Chapter Text
You were cozily nestled in bed, dreaming of sunny days and bunches of flowers.
Rolling onto your other side, you opened your eyes slowly, a dull light greeting them. The duvet was warm, and you tossed it off yourself - it was too warm. Rubbing the sleep out of your eyes, you realized with a start that you weren't in your own bedroom, or in your own apartment.
The ceiling was high, and the furnishings were far more posh than yours. Dark cherry-wood floors stretched, and you let out a breathy sigh. You knew exactly where you were.
It certainly wasn't your apartment, but it was the penthouse of a person you knew...very well.
You forced a glance to your right; a man lay there, all too familiarly. He was naked, all too familiarly. His jet-black hair was uncharacteristically mussed up, and his shoulders rose and fell to the time of his slow breathing.
Fighting the urge to lay back down, you slid out of the king-sized bed and padded across the floor to the closet. You, too, were quite naked, much to your own regret.
'Well, look who's done it again.' Your inner voice chastised you, and you raked a hand aggressively through your hair. You really had done it again, despite all your efforts. Pulling a white button-up out of the pristine closet (he was always one to be rather organized), you threw it on and fastened the buttons quickly. A shower and you'd be out of here.
Carefully padding out of your ex-boyfriend's bedroom, you closed the door without a sound and faced the hallway.
It, too had high ceilings, and many doors on each side. You selected the second door on the right, knowing the first was a larger walk-in closet, and the third was a passage-way to the rather exquisite kitchen. Stepping into the bathroom, you locked the door behind you and turned on the shower.
They say quitting cold turkey is the most effective way to break an addiction.
That might be true, but after twenty-seven days, you caved.
You'd been doing so well, too. You thought this was all behind you. You'd done the breakup, you'd had your closure - though you supposed you hadn't, now had you? If you'd truly had closure, you wouldn't be here, in your ex's fancy bathroom, praying that you finished washing yourself of cum and regret before he woke up and tried to join you in the shower.
You were not ready to have that conversation:
"I made a mistake. Please don't contact me."
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm sorry."
"Don't you still love me? Isn't that what all of last night was about?"
"...I'm sorry, I have to go."
That would be all you could utter before racing out the door, dressed in last night's outfit. But maybe...it wouldn't be so bad to stay a little while, have breakfast, chat. Start getting to know him again, what harm could that do? Jump in bed again and ride him until he proposed? Was that really what you wanted?
You sighed, letting the hot water roll down your body as you scrubbed.
'Not on your life.' You thought, resolve firming in your veins as you clenched your fists. You'd be strong, and get out of here with your dignity intact.
Turning off the water and toweling yourself off, you secured the white towel around your body and peeked your head out of the bathroom. White towel, white duvet, white countertops in the kitchen - Aito always did appreciate a clean-looking design.
And speak of the devil. The black-haired man appeared in the doorway, rubbing his neck as he surveyed you with those piercing, sea-green eyes of his. It made you shudder, disliking the way he bore into your soul like that. Even when you were dating, you didn't like when he'd stare.
"Well, hi." Aito said with a smirk, and you cleared your throat, seeing he was still without any clothing. He had run his hands through his dark hair, you could tell because it was still messy but not completely disheveled.
His chiseled abs and toned arms and legs almost made you drool, but you held it together. You couldn't cave, wouldn't cave.
"H-Hey." You said, going red with embarrassment, wanting to run.
There was a brief moment of silence, and your gorgeous ex spoke.
"Pity you didn't wait for me, we could've showered together."
You grimaced.
"Aito, this was a mistake."
The man's eyes fell, and his full lips pressed into a frown. Even pouting, you had to admit he was perfect.
Not that he flaunted it, though, Aito was always a humble sort of gentleman. Fancy, but understated at the same time. Wealthy, but not an egomaniac.
You spoke once more.
"I don't think it's a good idea for us to get back together."
The man's eyes flashed with pain, and you pressed your lips together, steadfast in your words.
"You...don't?" He sounded hurt, and you cringed. Never were one to rock the boat, were you?
"N-No." You managed, trying to stay strong.
He was everything you wanted in a man, you loved him dearly, and the most tantalizing part: Aito loved you back, probably even more than you loved him.
You'd found an engagement ring in his coat-pocket one day when you were over at his place, and felt happy at seeing it, but not as much as you should have been. Something didn't feel right about it, about spending the rest of your life with Aito, despite how perfect he was for you.
And so you'd fled, with the intention of never turning back. But here we are, anyway.
Honestly, you'd thought to yourself a few times after dumping him about how completely stupid you were to give him up like that, that he was the best you'd ever be able to do, especially at your age.
You were 27, and owned a pretty small flower shop in Miyagi prefecture, which was a pretty small district. Aito was the big-shot lawyer, with the big-shot apartments and penthouses, living in Tokyo most of the time.
The two of you were currently in his 'country penthouse', which wasn't too far from your area, but just far enough to allow you comfort as you walked around the markets and shops, shopping to your heart's content. It was unlikely you'd run into him, even on a busy day. Thank goodness.
"Won't you at least stay for breakfast?" Aito asked, a pleading look in his eye.
You felt like the worst person on the planet right about now. Coming here, having great sex with the ex, breaking his heart all over again - you really were a piece of shit human being. Guilt flooded your senses, and it took all of your willpower to shake your head at the man.
"I can't."
Aito's face fell, and you felt your heart crack.
Approaching him, you saw his face brighten as he thought you had changed your mind, but you simply walked by him to retrieve your clothing from the bedroom, where it had been kicked aside in the flurry of limbs and lust from the night before.
Tossing Aito's silk, emerald-colored robe at him, you pulled your own clothing on. He robed himself, that same frown on his face, before walking over to you and placing a hand on your shoulder.
You froze, looking up at him. He gave you a weak smile, pulling you close to him in a hug.
"I'm glad you came, kitten. I...missed you so much. If this is really it, then I just want you to know that I still love you with all of my heart."
You frowned at the pet name that you used to love so much. It just...didn't sit right with you anymore. Nothing did with Aito, everything that used to make you blush just made you cringe away from their sickeningly sweet aroma; like rotting flowers, wilted after facing a frenzy of over-thinking and general discomfort.
"I..." You said, tears springing to your eyes.
"I'm so sorry." You said, standing on your tip-toes to give him a kiss on the cheek.
And with that, you left.
Situating yourself in the elevator, you punched the '1st level' button and watched the doors close, far too slowly.
You had gotten out of the building and were unlocking your car, parked on the side of the road, when the full force of what just happened hit you.
Slapping a hand over your mouth, you let out a choked sob, keys falling to the ground with a jingle.
"Fuck." You cursed, bending over to pick them up.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" You muttered as you wrenched open your car door, getting in and pulling it violently shut.
"FUCK!"
Passers-by stared at you, but you didn't care. You sobbed openly in your car, wiping the tears from your face as you fumbled with your keys once more.
Successfully turning the ignition, your car rumbled to life, and you pulled onto the open road, ready to put as much distance between yourself and Aito as humanly possible.
You were en route to your own apartment when your phone rang.
"Fuck." You cursed, fishing it out of your purse and answering.
"H-Hello?" Your voice was shaky, and you cringed.
"Hey - you alright? You don't sound too good."
Rolling your eyes, your expression softened at the sound of your little brother's voice.
"I can explain later. What's up?"
Daichi cleared his throat, and you just knew he was looking sheepish on the other end of the phone.
"Could I please get a ride to practice? Mom took the car to the market, and Dad's at work."
You groaned. Now was not the time to see your little brother, as much as you loved spending time with him. You had just emotionally been put through the ringer, and were in no condition to actually function like a normal human being.
"Daichi..."
"Please?"
Sighing a loud sigh, your will broke.
"Fine, fine. Be there in ten."
Hanging up on Daichi, you changed course, taking a left at the next street and heading for your favorite coffee-shop. If you were going to interact with people today, you'd do it hopped up on an ungodly amount of caffeine.
First objective was to secure coffee. Second objective was to take Daichi to practice. Third objective was to lay in bed and cry until it was time to drag yourself to your flower shop at 11am; it was hardly 8am already.
This would be a piece of cake.
You sloppily pulled into a parking spot right in front of the coffee house, jerking your way out of the seat and shuffling inside. You didn't bother locking your car, having it stolen wouldn't even be the worst thing to happen to you today. Breaking Aito's heart would be at the top of the list all day long, maybe even all week.
'If I can even manage to stay away from him for that long', you thought bitterly.
You got in line, not looking up at the menu. You knew what you wanted, you ordered it every time: iced coffee with heaps of sugar. That was it.
Placing your order with the nice barista, you carried on small talk as you waited for your receipt.
The mundane 'how's your morning going?' was hard to respond to, because if you responded honestly, you'd be oversharing. So you settled for a 'just fine, how about yours?' and internally cried instead.
You shuffled off to the side to wait for your drink, away from the line of people. Pulling out your phone, you flipped the camera to face you and almost had a heart attack. THAT was what you looked like?!
You'd cleaned yourself up in the shower, but hadn't used any form of makeup remover. Your waterproof mascara was smudged, but still very much there. Your foundation was patchy, too, so you jammed your hand into your purse to retrieve a makeup wipe.
Dear God, last night's clothing AND last's night's makeup? You were really going through it today.
You did your best to clean yourself up, and got most of the splotchy paste off your face.
Chucking the wipes into the trash, you ignored the looks you got from other customers. If you were scraping off your makeup in a public place, that was your business; you didn't see what all the judgement was about.
"Iced coffee for Y/N, and a matcha latte for Keishin!" Another barista shouted, and you made a beeline for your drink.
Securing it in your hands, you made to rush out of the coffee-house without another word, but crashed right into someone else.
Your drink went all over the front of your top, and the other person cursed.
"Aw, fuck." He said, standing right in front of you like an impervious wall.
You weren't sure whether you should laugh or cry, as you felt the entire contents of your cup working its way down your torso, soaking the front of your pants as well as your shirt.
"Gotta watch where you're going, pretty girl." The blonde man chuckled, reaching past you to grab his latte. The man, had been heading for his drink when this bustling woman ran right into him.
Bummer, he thought, especially as he got a glimpse of your face. You'd certainly looked miserable, Ukai thought to himself, and despite having a pretty face, positively exhausted.
Hating mornings himself, he understood your tiredness. Ukai had spent the entirety of the previous night drawing up plays for his volleyball team, for the upcoming Nationals, and certainly wasn't fresh as a daisy. He, however, wasn't prepared to weather the tidal wave of anger that you met him with.
You gritted your teeth, a fierce glare working its way onto your face at the man's words. Any more snark, and you swore you'd lose it.
"Uh-huh, very helpful tip." You seethed, grabbing napkins and trying to clean yourself up as best you could. Worst fucking day on the planet.
Before Ukai could say another word, you'd tossed the dirty napkins and pushed past him roughly, leaving the coffee shop without looking back. You got in your car, and sped off, nearly hitting a pedestrian in your distracted mindset. It's alright though, she dove out of the way long before you came through.
By the time you reached your parents' house, the liquid mess on your clothes had dried to a sticky residue.
Stepping out of the car, you let yourself into the house and spotted Daichi at the kitchen counter on a stool, munching on some toast and looking at his phone. He looked up at the sound of the front door opening, and raised his eyebrows at the sight of you.
"What happened?"
"Knocked into this asshole at the coffee-house and spilled my drink."
"Damn, that sucks. You can borrow my team sweater, if you want. And maybe some pants, too."
For the first time that morning, you smiled.
"Thanks, Daichi."
Going to change, you stepped into Daichi's room and balked. It was cleaner than your entire apartment, everything shining and looking virtually untouched. Your little brother's cleanliness always shocked you, but you couldn't help but appreciate it as you easily found the grey 'Karasuno' sweater he was talking about in his closet.
You stole a pair of gym shorts, too, which were far too big for you. Frowning, you selected a pair of small-looking trousers, belting them up so they didn't fall off. Glancing at yourself in the mirror, you decided to put your hair up, too. Much better, a definite improvement from earlier.
Walking back out to the kitchen, carrying your dirty clothes in one arm, you called Daichi to grab his stuff.
"Ready?"
Daichi nodded, standing up from the stool and grabbing his gym bag. You gulped, looking up at him.
"Did you get even taller?" You asked incredulously, scowling slightly. Your little brother laughed, a deep booming laugh.
"Only by a couple inches. Come on, we'll be late."
***
Parking in front of the school, you stared at your alma mater. Karasuno High, in its glory, stood tall and grey in front of you. You had a pretty good time there, made some pretty good friends, made pretty good grades, too.
Noticing your stare, Daichi asked, "Do you want to come in and look around? A lot's changed since you were here."
Raising a brow, you considered it. You had meant to kick the kid out and rush home to complete Objective #3 on your list (laying in bed all day and crying, for those who need reminding), but it might be nice to take a look at your old high school. Nostalgia, and all that.
"Sure, why not?"
The pair of you strolled around the campus, as you recounted tales from your high school years.
"We really were wild ones." You said, with an air of aloofness in your voice. It was true, you and your friends probably spent a little too much time cutting class and partying, but you got A's and B's regardless.
The only thing that had kept you grounded was an after-school, part-time job at the school library. You would read behind the counter, relishing in the silence, looking forward to getting positively smashed with your friends later that night.
"You don't sound like you were very responsible back then." Daichi chided, bumping your shoulder.
"Oh, please, as if you don't have Asahi and Suga over when Mom and Dad are gone and get completely wasted." You shot back, bumping him back. You'd bought alcohol for your little brother countless times; as long as he was safe and drank at home, you didn't worry too much.
He flushed, saying "touché" and nothing else.
The pair of you had reached the gymnasium. Daichi opened the door for you, allowing you to go through first.
A bunch of other boys were in there, milling around and chatting with each other. They immediately quieted upon seeing Daichi, circling up at the center of the gym to begin stretches for the day. See, your little brother was the captain of Karasuno's volleyball team - and it made you so proud!
He put his heart and soul into volleyball, and would go on and on about how the team was doing, what plays they were practicing, what games they had coming up - all of it. You loved hearing about everything, wanting to support him in every way. And while you couldn't always come to his games because of your work at the flower shop, he appreciated as much as you could offer.
Seeing the old gym again brightened your spirits; you and your friends would sneak here during class and fool around, doing random shit. Maybe it was a good thing you'd come with Daichi to practice, this was worth it.
"Who's this, Daichi? A friend of yours?"
A voice from behind you came closer, and when you turned to face it, you went completely white at the sight.
The blonde man from earlier, the one who ordered the matcha latte, was strolling towards you with a friendly smile on his face.
Upon seeing who you were, recognition clicked in his eyes, and his smile fell, replaced with a look of confusion.
"What are you doing here, pretty girl?"
You huffed and pointed an accusing finger at the man.
"More like what are you doing here, blondie? And don't call me that." Your voice was laced with venom as the memory of earlier that morning flashed through your eyes, angering you further.
Ukai put his hands up in defense, as you were practically seething with rage.
Daichi stared at the two of you, thoroughly confused.
"You two have met?"
You spun to look at him.
"He's the jerk I bumped into at the coffee-shop, literally."
Daichi's eyes widened, and he turned to face the blonde man, his tone apologetic.
"I'm so sorry about her, she can be a total klutz. She's my sister."
You let out an angry sound, but Ukai laughed, long and loud. He placed his hands on his stomach, doubling over in his mirth.
You huffed.
"What is so funny?"
The blonde looked up at you, still grinning.
"You two...are nothing alike."
You rolled your eyes, crossing your arms. How rude.
"And just who are you, anyway?"
The man straightened, still giving you that shit-eating smirk.
"I'm the coach, princess. Keishin Ukai."