nell

"𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐃𝐢𝐝 𝐘𝗼𝐮 𝐒𝐚𝐲?"

⤷ atsumu x reader | mutual pining | 0.9k words |

“Atsumu!” You call out his name, hitting your fist against the door. “Are you here?” 

It's a little late; the hallway is brightly lit, and you look up at the overhead lights, blinking and wondering if you shouldn’t have come here on such a whim. Thinking about it, you probably should have at least texted him you were coming — he might not even be here, but you were too much in a rush. 

Sighing, you raise your fist again, “Atsu-”

The door flies open and your hand cuts through air instead of the solid surface. Standing there in the doorway is Atsumu, clad in a pair of black sweatpants and a loosely fitting black t-shirt to match. He’s holding onto the handle with one hand, the other resting against the side of the frame, his pink lips stretching into a sly smile. Your stomach flips a little bit. “Hey.”

cute

(20 minutes earlier)

「8:57 p.m.」

“fuckin’ told you we’d get free dessert,” rin manages to say while putting another forkful of cake in his mouth. “and tears, and clapping.”

you scoff and shove his shoulder, “yeah, okay mr. too-good-to-be-true reddit post. sorry i never took you for a romantic.”

“really? even as we sit here and eat the best cake of your life?”

“we’re sitting on a curb in a parking lot, rin.”

“by choice, mind you.”

the amount of people who came over to congratulate the both of you had easily become overwhelming, especially when they started asking questions you couldn’t answer. “did you have your first date here?” “is it your anniversary?” “so when are you guys gonna get married?”

luckily, rin was able to ease his way out of the situation, explaining that the newly weds needed to go home to get some rest. he ended up driving a couple of blocks over to sit in an empty parking lot, the sunset near and the weather perfect. it was all a blur for you, really. if you didn’t think hard enough, you could say this really was a perfect way to end the day after an engagement.

“hey rin?” he hums in response and you continue, “was all of that stuff true? besides the romantic embellishments, i mean.”

“yeah,” he replies easily. “of course it was.”

SO DAMN CUTE

x : AUGUST 12TH :*+ﾟ

in which: reo sees his birthday marked down on your calender, and it fills him with the courage to win you back. or, he's hiding from the paparazzi... in your apartment, for whatever reason.

August 12th used to be one of the most important dates on your calender. Now it is one that brings forth bittersweet thoughts and memories whenever you think too hard on it, reminiscing a love that you had to let go long ago, despite how badly you wanted to keep him.

Mikage Reo’s name used to be stamped loud and proud beneath the date, with a heart that you hastily scribbled on due to the awkward angle of the page. His name is still on there, just without the heart, and merely in capitalised letters of your handwriting. 

You don’t know why you need to record it down because you remember it regardless, the set of numbers etched in the crevices of your mind. In fact, when August first hit and you were planning the month ahead, the act of recording down Reo’s birthday was a second-hand instinct, and when you did so without realising, a little pool of embarrassment and hurt developed in your chest. You didn’t even have the guts to cross it out either, despite it being almost seven months since you split.

Not a day has passed without you thinking about him, clearly.

But it was nothing to be embarrassed about because no one will ever think too much about it, especially not Reo, because he has no reason to ever step foot in your apartment ever again. If he ever saw it, you might just wither away.

[ mikage reo ]

you sat across from the famous football player, staring at him blankly as he slurped the last few drop of his iced coffee obnoxiously, staring back at you almost as if he was trying to annoy you. after finally being done and letting out a loud annoying sigh, he blinked. “hi.”

you shut your eyes for a brief second, taking in a deep breath while trying not to come up with at least fifty ways to murder him as you attempted to fully register the situation. “nagi, it’s three in the morning.”

“mhm.”

“i haven’t spoken to you in years. why are you here?”

“i had a fight with reo.” he said bluntly, moving the straw around his cup. the ice moved inside loudly, only testing your patience further. he seemed as if he was done talking, but the sharp look you gave him made him pout and before he continued, finally stopping the noise. “we live together, i couldn’t stay with him.”

“and you decided that instead of staying with any of your friends, isagi, chigiri, barou, bachira— you decided to pack, somehow track me down and come over without notice?”

“i couldn’t stay at any of their homes,” he rolled his eyes as if you were the idiot. “let me explain this, [y/n]. when a kid has divorced parents and he fights with one of them, he goes to stay with the other.”

you needed a cigarette and you didn’t even fucking smoke.

“…did you just say that mikage and i are your divorced parents?” you asked, bewildered. he nodded casually, leaning his palm on one hand as he stared at you. you leaned back, massaging your temples in pure frustration. “are all football players this insane?”

“probably.” he shrugged. “i also forgot my phone and wallet, so you will have to pay for me until i decide to go back. oh, speaking off, can we order takeout? i’m really hungry.”

“nagi.”

“…yes?”

“get the fuck to bed.”

his eyes seemed to fill up with amusement despite the dramatic sigh he let out as he got up, staring at you expectantly. you gestured to the room at the end of the hallway and he nodded, poking his tongue out before he walked away.

you passed out at the kitchen table that day, wondering what the fuck to do with the man child in your guest room, and woke up the next morning by someone poking your cheek. “[y/n]. [y/n]. [y/n]. [y/n]. [y/—“

“say my name one more time and i am disowning you,” you muttered blankly, voice thick with sleep as you buried your face deeper into your arms. you heard him snort, but you ignored it, sighing. “what?”

“i ordered takeout because i can’t make breakfast and i didn’t want you to kill me if i woke you up to cook. where’s your wallet?”

you pushed yourself up with a light groan, looking around until your eyes fell on the backpack you usually took to your college. you gestured there vaguely and he immediately dragged himself towards it, pulling it open harshly before he grabbed your wallet, frowning. “this is an ugly wallet.”

“die.”

“you’re a very bad parent.” he hummed. you narrowed your eyes at him as he pulled the door open and paid, accepting two pizza boxes before he mumbled a ‘thank you’ and shut the door quietly, looking towards you after. “wanna join for breakfast?”

you sighed, pushing your aching body up. “why not?”

after you two silently ate while he intensely watched a full two-hour youtube video about all possible theories behind his favorite game, you finally turned to him. “i have three questions.”

he blinked. “only three? you’re a changed person. what are they?”

you rolled his eyes. “one, when are you planning to return?”

“you could at least pretend you’re happy to see your ex-boyfriend’s best friend after years.” he muttered, sulking, before sighing. “friday night, we have a match saturday morning.”

you nodded slowly, then paused. “how are you planning to piss mikage off if he doesn’t even know where you are?”

he blinked. “oh, i didn’t think about that. give me your phone, i’ll send him a photo of us together.”

“i don’t have his number.” you informed blankly. he raised his eyebrows, and you raised one in response. “what?”

“he still have your number saved in his favorites with, like, a million heart emojis. you’re cruel.” he muttered monotonously, snatching your phone either way. you watched closely as he opened instagram and logged into his private account before he leaned into you, poking his tongue out as he snapped a picture. you poked your tongue out as well just to humor him, both your faces blank, and you snorted when you saw his caption.

like parent like son.

“last question.” you hummed. he groaned loudly, and you raised an eyebrow. “just one and i’ll let you stay over without complaining for the next few days.”

“shoot.”

“what was the fight about?”

he paused for a second, two, three, then, “i don’t want to talk about it.”

you stared at him for a few seconds, then sighed, glancing at your watch. “okay. i have to get ready for college, so make yourself at home, i guess.”

he seemed surprised that you let go of it, but you didn’t overthink it, getting up and going to your room. god, you needed a hot, long shower. after getting everything ready and so, you walked back out into the living room, where nagi was watching another game analysis video on your TV. yet, he seemed to be sulking a little more, and you sighed at your own words in advance.

“hey, nagi, wanna sneak into my college and attend classes with me?”

“sounds like a hassle.” he deadpanned, glancing up. you hummed, turning around, before a thud echoed as he rolled off the couch, followed by a groan. “hold on, i’m in.”

you snorted.

before you realized, it was friday morning, and as much as you hated to admit, you were going to miss nagi. you two had gotten close when you were dating reo and tended to pull a lot of all nighters together playing nagi’s favorite games, which got you really close. however, after the breakup, reo had really pulled back and cut off all contact, which you guessed had included nagi as well when the taller player stopped talking to you.

“morning,” nagi yawned tiredly as he walked into the kitchen, where you sat on your phone, greeting him with a hum. “oh, did you pack your bags already?”

you blinked, pausing, before you looked up. “what?”

he blinked back. “did i forgot to tell you? you’re coming with me.”

“what?” you hissed, eyes wide. “what do you— i’m not going with you.”

“i already have your ticket, don’t let me get a refund!” he whined, slumping across of you. “i got it when i booked mine.”

“and you are just telling me now?”

“i forgot.” he deadpanned. “now go pack.”

“i have college.”

“you told me you have a week-long break. go pack.”

“i’m not staying with you.”

“i’ll book a suite for you in the most expensive hotel, just please go pack!”

“…i fucking hate you.” you muttered, pushing yourself up before placing a plate in front of him. he took a huge bite as you walked away, and you could hear him hum at the taste before talking.

“love you too!” he yelled back.

that night, after you two got on the plane, he decided to inform you that he had also got you a vip ticket for the game the next day, and he was so lucky you couldn’t murder him with that much witnesses around.

you had the same feeling as you watched the players walk into the field on saturday night, sipping on your drink while waiting trying to calm your nerves. it had been years since you saw reo, and you were definitely not ready to see him again. you would be lying if you said you didn’t put effort into your appearance for the night, but who wouldn’t?

before you could completely prepare yourself, your eyes fell on an annoyingly familiar mop of purple hair, angrily whispering something to nagi. nagi gave him one of his famous blank looks before he turned around and met your eyes, and you immediately glared at him.

‘do not!’ you mouthed clearly, well aware that he could see it, and his lips only twitched up before he nonchalantly pointed in your direction, and you glared at him.

that fucking traitor.

reo turned around in an alarming speed, eyes wide as he did so, searching the crowd almost desperately before his eyes fell on you. you had managed to compose yourself enough to go back to looking bored, offering him a lazy wave when your eyes met, and he only turned back quickly towards nagi, waving around vaguely as he said something that caused his team members to all look at him, eyes wide.

chigiri asked something and nagi pointed back at you, and you swore you could cut his damn finger off if you could as almost the entire team turned to you in sync, eyes wide, and you offered a peace sign this time, face blank as you poked your tongue out.

the only one who saw the humor in this was nagi, who snorted and immediately got smacked by reo, who was sharply avoiding looking in your direction. they all offered bewildered waves and you turned back to sipping on your drink, waiting for the stupid match to end so you can get back to your hotel.

they won, fucking of course, and you immediately slipped out, shooting nagi a text once you made it back to the hotel congratulating him. you got a simple ‘:x’ back and snorted, decided to take a relaxing bath before going to grab a coffee for yourself.

and so, hours later, you were finally ready, dressed nicely and humming quietly as you grabbed your phone and wallet, pausing once a familiar voice echoed in the hallway. you walked towards the door, quietly pressing your ear against it, and heard someone suck in a sharp breath. “you can do it, you can do it. this will go okay, you can totally fucking do this, you can—“

you shut your eyes and breathed in deeply as an attempt to calm yourself down before opening the door, eyes immediately meeting widening purple ones as reo stilled. it was silent for a few seconds until reo took a step back, forcing on a practiced smile that you easily knew was fake.

“hi,” he spoke, voice smoother than you had remembered, and held a bouquet of white roses. you arched an eyebrow, face still blank as you accepted it, and he laughed awkwardly, shifting on his feet. “apology on nagi’s behalf.”

“it’s okay.” you responded calmly, carefully setting them aside. “couldn’t leave my child, after all.”

he cracked an awkward smile, but remained silent until you glanced back at him, and he gestured to your outfit. “going, uh, somewhere?”

“coffee.” you replied bluntly, and then internally grimaced, sighing before you spoke again, already regretting your words. “…would you like to tag along?”

“yes.” he agreed eagerly, then paused, skin tinting just the slightest. “i mean, uh, if you would like me to. i don’t mean i don’t want to, i do, but only if you—“

you would be a huge liar if you deny how you enjoyed being one of the very few people who can get reo to break his collected, charming rich boy filter. “reo?”

he immediately shut up, blinking, and you couldn’t help but think about how he resembled a lost puppy. “yeah?”

“let’s go.”

(you, later that night, shot nagi a reluctant ‘thank you’ text, one he responded with a ‘:p’ in reply for before casually informing you that there was no argument, just a small disagreement about reo being too much of a cowards to reach out and that he was just bored. you unsent your ‘thank you’, and he sent a ‘bad parenting :c’ back.)

HAHAH NAGI BEST WINGMAN

[ sakusa kiyoomi ]

“i will murder you in cold blood if you even think about it.”

your boyfriend’s head snapped up, eyes wide in a mixture of shock and absolute confusion on what prompted you to blurt the threat out of nowhere as he followed you up behind the bus, until he saw the culprit.

one empty seat.

he immediately scowled, the action clear for you despite his mask. at that point in your relationship, you were sure you would know his reaction even if he had a brown bag over his face. with slightly furrowed eyebrows, he glared at you. “why would i have it?”

“i dragged you and miya out of practice at one in the morning. you have been there since nine, so you’re clearly exhausted while i am perfectly fine. it’s a thirty minute ride. so, sit.”

he opened his mouth to protest, scowl deepening, but you narrowed your eyes dangerously.

“sakusa,” you called his last name quietly, warningly. “sit down.”

you ignored the soft giggles of other passengers as your boyfriend finally slumped down, his hand immediately reaching out to hold yours while you used the other to hold the pole placed to keep you from stumbling around. even with his head down, you knew he was pouting. “you’re cruel. i am going to hate every second of this.”

you briefly moved your stabilizing hand to run your hand through his hair, forcing him to rest his head back. he shut his eyes softly, and you could see the old lady beside him beaming at you two as you pulled your hand away, feeling him squeeze the one he held tightly.

and before the bus could even moved, his eyes were shut, breath steady and body limp.

the ride home was almost an hour due to heavy traffic and unexpected construction and by the time it was your stop, you were equally exhausted. you quietly shoved sakusa awake, who blinked a few times sleepily before he realized where he was and pushed himself up with a yawn, his hand not once leaving yours as the two of you walked out, mumbling a joined ‘thank you’ for the driver.

your shared apartment was only a few minutes away, but each minute felt increasingly too long and you almost collapsed the second you finally stepped inside. you briefly mumbled a quiet ‘welcome home’ as you let go of sakusa, immediately walking towards the bathroom.

after a thorough shower, you curled up in bed, waiting for sakusa to be done with his own as you resisted the urge to pass out, blinking sleepily, but it was barely a matter of minutes before you fully drowned in your dreams.

you, however, awoke again when the bed shifted, your boyfriend’s warm body gently wrapping around yours. you could tell he was trying his hardest not to wake you up, so you resumed your state, eyes remaining shut as you breathed out a small hum of satisfaction.

it was silent for a few seconds, but before you could fully lose consciousness again, you heard him talk softly, voice merely a whisper.

“you’re the greatest thing that ever happened to me,” he started softly, voice thick with exhaustion. “i have no idea what i ever did to deserve you and i am not sure i could ever be enough for you, but i am so glad you’re mine. you deserve the world and i will make sure you know it, my love.”

you shifted again, attempting to control the urge to cup his cheeks and pull him into the best kiss of his life.

he sighed, head on your shoulder. “god, i love you so much, baby.”

─── 𝐀𝐋𝐖𝐀𝐘𝐒, 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐔𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐘, 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐒

+ itoshi sae x f!reader | wc 7.1k | content: fluff, making out, college!au, mentions of insecurity, only very brief angst !!, alcohol, slight jealousy

notes: this was supposed to be lengthier and in smau format but i suck at that so here it is in fic format :’) i know i know, i write sae way too much </3

itoshi sae knows you like him.

you’re really obvious it’s pathetic, really. once during recess, he’d wanted to go back to the classroom to get some shut eye because soccer was way too draining lately, and guess who he saw slipping a little love note into his locker?

of course you. you and your little pink heart-shaped post-it that read i think you’re cute and i really really like you. because it was valentines and you were one of the many to send him little scribbles of confessions.

even now, when you sit just a couple of rows in front of him, he catches you looking behind at him, and sae purposely doesn’t look at you, doesn’t let you know he knows you’re staring. he’s not really sure why. maybe he feels bad if he exposes you or something.

throughout the rest of your sophomore year in high school, he continues to observe as you so subtly (not really) try to be friends with him. you always try to get picked to be in the same group as him for projects (which never works out), you try to sit next to him in lecture halls (but his friends cockblock you always), and during phys ed classes you try so hard with soccer but you’re really quite bad at it.

maybe it’s sae not being able to continue observing your failures that he throws you a bone.

cuteee

ANAGAPESIS - K. SHINSUKE

warnings: break up. heartbreak. self-deprecating thoughts. hurt/no comfort. 3.2k words.

angstober event

kita sighed as he closed the door behind him, the day’s fatigue springing onto him as soon as he took his shoes off, neatly placing them away and putting his slippers on.

it wasn’t particularly often that he had bad days, but he couldn’t exactly hide from them forever.

sure, he had a job he loved, putting all of his passion in it, but nothing really seemed to go right today. he found security and sense in his routines and yet somehow everything was misplaced or even missing today, throwing off his entire schedule.

but he was so glad to be home.

he couldn’t wait to fall into your arms and feel the weight on his shoulders disappear, letting himself be comforted by your warmth.

usually he’d come home and be greeted by you. you’d have some dinner together, either some leftovers or something one of you made (sometimes you prepared dinner together), and calmly let the day pass.

your shared apartment was more that just a few walls and furniture — it was his home, his safe place.

however, today he found you sitting in the living room, dressed in some jeans instead of the usual sweatpants. he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

“hey, love,” he greeted you with a warm smile, stepping closer to you, “you going out?”

oddly enough, you didn’t greet him cheerfully like you often did, instead only throwing a weak smile in his direction before looking down to your hands. “can we talk?” you immediately asked him with an almost timid voice.

“sure” kita sat down beside you, his entire body aching as he did so. he could only barely stop himself from letting out a relieved moan as he finally sat down again. grabbing your hand, he turned his entire attention to you. you were fidgeting, toes wiggling on the floor, as if you were anxious. “is everything okay? you seem distressed”

you took a deep breath before absentmindedly chewing on your thumb’s nail. as soon as you noticed however, you immediately brought your hand down, clenching it in your lap. your actions however only confirmed kita’s suspicion. you chewed on your lower lip for a moment before you decided to speak up. “it’s not. i- i need to tell you something,” you felt your heart race in your chest as you spoke, shifting uncomfortably in your seat. you quickly glanced over to kita, noticing the deep frown on his face and his tired, sunken eyes.

it was obvious that he had a hard day and here you were, only making it worse. could you really do that to him?

for a second you paused, before mentally shaking your head. no. you didn’t really have a choice, did you? you couldn’t just continue lying to him.

he deserved better.

“and i feel terrible for bringing it up now, but i don’t think this can wait any longer”

painnn😭

☆༉ — YUUJI ITADORI. isn’t it weird? how love never changes.

about. no matter what anyone says, yuuji itadori’s love for you is unwavering and he hopes that you’ll never see a reason to change. not for anyone, not even him. (1K)

warnings. minors, blank and ageless blogs do not interact! sfw, fluff, characters are aged up to 20s and in college, weird gf and jock bf, yuuji is a jock and has obnoxious teammates, reader is an introvert and wears glasses, selfship coded i fear, fem!reader.

“itadori, don’t you think your girlfriend is a little.. weird?”

the pink haired jock blinks once, then frowns  as he tugs a fresh shirt over his head — practice with his soccer team had ran a little longer than anticipated and he didn’t feel like coming home to you, his girlfriend, in a stinky old shirt. 

yuuji’s not sure when the topic of locker room talk had switched onto him and his love life but he cares enough to bite — not about to let his teammates talk smack about his girl. “where’d you get that idea from?”

another teammate speaks up. “when she comes to your games, she wears your sweatshirts but doesn’t cheer for you at all.” 

“she’s just shy, nothing wrong with that.” yuuji counters.

cute

Geto read people well.

It came with the job – being the manager of a team required such skills – but he thinks that he’s had this skill far longer than that. 

If you watched a person long enough, they had different tells. Even the people who were good at putting a mask on had them, and it gave their thoughts and next move away. 

The tiniest fidget in a finger. The twitch in a smile. The awkward shuffle from foot to foot.

It could mean discomfort, interest, or a request.

And knowing made a huge difference to him. It helped in decreasing the anxiousness he would feel, dealing with the uncertainty that comes with people. He could prepare himself for whoever he was dealing with and be one step ahead.

x : AFTERGLOW :*+ﾟ it's all me, just don't go !

in which: rin doesn't realise what he has until it's gone. now that you're gone, he will do anything to get you back.

you don’t know when your relationship with itoshi rin began to crumble since it isn’t an event that can be pinpointed, not a date that can be marked in your calender, and most certainly not a reminder you can set in your phone. 

your friends keep telling you that you need to think back on it, that although it hurts, it was a necessary step in healing and getting over him. the more you reflect on it, however, your heart would only shatter into more fragments, with each one piercing you with the memories of better times. 

when did his expression turn sour? when did he begin looking at you with such disdain? when did he decide he didn’t need you anymore?

when did rin’s chips of insecurity wedge themselves between you?

the only memory that serves as an answer occurred at 7:00 pm one regular night. if you think hard enough, you can remember how the plush couch cushions sank under your weight, the clicks of the clock that had a second hand minutely too fast, and the sinking feeling of premonition in your gut. 

the latest rin ever comes back is 6:00, and if not, he would have let you known why he wasn’t home.

"What the hell are you listening to?"

Ushijima looks up from his phone at Kageyama's disgruntled question but Hoshiumi's chiming in before he can answer as he looks over his teammate's shoulder.

"To the most random playlist I've ever seen." Hoshiumi grimaces. "Is that opera? The fuck?"

Ushijima tilts his head thoughtfully. "I suppose Andrea Bocelli is opera--"

"But you've got a song by milet right after that," interrupts Hoshiumi. "And then...NF? Is that even a name?"

"I assume so," Ushijima answers.

Kageyama frowns, even more confused. "You don't know?"

Ushijima shakes his head. "No, I don't." A small smile lifts the corner of his lips. "This isn't my playlist after all."

At the mention of your name Kageyama and Hoshiumi instantly understand but patiently listen to Ushijima's fond description of the way you're always singing at home. From a quiet hum to yourself to a grand performance in the shower your voice fills your shared home

and his heart.

Listening to your playlist is a comfort for him when he's away; he can imagine you singing as you fold your laundry or put away groceries.

And even better

"I learn the songs this way," Ushijima tells his teammates, "so when I get home

"we can sing together."

NO WAY THIS IS TOO CUTE

roses. kita shinsuke x reader

“Wow.”

You say this aloud, voice not at all absent of amazement as you enter the classroom and greet your seatmate: Kita Shinsuke. But, it’s not Kita you’re looking at. Rather, you’re staring with wide eyes at the mountain of roses that has amassed on top of his desk, in every color flower imaginable. 

It’s Valentines’ Week at your school, and your high school offers cheap rose deliveries for sale: you can send a rose and a note to anyone of your choosing, whether it be a significant other, a secret crush, or just a friend that you appreciate. You clutch your single pink rose to your chest and make your way to your seat. The Mt. Fuji of roses on Kita’s desk makes yours feel small and insignificant.

“I’m sorry,” he sighs, having the decency to look embarrassed. “Do you want me to move them?”

“No, no,” you tell him, sitting down in your seat next to him. It’s not surprise that he’s gotten this many. 

Kita is the captain of the volleyball club, even though you’ve heard people say that he’d never even been given a uniform before the start of this year. That didn’t matter to you; at his shy request, you’d gone to the Spring Tournament to watch them play. The way he moved across the court, saving even the most precarious of balls, was mesmerizing. His reputation also isn’t short of praise. He’s one of the top students in the grade and his sweet, polite charm is what draws everyone to him. He’s unobtainable to most girls, who have clearly relied on their rose grams to confess their admiration for him. But to you, he’s just your regular ol’ classroom partner. 

Well… you’d be lying if you said you didn’t find him attractive either. 

It doesn’t matter; he clearly has too many girls on his hands anyways. You’d hate to be another girl lost in that sea of roses piled atop his desk. 

LOVED THIS

"I wish soulmates were real."

"Hm?" Kita asks from the seat next to you; from the corner of your eye you see him look up from his book to you then track your line of sight to the canoodling classmates in the front of the room. "What did you say?"

"Nothing," you mumble and slowly sink down to the desk resting your head on your arms.

The silver fox gives you a cursory glance before going back to his book.

Your eyes follow Kita as he leaves you and Ojiro to finish your lunches and goes off to do who knows what.

You sigh.

"I think you should just tell him," Ojiro says between bites without looking at you.

A warm breeze wafts over campus, a gesture of fool's spring as if the universe wants to make a mockery of Aran's suggestions. You reply "absolutely not." Your hands grip the edge of the bench so tightly it feels like your knuckles are going to rip through. "You saw how many gifts and confessions he got on Valentine's Day."

Ojiro snorts. "You weren't even here for Valentine's Day. You skipped, remember?"

"Yeah and I'm glad I did. With people flocking to him even on the day after I'm glad I wasn't here to see it on the day-of."

"You think that was bad? You haven't heard what it was like for the second years."

"Absolute bedlam. I've heard." You exhale hotly through your nose. "But I don't care. The twins and Suna can have everyone's attention. I'd actually prefer it if they could draw even more attention than they already do...maybe it would make this easier."

"Make what easier?" Ojiro chuckles playfully. "Confessing?"

"Shuddup," you grumble, stifling a smile, and try to elbow him in the ribs; he dodges. "I'm just saying..." You sigh leaving the thought unfinished.

"You should've just become the manager when he asked," points Ojiro.

"I know," you growl in irritation at yourself. "I was just...scared."

"And now? With graduation just around the corner?"

"I'm terrified," you admit and scuff your shoes on the ground. "What if school's the only reason we're friends? What if we graduate and go our separate ways and never see or talk to each other again? What if he never wants anything to do with me?!"

"Uh...I don't know. Maybe try talking to him first before you freak out."

"Oh what do you know," you quip with a glance at him; the look on his face makes you double-take. "Wait...what do you know...Is there something you know?"

Ojiro's wide eyes flick to you before returning to his bento; he promptly shoves too much food into his mouth to answer.

"Oh my god...Ojiro...Did...did something happen on Valentine's day?" Your mind starts to race. "Did...did he accept someone's confession? Ohmygod, he did. Didn't he?! He accepted someone's confession and now...Now they're dating!" You clutch Ojiro's arm so tight he winces and struggles to pull away. "Aren't they! Kita's dating someone, isn't he? Isn't he!"

Ojiro finally twists his arm out of your claw and forces a lump of food down. "Could you not rip my arm off?" He huffs and shakes his head. "You're overthinking, again, before you know anything."

Holding back pure annoyance for the giant teddy bear you slowly exhale. "Then can you tell me what I don't know. Please."

He pushes the food around with his chopsticks clearly debating if he should say anything. "I...promised I wouldn't say."

"OH MY G--"

"Before you freak out again," he quickly cuts you off and pulls you back down to the bench as you had hopped to your feet. "Just give me a second to figure out what would be okay to tell you...." His brow furrows, eyes moving around like he's searching his brain before he looks at you again. "Kita..." He takes a deep breath. "Kita wasn't here on Valentine's Day either."

He braces for an explosive reaction but you've stayed still.

Eyes blinking intently you say "what?"

"Kita...wasn't here...on Valentine's Day," repeats Ojiro.

Light bulbs slowly turning on in your mind, your eyes slowly widen. "Kita...Kita was...Kita was sick?!" You go into overdrive again. "He was sick and I didn't know! And I was just at home moping around when he was suffering and probably didn't have anyone to take care of him because everyone else was preoccupied with their own lives and--" you take a dramatic, gasping inhale and Ojiro slaps a hand over your mouth forcing you to breathe through your nose.

"Kita wasn't sick," explains Ojiro like he's talking to a toddler. "He said he was...but he wasn't...He didn't..." Ojiro chooses his words carefully. "He...skipped...school."

The bell rings and Ojiro's forced to free you so he can quickly clean up his lunch; you're stuck in a state of confusion.

"Come on. We're gonna be late." He urges you up and back to class.

Ojiro keeps throwing you odd looks during class and by the increasing worry etched on his features, you do not look well.

At the end of the day he's not the only one who's noticed.

Kita gently says your name, a question, as the rest of the class is leaving. "Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm...not sure," you answer vaguely, unable to look at him. You miss the worried look he exchanges with Ojiro.

"Come on, let's get you some rest." Kita takes your bag and you follow him out without thinking, stuck in a fog.

Why would Kita skip school? Mister perfect, Mister no-gaps-Kita-Shinsuke, Mister what's-a-failing-grade, skip school?

The nurse's office is empty when you get there so Kita encourages you onto a cot himself and doesn't hesitate to pull a chair up next to you.

"You have to get to practice," you quietly offer, staring at the ceiling.

Kita calmly says "Aran will take care of them until I get there. This is more important right now."

"Okay." Still dazed and confused, exhausted from the roller coaster of your own emotions and comforted by Kita's soft and reassuring breaths you can feel sleep start lapping at your body.

"Can I ask you something?" Kita's voice promptly snaps you awake again. You gulp and nod. After a long moment, in a voice so quiet you can barely hear it, he asks "why do you wish soulmates were real?"

You're glad he already thinks you're not feeling well because you're sure the expression on your face would belie any composure you try to muster but he waits patiently, unpressuringly as you continue to stare at the ceiling.

"Because..." your voice is hoarse with nerves, "...I think I would just...I'd want...to know who's right for me...And who I'm right for...without the trial-and-error." The weight of self-doubt settles on your chest. "To know...with certainty...that there's a person out there who loves me for me...and I love back."

"You're a doubtful person," he states.

"To the core." You give a mirthless, dry laugh as your mind starts to compare you to the polished, proper boy--no, man--next to you. It makes sense...why you would have such strong feelings for the reliable captain.

And then it hits you.

The unlikely pairing you would be. How unlikely it would be that if soulmates did exist, that the two of you would belong together.

Kita remains quiet and, emboldened by the realization that the two of you would never--could never--happen you ask "why did you skip school last week?"

"Hm?" he asks though there's no way he didn't hear you.

"Why did you skip school last week? On Valentine's Day." You stare up resolutely, fists clenched under the blankets.

"Oh." He clears his throat. "I wanted to remove myself from any possible uncomfortable situations."

"Uncomfortable situations?" Really? Him? Skipping school because he didn't want to be uncomfortable?! You press for more. "Like what?"

From the corner of your eye you see him shift in his chair; the movement draws your attention and for the first time since you got in bed you look at him as he looks away.

"I...Didn't want to watch the person I like receive confessions," he stonily admits.

You give another dry laugh at the single similarity between you. "Well, I can understand that." He gives you a sideways, questioning look and you shrug. "I skipped for that same reason."

He turns back to you, brow furrowed in his adorable seriousness. "You skipped school? That was very irresponsible."

You laugh, a real one this time, and prop yourself up on an elbow. "You did the same thing."

"Doesn't matter." He shifts indignantly.

With a roll of your eyes you lay back down and quiet falls between you.

"Who was it?" Kita asks with all his usual assuredness.

"Hm?" You say though you definitely heard him.

"Who was it? That you were...unwilling to see receive confessions?"

Maybe it's the strange situation.

Maybe it's the strange day or what you learned at lunch.

Maybe it's the reminder that graduation's coming and your time is running out.

"You." The word slips from you like a spring bird and fills the room. "I like...you...Kita."

Instinctively you turn to look at him bracing for rejection in those steadfast brown eyes

but find none.

He's staring at you, eyes wide in disbelief, as he slowly blushes. He swallows thickly and his lips part in surprise leaving you speechless.

"I...I like you, too," he says quietly and something shifts. Something clicks into place, something lines up, indescribably pulled firm between you.

You can feel the deep affection welling up, tearing in the corner of your eyes as he slowly smiles and says "You don't have to wish soulmates were real..."

"You can't...you don't know..." you stutter in uncertainty.

He gently brushes your cheek, wiping away stray moisture, with a reassuring smile. "I can. And I do."

You're too overwhelmed to say anything.

"I promise you that I love you and you never have to doubt that." He leans in to rest his forehead on yours. "Foxes

mate for life."

all this cuteness aside, i think aran would be a great friend (and wingman)

EARLY PROMISE

gn!reader | 1.3k words, you see the ring iwaizumi wants to propose with a little (very) early

there’s a box behind shirts that iwaizumi no longer wears in his closet.

maybe that’s why you’ve never seen it before. you never would have, were you not given permission to look for clothes to donate while he went on a run.

it’s small, velvet, and inside there’s a ring that, any other day, you would have lingered to watch for as long as possible at a jewelry store.

but you’re not at the mall, nor are you currently being proposed to. you’re at home, standing alone while your stomach churn, and fingers tremble as you stare at the box in your palm where, right now, it decisively should not be. “fuck.”

“babe?”

stfu this is so cute bye

“Do you remember when your ex dumped you back in second year and you came over to my house crying?”

Hajime nearly combusts in your lap with how hot his face became, a deep flush of scarlet making its presence known. Poor thing had been scrolling on his phone with his head resting on your thighs, almost dozing off from the feeling of your fingers tangled in his hair.

“First of all, I’d just like to let you know that I hated the way you started this conversation,” He scowls, emerald eyes flicking up to your curious face from his phone. “Secondly, what’s the point of your question?”

“Well I just realized that I never really knew why you two broke up, and I kinda want to know.”

Instantly, Hajime rolls his eyes before sitting up, his large hand pinching the bridge of his nose, “I don’t know… does it matter? It was years ago, why do you think about them?”

“Well you know about my hookups!”

“Babe, we’ve all made out with Mattsun, I’ve told you it doesn’t count-“

“You all WHAT?”

cuteee

swipe left! smau - ♡︎sorry i couldn’t ruin your throat

USHIJIMA'S TWEET IM-

– caramel frappucino | 22

marga’s notes. because no one deserves to be confronted just through texts ♡ i recommend y’all to listen to the songs below while reading cause… the feels!! + some of the lyrics fit in their story :((

♪ CHAPTER PLAYLIST ♪

tokyo by joseph & maia | i can’t make you love me covered by dave thomas junior | still feel it all by maro

previous | masterlist | next

Every chime of the small bell hanging by the café’s glass doors had your head snapping up, anxiety plastered on your face while doing so. Sweat kept on forming on your palms as time seemed to tick slower. I probably look like a fool looking at every new customer right now, you thought as you looked around the area, nervous that he might’ve already arrived and you just didn’t notice it yet. Too occupied with your unnecessary thoughts, you have failed to notice the figure making its way towards you, hands deep in the pocket of his denim jacket.

“You look like a mess,” his monotonous voice told you, chuckling by the end of his statement as you gasped and sat up straight, acting as normal as possible. Your somewhat sympathetic eyes followed his figure as he took a seat in front of you.

“Don’t look at me like that. It’s still too early to break my heart, you know?” he joked although there was a stinging pain that passed in his heart as he said that… but you don’t have to know that, he thought.

The café was quiet; too quiet that as more seconds pass by, the faster your heart beats. If you were to be honest, you didn’t know where to start. You didn’t even know how you have gathered enough courage to meet him today. After what Tooru had told you last night, you hadn’t even slept a wink. You just couldn’t.

“Uhm… so… Tooru… uhh,” you stuttered, mind going blank as you tried to form your words that you have practiced so many times while you were in the bathroom, getting ready a while ago. What in the world are you doing, [y/n]? Speak! you internally screamed, already imagining yourself regretting your decision by the end of the day.

“I know. He told me that he told you,” he softly spoke, giving you a small smile of reassurance; just like what he’s been doing in the past years and with that, you felt your heart shatter as your thoughts flooded you once more.

How could you have not noticed it? Looking at him, you could see it now – the eyes that stared at you lovingly; the hand that twitches every now and then as it longed to touch you, or pull you close; the smile that held back so many feelings; and the heart that holds his love that was solely kept for you… how could you have not noticed it?