthralled, Kiyoomi almost leans in, and jolts in surprise, when his teammate grabs the metal pole, dunks it in the mixture, and pulls back a pole made of what looks like heavy, polished, solid gold.“Oh my god!”“What the –aaaah! Sakusa-san, how long have you been standing there?”“What –oh my –so that’s what you’ve been doing? Are you some kind of alchemist?”“No, I, that’s just… Okay, alright, you got me. The right term is witch, by the way.”“Okay, okay, okay, that’s great, you’re a witch, he’s a bird, and –just to clarify, this is gold, right?”“Uh, yeah? Yes, I finally did it! It’s real gold!”“And it wasn’t before, right? It was metal?”“Um… Alright, okay, it was iron.”“Great! Great, that’s great! Amazing! Stay right here.”“Uh, what?”“Stay right here, okay? I’ll be right back. God, Hinata, I’m so glad that you’re not a junky.”So he takes off, leaving a petrified dumbfounded Hinata in his wake, and rushes to Bokuto’s door.“Hey! Wake up! Hey, hey, you need to wake up now, open up!”His friend’s face appears behind the door, hair disheveled and eyelids thick with sleep, half-shut over the discreet glow of his shimmering eyes.“Urgh? What- wha’s happening?”“Bokuto, quick come with, I found the solution to your problem. Quick, follow me!” Thankfully Hinata’s still frozen in place when they reach the bathroom, holding onto his smoldering golden rod with wild eyes and panting breath.“Great, everyone’s here, wonderful. Bokuto, I know I wouldn’t tell but you can trust Hinata is in no position to go around spreading rumors anytime soon. Okay guys, let me do the introductions –Hinata, this is Bokuto Koutaro, he’s an alicanto (that’s a magic golden bird). Bokuto, this is Hinata Shouyou, he’s a witch that makes potions.”“I- what? Bokuto, you too?”“What do you mean, I –wait, is that gold?”“It is. Bokuto, Hinata can turn iron into gold. Isn’t that amazing?”His friend doesn’t answer verbally, just grabs the pole and bites into it enthusiastically, but from his tears and blinding smile as he chews it up, he can sense his friend’s joy, relief and gratitude.Three out of three. Kiyoomi really aced the roommate- no, the friendship game.
****
When Atsumu invited Kita to hang out at their flat and help him fix OmiOmi’s sleep, he expected his mentor to walk in with a few pleasantries, a thermos of tea like he always do, perhaps a bag of rice from his newest farm. He certainly didn’t expect the senior fox to walk in, nose twitching in disturbed confusion, and zero on Sakusa with a piercing snow-cold glare.“Huh. Sakusa-san, we’ve met before, though never in such close quarters –I believe the smell of gyms and teenage sweat makes for quite the good cover. Atsumu-kun, why didn’t you simply tell me your crush was a vampire?”A what. Sakusa is a what?“How did you find out?”Wait, for real? In lieu of an answer, Kita unravels his human form. In his stead stands a majestic, snow-white, nine-tailed fox, in the middle of the day, in the middle of his living room with all of his roommates by them.“Wait, oh my god Kita-san, but the others-““What of the others? I smell a vampire, an alicanto, a witch and um, some pigeon, maybe? Not exactly the kind who could afford to waste their judgement on our kind.”“Ooh, so that’s why your nose is so sensitive, Tsum-Tsum!”“Don’t ‘ooh’ me, why are you so calm about this? And what did Kita mean by alicanto, what’s that even?”“Um, Atsumu-san, you’re really looking quite stressed out, maybe you should-“Too late, Atsumu is already back in primal form, hiding his snout behind his tail.“I would just want everybody here to note that this is a stressful situation, in which it is normal to freak out, and all of you are the weird ones.”“…Says the talking fox.”“Kitsune!”“I mean sure, we’re weird. So what?”“Maybe that’s why they made us room all together. Maybe it’s all a plot!”“Does this mean you can help my predicament, Kita-san?”His mentor tilts his head to the side, scratching his ear with his bottom leg in deep thought, then floats away to Sakusa’s eye level.“I’m afraid I can’t fix your ailment, if that is your question. You are most definitely quite dead, for which I offer the most sincere condolences, and any attempt to cure vampirism would have the dire consequences I’m sure you can imagine, given your heart hasn’t beaten once for over fifteen years.”“Yeah, I… I understand.”“That being said, I hope you know your condition makes you no less human, and as such my powers still have a hold on you. Atsumu was right to recommend me, the spirit master of sleep; if it’s only rest you seek, I can give it back to you.”“You can?”“Certainly. I can even grant you dreams, though I should warn you some people here have the tendency to wander where perhaps they aren’t most welcome.”“Never again, I swear! I’ve learnt my lesson!”Kita laughs in a manner that tells Atsumu he knows exactly what he’s talking about, which is terribly humiliating, and presses his snout against Sakusa’s forehead. Immediately, his friend’s eyes start glowing, moonlight seeping in them like smoke, and he falls down on the coach in a peaceful slumber –the first one in over fifteen years.“Well,” Kita smiles, shifting back in human form to wrap Omi-Omi in blankets. “Who wants some tea? I’ve brought some for everybody.”Like a spell has been broken, the chaos starts again, everyone talking and screaming at the same time. Atsumu spares a glance at the resident vampire, blissfully resting through it all, and can’t help the soft smile that creeps upon his face.Sure, they might all be terrible at keeping their secrets ; but maybe it’s not so bad that they found each other.