Chapter Text
If anyone would have told highschool (Name) that she should save herself from a heart break because Kuroo Tetsurō is not the man she’s going to marry, she would have laugh at their faces.
Unfortunately for her, no one told her. Why? Because everyone thought, even herself, that Kuroo Tetsurō is going to be her endgame, like those in romance shojou manga everyone has read once in their life, the typical academic rivals to lovers troupe, the one you usually see getting married in the end. It was supposed to end like that, that’s how (Name) envisioned spending her whole life with him.
Good thing she didn’t laugh at their faces, huh? Because here she is, the former volleyball captain of Nekoma, the cheeky small setter who made a lot of friends and playful rivals back in highschool, the once confident (Name) that used to lead the court with her known passion, is drinking her hearts content in a secluded bar, fresh out of a relationship, all by herself, miserable and broken. Living a new life, new place, and a new university where she shifted courses to sport science to a business major, pile of stress was thrown in her way, plus the fresh wound Kuroo Tetsurō has left on her heart didn’t help at all.
Imagine that, crying over a man.
But the said man was her first love since highschool! They’ve shared moments ever since first year, the laughs, the constant playful academic rivalry, the shared feeling of being the captains of volleyball team, those nightly hangouts where the two spend time together under the stars, slowly letting in eachother’s life, falling in love and all that, actually becoming a couple after highschool… only for him to end it after a year becoming a couple… in college? And he finds a new girlfriend after a month? Man, fuck him! Scoffing bitterly, (Name) grabbed the beer and took a swift swig, letting the bitter alcohol run down to her throat, leaving slight burns but she didn’t care anymore, this is the answer for now if she wants to forget that goddamn cat, Kuroo Tetsurō!
(Name)’s independent, the type of girl that don’t give a fuck. Everyone who knew her back in highschool knows she’s doesn’t need a man, not desperate for a relationship, a strong willed woman, knows her worth and definitely have high standards for men but if anyone saw her now? She wouldn’t blame them if her image they’ve built in their mind shattered like glass.
But can you blame her? Because what the fuck? It’s like a huge slap in her face, so much for being an independent woman who’s emotion is now all over the place, as if telling her she’s ain’t it if he could easily replace her just like that. What was he even thinking? (Name) badly wants to hear his reason, ask him if she even mattered in his life, why did he had to build her up only for him to destroy her like this. Doesn’t matter, what’s done is done. She moved to a new place where she wouldn’t see him and Kuroo wouldn’t see her miserable while he’s out there in the streets, with a loving new girlfriend. While she’s still here, single and sad. Spare her the heartbreak, the woman couldn’t handle it anymore.
“Hope she breaks his heart just like how he broke mine.” (Name) muttered to no one, just looking at the bottle of beer in her hand like they were long lost friends. She’s still bitter, okay. Despite telling herself that they didn’t end nastily, that they ended their relationship like two behaved adults and promised to keep in touch, (Name) couldn’t help and let her mind still race to that memory when she saw Kuroo’s IG story, posting his new girlfriend online, him taking her out on a night date on a restaurant where (Name) had to beg him they should take a date there sometimes! Call her whatever you want but her heart is still hurting.
Biting her lip and resting her head in the counter of the bar, (Name) winced at the impact, and just like that, she completed the look of a drunk woman with a broken heart. She wonders what her friends would think of her now? Not after the stunt she’ve pulled, completely abandoning her social media accounts as if she never existed in the first place, replying only to close friends and family, they would be met in absolute dissapointment if they came across her in this secluded bar in Osaka looking like a wreck. Turning her head to the right, she let her eyes wander in the bar, memorizing completely useless details of the interior until her eyes landed on the tv, playing some kind of horse races replay, she’s not sure because her vision is all blurry, the world seems to be tilting left to right and back again like a broken clockwork.
“‘M drunk…” she finalized, giving herself a mental slap in the head when she realize her dorm is about a twenty walk away from here. “That you are, sweetie.” A sickly new voice was heard from behind her and just like a switch, her eyebrows furrowed, face churned in disgust. (Name) knows she’ll encounter creeps like this and it wasn’t a very smart move to drink all out alone where she spent her money on beers, calling a cab seems like out of option now that she’s kind of short in money, walking is a stupid idea and (name)’s saving her image from her friends so she’s not going to call them for help, again, she’s smart but sometimes she can be an idiot.
(Name) isn’t here to pick up men and sleep with them, she’s here to spend time for herself wallowing in self-pity when she knows she’s going to regret it tomorrow, she’s an emotional wreck now but the former setter is not that stupid to spend a night with some dude’s house, it’s dangerous, especially in this part of town.
Deciding to ignore him, (Name) continued to watch the horses in the tv, giving herself to distract with by making small commentary that she doesn’t have a single clue how betting on that works but still supporting the brown horse who’s first in the race. This is way better than thinking about her ex anyways even if he’s the reason why she’s here in the first place, watching horses while drunk. Apparently, the guy, he did not get the hint when he moved right next to her, his face now blocking the tv and she had to endure looking at his appearance. Huh.
Guy is not bad looking, kind of a cutie standing around five ten with shaggy brown hair and green eyes, his arm have intricate tattoos up to his sleeves, kind of hot— but still ugly in her book because she’s not going to trust a man who approached her knowing damn too well she’s drunk, that’s a huge red flag waving right in her face.
“Can you move?” (Name) murmured, sitting up straight to look him in the eyes with disinterest, the thought of her ex boyfriend has been pushed in the back of her mind now that she’s got to deal with this.
“‘M watching… ‘bout horses.” (Name) gave herself a pat in her back because she made a little progress shotting this man down and leaning her head slightly to take a peek at the t.v.
But he had to be an annoying one and move his head too to obscure her line of sight, she was sure the brown horse was about to win! Biting back her tongue, her eyes bore to his green eyes that won’t stop roaming up and down her body, she saw how he stick his tongue in-between his teeth and her frown deepens at this, knowing that look from anywhere. Call it a woman’s instinct.
He moved his hand, resting on top of her small one and leaning in too close for her liking. “I’m pretty sure we could do something much more interesting than that, babe.”
Babe?!
(Name) couldn’t help herself and visibly cringed at his attempt to swoon her, if he can be a suave type of guy, she could at least hear him out, spend the night talking and regrettably make a decision by sleeping with him in his place if he convinced her but babe and touching her without her consent?
Yeah, that’s it. She’s not having this. With a scoff, (Name) pulled back her hand away from his hold, gathered her bag from the counter and stood up from her seat, trying to walk away from him straight towards the exit.
Keyword: tried.
Miss (Name) is a walking disaster, swaying left and right, with every step feels like a weight came crashing down and everyone who looked in her way spared a look of pity before resuming to whatever they were doing. But it’s better to walk away than spending another second with him.
“Hey, come on,” (Name) heard him behind her back, following her closely that a sound of annoyance escapes her lips. Her eyes still on the exit like a prize waiting for it to be claimed, she’s almost there, just a few more steps.
“You’re drunk.” A hand wrapped around her wrist and (Name)’s whole body was suddenly jerked back by the sudden tug, with whatever’s energy left in her body, she kept both of her feet planted in the ground and threw him a glare that could kill. Sure, panic was beating fast in her chest, her heart wouldn’t calm down because of the obvious sign of danger blaring in her face but (Name) will not let this sorry excuse son of a bitch scare her. Her vision is still blurry from the alcohol but (Name)’s not blind to see the smirk plastered on his lips, eyebrows furrowed in frustration and eyes filled with annoyance.
“Stop being stubborn and—“
She snorted at his attempt to intimidate her. A man? Telling her what to do? No. Not even Kuroo would do that to her. Fuck that— She’s stubborn as a mule! (Name) may be in a drunken state right now but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t know what’s she’s doing, she’s here to forget and rage at her ex boyfriend who replaced her after a month, she’s here to drink beer so she could regret it the morning after! she’s here to watch the brown horse win that she’s keeping a close watch on before he intervened! She has faith on that horse!
With that, with all her strength, (Name) pulled away harshly from his vice grip that made her legs weak because of the sudden force. With the (not so) help of her woozy mind, it dawns on the woman that her world is slowly falling, it’s like her life flashed before her eyes, watching everything in slow motion. “Ahh—!” The Gods heard her cries, of course they did, after those prayers she spewed in her head under a second, how could they not hear it? And the Gods sent her an angel. An angel with a hard chest when her back makes contact with it, knocking out the breath of her, but still ultimately saving her from embarrassment. “Thank you, Gods.” The Gods shake their heads in dissapointment and left her alone back again in reality. (Name)’s a big girl, she could handle this on her own now.
Immediately, a large hand landed on her waist to keep her steady, without looking to her savior, she lifted an accusatory finger at the green eyed man, lips curling in disgust and just like that, (Name) managed to capture every attention to them now. “Don’t— don’t touch me, you perverted little shit!” In the corner of her eyes, she saw her savior’s hand saving his half emptied bottle beer.
“Don’t do it.” Her little angel in her shoulder said, looking up to her with wide doe eyes that the devil in her other shoulder scoffed, poking her little fork in her cheek as if egging her on. “Do it.” (Name) is easily influenced in bad ideas.
With all her energy, she grabbed the neck of the bottled beer from her savior’s hand, swinging it carelessly and (Name)’s body was pulled back from her savior’s hold as he circled his other arm around her waist to keep her from falling, obviously panicking to be in this situation. “Or ‘m gonna smash this in your head!” The guy took a step back, his scary look was now easily replaced by sheer panic as he held his hands up in the air in defense. “Calm down!”
Calm down?! (Name) was harassed by him and he had the audacity to tell her to calm down! She lifted the bottle, carefully not spilling it but a hand grabbed her wrist to prevent her to do more harm and scandal inside the bar.
“(Last Name) - san!” A sharp whisper called out to her and as if forgetting the violence (Name) showcased today, she remembered her savior.
The dark eyes who’s usually sporting a bored look is now widened in concern, dark wavy curls that seemed to grow longer now, and the familliar two moles in his forehead could belong to one person she recognized back then, the one who she subtly flirted in her highschool days everytime they came to their school for a practice match or when the nationals came! (Name) shot him a grin, eyes sparkling in delight like nothing bad happened, forgetting what she’s done that leaves men shaking in fear inside the bar, she feels sort of happy and excited to see the Itachiyama’s ace.
“Kiyoomi~!” She could see how his nose scrunched up under his mask in obvious disapproval of his name casually used by his drunken senior. Turning to look back at the man who was disturbing her earlier, she noted how his face went pale to see a literal six foot tall man in her aid looming behind her, much more intimidating than the guy, with her other hand, she pointed at the tall ace. “This is Kiyoomi, and— and he’s gonna beat your ass!”
“No, I won’t.” Sakusa deadpanned, his hand grabbing the bottled beer slowly from her hold before placing it in the counter to avoid themselves getting injured and his other arm still around (name)’s waist protectively, being extra more careful not to injure his senior because he knows his own strength before shooting a deadly glare to the man who immediately stiffened up in fear. What can a scrawny 5’10 man do to a literal 6’3 volleyball player who’s much more ripped than him?
“Yes, he will.” Answers (Name) quickly, trying to stand up straight but her unlucky day made her fall back in Sakusa’s chest, both of his hands are now on her waist to keep her steady and her back resting comfortably in his chest, much to his dismay, everyone who met Sakusa knows he doesn’t like physical contact. But the ace is not heartless to leave a woman— especially the woman he kind of looked up to— to be alone in this state. Whatever rules he had for himself, he can bend them for now for his senior in obvious need of help.
“Hey man,” the bartender leaned over the counter and (Name) looked at the young bartender who visibly flinched under her sharp gaze. Sakusa, who’s already tired from whatever event unraveling in front of him, he decided to cover her eyes with his large hand to which she softly whined in protest but the energy she had right now is almost non existent that she falls limply in his chest, surprisingly he lets her and looked at the bartender expectantly.
“We… we got it from here, how ‘bout bring your girl home, she looks out of it.”
“She’s not my—“ that’s not the point, he harshly reminded himself before taking a sharp breath. Removing his hand away from her face, it’s safe to say (Name) is out cold in his arms, fast asleep even while standing— Oh wait, her legs is about to give out.
The ace hurriedly carried her bridal style, letting her head rest on his shoulder comfortably so she could avoid stiff neck early in the morning, it’s obvious she already had enough for a night, she doesn’t need a reminder for this events. Sakusa’s dark eyes roamed her features closely, she still looks the same, not much has change since it’s given they haven’t seen eachother only for a year— he admits she got prettier as well but it’s obvious (Name) hasn’t been sleeping great by the look of the bags under eyes.
Whatever happened to the famous volleyball captain of Nekoma? The one he looked up to because she’s the one who always stood straight in the court, carrying so much confidence in her back when she’s dubbed as the famous setter every scout wants to get a hold of and known for her leadership? He could also mention that she’s the one who kind of made a spot in his life and the one who tried to flirt with him back then but Sakusa wasn’t really sure if she was being flirty or if that was just her personality. So he left that part out, for now because—
Right now, she looks like anything but that, out in her wits and weak in his arms, she’s so much different from the last time he saw her. Sakusa wants to know why is she doing here, drunk out of her mind but he just couldn’t be bothered. Resigning to a sigh, Sakusa gave in, he can’t just find in himself to leave (Name) out here all alone. “Whatever,” he grumbled. “fine, just don’t let that guy come near in this place again.”
Sakusa Kiyoomi, just like (Name), had enough for a night.
Still carrying the woman in his strong arms protectively, carefully not letting her head hit any hard surfaces, the dark haired ace nodded at his teammates who’s been watching the scenario played out, letting them know he’s about to head our first, to which they gave him a thumbs up and a reassuring smile.
Every step Sakusa Kiyoomi takes outside the streets of Osaka, he wants to drop her. No offense, by the way. He just wants to drop her to see if she’s real. Sure, they have this unspoken close bonded friendship back in highschool. They didn’t talk that much (or he didn’t talk that much), hanged out only once, but still… he feels uneasy, not because of the physical contact, he’s not an asshole to feel uneasy just by taking care of a person needed of help! But he’s uneasy because it feels surreal to see her again, to see her like this.
Why does he even care about her? It’s not like they’re best friends but there’s a strange little tug in his heart stubbornly wants to come undone, like a ribbon wrapped around it ready to be unveiled in anytime now.
Sakusa Kiyoomi has always known (Full Name)— all thanks to his captain who’s really close with her and shared a few insightful details about her— as the woman who always stood in her ground with confidence and a beaming smile, will not abase herself if she knows she’s right, even if they go to different school, had talk only for a few times, but those small moments they’ve shared like watching eachother’s game or a casual talk beside a vending machine in the nationals or the same hotel they’re staying at, he finds himself admiring— a small crush even, to the senior who displayed such strong character that made him comfortable around her. That’s why it feels so… off to see her broken, like she finally pushed herself in the limits and in his arms above all that.
He knows about the break up— everyone who knew them knows about the break up, Sakusa isn’t really the type to gossip but he will still listen to a gossip for his own secret personal amusement. Komori Motoya, his cousin, told him about it. In his opinion? That was really a low blow for her ex boyfriend to do that, happily in a relationship then breaking up after a year— and after a month the guy had a new girlfriend? Flexing it in social media knowing too well his ex hasn’t still moved on? No wonder she stopped using social media. But hey, not his problem.
A part of Sakusa is annoyed that another person is now his responsibility when it’s his first time going out. He didn’t even know what goes though his head when he begrudgingly accepted his teammates offer to drink outside, something about “congrats being in the first stage of hell”. It was interesting to him, alright, caught his attention and all that. Sakusa huffed under his mask.
But another part of him is relieved that at least he knows this person and he saved her from danger, weird sense of relief bloomed on his chest when he gets to see (Name) again, albeit the reunion is… unpleasant, but still kind of glad.
They’re not close, they don’t talk to eachother on a daily basis, but he considered her as a friend (that rarely happens, mind you.) because even if (Name) was being flirty (he’s still not sure), she made him comfortable even for a short time.
Sakusa should bring her back home. Wait.
Bring her back?
Home?
Stopping in his tracks, Sakusa’s whole body goes rigid, like cold water was thrown to him. Watching the sleeping woman in his arms obviously shaking in the cold night air of Osaka, another problem ensues in his mind.
Where the fuck does (Full name) lives?!