Birds of a Feather

A Haikyuu! oneshot collection

by mew-tsubaki

Note for all fics in this collection: The Haikyuu! characters belong to Furudate Haruichi-sensei, not to me. This is my OTP, and I have this very fleshed-out AU for them, so…yeah. These oneshots take place in this particular AU but can be read as stand-alone fics, though they are sequential in order. Read what you like or read 'em all, but review and enjoy!

Fic: "Quitting"

Characters: Ennoshita/Tanaka, Nishinoya, Narita, etc.

Rating: K+

Summary: One circumstance leads to another and finds a lonely businessman at a bar. But what's a bar without the company of its bartender? .::pre-EnnoTana::.

Words: 5,373

- ^-^3

The businessman looked at his phone to check the time. Nine PM. Hey, it was an early night for once.

He looked up the street, trying to determine if he wanted to bother with a cab tonight. No…it'd probably be wasteful, considering his new circumstances. So even though he would've loved to go and grab a drink at that little place near Narita's… Nah, he'd have to forgo it. Not just tonight, either. Probably for the time being….

Sighing, the man tightened his grip on the small box of belongings from his desk, balancing his briefcase on top as a makeshift lid. He really should get home…but he hadn't the heart to do so.

For several minutes, he walked up the city's streets, getting pushed and pulled by the throng of people like a natural force playing with him. He could feel eyes occasionally land on him, but he didn't look back. He let his eyes fall to the ground, and he plodded on for a while like that…trying to numb himself.

However, a shadow fell across his feet at one point, and a hand appeared in his vision. "Excuse me…?"

The man picked his head up.

The speaker—a guy about his height with squinty eyes and a shaved head and wearing some kind of uniform—stared at him, almost frowning. "Hey…you all right?"

The businessman forced a smile. "Yes."

The other male didn't look convinced. "You sure? You're lookin' a bit like a zombie…"

"No, truly."

The newcomer sighed and shrugged. "Come on in, sir." He gestured behind him.

"To where…?"

"To the bar. The Roost." He gestured again, but this time to the sign he must've been correcting when they'd first crossed paths. The sign said THE ROOST in English, and a crow had been scrawled in the top right corner of the board.

But the details, the sign didn't matter. All the businessman had heard was "bar." "Please, lead the way."

- ^-^3

The inside of The Roost was nice. It was well-made and a little rustic with its steel-painted brick walls and black furniture. The lighting was dimmed like one of those fancier places, but despite that and the worker's snazzy outfit the prices were fairly reasonable.

"I'm the bartender, by the way," the worker said as he seated the businessman at a table near the door. "Tanaka Ryuunosuke." He grinned. "What can I getcha today?"

The businessman felt a smile trying to fight its way to the surface. "I'll take whatever you recommend."

"Are you sure?" Tanaka asked. "I'd go for anything, really. I can hold my liquor, since my sis taught me how to drink, and she can drink even the manliest guy under the table." He chuckled.

"Fine. You can water it down some."

As Tanaka went to pour the drink, the businessman took a deep breath. He appreciated the relative quiet of The Roost. No music played, even. It was such a strange find, and on such a night like this.

Tanaka brought him a tall glass of some pale orange liquid which smelled mild, and the bartender waited while he tried it.

He blinked. "Ah. This is good." He hated that he sounded so surprised. A nice place like this? Of course they'd work on their quality.

"I'm glad you think so." Tanaka smiled, although it made his face look somewhat terrifying. "Want anything else…?"

The businessman went into business mode and dipped his head in lieu of a bow. "Ennoshita Chikara."

"Ennoshita-san."

"Honestly, I'm fine." He raised his glass and took another sip. "Thank you for this."

"First one's on me." Before Ennoshita could object, Tanaka returned to his duties behind the bar. He appeared to be setting up, and Ennoshita caught the note at the bottom of the menu board hanging up above the liquor shelf: The Roost. Hours—Tues. through Sun. 6pm to 2am. Food: appetizers. Drinks: you name it, we make it.

Six PM? That seemed odd. It was after nine, and yet it felt as though the bar had just opened. Ennoshita couldn't resist asking. "Tanaka-san…"

"Ah, just 'Tanaka' is fine."

"Tanaka… Is this place new? I don't remember seeing it before."

Tanaka half grinned. "Uh, yeah…no. We've been around for…seven? Almost eight years now."

"Oh, sorry, I—"

The bartender shook his head. "Don't worry about it. Business has just been slow lately." The silence resumed.

Ennoshita frowned and he stared at his drink. So, maybe the night had taken a turn for the worse.

As the night persisted, Ennoshita nursed his drink and consciously ignored the presence of his box beside him in the booth. Few others came and went in The Roost, and so he watched them all. A man much shorter than Tanaka and with a lot more hair (a tuft in front was even bleached!) brought a box of goods in and chatted with Tanaka before disappearing in the back, so he must work here, too. Two other men came for a quick drink, because they were too busy glaring at each other and silently arguing to stay and enjoy the atmosphere. The shorter of that duo, the redhead, kept gesturing wildly, while his dark-haired giant of a friend wore a look to frighten Death himself. Lastly, a short, young, blonde woman with large eyes came in and briefly conversed with Tanaka. They exchanged something—a note or perhaps a business card—and then she beamed at Tanaka and left. Then all was quiet again, except for the sound of Tanaka's coworker in the backroom, Tanaka cleaning glasses by hand, and the shift of ice as it melted in Ennoshita's glass. Suddenly, it was after eleven o'clock.

Ennoshita sighed and downed the rest of his drink. He left cash under his glass and got up.

"Are you all set, Ennoshita-san?" Tanaka called to him.

The businessman's shoulders sagged. "I think so…"

"Oh. Well, come again soon."

Tanaka's tone was so friendly and straightforward. There was no demand or expectation behind his words.

And Ennoshita appreciated that.

"Maybe I will," he replied, turning and leaving and deciding not to see that smile once more for the night.

He'd be back for it anyway.

- ^-^3

When Ennoshita woke the next morning, he sighed heavily. His body had long ago grown accustomed to waking up so early, but he really wished he could've slept in.

Either way, he got up, washed his face, and ate breakfast. He checked his phone—three missed texts. Two from Narita and one from Kinoshita. The first from Narita had cancelled last night's dinner plans. The second asked why Ennoshita hadn't confirmed that he'd gotten the first message. Kinoshita's asked after Ennoshita, stating that Narita had been worried when he'd gotten home.

Ennoshita pursed his lips. Should he…?

Another text arrived—again from Kinoshita:

-Hey. What's going on? Not talking to me OR Kazu?

Ennoshita sighed.

-Sorry. I'll make it up to you guys soon. Just…sorry.

As another text didn't come, Kinoshita likely had accepted the half-hearted apology.

The businessman looked around his apartment and chose to tidy up. Unfortunately, that only killed a couple of hours. He picked a book off the shelf in the living room and flipped through it. He hadn't read it since high school, but it was thick, so he started reading. He liked that it held his attention, and it distracted him until lunchtime and, after eating, it took him away from reality once again.

But, like all good things in life, the book ended. Ennoshita grumbled to himself and glanced at his watch.

Half past six… Should he or shouldn't he?

He tried to convince himself that he didn't even remember the address, but that only lasted so long. He grabbed his phone, opened the browser, and typed "the roost bar" into the search engine. There it was, two train stops from his apartment.

Ennoshita dressed and left before his conscience could chide him. As he rode the train, he crossed his arms and gazed out the window. He was only going for another drink.

Still, a part of him felt relieved when the sign for the bar came into view. He looked up and saw the same lit sign he'd missed before. "The Roost" blazed in neon red lights, while purple feathers blinked to the right of the name, imitating falling. Huh. That was kind of cool.

Inside, it wasn't entirely quiet. Two people were talking and laughing loudly, and Ennoshita saw it was Tanaka and his coworker.

"Oh, hey, welcome!" Tanaka smacked the shoulder of his coworker, who snickered at Tanaka. Tanaka gestured to Ennoshita's seat from last night. "You can have your seat or sit anywhere you like, Ennoshita-san."

The brunet customer blinked. "You remembered my name."

Tanaka shrugged. "Is that so weird?"

"We are in the service industry, so it's handy to have a good memory," he coworker remarked.

Ennoshita slid into the booth and nodded his thanks.

"What can I get you tonight, Ennoshita-san?" Tanaka called from the bar.

"Ah. Um. The drink from before was delicious."

The bartender nodded. "One light Oddball Quick coming up."

His coworker thought it was hilarious. "Oh my god, Ryuu! That drink? I thought Shouyou and Kageyama told you not to make it official!"

"It's good for business, Noya-san."

Noya-san shrugged…but he broke into peals of laughter.

"Yeah, yeah…" Tanaka walked the drink over and handed it to Ennoshita, that same scary smile on his face. "Here you go."

Ennoshita snorted to hide his laughter at Tanaka's expression, and he covered his snort by taking a swig of his beverage.

"By the way, you paid for last night, so this one's definitely on me," the bartender stated. He held up a hand when Ennoshita opened his mouth to protest. "Nope, I mean it." He returned to the bar, and Noya-san spoke to him quietly. Noya-san snickered again, but Tanaka ignored him.

Eventually Noya-san disappeared into the back, and the comfortable silence of The Roost descended. This time, though, Ennoshita finished his drink, and Tanaka wordlessly brought him another.

Tanaka wiped down the nearby tables and walked around with the cleaning cloth slung over his left shoulder, straightening things up.

"I take it you were busy last night," Ennoshita remarked.

"No. But my sis has a bit of OCD about her place, so she'll know when anything's even a hair out of place."

The businessman blinked. "Your sister owns this bar?"

Tanaka nodded. "Yep. And I run it. More than ever, actually." A proud—not intimidating—smile graced his plain features. "She's engaged, and so she's basically left the place to me."

"Wow…"

"What about you?" He glanced at Ennoshita. "You got any siblings?"

Ennoshita chuckled. "No… Just my parents. Though I'm still friends with two guys I've known since grade school. In a way, they're like my brothers."

"Nice!" Tanaka jabbed a finger over his shoulder in the direction of the backroom. "Noya-san and I are kind of like that, too, though we've only known each other since high school."

Ennoshita turned in his booth so that the conversation might continue. "So you're both here all the time?"

Tanaka came and leaned against the table next to Ennoshita's. "Noya-san only works here part-time. I live upstairs, though, so I guess I never really leave here." He crossed his arms. "Last night was your first time here, though, wasn't it?"

"Yes…" The businessman's grip on his glass tightened, and he stared at the black linoleum tiles on the floor.

The bartender easily read the mood and straightened up. "How about I get you some fries or something to go with that? I'm feelin' a little peckish myself."

Ennoshita forced his eyes up and nodded his thanks, and Tanaka went off to cook.

Yeah. Ennoshita liked this place a lot.

- ^-^3

Ennoshita came back night after night, which in a way was a good thing. While he could eat breakfast fine and force lunch down his own throat, his appetite always seemed to disappear at suppertime. But then The Roost would open, Tanaka would pour him an Oddball Quick and feed him an appetizer or two, and Ennoshita could forget for a little while.

Sometimes he'd just watch Tanaka and Noya-san interact, which was like watching a variety show from offstage. Other times he'd watch the other patrons come and go. It was funny when Noya-san tattled and told the redhead and the giant—Hinata Shouyou and Kageyama Tobio, their kouhai—that Tanaka had named a drink after them after all.

Tanaka explained it after they'd left. "We used to play volleyball in high school, and those two—" He guffawed. "You shoulda seen them! They were perfect together on the court, totally synchronized. Actually," he continued, stroking his chin, "it was probably a sign of how they'd be together off the court."

"Volleyball…" Ennoshita shook his head. "My friends and I liked it when we were little, but we didn't have the heart to join our high school team."

"Really? That's a shame." Tanaka cleared his table while Ennoshita stood to the right of the booth. "Do you still play?"

Ennoshita shook his head. "Haven't in years."

Tanaka laughed. "We should play sometime, then. It sounds like an easy win!"

"Hey…!"

The nice thing about hanging out at The Roost…well, there were a lot of things to like. But Ennoshita liked being chummy with Tanaka.

Tanaka asked about him and sounded genuinely interested in his responses. He never pestered Ennoshita about what had brought him to the bar by accident that night. Half the time he seemed to be able to read Ennoshita's mind—or at least he did when it came to food.

That Sunday evening, Ennoshita stayed there until midnight. It had been a long time since he'd made a friend like Tanaka, and it was fun being around him, especially since Ennoshita didn't consider himself to be much of a fun person.

But after midnight, even Tanaka said something. "Hey, Ennoshita-san… Don't you have work in the morning?" He'd waited to ask until Noya-san had left for the evening. They weren't busy anyway.

Ennoshita grimaced.

"Ah, I didn't mean—" Tanaka backpedaled. "Hey, it's nice having a fresh face, a new regular around here. But you've been coming for a week and never said—" He stopped when he saw the dark expression on his customer's face. "Sorry."

Ennoshita shook his head and pushed his empty glass away from him. "No, you're right."

"About what?"

He stood. "I've been coming too often." He left cash on the table and headed for the exit.

Tanaka furrowed his brow. "Hey, I didn't mean—"

"Have a good night, Tanaka," the businessman said over his shoulder.

Tanaka cursed. "Ennoshita-san—"

A trill interrupted them, and Ennoshita glanced at his phone. Narita had texted him. Seeing the message made him deflate a little, and his shoulders sagged. He glanced back at Tanaka apologetically. "Maybe next time, Tanaka." This time he left it at that and tried not to think of the next time he'd visit.

- ^-^3

"You're staying over. Don't even whine," Kinoshita said as Narita passed Ennoshita a half-eaten box of Pocky. Ennoshita turned it down.

"No, I shouldn't—"

"You already took a cab here, the trains have stopped for the night, and," Narita continued, "I have a feeling you've nowhere to go tomorrow."

Ennoshita gave him a dry look. "I still have my apartment."

"But you no longer have a job, do you?"

For all that Narita and Kinoshita had been the reserved and somewhat quiet types during their school days, they sure didn't give that impression as adults. Granted, being able to live together since university had probably made them breathe more easily when it came to being themselves…but sometimes Ennoshita wished Narita wouldn't be so frank with him.

"Kazu, knock it off!" Kinoshita scolded him as he returned with a futon and a pillow for their friend. He smacked Narita in the head with the pillow.

Ennoshita frowned. "No, he's right. I… I quit."

They gawked at him. "You what?" the blond asked.

"This is exactly why I didn't talk or speak to you guys sooner," the businessman mumbled.

"Well, that's a pretty big deal, Ennoshita," Narita said sympathetically. "I had a feeling, but you had Hisashi and me worried when you said nothing. What happened?"

Agh, where to start? Ennoshita had been working in the marketing department for Ukai Corporation since graduating from university. Four years. Four years doing the same thing day in and day out, coming up rarely with ideas to promote their sporting goods and pushing mostly others' paperwork through. Until recently.

But Narita and Kinoshita knew about the general stuff, because Ennoshita told them everything. "Were you just sick of the monotony?" Narita inquired.

Ennoshita shook his head. "No, not at all. If anything, I could handle the monotony. But…I was getting even more work and working ridiculous hours. I think they were going to promote me."

Kinoshita's eyes widened. "But, that's great."

Ennoshita finally took the Pocky from earlier. "No. My company's executives are all mostly single or preparing to divorce. Me getting a promotion would be like wearing a sign around my neck that says I have no life and don't expect to have one." He bit his bottom lip. "It got too hard. So I left."

"Like, suddenly quit or tendered your resignation?" Narita asked.

"No, put my things in a box, bowed to my boss, and left," he clarified.

Narita whistled and pulled on the collar of his sleep shirt. "Man…that's… You can't go back from that."

"I know."

Kinoshita set up the futon in their living room and then sat beside Ennoshita at the coffee table. "Do you have any other options?"

Ennoshita looked at Narita. "Is your company hiring?"

"Sorry, Ennoshita."

He looked at Kinoshita. "What about the department store?"

Kinoshita frowned. "Sorry… We had an opening last week, but it was just filled. If I'd known, I would've recommended you…"

The businessman groaned. Of all the times not to share things with his friends right as they happened…!

Narita and Kinoshita stood. "Hey," Narita started, "I have off tomorrow and Hisashi has the later shift, so how about we pick this up after a good night's sleep, Ennoshita? It's been a while since we properly played anyway," he added with a small smile.

"I left a change of Kazuhito's pajamas in the bathroom, so feel free to use them," Kinoshita added. He patted his friend's shoulder, and then they went down the hall to their room. "'Night, Ennoshita."

"Goodnight," he called after them. He finished the Pocky and then changed into the loaned pajamas. As he drifted off, Ennoshita's last thought was to ask Tanaka if he were hiring….

- ^-^3

The following day, nothing felt different or bad. In fact, Ennoshita felt as though they were a trio once more as they ate a late breakfast and went into the city to hit their favorite arcade.

"Oh, god…!" Kinoshita yawned as he stretched. "When was the last time we did this? Second year in high school, maybe."

Narita chuckled. "But we'd need a weekend for this kind of thing, coming in on the train… Even then, the city closest to us wasn't much. But it was either that or crashing at one of our houses and holing up with the host's gaming consoles."

"And I think your mother could only handle so much noise so often," Ennoshita told Kinoshita from Narita's other side. He and Narita laughed as Kinoshita sighed.

The trio did in fact act like their teenage selves at the arcade, though. They tried a few of the newer arrivals, but the fighting games always beckoned to them. Ennoshita and Narita had to face off and Kinoshita, their resident fighter expert, played the winner…and won every time.

"Ah, what about that?" Narita suggested. He pointed to, of all things, an old DDR platform that had been well taken care of and was still in healthy operating condition.

The other two gave him a look. "None of us can dance," Ennoshita said bluntly.

"Which is why it's the most even battlefield."

Kinoshita thought for a moment. "So…loser does what?"

Ennoshita held up his hands. "No money involved. The winner just gets to gloat."

"All right. Good enough." Kinoshita beamed…

…and they found out why. Kinoshita had been practicing and was now passable, which was far beyond Ennoshita's and Narita's skills.

"I won!" the blond chirped.

"Don't rub it in," Narita groused as his lover got a text.

"Oh, shoot." Kinoshita turned to them. "I need to go in a little early. Can we grab a bite on the go before you guys drop me off?"

"Of course," Ennoshita said. They hit the crepe stand up the block from the arcade and ate as they walked to the department store. Kinoshita inhaled his, though, as the escalator delivered them at his workplace.

"Agh, that's me." He clapped Ennoshita on the arm and gave Narita's hand a quick squeeze before waving and scampering off.

Narita turned to his friend. "Wanna hit anywhere else?"

Ennoshita looked around. "I could use a new book or two."

"As long as you promise me you'll buy a newspaper, too, and start searching for a new job."

"I thought Kinoshita was the mother hen."

Narita laughed, but his cheeks were pink as he grinned widely. "I dunno, man. Maybe you're our son as well as our friend?"

The thought wasn't a comforting one.

In the bookstore downstairs, the two friends stuck together and shot the breeze. In that way, it was easy for Ennoshita to forget that their trio hadn't really stayed a trio since his two friends had gotten together years ago. But he didn't begrudge them it. If anything, he was a bit envious. After all, Ukai Corporation wanted to promote Ennoshita because he was the exact opposite of Narita and Kinoshita—a single man with no prospects whatsoever.

Pushing that thought aside, Ennoshita felt eyes on him. He glanced up at Narita. "Something on my face?"

The taller man shook his head. "No… Ennoshita, some short guy's been looking over here."

"What?" He turned to see where Narita was looking but saw no one.

"He went around the corner," Narita said, putting a magazine down.

"Wait." Ennoshita held up a hand to stop him. "Don't. It was probably nothing, Narita."

Narita frowned. "He kept staring, though."

"And you've never thought a stranger looked like someone you knew?"

"Well…" His shoulders sagged. "All right, all right. Are you done? I wouldn't mind leaving."

"Yeah, we can go." Still, even as they left, Ennoshita grew curious, and he looked over his shoulder twice. But he never caught whoever Narita had seen.

- ^-^3

Ennoshita and Narita split a little later, mostly because Narita made mouth noises about Ennoshita getting a new suit for job interviews. Ennoshita put his foot down, though. The newspaper was one thing. The suit…just no.

Ennoshita promised to launder the borrowed clothes and Narita told him they'd have his cleaned by the next time he visited. "So don't be a stranger," Narita insisted.

"Promise."

The shaven-haired man tipped his head to his friend and went back into the store to wait out the rest of his lover's shift.

Meanwhile, Ennoshita went home. He put his two new books on the bookshelf and spread the newspaper out on his only table. But it was as though the classifieds were mocking him, and he couldn't bear the thought of looking right now. So he picked up one of the new books and started reading.

But…the paper was still there.

Groaning, Ennoshita booted up his laptop and reorganized his desktop. He found his résumé and perused it…not very inspiring. He almost opened his web browser, but he turned one last time to the paper.

Urgh. It really did beckon.

Ennoshita grabbed a highlighter, a pen, and a pad of paper, and he poured over the ads. Too many things were outside his field of expertise, even for a smart, quick learner like him. And the next thing he knew, he had nodded off in the middle of his search.

- ^-^3

He awoke with the newspaper stuck to his face.

He had to peel it off and, as he did, he vibrantly recalled last night's events. Not a mood lifter, but eh. Better than nothing, as Narita would've said.

Ennoshita pushed his notes aside and went to the bathroom. The mirror told him that he had about half a page of newsprint on his cheek, and some red pen had rubbed off on him, as well.

The brunet showered and put on fresh clothes. He made coffee and then got back to work. At least now most of these places were open and could take calls.

However, nothing was going to work. Two places had filled their openings almost right after placing their ads and therefore hadn't had time to print retractions. Another place wanted a total newbie—supposedly so they could train the person to their liking, but Ennoshita suspected it was more because they weren't looking to pay the kind of salary Ennoshita had been making. Three other places had changed the hours they needed filled, and another firm needed a presenter to fly all over the world for them. While the last one sounded appealing, Ennoshita felt it was Ukai Corp. all over again: They wanted to hire someone with no attachments. But, the thing was, Ennoshita wasn't sure that he didn't want any attachments in Japan… Besides, his parents and friends were here.

Another face flashed in his mind's eye, but he ignored it.

Lunch came and went, and Ennoshita turned to the internet for a better look. Yet hours passed, and all he got was a pair of tired eyes.

Out of habit, he checked the time. Hmm. 8:30 PM. Well, he had kind of left awkwardly two nights ago… A small part of him had some indescribable hope, but mostly he wanted to go and apologize to Tanaka. So the next thing he knew, he was on the train, heading for The Roost.

When he got to the street, Ennoshita panicked for a second, because the neon sign wasn't there. Then he realized that it was just on the fritz, and it blinked to life every few seconds or so.

Inside, it was busier than Ennoshita expected. Hinata and Kageyama sat at the bar with Noya-san, who was folding napkins. Two other men occupied a booth in the far corner of the place, and Tanaka stood talking on the side with the blonde woman Ennoshita had seen the first night. Another woman with possibly bleached blonde hair, cropped short, stood with them, her hand clasped in the hand of the tall fair-haired man beside her. Several other vague faces peppered the seats of The Roost.

Ennoshita caught Tanaka's eye before sitting in his usual booth. He hoped Tanaka would have the chance to talk. The more he thought about it, the more he realized how rude he'd been, that Tanaka had only been trying to be a friend, to ask after Ennoshita when he'd clearly noticed something had been bothering the businessman.

The brunet waited patiently, but Tanaka didn't leave his group. Ennoshita began twiddling his thumbs on the table…and finally a glass of ice water was placed roughly in front of him. He looked up.

Noya-san stared him down.

"Um…thank you."

Noya-san narrowed his eyes at Ennoshita and turned with a huff, leaving Ennoshita wondering what he'd done wrong. But Noya-san said nothing, and Tanaka completely missed their interaction.

Ennoshita didn't watch the clock. He didn't have to in order to know how late it was getting. He watched the other customers file out one by one and sometimes two by two instead. Finally the shorter blonde left and Tanaka was left to exchange bags and something else with the other woman. Then she and the tall man left.

Ennoshita left his water untouched and went to get up, but Noya-san, who had been wiping down the tables and clearing things, stood in his way. "Do you need something, Ennoshita?" He might've been short, but Ennoshita didn't want to mess with him.

"Ah, no… I just—"

"Nishinoya."

They turned. Tanaka gave his coworker a reproachful look.

"Back off."

The two exchanged a glare, and Ennoshita didn't exactly feel relieved when Nishinoya growled and threw a rag at Tanaka. Worse yet for Nishinoya, Tanaka caught it, so the short man disappeared angrily into—of course—the backroom.

Tanaka approached Ennoshita's table. Slight surprise registered on his face when he saw the full glass.

The brunet wasn't sure what to say. "Uh… I didn't know his name was actually 'Nishinoya.' I thought he was just 'Noya-san' this whole time…" His words trailed off.

The bartender pursed his lips. "Nickname," he muttered.

"Ah. Right." They stood awkwardly, until Ennoshita sat slowly and motioned for Tanaka to join him. "…can we talk?"

Tanaka slammed the rag on the table and leaned forward, his face that of a yakuza, not of a bartender. "Ora, ora… What's your game, Ennoshita-san?"

Ennoshita blinked. "Game?"

"You were cold and rude as hell last I saw you, and now you're all high and mighty. What gives?"

Ennoshita pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. "Okay, first, stop the thug act. I don't think that works on people who've seen you be nice. At least, it won't work on me. And, secondly, yes, I apologize."

It was as though someone had flipped a switch, and Tanaka was back to normal. "Oh. Wait, what?"

Again, Ennoshita referenced the vacancy, and Tanaka slid in opposite him. "I'm sorry. I was brusque and—" He took a breath. "I found The Roost by accident. Do you remember that first night? I had that box with me?"

"I kinda wondered…"

"Well, I'd just quit my job." He filled Tanaka in on all he'd told Kinoshita and Narita. "And I wasn't being a particularly good friend to my other friends either, so I caught up with them yesterday." He finished with a tired smile. "But, seeing as you're upset and Noya-san—I mean, Nishinoya doesn't appear to like me anymore either… I guess I just needed to apologize."

Yet instead of accepting Ennoshita's apology, Tanaka crossed his arms in front of his chest. "So…you managed to pull yourself out of the dumps for one week and what? You're all set now? You don't need to come here again?"

"No, that's not—"

"Well, nice to have met you. You can go now." Tanaka got up.

"Hey." Ennoshita reached out and grabbed Tanaka's wrist without thinking. And the action did stop Tanaka. "I would like to come here again. But only if I'm welcome." Ennoshita wished things were easy as they had been in school, when he could've looked at Tanaka and just asked, "Friends?" And that would've smoothed everything over.

Tanaka groaned and rolled his eyes. "Oh, hell. I never said you weren't welcome. It's just—we'd hit it off and then you stopped coming so I'd thought I'd really screwed up. But I've never been good at staying mad at people."

Ennoshita breathed a huge sigh of relief. "Good…!" Feeling a little daring, he smiled at Tanaka and raised his eyebrows. "Friends?"

But instead of giving him a straightforward answer, Tanaka snickered and gave him a wolfish grin. "Maybe."

So that was how it was going to be… Well, Ennoshita was all right with that. Another attachment to keep him here—Ennoshita had been looking for one.

Tanaka took note of his water. "You're sober tonight, eh?"

"Not by choice. As I told you, I don't think Nishinoya likes me anymore."

The bartender laughed. "Yeah. Don't worry about him. I'll set him straight later."

"About what…?"

"That's for me to know and for you to find out, Ennoshita-san. Maybe." Tanaka went to the bar. "Closing's still an hour away. Do you want your Oddball Quick or not?"

Ennoshita smiled to himself. "Maybe tomorrow night, Tanaka."

Because, of course, he'd be back.

- ^-^3

B) Well, this AU is off to a nice start. I just enjoyed having them meet… I also treasure the friendship between Ennoshita, Kinoshita, and Narita, whether shipping NariKino or not. There were a lot of cameos from other charries here, and they'll show up in future fics, as well as others who didn't even have a cameo in "Quitting." And Nishinoya…his change in attitude does get explained, so stick around if you're curious! After all, the businessman and the bartender have just barely scratched the surface. Lastly, Ennoshita quitting is supposed to parallel the period when he left the volleyball club—turns out this is the perfect way to write him in this AU, and things are only just starting… ;3 Also, Clazziquai's Blink is the perfect soundtrack for the Ennotana side of this AU… I like to think of "Still I'm By Your Side" as the song for "Quitting"—give it a listen! :D

Thanks for reading and please review! Check out the rest of the fics in this collection, too, or my other fics if you enjoyed this.

-mew-tsubaki -w-