3 Chapter 3: New Discoveries

(TW: Implication of self-harm, as well as the action)

LI WEI STARES PROUDLY AT HIS FURNISHED LIVING ROOM- as it was the last room that needed to be completely furnished. This proud feeling was something Li Wei didn't feel very often, as many of his accomplishments felt very artificial at best. He knew that ice skating was something he was a prodigy in and yet, despite his love for the sport, he no longer finds passion in it.

The last week had been very busy for Li Wei, making it difficult to contact Hinata to do anything other than set up his house. He found himself constantly apologizing to Hinata, as he felt as though he was letting down his only friend. Luckily for him, Hinata could care less and instead offered his help in finishing up his house.

The last week also brought some joyful surprises, such as getting far closer to Hinata than he could ever imagine was possible for someone like him. The two moved away from the 'san' prefix and moved onto 'kun', an improvement in Li Wei's books. He wasn't quite ready for the exchanging of first names. Li Wei also found himself flinching less and less whenever Hinata became more affectionate per say. It took time for Li Wei to understand Hinata's actions as friendly rather than romantic, because if it were romantic, they'd need to have a very intensive conversation.

Li Wei would never abandon Hinata, who is his first real friend, but he could never be that. No, he would rather die than be sent back to that man if his parents ever found out he was switching again. Trapped within his own thoughts and fears, Li Wei didn't notice the loud beeping produced by his cell phone. He was far too deep at the moment, something that usually happened whenever he recalled his horrendous experience at the conversion therapy place he went to. It was one of the few memories that created a deep seeded resentment within Li Wei.

Finally, Li Wei awoke from his thoughts and hastily answered the phone, knowing it could really be only one person. "Hello?" Li Wei asked in a cautious whisper. Though he was sure it was Hinata, he didn't want to take any chances and give away who he was as he had forgotten to check the caller id. Luckily, he was right on the money.

"LI-KUN!! Wanna go practice volleyball?!? You said you'd show me all your WOAH moves and and it hasn't happened yet-." Li Wei could almost see the pout visible on Hinata's face. He had told Hinata he'd practice with him before school started, but had yet to fulfill that as Li Wei had been fairly busy. Chuckling a bit, Li Wei cut off Hinata's continuous rambling. "Alright Hinata-kun, we can practice volleyball together. How about you come over to my place and we can walk to wherever you decide is the best practice area?" He questioned, unsure if Hinata would want to follow his advice. It was a silly thing to doubt, but Li Wei wasn't used to anyone taking his thoughts or ideas into consideration as he had to follow a particular mold.

Hinata almost wanted to groan the unsure tone his friend was giving him. He's not the brightest crayon in the box, but it was fairly easy to notice how out of depth Li Wei was on the topic of what was socially acceptable between friends. At first, Hinata thought he just didn't enjoy being touched or was unsure how to accommodate his more energetic personality, but those thoughts were dashed when Li Wei began to give subtle hints. He would look at Hinata like a lost puppy whenever something so basic about friendship would come up. The most telling sign was when Li Wei asked him, "If you hug a friend, does that mean you like them romantically?". It was eye opening because platonic hugging is so normal between friends and yet, Li Wei had no idea about that. Hinata had one goal when it came to Li Wei and that was to help him become more comfortable with platonic affection, something he assumed Li Wei sorely lacked. Noticing he hadn't spoken in a while, Hinata quickly assured Li Wei. "Yeah! That's fine!! We��re gonna have so much fun. I'll show you all my moves and tell you all about my 'Race to Ace' plan!"

Li Wei sighed in relief before saying goodbye to Hinata, as he needed to get himself ready in workout clothing. During the week, Li Wei had also gone shopping for whatever he would need in the future, such as more groceries, household goods, and clothing. He did not want to walk around in brand name clothing, which he owned far too much of. Li Wei had bought himself plenty of comfortable clothing and new workout clothing, as most of his clothing for working out was geared towards ice skating. He needed shorts and tank tops, not long pants nor long sweatshirts.

Li Wei grabbed some black shorts and a white tank top, before quickly changing into them. He checked himself out in the mirror, noticing the small lines filling up his arms and legs. Groaning, he grabbed a bright green sweater and covered his arms, knowing he couldn't really cover his legs unless he wore long pants..which would probably make Hinata ask more questions. He really liked Hinata and didn't want to ever burden him with his past, therefore he would keep quiet if asked any red-flag like questions.

He walked downstairs and grabbed a red backup he bought, filling it with healthy snacks such as fruits and water in case they got hungry while practicing. He was admittedly nervous about showing Hinata what he could do. Without anyone to really give him feedback, he was sure he was at a beginner level and had no real special moves, aside from the few he made himself.

About to spiral into more negative thoughts, Li Wei was startled by the ringing of his door bell. Hastily making his way towards the door, he opened it up and wasn't entirely surprised by the sudden handful of orange he held in his hands. He suppressed another flinch, still not used to hugs. "Hello Hinata-kun, how are you?" Li Wei gently asked, having not really gotten to ask Hinata while on the phone. "AH! I'M GREAT. I get to finally see you play!!" Hinata exclaimed excitedly, basically dragging Li Wei out of his house.

Li Wei locked the door behind him, before allowing Hinata to continue dragging him, knowing that he would never intentionally hurt or mislead him. It didn't take very long to arrive at what seemed to be Hinata's home. "Hinata-kun, if we were just going to your home, wouldn't it have been easier if I just came to you instead?" Li Wei questioned, not understanding why Hinata would take time out of his day to walk to his home without really needing to. Was this another perk of having friends?

Hinata moved his hand from Li Wei's wrist and onto his hand, holding it a bit firmly. "A-ah, I just wanted to hang out with you more.." He pouts, staring at Li Wei. Hinata can feel himself blush a bit, unable to control himself in front of someone so gorgeous. How is he supposed to stay neutral when those pretty emerald eyes look towards him for help??

Li Wei firmly believes the blush Hinata is sporting is because he is flustered for being caught and simply chuckles at him. "I like being with you too, but if you wanted to hang out more, you could stay over for a sleepover sometime. I've heard those are exciting." Li Wei's eyes sparkle a bit, having heard wonders of sleepovers from his 'friends' but he was never allowed to participate. It was too girly according to his parents. He always found it hypocritical of them as they never saw ice skating as being too girly or feminine, but sleepovers were always off limits. He wouldn't let that stop him anymore.

Hinata gave Li Wei a firm hug, before dragging him inside his house. His home was fairly traditional and had a large enough backyard to create a half-sized volleyball court. He often used it to practice over the summer when he could no longer use his middle school's gym. Hinata dragged Li Wei straight to the backyard, not really willing to deal with his ever energetic young sister, Natsu. Luckily, they made it all the way to the backyard without any interruptions and Hinata could feel the excitement within his bones. "Cmon!! Show me all your moves!!" Hinata yelled out, jumping up and down in front of Li Wei.

Li Wei felt a bit flustered by the action because Hinata looked like a tiny puppy begging to be pet but he wouldn't do that. It was too intimate for Li Wei. He had a fairly skewed sense of what was appropriate and what wasn't, which meant that for some odd reason, head pats were simply too outlandish. "Alright, give me a second." Li Wei went to the other side of the court and grabbed the volleyball that lay innocently on the ground. The only position he felt fairly confident in was libero as he learned how to constantly dig whenever his mother decided he needed to learn how to catch any of her items. That was one punishment he was glad to never deal with again, but it helped his volleyball skills.

With the ball in his hands, Li Wei tossed it up, waiting for the exact moment before serving it. This is the moment where Hinata learns that Li Wei was either dishonest with him or completely unaware of his skill set level. The ball literally zoomed past him, hitting the back right corner, leaving Hinata no time to react.

Gawking, Hinata stares at Li Wei as if he were a prodigy of sorts. "Y-you....WOAH!!! THAT BALL WAS LIKE WHOOSH...I-IT WENT SO FAST I THINK MY LIFE FLASHED BEFORE MY EYES. YOU SAID YOU WERE AT A BEGINNER LEVEL?!?" Hinata watches as Li Wei splutters, his face turning as red as a tomato.

"I-i..didn't have anyone to practice with…"He trails off quietly, unsure if Hinata is upset at him. He twiddles his thumbs, anxiously awaiting Hinata's verdict. "THAT WAS AMAZING!!! TEACH ME THAT!" Hinata exclaims, before continuing on. "LET'S PLAY MORE!!!" Before the two even realize, a few hours pass by and Hinata realizes that Li Wei is pretty awful at some of the positions, such as setter. He can't seem to find the right amount of strength to use.

Li Wei offers to buy dinner for Hinata, as a sort of thank-you gesture for helping him realize his faults. His friend adamantly refuses, trying to explain how it isn't necessary to buy things or dinners for friends just because they helped you out. It takes Hinata a bit to really push that message into Li Wei's head, but once it gets through, Li Wei bows down and apologizes.

"Ahhah it's fine! Tomorrow we're gonna finally be Karasuno volleyball members! We should meet up before school starts!!" Hinata says, wanting to walk to school with Li wei. They would walk together, eat lunch together, and fall in love together- Hinata shakes his head away from those thoughts, not yet ready to admit the small crush he has on his very beautiful friend.

Li Wei on the other hand hastily agrees to Hinata's request, feeling a bit unnerved now that reality is setting in and classes begin tomorrow. He's about to say goodbye but quickly turns to Hinata to tell him something, "I think i'm going to apply for a manager at first as I believe i'll be on the sidelines and hate not doing anything." He explains, wanting to clear up Hinata's drooping expression. It's true that he often kept himself busy as he had a crazy schedule back home, leaving him to feel antsy when he wasn't doing much.

Hinata pouts a bit, having wanted to play with his friend asap on the same team, but he sort of understands the reasoning. Despite how great his friend is at serving and playing libero, there's a low chance that there is no libero already on the team and Li Wei may not be up to the right standards. Grumbling, Hinata nods towards Li Wei to show his acceptance on the matter, before hugging him goodbye.

Li Wei finds himself walking back home alone, having had a lovely day. He still needs to eat dinner, but with his nerves slowly building up, he finds himself craving some spicy cup noodles. He's scared that people will treat him again like an untouchable god of sorts, something he definitely isn't. The isolation he found himself in led him to truly hate the school he attended back in Beijing, though he found he hated the fake friends more.

Groaning, Li Wei opens the door to his home and scours the kitchen for the cup noodles, throwing some water in a kettle to boil. He gently pours the water in and covers up the lid using some chopsticks, before removing his sweater. The stickiness upon his skin made him want to jump straight into the shower, but the growling of his stomach made him stay put.

Li Wei eats fairly slowly, his mind plagued by thoughts of what if, unsure if tomorrow will either be a truly new start or a major disaster. What if there is no place for him on the team? What if Hinata finds better friends and he sees him less and less? What if it's truly no different than his old school but instead of people flocking to him for status, they'd instead flock to him for his looks but not his personality?

These thoughts consumed him as he trashed the finished cup noodles into the garbage bin and made his ways upstairs, intent on taking a warm shower. He grabs a pair of shorts and t-shirt, never having been comfortable enough to sleep in his boxers. It was probably due to the scars that littered his body, making him feel unworthy of anyone gazing upon it.

The water was scalding but Li Wei paid no attention to it, as his mind continued to spiral downwards. He needed a way to ground himself, so he found his way out of the shower and towards the razor that sat innocently upon his sink. He hated the scars upon his body, yet he constantly added to them.

He brought the blade across his skin, watching emotionlessly as tiny red beads formed upon his skin. It brought him the strangest bit of comfort knowing that he could control what scars exactly were going on his body. He didn't add many this time around, only a few and found himself gently cleaning the cuts.

Li Wei stared into the mirror, his eyes duller than ever. Instead of the bright emerald color they'd always been, his eyes now resemebled a dull gem that was casually thrown away. This was a side to him that he never really showed anyone, not wanting to give any person that amount of power over him. Was it healthy? No, it clearly wasn't, but it was the only self-destructive behavior he found himself partaking in. He had wanted to drink his sorrows away, but the fear of being caught drunk at home outweighed the possible joy he would've found at being drunk out of his mind.

Leaving the bathroom, Li Wei turned off the lights in his room, leaving on a small nightlight he'd found in a nearby store. It produced a multitude of colors, all of which made him feel a tiny bit better. He finally changed into his pj's and crawled into bed, unwilling to think anymore about tomorrow. It was only 9pm, but he felt it was way into the night. Li Wei placed his alarm for 6:30am, hopefully giving him enough time to get ready, eat, and walk with Hinata.

The worries of tomorrow slowly faded away as Li Wei fell into a peaceful sleep. His eyes fluttered close and his breathing became steady. He curled up into a ball, as if protecting himself from a monster hiding beneath the bed.