What you're name ?

Chapter 13 So am I

Made by @cataclysmiceve1 on Twitter!
-

And thanks again to @STomaniki for converting these tweets to doc format, you're a lifesaver!!!

-

Chuuya's day, by comparison, did not go as well.

The first half of the day is actually okay--his friend group is actually starting to settle back down, since they break up. His classes are good, and then... soccer practice rolls around.

"Hey, Chuuya?"

He glances up from where he's sitting on the bench, lacing up his cleats. "What's up, Tachi?"

Tachihara looks uncomfortable. He's rubbing the back of his head, glancing around like he doesn't want anyone else to hear. "This is pretty awkward, but...are things okay at home?"

Chuuya feels cold all of the sudden, but his voice is oddly calm when he replies. "Why do you ask?"

"Well-" Tachi bites the inside of his cheek. "Your Dad called mine last night, and...asked if you were staying with us. Have you--not been living at home?"

Chuuya swallows hard. "I--uh--no," he shakes his head. "I haven't."

Tachihara frowns, concerned. They've been friends for years, but--he isn't exactly someone Chuuya has at the top of his list of people he would come out to. Really, Chuuya doesn't have anyone he wants to come out to. "Did you have a fight or something?"

Chuuya looks away. "Something like that, yeah."

"You aren't homeless right now, are you? Because shit, Chuuya--you can stay with me, if you need to."

"Do I look like I've been sleeping on the street?"

Tachihara glances him over. "...No," he admits, looking away. "You don't."

"..." Chuuya sighs, "I've been staying with a friend, it's fine--"

"Which friend?"

"No one you know--"

"We have all the same friends! You don't think I'm gonna snitch on you, do you?"

"No! No..." Chuuya shakes his head, biting his lip. Well--actually--maybe? "...One of my sister's friends, okay? You wouldn't know them, so..." Chuuya stands up, shifting from foot to foot nervously. "I don't expect you to lie for me if someone asks, alright? Just--I'm fine, and that's all you need to know."

"...Okay..." Tachihara frowns reluctantly.

But Tachi isn't the only one. Every single player on the team got a phone call. Gin got a phone call. Higuchi got a phone call. Even his coach pulls him aside after practice, to try to check on him.

"Nakahara, it's not right, making your mother worry like that."

Chuuya's teeth are clenched, he's staring at the grass, and he's got this awful pit in his stomach, getting more and more painful with every conversation he's had this afternoon. "Did she tell you why I left?"

"She didn't, but--"

"If they call you again," Chuuya lifts his chin, "you should ask them. And then tell me that again."