saltinourstars | I didn't come to wave or take pictures

Most paparazzi keep away from Kei. Hitachiin Legal loves a restraining order, and that’s enough for a semi-normal life.

But public games are public, and Kei spots at least three in the stands. Nondescript hair, clothes, faces. So plain they scream among the colorful crowd. One even has the nerve to smile, when he catches Kei’s glare.

Ugh.

Never mind.

Exhaling, he shuts them out. Settling into the tempo of his team. The rhythm and flow of defense, rising to a higher crescendo each time. It feels good. Kei's spent four years building with Todai, and they're contenders for Nationals. Maybe even favorites.

This is what matters.

Not the paparazzi with their gossip and grins.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

fragrant_hitachiin

Kaoru's smile softens into something more genuine, once he has Kei's agreement and a plan for the evening. He's pleased that the weirdo paparazzi won't ruin this for them.

"And they say romance is dead," he responds, thinking of the horror movie that awaits. "Spicy Thai or baby Thai?" Kaoru teases, taking his phone out already so that he can place their usual orders.

From:

saltinourstars

"Some of us like having tastebuds."

If Kaoru minds? Too bad. These are the dire sacrifices made for love.

***

Another evening, another dinner.

Nationals next week.

Kei wants to be here. Bracing for the chaos of travel. Instead he keeps dropping lines of conversation. Twirling his chopsticks, or pushing food around his plate. Kaoru will probably have to repeat what was just said.

From:

fragrant_hitachiin

Kaoru sniggers. The order is placed, then picked up on the way home. The night passes in a quiet lull of good food and warm cuddles.

They can't afford to eat together every night, not when they're in their final year of college and grinding on assignments, on jobs, on the court. But they eat together as often as they can, and that's what's important to Kaoru.

Which is why it's frustrating when Kei isn't completely there. After telling him twice about the texts he got from Haruhi to no response, Kaoru finally huffs and drops his fork with a 'clink.'

"Okay, seriously, what is up with you tonight? What's going on? You'd better not be hiding something from me," he huffs, thinking back to the last thing Kei hid, that ended with him in a hospital bed.

From:

saltinourstars

"Geeze, I'm not."

Technically not a lie, but not an explanation. Kei wouldn't settle for it. How could he expect anyone else to? So, two choices. It comes out now, messy and incomplete, or Kaoru drags it out. By the hair.

Pushing aside his plate, Kei folds long arms on the table.

"Remember those photographers? At Regionals."

From:

fragrant_hitachiin

Kaoru is just about to complain that Kei is definitely hiding something when his partner pushes his plate away and gets suddenly serious. Kaoru sits up a little straighter, and his brow furrows.

"I remember. What about them? Have they been harassing you?"

From:

saltinourstars

"No. They weren't paparazzi. They were scouts, from the V.League."

Plain as that.

As if it's a perfectly normal thing to say over dinner.

From:

fragrant_hitachiin

Kaoru's jaw legitimately drops. "The V.League?" He repeats, eyes gone wide and brows up to his hairline. "Professional volleyball? They've been checking you out, I know, the guy at the last game mentioned that you were the star of the team. What happened!?"

From:

saltinourstars

There's a disbelieving tch at 'Star.'

So many players dream of the Pros. Every year there's a new batch of phenomenons. Splashed across headlines and the courts, vying for attention. Some might make it. Most won't.

Kei never considered such a thing. For all that volleyball mattered, for all of his pride, the time was always going to end. He needed a real career. Made peace with the fact.

Now everything feels sideways.

"Coach told me. He's been getting inquiries, and wanted to know if I'd thought about it."

From:

fragrant_hitachiin

"Have you?"

Kaoru wonders. Kei's never said that he wants to continue, but the fact is, he has. Through high school, even when he said it was "just a club." Into college, even though he takes his studies seriously, has aspirations in the sciences and not on the court.

"Even if you won't admit it, you're a huge part of the reason your team made it to Nationals," he adds. "I'm not even being biased about it, that's just obviously true."

From:

saltinourstars

Kei shrugs.

He's a strong player. No argument. The high school and college records back that up.

"It's just - That's for people who - Ugh, I don't know. The Weirdos got recruited right out of high school, seemed like that was it."

From:

fragrant_hitachiin

Kaoru tries to be patient as he listens to Kei's reasoning and thought process, hoping to understand what's going on in his head. He knows that Kei rarely makes things simple, even for himself, especially when it comes to accepting things he's earned.

"So you thought that because you weren't recruited out of high school like Hinata and them all, you wouldn't ever get to be?" He repeats, wrapping his head around this. "Isn't getting recruited a big part of college sports, though? Surely your teammates must have talked about it, or maybe it happened to people from your team last year?"

From:

saltinourstars

"That's still only a few players. In all of Japan. I need to get my degree, not wait for some miracle."

He's got too little time for that. Besides Nationals prep, Kei's facing down a Senior Thesis, Finals, and the Grad School decision. Plus a wedding to plan.

Now comes this monkey wrench.

From:

fragrant_hitachiin

Kaoru considers this. Again, trying to be careful and thoughtful.

"Even if you weren't thinking about getting scouted, or 'waiting for the miracle', you earned this," he points out. "You worked just as hard at volleyball as anything else, and these people noticed. So now you can do both, if you want, right? Get a degree and keep playing?"

"What team is scouting you, anyways?"

From:

saltinourstars

Does he even want this? Kei's had a solid vision for the last several years. Finish undergrad, earn PhD as fast as possible, get a field research position. It looks a bit (or a lot) like the museum photoshoot Kaoru ran. Professional and calm, putting new worlds together.

Now that vision's gone shaky.

To keep playing...

Kei sticks with existing facts.

"Two have contacted Coach - Sendai Frogs and Hokkaido Busters. There may be more, if there's rumors going about me. Coach said he wouldn't be surprised."

From:

fragrant_hitachiin

Kaoru considers these two options. "Hokkaido's pretty far, and cold, but Sendai's right near your family. I mean, we never really talked about you moving back there, but it's not impossible. Tohoku University has an amazing natural history museum, too."

Is Kaoru trying to convince him to play? He isn't even really sure. More like, he's trying to coax Kei into being honest with himself. If all Kei is focused on are the things in his way, he'll never consider the offer for all its potential benefits.

"And you never know, maybe a Tokyo team will scout you, and then you won't even have to move."

From:

saltinourstars

Ugh, but honesty is messy.

At the reminder of moving, Kei groans. Presses both temples. Kaoru's right to at least consider locations. It's just a lot.

"Why does anyone like surprises? They're such a pain."

Edited Date: 2023-06-19 11:17 pm (UTC)

From:

fragrant_hitachiin

Kaoru makes a sympathetic noise and reaches across the table to pat Kei's hair. "I'm just saying, it shouldn't have been a surprise. You underestimate yourself and how other people see you. You deserve this attention, because you're incredible."

Then he leans back and picks his fork up again, though he doesn't immediately eat. "But just because you're good enough, doesn't mean you have to go for it. You can turn them down if you don't want to keep playing."

From:

saltinourstars

Kei only half swats at the pat.

"All right, all right."

Nothing needs to be decided tonight. He'd prefer things settled, but there just isn't enough information. What it's like to make this kind of life choice.

Of course... He could ask. He does know a ridiculous amount of players. One in particular comes to mind.

Kei wades in after dinner. Bracing for the flood of emojis.

Hey

it's Tsukishima
You busy?

From:

fragrant_hitachiin

Hinata doesn't immediately answer Tsukishima's text, because he's in the shower when his phone chimes with it. It isn't for another twenty minutes that he emerges, squeaky clean and rosy cheeked, and absently checks his phone to see if he's missed anything.

I know who you are duh!!
Whats wrong?

Edited Date: 2023-06-21 12:32 am (UTC)

From:

saltinourstars

Look it's not like they talk every day - !

Okay.

Not trying to start an argument first thing. (Witness the maturity.) In fact, he's not even going to pretend nothing's wrong.

I'm getting scouted to go Pro

it's weird

Edited Date: 2023-06-21 02:12 am (UTC)