Chapter Text
The last week of April. You and Kunikuzushi would stomp around in the luscious green grass. The blossoms fell from the nearby trees and onto the sidewalk of the park in elementary school.
You would both stay after school for a little longer to play. He would ride around the yard with the tiny bicycles the school provides for the kids while you would pick flowers for your family. Then, he would talk to you about how he wants to play professional badminton when he grows up because the older kids inspired him to do so.
”(Name)!” He’d call, his bike going at full speed towards you in the grass. His mischievous grin has never changed.
You squeeze your eyes tight as you wait for the impact but you know he was just messing with you.
Your eyes open.
My first love was in first grade. I imagined having a wonderful future with Kunikuzushi. A little apartment in the safe side of the city where I can bake four tea cakes for him because that’s all he can handle. He would teach me how to play badminton and compete with me at the same time. I imagine how the birdie would hit my head.
His response would definitely be to laugh and make fun of me before lending a hand. “Come on, (Name), don’t be so stubborn. I didn’t mean to hit you that hard.”
He would promise to help me with my world history homework because I know he knows more than me. At least… That’s what I dreamed of since forever.
I don’t know what happened between us before and after he moved. I hated his guts all throughout high school for avoiding me. I didn’t do anything wrong, not that I recall. I made sure to glow up before my second year of high school in hopes he’d want to be my friend again.
Haypasia helped me achieve a better appearance and I appreciated her for her help. Her and Kuni had dated for a year and she knows I want to reconnect with him again. Not in a romantic way, my feelings have died down. I had someone else in mind for a while. Kaeya.
I think about the future we could’ve had though. Has his appetite grown by now? Instead of four tear cakes, will I need to double the batch? I can’t help but want to approach him and ask if he is still willing to teach me badminton in the future. I hope he would.
But at the same time, I hope he wouldn’t.
After midterms, your significant other of almost three years abruptly broke up with you. He held an important piece of your heart—your love—and dangled it in front of you mockingly. He reasoned that he felt that you were ‘too needy’ and ‘immature’ when it was quite the opposite.
You couldn’t fathom how he even reached such conclusions. After everything you’ve gone through, you went through it together as a pair. With him. And he let you go just like that?? Unbelievable. To make matters worse, he confessed to hooking up with your middle school best friend, Haypasia, behind your back for months.
You were devastated, to say the least, that you threw a huge tantrum about it before slamming the door shut behind him on his way out. You’ve always assumed you were the traitor, you had your eyes and mindset for somewhere else while you were with him. Distracted. Both of you were in the wrong and you accepted that.
So then that was the end of your high school relationship.
It was a lonely continuation of winter break. You had a little more than a week to prepare for school again. Before, you would look forward to seeing everyone, mainly your friends, and if they wanted to hang out. But now, you’ve spent the week rotting in the shallow comfort of your bed as the betrayal stayed in your mind.
Over and over again, your parents incessantly lectured you about going outside to enjoy the cool fresh air like you used to. It seemed too dull and gloomy to do so.
“(Name)?” You recognized that voice and groaned.
“What is it, mom?”
“…”
Confused by the silence, you raised your head from your comfortable pillow to stare at the door. You expected her to barge in and try to convince you to go out. Your vision spun a bit since it has been a really long time since you’ve gotten up.
“(Name).” A deeper voice followed behind as you heard shuffling behind the door.
What the hell is going on? It better not be that bastard again.
The door handle turned.
You were growing more annoyed at the thought of “little Mr. Needy Hypocrite” potentially coming to see you. (Yes, you’ve come up with the most genius nickname.)
But soon, your eyes widened and your mouth dropped agape. “Kunikuzushi!?” This seriously couldn’t have gotten any worse..
And the one who started it all; no one other than Kunikuzushi himself. Your eyes were set on him and only him. You wondered where your mother went and why she had to torture you like this by bringing in his company.
You hate him.
“(Name),” He repeats your name and you hate the way he says it so nonchalantly.
“Auntie told me to check up on you because you haven’t been going out this whole winter break.” He ignored your astonishment as he spoke to you in his usual stoic voice.
Oh, I absolutely hate you, Kuni.
A frown overcomes your face once again as you recollect yourself from the shock. You plopped back down onto your pillow and sighed in an irritated way. You wanted him to feel unwelcome. He shouldn’t be here, not after what he’s done to your currently spinning brain.
“I know, I know. They’ve been nagging me nonstop. Now you’re here to make it worse.”
“Don’t be such a loser, they’re worried about you so get up.
You noticed how he only mentions your parents and does not include himself. So much for being childhood friends. “Then tell them they shouldn’t be and get out. You’re invading privacy.”
“You act as if you didn’t come over to my house and steal my unused notebooks at the beginning of middle school.”
“Well, that was five years ago and I needed supplies but I was too afraid to ask to go shopping. Besides, I don’t do it now, you’ve moved away.”
You heard him scoff and some more shuffling noises can be heard. Not bothering to glance at what he’s doing, you turn to your side and tug your blanket over your head.
“Tch.” He scowled at your stubbornness and avoidance.
It became silent again.
Right when you were about to peek, Kunikuzushi yanked your blanket off of you and the bed. You let out a surprised gasp and your eyes widened with disbelief.
“Hey, what the-” He didn’t let you finish your sentence as he dragged your arms and pulled you into his. Now, he had you in a rather intimate and embarrassing position.
He trotted out of your room with you in his arms, not caring about your hits and attempted to push him away. As he walked out the hallway and started towards the front door, you noticed your mom and his mom at the kitchen counter watching you both almost expectingly.
“Mom, Aunt Ei, how’re you both just going to allow this?!” You shrieked at them in betrayal yet again as your mom ignored your protests while Ei laughed.
Then, you saw Kunikuzushi wink at your mom with a smug smirk.
Before that little annoying action can register in your muffled brain, he had already gone out of the house and thrown you into the thick grass-covered snow!
You let out a furious cry as you made contact with the icy cold ground of your front lawn. The landing gave your bottom a shocking pain as you glared up at Kunikuzushi.
Just hearing his laugh of triumph and accomplishment made your anger boil. He just ruined your pajamas! (More like your favorite thick hoodie with sweats.)
You hated him. Maybe less than your hatred for your ex-boyfriend and ex-best friend, but you still despised him nonetheless.
“Kunikuzushi Raiden! What the fuck is wrong with you?!” You yelled in frustration which resulted in a weird glance by a passerby with her dog.
He still laughed in front of you, treating you as if you were a joke. As if your feelings were a joke. As if the history you both shared was a joke.
“Ah- What? You can’t face the reality of winter now?” He chuckled bitterly as his devious cackles settled down.
“Shut up. Now you’ve ruined my week even more. You don’t understand what I’ve gone through because everyone likes you.”
At that comment, his once amused smile dropped down to a frown. His sharp eyes narrowed at you more than ever.
“You’re still thinking about that bastard? He broke up with you a week ago. Get over it.”
You wanted to yell. To yell, scream, cry, and act like a pathetic child your ex had claimed you were.
“I would get over it if it was that simple! But it’s not! He cheated on me with my middle school friend for months behind my back! How am I supposed to get over that?!” Your voice raised higher than ever. Kunikuzushi has always made fun of the way it sounded.
You expect that he’d do it again.
Instead, he rolls his eyes and crosses his arms. “Don’t be ridiculous. Your stupid boyfriend took my girlfriend away from me too.”
Oh.
You had forgotten about that.
“..Well- you seem like you’ve gotten over it quicker.”
Now, you remember overhearing your mother discussing with his mom how Kunikuzushi broke up with his girlfriend a week before your boyfriend dumped you. You had forgotten your friend was the bridge to reconnecting your fallen relationship with Kunikuzushi. Not that it meant anything.
Still, he should be as heartbroken as you are at least. This all happened before finals week and it was already stressful enough. In school, you knew Kunikuzushi and his girlfriend broke up but you didn’t know it would lead to your relationship with your boyfriend too.
“Because I’m not a weakling like you. That’s just what happened and they’re together. It’s not like you have some magical power to stop time.” The way Kunikuzushi scolded you went through your mind in circles. You know he doesn’t mean it in a bad way targeted at you, you were still upset about this mess.
“I don’t want to stop time.”
I preferred looking into the future. The future where I pursued my dreams and meet someone new. Someone better than the Kunikuzushi I know now.
“So stop being so miserable then, yeah? Neither of you want each other.” He crouched down and formed a quick ball of icy snow. You wondered how his hands didn’t turn frozen since he didn’t have mittens or anything.
Nodding to his words, he slapped the snowball into your face. It directly hit you in the forehead with so much force that you were almost knocked back.
You couldn’t believe this jerk. You absolutely couldn’t believe this was the same mischievous yet adorable neighbor back in elementary school. You just wanted to punch his stupid face so bad.
You could. If you really wanted to.