my first and last | t. kuroo, h. iwaizumi

intermission: uncle sam wants you!

winter, one year ago.

"i can't believe my roommate just woke up and decided to leave yesterday," i grumbled as i walked to the nearby coffee shops to post 'roommate wanted' flyers. i know that social media would've been a better method, but i figured the people that frequented coffee shops might be a better match for me.

if they could afford to throw down seven dollars for a small artisanal coffee, then they could afford rent in a nice luxury apartment. nothing wrong with that line of thinking, right?

the flyer was simple, minimalistic: a monochromatic photograph of the building and my favorite font (comic sans). it only listed the apartment complex and my email address. i avoided leaving my number because i didn't want random people to get it and harass me. it might not happen, but i didn't want to take the unnecessary risk. in fact, i had even gone so far to offer an alias instead of my actual name: uncle sam.

i couldn't wait to see all the emails i would get from this flyer!

* * * * * * * * * * *

for a week, i near-obsessively checked my email. in the morning, while eating breakfast, on my way to class, during class, between classes, on my way home, before bed. (maybe not while showering.)

but nothing came.

until one day, a notification sounded with a classic 'ping' to notify a new email while i was in the kitchen. i ran across my apartment, almost tripping on the rug as i dived toward my laptop, banging my head against the corner of the couch. i groaned, rubbing the sore spot as i clicked open the email.

it was from someone named lev haiba. he mentioned how he felt like he should move out from his sister's place, then stated that she was going to europe to model for two years and how she wasn't renewing her lease, putting him in a position to find a new place to stay.

it was more information than i was expecting from a stranger, but it provided some insight into his character. and a model sister? he was probably good-looking too. i responded that he could come see the apartment if he wanted, and i would keep the lease ready if he chose to sign.

a few emails later, we set a time for this weekend.

my search was finally over.

hopefully.

* * * * * * * * * * *

"this is so much nicer than the model pictures online!" lev marveled as he looked around the room. with high ceilings and a spacious floor plan, i understood how he felt.

i don't know what i was expecting from the name 'lev haiba,' but it sure as hell wasn't a man who stood like a half-russian, half-japanese yeti. (he had revealed his ethnicity in the first five minutes when i wouldn't stop staring at him.) even after the initial shock of his tall stature, i felt like a small, feral rat next to a majestic, long-legged horse.

"i guess i should sign the lease!" he beamed. i nodded, shielding my eyes from his bright appearance as i handed him the papers.

he signed them and, moments later, rolled in his suitcases. it was shocking that he was that ready to move in and that sure that he would get the place. but that confidence was attractive, in a way.

"alisa, my sister, already left. i was going to crash with some other friends nearby, but i'm glad this worked out instead!" he revealed as i stared at his baggage: three big, bulky, black things that seemed to almost burst with their contents.

he continued, only to ask: "where's uncle sam?"

okay, so maybe it wasn't confidence. maybe it was just sheer dumb luck.