Chapter 14: End of the Training Camp
(TW: Small dark thought)
LI WEI STARED AT THE DOOR TO THE BATHROOM, WONDERING IF- this was the end. He couldn't exactly avoid taking a shower, nor could he think of a good enough excuse aside from not feeling comfortable with showing off his body. However, Hinata was so excited to learn about his hair care routine because it was supposedly very shiny and silky. He hated disappointing Hinata, yet he knew questions would be asked the second the clothing came off of his body.
Scars were everywhere. His arms and thighs were littered with small pink lines, some of which seemed done in anger. His back held welts of all sizes, layering on top of one another. His chest, near the bottom, had plenty of cigarette burn marks, from whenever his father found himself too lazy to get an ashtray. Li Wei never hated his body, but he simply found it disgusting.
Sighing, Li Wei carefully opened the sliding door, hearing loud bouts of chatter from the other first-years. Hinata's cheery voice instantly commanded attention to itself, something Li Wei would probably never be able to do.
As he shuffled through his bag for his toiletries, Li Wei was surprised by the white shirt he had brought. The male manager tried to recall its purpose, when he had a lightbulb moment. The shirt was for the shower/bath! This meant he could join his team without any repercussions of seeing the scars on his back or chest, though the ones on his arms and thighs would become more noticeable. He would just cover them with a towel.
With everything in hand, Li Wei walked into the shower/bath area, where a loud 'LI-KUN' echoed throughout the room. Sighing fondly, Li Wei sits on one of the many stools and begins to shower himself, careful not to let anyone see the scars littering his body. He gently responds to Hinata with a small hello, before keeping to himself as the day has been long enough already. Behind him, the other first-years were chatting about what the rest of the week would be like, having already practiced some volleyball. Li Wei was a bit sad that he already missed some potential practice, however he felt he needed to ice skate a bit. It provided him with a different outlet for when he felt down.
Having finished washing his body, Li Wei made his way over to the steaming hot water, gently letting himself in. A sigh of relief passed his lips as he completely submerged himself, missing the blushes across the first-years faces. The male god on their team was basically naked, aside from the white shirt that somehow didn't become see through, and that did wonders for their thoughts. Luckily for the boys, Li Wei was far more focused on the warmth surrounding him.
Time passes by slowly, with the other first-years leaving Li Wei all by himself in the warm water. The beautiful male finds it difficult to leave the warmth, as he would rather just fall asleep. However, he knows that if he falls asleep, he may drown and that isn't something he would like to do at the moment.
Slowly getting out of the water, Li Wei rapidly wraps himself in a white fluffy towel, though he still shivers a bit. He puts on some forest green silk pajamas that have never irritated his skin, something he truly finds solace in. The male manager puts the rest of his items into his black bag, before leaving the bathroom. He makes his way towards the room everyone will be sleeping in, noticing how many of the members are deciding who they will be sleeping next to and where they'll be sleeping.
"LI-KUN! Sleep next to me!!" Hinata's puppy eyes are automatically out, leaving Li Wei defenseless. He hates making Hinata sad so he agrees to sleep right next to the male, which results in the tangerine pumping his left fist upwards. "See bakeyama! Li-kun will always sleep with me!" His friend spews out, before clamming right up and blushing a deep red. Question marks appear above Li Wei's head as he cannot fathom why Hinata suddenly became embarrassed.
"B-BOKE HINATA BOKE, y-you can't say that!" Kageyama slightly stutters as he also wears a deep crimson blush. Over time, Li Wei has begun warming up to Kageyama, who he eventually realized sucks at social situations.
"N-no I M-MEANT NEXT T-TO ME!!" His friend corrects himself almost desperately, before looking at him for some form of approval? Li Wei isn't completely sure. However, he nods back at Hinata, watching the male deflate in relief. Still confused, the male manager decides to forget about the conversation, instead focusing on placing his futon down. Li Wei gets himself under the covers, despite it only being noon.
For the next 10 hours, the team members chat, gossip, and overall enjoy themselves. A game of truth and dare is played, with Li Wei getting asked plenty of truths about who he likes and who he would marry. The male never gave them a clear answer, unsure of what they were fishing for. He also didn't want to think about the answers to those questions, as he has been fairly confused lately.
Eventually, when night time comes around, Li Wei is fast asleep. The other team members stayed up a bit longer, speaking in hushed whispers about what the week would bring to fruition. There were also conversations about the Nekoma team, though Li Wei was fast asleep by this point.
Li Wei only woke once during the night, hearing Sugawara and Sawamura speak lowly about universities. It took some time to fall back asleep, so he stared up at the bland ceiling. His mind whirled over today's topics, specifically the truth and dare topics. He could never understand why people cared about his future love-life, if he even had one.
The next day is a whirlwind of events, with enough training to destroy his limbs for the next week. The entire team did a 2-hour long workout that featured push-ups, sit-ups, crunches, etc. Basically, anything that would take the team's muscles and cruelly tear them apart from the inside. Li Wei was able to get some setter practice, courtesy of Sugawara, who urged the male to call him Suga.
Sugawara had gone behind him, instantly triggering his fight-or-flight instincts, with Li Wei ready to just run. Luckily, Sugawara noticed the clear fear and his tense shoulders, stepping away from him. It took some time for Li Wei to calm down and realize that not a single person within the gym was looking to cause him harm of any sort.
On the other hand, Sugawara Koushi quickly noticed the unsubtle flinch presented by Li Wei, their male manager of many mysteries. That flinch alone cemented many of the setter's theories, who had a friend who was constantly abused. The silver-haired male decided not to point out the flinch, knowing that it would simply make the male tense as ever. Instead, he vowed there and then to watch the male more closely in order to see if he could get the guy the same help he had gotten his friend. He may tell Daichi however, we the captain also knows about the troubles his friend went through and may be able to help.
With a newfound level of confidence, at least in the setter position, Li Wei joins matches here and there. The male manager doesn't join them often, knowing the team needs to really gear up for the match against Nekoma.
Every single day that week, Li Wei became a supportive cheerleader of sorts. without the uniforms and pom poms. He tried to hype his team up, getting further out of his comfort zone. He even began giving pats on the back to the members who did the best! The amount of improvement Li Wei has had since he escaped from his hellhole makes him proud of himself. The emerald-eyed male thoroughly believed that he would live the rest of his life in fear, waiting to be brought back home.
The day before the match, the Karasuno volleyball members received their uniforms, much to the excitement of the first-years. Hinata was especially excited, having received the same number as the Tiny Giant, an amazing volleyball player that his best friend looks up too. Li Wei loved the design of the uniforms, wanting to eventually wear one himself. A fond smile appeared on his face as he thought about what it would be like to officially become a player.
The night before the match, the entire team is fairly anxious. The long-standing rivalry between the two teams is slowly filtering over to the newest members, Li Wei shamefully included. He always wanted to be a part of a family of sorts and if his entire family goes against the other, then of course he would follow. The captain mentioned a few specific members here and there, such as a male with bleached blonde hair and a tall flirt who seemed to adore science puns. Interested, Li Wei plans to become friends with the mentioned members, wanting to further his social circle with those who would like him because of himself, rather than because he is his parent's heir.
The day of the Nekoma match would bring about new friends, odd feelings, and a sudden realization.