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Let Me Love You

Summary:

A supposed one-night stand
That's where it started
 

Chapter 1: wtf

Summary:

what the actual fuck

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Lying shirtless on his bed, Ushijima Wakatoshi woke up. He brought a hand to his head as he sat up. He groaned, his splitting headache worsened as blood rushed to his head. He never had a hangover as bad as this.

Where am I?

He fluttered his eyes open to see his room illuminated by moonlight. He sighed in relief. He looked to the bedside table on his left and picked up his phone to look at the time.

3:47am

He shook his head a bit as he tried to remember what happened the night before.

He was at a party that Tendou dragged him to. His red-headed friend kept pushing him to ‘have fun and live a little’. He drank despite not wanting to. And then…

And then what?

He couldn’t remember what happened.

He flinched as he felt movement in the space beside him and looked to his right. He saw Sugawara Mei, his former team’s manager, asleep beside him on his bed. He blinked.

He blinked again.

The blanket was partially covering Mei’s body, but he could see no clothing below the back of her neck.

Several thoughts rushed to Wakatoshi’s mind as he panicked.

Did we..?

Mei shuffled in her sleep, the blanket sliding down a little as she kicked her feet. She let out a breath as she shifted her weight a little to her left.

Wakatoshi sighed in relief as he saw she was wearing what seemed to be a strapless top, or bra. He wasn’t sure. The more he thought about it, the warmer his cheeks felt.  He looked around the room one more time and saw his clothes on the floor. Still trying to figure out what happened, he carefully got off the bed and went to his bathroom. He closed the door quietly and turned the lights on. He looked at himself in the mirror and saw a faint reddish color trailing from his neck to his collarbone. He traced a finger on the marks and then a flash of memory came to his mind.

His hands roamed her body as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Their foreheads pressed against each other as they gasped for air.

He shook his head as his mouth gaped in shock. Something that had happened a few hours ago is now fresh in his mind.

His body felt hot. He could not remember everything yet but the face this girl made as they –

Did we really do that..?

He put a hand on the sink and ran the other through his hair. He still tried to remember what happened before that and he couldn’t. He sighed as he stripped his clothes and went to take his shower. A very cold one at that.

Ten minutes later, he was out of the bathroom and saw Mei sitting up on his bed. His eyes widened a bit as he saw her push her hair back from her face, revealing a number of reddish spots on her neck and collarbone.

He stood there, stunned. Mei finally noticed him, and her eyes widened. Her cheeks flushed and she struggled to talk. She wasn’t like this at all. She was tough but fun to be around. But she always seemed to be a bit distant, guarded, and never vulnerable.

“Ushijima-san..?", she quietly yelped, clearly shocked when she saw him.

Wakatoshi realized he was partially naked except for the towel wrapped around his waist.

Mei looked away to the side and hugged a pillow to her chest. She was in her underwear, but she felt like she was naked when she saw Wakatoshi staring at her. She heard shuffling and looked to see Wakatoshi already in his seemingly tight gray sweatpants.  She darted her eyes away again. Shit. Did he wear that on purpose?

She felt the bed sink a little as Wakatoshi sat beside her and tried to dry his hair with his towel. She could see water dripping down his neck to his shoulders and to his back. She reached a hand to take the towel, her hand brushing against his. He looked at her, a little stunned, as she dabbed the towel on his neck and down to his back. She then gently ruffled his hair with the towel to dry it for him.

Wakatoshi grabbed her hand and took the towel from her. She pulled her hand back and darted her eyes away. Again.

Isn’t my heart beating too loud?

“Sugawara-san..”, Wakatoshi whispered as he put the towel aside.

Mei down on her lower lip as she heard his low and raspy voice. To say she was nervous was an understatement. She vaguely remembered what had happened between them, and she wasn’t sure if he even liked it.

There’s gonna be an unsettling awkwardness between them after this, not that things weren’t already awkward. They weren’t even exactly friends. How they ended up in the same university in Tokyo wasn’t a shock to her but how did she end up in this room?

“Sugawara-san.”, Wakatoshi whispered again as he stared at her.

Wakatoshi was not sure of what he was doing. He saw that Mei was slightly shaking, either from the cold or nervousness. Maybe both.

When he placed a hand on her bare shoulder, he felt her flinch. He gave a light push to make her face him as he shifted his weight as well. She still would not look. Did she regret this? Was he bad in bed? Did he hurt her? What if she never talks to him again?

He shut his eyes and pushed his thoughts away. He fluttered his open and saw Mei’s hazel eyes staring into his soul. His eyes drifted to her lips, which were slightly apart as if waiting for him. He gulped and hesitantly placed a hand on her cheek. He brought his face closer to hers and brushed his lips against hers.

Her lips felt soft. He felt her hands move to his chest as they kissed slowly. He felt her lips slightly part and took it upon himself to push his tongue in. He felt her hands push on his chest. He pulled away, despite not wanting to.

“Ushijima-san. Uh..”, she whispered as she fiddled with her hair. “Do you remember how we ended up here?”

“In my room..?."

“Yes.. And how did this” , she paused and gestured to the both of them, “ happen? Did we –?"

“All I remember was the party.. and drinking. I don’t remember anything else after that. But I think we did –“ , Wakatoshi paused and shifted his eyes to the very interesting wall.

No one said anything. The deafening silence felt like hours before Mei made her way out of the bed to pick up her clothes. She rushed to the bathroom and closed the door. She leaned back on the door and slid to the floor. She was confused. Why did this happen? And why did he kiss her again?

Her breath was shaky as she stood up and put her shirt and shorts back on. She saw the reddish marks that trailed down her neck. She blushed profusely as memories of last night flashed right before her eyes. She bit on her lip and tried to calm herself down. She tried to put on her stoic face in hopes of leaving the Wakatoshi’s room without a fuss.

She let out a breath again and made her way out of the bathroom. Wakatoshi was still sitting on his bed, now his phone in hand. He was staring at it.

Mei tilted her head in curiosity as she saw Wakatoshi’s flushed face. She walked over to the bed and sat beside him again. “What is it?”

Wakatoshi flinched at her voice and tried to hide his phone but she already grabbed his hand before he could do so. He gave in and handed the phone to her.

Mei took the phone and looked at the screen. It was his chat conversation with Tendou and there were pictures taken at the party. One picture caught her attention, assuming this was what Wakatoshi had been staring at.

It was a picture of them at the party. His arms were wrapped around her waist and hers were around his neck. The height difference was clearly obvious. He towered over her, more than half a foot. But she blushed at the way their faces were so close in the photo. Their foreheads were pressed against each other. It seemed as if they had just taken a break from a steamy make out session.

She hurriedly put the phone back in his hand and moved to stand so she could get out of the room and jump off a bridge.

Wakatoshi stood and caught hold of her hand.

She looked back at him and stared.

“What is it? “

“Don’t leave..”, he grumbled as he looked down.

What the fuck.

What the fuck.

What the fuck.

She didn’t know what else to do after she heard that.  

He pulled her into a hug and nuzzled her neck. He pulled her to lie down on the bed, keeping their embrace intact. Mei slowly wrapped one arm around his bare waist and the other stayed on his bare chest.

They stayed like that for a while until Mei’s eyes felt heavy and she started to drift back to sleep.

***

Mei wrote down notes as her professor went on with his lesson. The events of the party last week were still fresh on her mind and she had not talked to Ushijima since. She couldn’t bring herself to face him, especially when Tendou had discovered the two of them cuddling on his bed. With Ushijima shirtless,the hickies she gave him were visible. Clear as day.

Tendou had been teasing her through text and she couldn't take it anymore. She was used to Tendou’s antics, being a former manager of the Shiratorizawa Volleyball club, she handled everything well. But this was something new.

She had slept with THE Ushijima Wakatoshi, and rumors had already spread like wildfire thanks to the photos Tendou posted on his social media. He even tagged her on the wretched photo.

She sighed in relief when her last class finally ended. She gathered her things and walked out of the classroom. She was walking towards a vending machine when she heard a voice call out her name.

“Mei-chan!”

She sighed and mentally prepared herself to face a cheerful Bokuto, Akaashi being dragged along behind him.

“Bokuto-san, what can I do for you?”, she said with a small smile.

“We’re gonna have a party later, we want you to come!”, Bokuto said cheerfully.

God, his energy was like a breath of fresh air but sometimes it was overwhelming. I wonder how Akaashi dealt with this. She looked over to Akaashi and he nodded.

“I’ll let you know if I can make it.”, a smile plastered on her face despite the lie she had just said. Except for homework, she had nothing else to do, but she might not have the energy to deal with people.

“Aw, come on! It’s gonna be fun!

She mentally groaned. She looked to Akaashi, hoping he saw her asking for help with her eyes.

Akaashi only chuckled and shrugged.                                 

“Also, Ushiwaka’s gonna be there! You don’t want your boyfriend to drink all alone, don’t cha?”

“He’s not my boyfriend.”, she let out a sigh.

Bokuto let out a laugh. “Also,I hear some people from Karasuno’s gonna be there! Suga’s your cousin right?”

Sugawara Koushi’s my cousin. We’re close, I guess, but going to different schools did put some distance between us. Much more when he found out I was the manager of a rival team. We don’t talk as often as we did when we were younger. We go to the same University now but still barely see each other. 

“Yeah, he is. I’ll text him later, too. If I can make it.”  Mei forced a smile, one that Akaashi can clearly tell was fake, not Bokuto though. When the two owls finally left, she faced the vending machine and inserted a few coins. Her indecisiveness kicking in, she picked at nails as she spent a few minutes looking at the different drinks until someone behind her pressed the button for iced black coffee. She saw the drink fall below.

She turned around, her eyes already glaring, until she saw the one person she had been avoiding all week.

Wakatoshi stood in front of her . He stepped to the side and picked up the drink from the machine. He felt her glare as he handed the drink to her.

“This is what you always pick.”

“I was going to pick something else. “

“No, you weren’t.”

“You don’t know that.”

 How would he know? It’s not like we were friends. We were only club mates. Former club mates.

“I do. It is always Iced black coffee. Even if you spend another hour staring at the machine.”

Mei huffed and started to walk away. She didn’t know why she was annoyed by him. He was right about the coffee, though she didn’t want to admit it. Wakatoshi trailed behind her.

“Why are you following me?”, she said as she stopped in her tracks and faced him.

“We need to talk.”

“No, we don’t.”

“Yes. We do.”

“No, we don’t.”

“We do. What happened at the party –”

“Stop.”, she held a hand up. “Please don’t remind me of what happened. That was a mistake.”

Wakatoshi frowned. He felt like he had been punched in the gut. Was sleeping with him that bad?

“Sugawara-san. It wasn’t a mistake.”

Mei clutched the strap of her bag and turned to walk away from him. Wakatoshi still followed her.

“Ushijima-san, we both know it was a one-time thing.”, she sighed as she kept walking, passing by other students who couldn’t help but stare at the two.

“Mei-san.”

Eyes wide, Mei stopped walking and faced him when he heard him call her by her first name. Memories of the night they spent together flashed in her mind.

They had stopped near a tree.

“Mei-san, it wasn’t a mistake. Not to me. “, Wakatoshi said as he took a step closer to her.

Mei stared at him for a second, trying to figure out what the hell he means by that.

“Go out with me.” Wakatoshi said with a straight face.

She blinked.

Her mouth opened in shock. What did he say?? Go out? As in dating?! No! How could he possibly even think about dating me? Let alone think about dating at all. Where did he get this idea from? Is he insane?

“Mei-san.” He whispered as he took another step closer. Mei took a step back from him, hoping to get away from his piercing eyes, only to lean back on a tree.

He took her hand and brought it to his lips. He gave her palm a quick peck before looking back into her eyes. She felt her heartbeat quicken.

“Ushijima-san. You can’t be serious. “she gulped as he still held her hand to his lips. He gave it another peck.

“I am quite serious, Mei-san.”, he kissed the back of her hand, his eyes never leaving hers.

He’s saying my name again. Holy fuck.

Mei pulled her hand back and gripped her bag.

“Ushijima-san. I am not going to go out with you just because we slept together once. You don’t even like me. Heck, are we even friends?”, she said as blankly as she could even though she felt her stomach flipping. He frowned.

“Then, why did you stay?”

“What do you mean?”, she stared at him with wide eyes.

“Why did you stay that morning? You could have left. But you stayed when I asked.”

She looked to the side, avoiding his intense stare. He put a hand on her cheek, gently making her face him. Why did she stay when he asked?

“Mei-san, please go out with me.”, he whispered as he slowly brought his face closer to hers.

She couldn’t help but stare back into his olive eyes. His face got closer and closer, she felt like her heart was going to pop out of her chest. She couldn’t help herself. This is a mistake. Why would someone like him want to go out with me?

She inched her face forward and brushed her lips against his. He kissed back softly. He pulled back, their foreheads pressing against each other.

“Fine.”, she said . No, this is wrong.

“What?”

“I’ll go out with you.”, she whispered as she wrapped her arms around his waist and pecked his lips again.

This is a mistake.

 

Notes:

Ayo, this is my first fanfiction lol I’ve tried writing back in high school but never got around it. For some reason, I opened my laptop and started writing. I’ve started watching hq last December 2020, been obsessed since then. quite late to the party, but back when hq was first released, I was far too obsessed with Prince of Tennis. I could not focus on any other anime because of that lol. Anyway hehe I love hq so much now. I love Ushi so much too and for some reason, I just had to write fanfiction about him myself haha

Chapter 2: Party Party Yeah

Summary:

The party Bokuto mentioned

Chapter Text

Mei was dragged to the party by Tendou and she could only sigh. After the confrontation she had with Ushijima earlier today, she felt uneasy. How was this going to work? We barely talked in high school and I’m going out with him because I had sex with him? What the hell is wrong with me? What the hell is wrong with him?

She sighed again and made her way to the kitchen, saying hello to a few people along the way. The party was at Bokuto and Akaashi’s, so there were a lot of people. She took one of the red cups and poured myself some cider and leaned against the counter. Some people were dancing to the loud music Bokuto was playing, and the rest were scattered, talking amongst themselves.

She didn’t feel like drinking, afraid she might make another mistake if she did. She took a sip and at the corner of her eye she saw Ushijima enter the room. He was looking around until he spotted her. He walked over to where she was and she offered him her cup.

“Want a sip?”

“No, thank you. I don’t want to drink alcohol right now.”

Maybe he finally thinks it was a mistake.

“Don’t worry, it’s cider.” She lifted one of the bottles of cider from the counter to show him.

He took the cup from her hand and took a sip, then set it down on the counter.

The silence between them was more deafening than the loud party music.

This is too awkward.

“So.. We’re dating?”, Mei mumbled, trykng to look at anything else but him.

“We are. Would you like to go on a date this Saturday?”, he said as he turned to her. 

How can he be so blunt about this? 

“Uhh.. Sure. I still have a class until 4 though. Can we meet after that? Maybe around 5?”

He nodded, a small smile on his lips.

I’m not used to seeing him smiling. Was he always this cute?

“Mei-chan~! My, my, what is this?”, Tendou sang as he entered the kitchen. “ I see you lovebirds are finally together. Should I get ready to take pictures again?~” , he teased.

Mei scrunched her nose and scoffed.

“Tendou, stop.” Ushijima said quite sternly.

“Alright, alright~.”, he smirked. “But do tell me if I need to put a ‘do not disturb sign’ on your door, Wakatoshi-kun.”, he laughed as he left the kitchen with a beer in hand.

Mei sighed. 

“Don’t mind, Tendou. You know how he is.”, he moved his hand to hers and intertwined their fingers.

She felt a blush creep to her cheeks. What is it with him and my hands?

Seeing as she didn’t say anything, Wakatoshi moved his face closer to hers and placed a peck on her cheek.

“Do you want to leave?”, he whispered.

She looked away from him and nodded.

He took the drink from the counter and threw it in the trash before leading them out of the party. She squeezed his hand as they walked. 

She winced as the cold air prickled at her skin.

“Are you cold?”, he said.

“Just a bit.”

“Let me take you back to your dorm.”

“Okay.”

**

Mei unlocked her door and opened it. She looked over to him, and he pulled his hand away much to her demise. As he was about to turn around to take his leave, Mei called out to him, “Do you want to come in for a bit? I can make some tea.”

He looked at her and nodded.

She let him in and went to heat some water in her kettle.

“Feel free to sit anywhere.”

He chose to sit on the foot of my bed.

Her room was identical to his except for the few posters of her favorite band that decorated her walls and a wooden shelf filled with books.

She sat beside him but avoided his gaze.

“I still don’t know how this works.”, she said as she picked at the side of her nails. “This dating thing. I’ve never really dated anyone.”

He put his hand over hers and she flinched. 

“I feel the same. We don’t have to do anything that makes you uncomfortable.”

This feels weird. He shouldn’t be dating someone like me. There are a lot of prettier girls on campus.

He brought her hand to his lips and gave it a peck. Mei couldn’t help but blush at the gesture.  

Why is he so sweet? Since when was he like this?

She brought her hand to his cheek and pulled him in for a kiss. He kissed back, somewhat hungrily and Mei felt giddy as their kiss deepened. He placed his hands on her waist but she took them and led them under her shirt. He pulled back a bit and stared at her with an intense gaze.

“Are you sure?”, he whispered, as he tried to catch his breath.

She nodded and kissed him again.

Wakatoshi snaked his hands up  her shirt, caressing her stomach. His hands were moving up to her chest and stopped at the hem of her bra. Still kissing him, she swiftly unclasped it for him. She moaned against his lips as she felt his large hands cup her breasts, giving them a squeeze.

Mei slipped hands roam under his shirt as well, feeling his chiseled torso.  

God, why did he have to be so hot. Like, damn.

He pulled back from the kiss and pushed her to lie on her back, towering over her smaller frame. He moved his lips to her neck, and she whimpered at his touch.

She felt him lick a spot on her neck and lightly sucked on it. Mei hitched a breath but moved her hands roam on his abs again, making her way to the hem of his jeans. She undid his pants and heard him let out a groan as he felt her hand on his hardening member.  Stroking it against his boxers, Mei swore she  heard him growl against her neck.

The whistling sound of the kettle interrupted then. He pulled back and stared at her while catching his breath. She leaned towards him to kiss him again but he pulled away.

“Why’d you stop?”, she said with a frown.

“The kettle went off.”

“So?”

“You said we would have tea.”, his stated bluntly.

I stared at him with my mouth open in shock.

What the --

He chuckled.

Wait, did he just laugh?? Oh my god.

He moved closer to her face again and whispered,

“I would have lost control if the kettle didn’t go off.”

Placing a kiss on her forehead, he got up and fixed his jeans. He went to the kettle to make her and himself some tea.

I definitely wanted him to lose control.

**

 

Later that night:

Text:

Koushi:

Heeeeeey, Bokuto said you were at the party last night. I didn’t see you.

Mei:

I left early. Didn't really feel like drinking. lol

Koushi:

Ohoho, but I heard you left with someone. Someone I know?

Mei:

Yeah, but I rather tell you in person. You haven’t even introduced me to Sawamura yet.

Koushi:

Hey! You already met him plenty of times.

Mei:

Uh huh, but he wasn’t your boyfriend yet when I met him. Ohoho~

Koushi: ._.

Mei: Let’s meet sometime next week if y’all are free, I wanna catch up.

Koushi: Kk, I’ll text you the place and time

Mei: now go suck your boyfriend’s dick

Koushi: So vulgar.

Koushi: I’m top though.

Mei: Lol, keep telling yourself that. Sawamura-san is buff as fuck, no way he’s bottom.

Koushi: Did you just –

Mei: yeah, I did.

Koushi: this is bullying

 

Chapter 3: Saturdate

Summary:

Dinner, balls, and rings.

Chapter Text

She sighed tiredly as she entered her dorm. 

I have a date with my—with Ushijima-san at 5 and I’m nervous as fuck.

What am I gonna wear? I’ll probably look ugly compared to him. Sheesh, he looks like a supermodel with the way he’s built. I’ll look like a sack of potatoes next to him.

She spent a good half hour going through her closet and ended up choosing an olive green short-sleeved blouse, black high-waisted slacks, and a cream colored cardigan. She quickly changed into the clothes she laid out and put on her sneakers. She put a bit of make-up and put her hair up in a normal ponytail. 

I look okay, I guess.

Ping!

I picked up my phone and saw a text from Ushijima.

Ushijima-san:

I’m on my way to your dorm.

Mei:

Okay, you don’t have to come to my door. I’ll meet you downstairs.

She quickly made her way out of her dorm after she sent her last text.

As she exited the building,Ushijima was at the bottom of the stairs, leaning against a streetlight. He wore a beige turtleneck under a black mid-length coat that matched his black slim-fit pants.

Holy shit, he looks good.

 She jogged down the stairs and went over to him.

“Hey.”, she greeted with a small wave. “Sorry, I made you wait.”

“It's fine. Let’s go.”, he said blankly as he started to walk forward.She frowned and couldn’t help but pick at nails as she trailed behind him.

Wakatoshi halted for a bit so he could match Mei’s pace. He wanted to walk beside her. He glanced at her and saw she was picking at her nails again. He frowned and reached for her hand and intertwined their fingers as they walked to his car.

Mei wasn’t shocked when Ushijima took her hand in his but that he had a car.

“I didn’t know you had a car.”, she said as he opened the passenger door for her.

“It was a gift from my grandmother.”, He stated then jogged to his seat after closing her door.

He turned the car on and started driving.

“So.. Uh.. We didn’t really talk about this date, but do you have anything planned?”

“Tendou suggested we go to Tokyo Dome City. It seemed like a good idea, so I looked up some restaurants and places there. We can get dinner first then roam around.

Mei smiled, impressed at Ushijima’s planning.

“That sounds nice. There’s a night market there, right? Maybe we can go after dinner.”

His lips curved into a small smile, he nodded. “Sure. We can do whatever you want.”

**

“Woah! The lights are so pretty.” Mei said in awe as she stared at the array of colors that illuminated the street.

They had finished dinner at a nearby restaurant and talked for a bit as they ate but it was pretty awkward. Mei insisted on splitting the bill but Wakatoshi refused and paid for both of them. Mei could only sigh in defeat.

“Ooh! Let’s try playing one of those.” Mei said in excitement as he dragged Wakatoshi to a throwing game stand.

“How much?”, Wakatoshi asked the man at the game stand.

“300 yen for 5 balls.”

Mei handed the money, enough for one round for each of them, to the man before Wakatoshi could.

“Sugawara-san”, he said with a frown.

“Hey, come on, you already paid for dinner.”, she said with a grin.

The man handed a basket of balls to each of them. “All you have to do is knock down those pins.”, the man instructed. “The corresponding number of pins you knock down has a designated prize.”, he pointed to the plushies and other fun-looking toys and keychains displayed at the side.

Mei had been eying the small white eagle plush. She needed to knock down ten pins to get that. The eagle had a somewhat stoic expression that reminded her of someone but couldn’t remember who. She had to win it.

Wakatoshi followed her gaze and saw the eagle plush and looked back at the pins.

Mei threw her balls first and only knocked down 6 pins. She huffed and sadly told the man she’ll take the cat keychain as her prize. She stared at the keychain, sulking.

A loud sound of pins being knocked over got her attention. She saw that Wakatoshi had knocked over 10 pins with only 2 throws. The man behind in the stand asked him what prize he wanted.

“That one.”, he pointed to the eagle plush. The man handed it to him in a small paper bag.

Wakatoshi took it and handed it to Mei.

“Ah. You keep it, you’re the one who won it.”, she said as she rubbed the back of her neck, avoiding his gaze.

“I won it for you.”, he took her hand and placed the paper bag in her hand.

Mei stared at his face for a few seconds before looking away, clearly blushing.

“Thank you.”, she mumbled. "Uh.. Do you want to take a photo?", she said sheepishly as she took out her phone. 

"Sure."

Mei held her phone up and smiled a bit.

Click

Mei stared at the photo for a moment. Wakatoshi had a small smile on his lips and it made her heart flutter. 

**

They continued walking around, trying different games and looking at the different stalls.

Wakatoshi noticed that Mei wasn’t beside him anymore. He looked back and saw her looking at some handmade jewelry. Wakatoshi walked over to her side.

Mei had been staring at the beautiful, handcrafted pieces. A silver ring with a purple stone got her attention. The design was minimal, but it was very pretty.

“We’ll take a pair of this one, please.”, she heard Wakatoshi say as he was about to hand money to the lady.

“Ushijima-san,”, Mei said sternly and grabbed his hand. “Don’t you dare buy that ring for me.”

Wakatoshi stared at her, he took the money with his other hand and still handed it to the lady. The lady wrapped up the rings in individual boxes and placed them in a small paper bag.

They continued walking around and stopped to sit at an empty bench. It had been a couple of hours since the sun had set so it was already dark out, but the street was still bright and filled with people.

“Ushijima-san.”

“...”

“Stop wasting money on me. You shouldn’t have bought the ring. I was only looking at them.”, Mei huffed as she fiddled with the eagle plush that she took out of the paper bag.

Confused, he stared at her. “I didn’t waste money. You seemed to like it, so I bought it.”

“You are so stubborn. And you even bought two..”, she whined.

Wakatoshi took her hand and put the ring on the fourth finger of her left hand. He then showed her his hand, already wearing the ring. Mei swore her heart was going to jump out of her chest.

What is he doing? Why is he doing this?

Mei gazed at his face and saw he was smiling as he stared at their hands. “I figured we can have something that we both can wear, since we’re dating now.

She gulped at the sight. God, why did this man choose to go out with me? He’s too beautiful.

Wakatoshi lifted his head and gazed into her eyes. He brought his face closer to hers but Mei hitched a breath and pulled away from him. 

“We would go. It’s pretty late.”, she said quietly, immediately standing from her seat and walking off. Wakatoshi quietly trailed behind her.

 

Chapter 4: Movie Night

Summary:

honestly, i have no idea what I'm writing at this point lol. Maybe this will have plot idk

warning: smut lol

Chapter Text

The drive back to the university was quiet. Too quiet.

Mei had avoided his gaze and stared outside the window the whole time.

Wakatoshi parked in his spot and they got out of his car then started walking back to the dorms.

“Sugawara-san.”, he called out behind her.

Mei didn't hear him, too engrossed in her internal monologue, and kept walking, one hand picking at her the side of her thumb as she bit on her lower lip. Seriously, this guy is too good to be true. Maybe this is all a dream? Or maybe I’m in a coma and this will all be gone when I wake up. Yeah, definitely a coma—

“Mei-san.”, he said sternly as he got in her way, blocking her from walking any further.

Mei bumped into his chest when he stepped in front of her. She took a step back and looked up to meet his intense gaze.

“Are you upset?”, he asked.

“No.”

“Is it about the rings? Did I make you mad?”

“No.”, Mei huffed and tried to walk around him but Wakatoshi stepped to the side and blocked her path again. Mei sighed.

“Okay, I’m mad.”, she glared at him.

“Why?”, he asked in pure confusion.

“Because you keep wasting money on me!”, she exclaimed. Her eyes widened; she didn’t think she would shout. She looked away in frustration and began to ramble.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to yell  It’s just.. The rings were pretty expensive, and then you wouldn’t stop paying for things. And – “

Wakatoshi wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into a hug.

“Stop saying I wasted money on you because I didn’t.”, he said and placed a kiss on her forehead. He pulled away and took his hand in hers. “Let me walk you to your dorm.”

Mei was frustrated. She didn’t understand him.

When they got to her door, he pulled his hand from hers. She already missed the warmth of his hand. She opened her door and was about to go inside.

“Ushijima-san.”, she called out to him as he was about to walk off. He looked back at her.

“Thank you.. for tonight. I had a good time.”, she said quietly. “and thank you for these.”, she gestured at the plush and the ring. She was about to look up at him, but she was pulled into another hug. He nuzzled the crook of her neck with his cheek. “Thank you for letting me take you out. I also had a great time.” , she heard him whisper.

Still trapped in his embrace, she wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him back. She felt him pull back and brought his face close to hers.

Mei gulped and pulled away before she could pull him into her room and jump him. Why did he have to stare at me like that? 

“Good night, Sugawara-san.”, he said as he placed a kiss on her forehead.

“It’s Mei.”

He only stared at her as he tilted his head slightly.

“Call me Mei..”, she looked to the side. “Goodnight—”

“Wakatoshi. Call me Wakatoshi.”, he said quietly as he brushed the hair from her face and tucked them behind her ear.

“Good night.. Wakatoshi-san.”

Wakatoshi smiled.

“Good night, Mei-san.”

 

**

Note: a couple of months has passed since their date. They have been dating for around 2 to 3 months now

 

Mei gathered her things and got out of class.

11:45am

She checked her phone as she walked then decided to text Wakatoshi.

Mei:

Wakatoshi-san, are you free? Let’s have lunch together. (:

Wakatoshi:

I’m still in class 'till 12:10. I can meet you there. Where do you want to eat?

Mei:

The cafeteria’s fine. I hear they have Tonkatsu today.

Wakatoshi:

Okay, I’ll meet you there.

Mei:

Okay.

*

She slid her phone to her pocket and made her way to the cafeteria. She went to the back of the long line and waited. She took out her phone again. 

Mei:

They have Tonkatsu! I think I’ll buy a set meal. Do you want me to buy you one, too?

Wakatoshi:

Yes, please.

Mei:

Okay~

 

After buying the two set meals, she went to a vacant table and sat down. 

 

“Oya, Sugawara-san!”

Mei was setting up the food on the table from its tray before sheI turned to the direction of the voice and saw Kuroo walking over to her table.

“Kuroo-san, hi.”, She flashed him a smile. Kenma, Bokuto, and Akaashi, were trailing behind him.

“Hey, hey, hey! Mei-chan! Oh, why’d you got two set meals? Did you not eat breakfast?”, he let out a laugh.

“Hi, Bokuto-san, Akaashi-san, Kenma-san.”, she said with a small wave. “and no, the other set meal isn’t mine.”

“Oya, whose is that? Your boyfriend’s?”, Bokuto teased.

“Bokuto-san, stop prying about Sugawara-san’s love life.”, Akaashi said as he pinched his boyfriend’s arm.

“Akaashi! That hurt!”, he whined.

“You have a boyfriend, Sugawara-san?”, Kuroo asked, eyes slightly wider.

“Well, uh..”

“She does.”

All heads turned to where the voice came from.

Wakatoshi walked over to Mei’s table and took the seat in front of her.

Kuroo's eyes widened even more.

“Oh! Ushiwaka! So, you guys are finally dating? Congratulations to you lovebir – OW!”, Bokuto exclaimed as Akaashi hit his arm this time.

“Sugawara-san, congratulations. Enjoy your lunch. If you’ll excuse us.”, said Akaashi as he dragged away the three boys with him.

Mei chuckled and shook her head.

“Did they bother you?” Wakatoshi asked out of concern.

“Eh, it’s fine. I’m friends with them anyway. Let’s eat.”, she said as she handed the other meal set to him.

Their meal set consisted of rice, a side of steamed vegetables, Tonkatsu, a fruit cup, and a drink.

“I got us green tea by the way. They didn’t have other drinks.”

“Thank you, Mei-san. What do I owe you?”, he asked as he took out his wallet.

I slightly swatted his hand, which made him look at her with wide eyes.

“Stop that, you always pay for things. Lunch is nothing. Just eat.”, she huffed.

Wakatoshi sighed but started eating with her.

**

“You have a game tomorrow, right? What time does it start?”, I asked as we walked out of the cafeteria.

He nodded and said, “Around 1pm.”

“Ah, I have class at that time, guess I won’t be able to watch.”, she sulked.

“It’s fine. Do you still have class today?”

“No, I was thinking of doing homework then maybe I'll watch a movie. “

“Okay.”, he said as she dragged her to her dorm building.

“Hm? What do you mean?”

“I still have class until 4pm. I'll come by your dorm so we can watch a movie.”

“Don’t you have practice later?”

He shook his head. “No, only morning practice tomorrow.”

They stopped in front of her dorm building.

“Then .. I’ll see you later.”, he said as he kissed her on the cheek and turned to walk away.

“Wakatoshi, wait –!”, I grabbed his hand and pulled him into a hug.

She pulled back and grinned at him. “See you later, handsome.“ , she stood on her toes and pecked his lips before running into her dorm building.

Stunned, Wakatoshi stood there for a minute, blushing profusely.

**

Mei changed into a tank top and shorts after her shower. She was done with homework and was only waiting for Wakatoshi to arrive.

She placed her laptop on her bed and browsed through Netflix. She didn’t know what they were going to watch and she had been browsing for God knows how long when she heard a knock on her door. She stood and went to open it.

Wakatoshi stood with a plastic bag in his hand. She let him in and closed the door 

“I brought snacks.”, he handed the bag to her.

“Woah, you got shrimp crackers!”, she said as she looked through the snacks.

“These are your favorite.”, Wakatoshi said as he sat on her bed.

“Yeah, how’d you know that?”

“You always ate that back then at Shiratorizawa. You never shared it with the other managers. Ah, especially with Tendou.”, he said bluntly.

Mei snickered. “Don’t worry, I’ll be sharing them with you tonight.”, she grinned.

She sat on the other side on the bed and moved her laptop for him to see.

“Anything you wanna watch? I’ve been browsing but I couldn’t decide.”

“How about this one? Tendou said it was good.”

“Your Name”

106 minutes later




Warning: smut lol

Mei had teary eyes and a runny nose. Wakatoshi took a piece of tissue from her side table and wiped her cheeks.

“Are you okay?”, he asked as he dabbed the tissue on her cheeks.

“Yeah, it was a nice movie. A good ending too.”, she let out a laugh as she made a sniffle, her eyes were still teary.

Wakatoshi stood and placed the laptop on her desk. He took a bottle of water from the bag he brought and opened it, handing it to her.

“Here, drink this.”

“Thank you", she said as she took the bottle and drank half the bottle. She sighed a bit and looked at him. “Wakatoshi-san, I'm fine. It was just the movie.”

“But –”, he said as he sat beside her again.

“But?”, she asked, tilting her head a bit to the side.

“I don’t like seeing you cry.”, he said, placing a hand on her cheek. He swiped her thumb across, wiping her damp cheek.

She smiled.

Who knew the stoic Miracle Boy would be like this?

“Wakatoshi, I’m fine. I promise.”, she moved to give him a hug, wrapping her arms around his torso. She felt him do the same.

She pulled back and looked at his face. He still looks worried.

“Wakatoshi..”, she moved her face closer. “Stop – “, she pecked his cheek “worrying.” , then his lips. She smiled at him.

Wakatoshi blushed but he placed his hand on her cheeks and pulled her into a deeper kiss. The peck she gave him was not enough.

Mei kissed back. Her breath hitched when Wakatoshi pushed her to lay on the back bed, not stopping their kiss. He was on top of her, his knee right between her legs. She slightly parted her lips and Wakatoshi took it as a chance to slip his tongue in. He felt her moan against lips as he traced a hand to the side of her waist, at the hem of her tank top. He slid his hand under and moved it to her bra. Mei felt a shiver down her back as he felt his touch.

Mei pulled away from their heated kiss and somehow, she was on top of him now.

Wakatoshi, with wide eyes, stared at her. He took in how she looked, her hair a bit disheveled, her top’s strap slid down her shoulder. She looked beautiful.

She moved closer and kissed him again, her hand moving down his torso and to his pants' zipper. Wakatoshi moaned against her lips and moved his hand to her waist. He felt her rub his member against the fabric of his pants. She pulled down the zipper and slid her hand in his boxers. Wakatoshi hitched a breath as he felt her touch.

“Mei..” , he groaned against their kiss. He felt her grin against his lips .She wrapped her hand around his throbbing cock.

He is already hard. Holy shit, he is big.

Mei couldn’t exactly remember how big he was when they had sex after the party because they were drunk. But, God, how did this fit the first time? 

She slid her hand up and down his member and jerked him as they kept kissing. She felt hotter,especially between her legs.

Wakatoshi moved his hand to pull down her shorts. Mei gasped against his lips as he moved his hand in her panties.

Mei felt his finger rub her wetness. She felt a shiver and moaned.

She pulled away from his lips and moved to his neck. She licked a spot and started to suck. Wakatoshi let out a breath and slipped a finger in her and he felt her jolt a bit. With her hand still on his member, she jerked him faster as Wakatoshi slipped another finger and quickened his pace as well.

“Wakatoshi, wait, I’m –“ , she shuddered as she felt herself climax with his fingers in her.

Wakatoshi breathed heavily as he saw Mei’s face when she came. He slid his finger out of her and flipped their positions.He was on top again and he brought his hand, that he just used to make her cum, to his lips and gave it a lick.

Mei blushed hard as she watched him lick his fingers. “Wakatoshi..! Don’t lick tha–“, she halted as she felt him slip his fingers in again. “Shit, Wakatoshi, wait—”

He moved to kiss her lips then down her neck as he slid his fingers in and out or her at a faster pace.

“Do you want to –?”, he asked as he placed a kiss on the crook of her neck.

She nodded, covering her face with her hand, trying to suppress her moans as he kept fingering her. She felt him slip another finger and moved to stretch her. She couldn’t help but moan louder against her hand.

“You’re beautiful.”, he whispered to her ear and licked her neck.

He moved his other hand to get something from his back pocket, putting it between his teeth.

“Wakatoshi, do you have a –“? , Mei asked him and saw he bit a condom packet between his teeth. He ripped it open and moved to put it on his hardening member.

“Mei.. Are you sure?”, he cautiously asked as he positioned himself at her entrance.

Mei nodded. “I’m fine, go ahead. But slowly....”, she looked away from his gaze, her hand covering her mouth.

Wakatoshi did as he was told and went in slowly. He grunted at her tightness.

Mei squeezed her eyes tight as he entered her. How was he going to fit?

“Shit.. Wakatoshi, wait..”, she mumbled as she held a hand to his shoulder.

Wakatoshi halted, and slightly panicked, “Mei.. did I hurt you? Do you want me to stop?”

“No.. just, wait a second.”, Mei mumbled as she tried to catch her breath.

He nodded and placed a kiss on her temple. She waited a few more seconds and said, “Wakatoshi, I’m okay. Don’t worry. You can move..slowly.”, she pecked his lips.

Wakatoshi breathed heavily as he moved in and out of it slowly. “Mei..”, he grunted.

Mei had wrapped her arms around him, not noticing that she had been digging her nails onto his back as he thrusted into her. He grimaced as he scratched but his mind was clouded by the pleasure he felt.

“Mei.. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”, she said in between heavy breaths. She gripped at his back again as she felt his full length push into her. Wakatoshi licked down her neck as he slowly pounded into her. He took his time, moving slowly so she could get used to his size. He didn’t want to hurt her.

 

“Wakatoshi, move faster.”, she whispered to his ear. He groaned at her warm breath against his ear and quickened his pace. She moaned louder but Wakatoshi pressed his lips against hers as he thrusted into her.

Several moments later, she felt she was close to reaching her climax. “Wakatoshi –“  she said against his lips, “I’m gonna –”

“Me too.”, he moaned against her lips.

When they both reached their climax, Wakatoshi pulled away from their kiss, breathing heavily. Mei pecked at his lips.

“That.. was amazing.”, she whispered against his lips. Wakatoshi slowly pulled out and moved to lie next to her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed the top of her head.

**

The next day LOL

Mei woke from her sleep. She felt sore down there. She fluttered her eyes open and saw she was in her boyfriend’s arms. Her head rested on his chest and they weren’t naked anymore. She blinked. She didn’t remember putting clothes on so she figured Wakatoshi must have cleaned her up and put clothes on her while she was passed out. 

(AN: Aftercare, wassup)

She pulled away a bit so she could see his face. She gently caressed his cheek while she admired his beauty. He was sleeping peacefully. God, what did I do in my past life to deserve this man?

She moved her hand away and grabbed her phone to look at the time.

5:47am

He has practice at 6:30.

She sighed. Sh

e didn’t want to wake her boyfriend from his sleep. He looked so peaceful…But she had to.

She placed her hand on his shoulder and shook him lightly.

“Wakatoshi.. Wakatoshi, wake up.”, she said.

He groaned, slowly waking up. He opened his eyes and met Mei’s eyes.

“Good morning”, Mei said with a smile and pecked him on the lips.

“Good morning..”, he grumbled as he kissed her back slowly.

Mei had to pull away before they went any further.

“It’s almost 6.. You have practice at 6:30 right?”, she mumbled as she looked down to his chest.

He nodded as he brushed his hand through her hair. She wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him tight.

He heard her sigh.

“I have to go.. Thank you for waking me up.”, he said quietly as he rubbed her back. He hesitantly pulled away from her and moved to sit up.

Mei sat up as well, picking at the side of her nails. “Wakatoshi..san. Last night.. um.. –“ , she couldn’t find her words.

Wakatoshi took her hands and placed kisses on her palms. Mei blushed.

“Last night was amazing. I hope I didn’t hurt you..”, Wakatoshi mumbled.

“I’m not so sure about that..”, she chuckled. “I might not be able to go to class today.”, she joked.

“I’m sorry, I should have been more care –“

“I’m kidding, Wakatoshi.”, she snickered as she squeezed his hands, “I mean, I am sore.. But I think I can manage. Don’t worry.”

Wakatoshi sighed in relief. He pulled away and gathered his things.

“I’ll come by later tonight.”, he said, placing a kiss on her temple before heading out.

**

Later that day.

Mei went to all her classes, she walked slower than her normal pace because she was sore. She went to sit at a table in the university’s lounge and took out her phone.

Mei scrolled through twitter and saw the news the Schweiden Adlers had won all their matches of the day. She smiled. She moved to her messaging app to congratulate her boyfriend.

Mei:

Hey, handsome. I saw the scores. Congratulations! <3

 

“Sugawara-san! Is this seat taken?”, she looked up to the source of the voice. It was Kuroo.

“No, go ahead.”, she smiled at him. Kuroo sat down across her and took out his phone, book and a pen from his bag.

She went back to her phone and continued to text Wakatoshi.

“Do you still have class?”, he asked, trying to start a conversation.

“I just got out of my last class. I felt a bit tired so I went to sit here to rest a bit.”

“Oh, tired? Are you okay? Do you need medicine?”, he asked, worried.

“I’m fine, Kuroo-san,” she held her hands and waved them. “I already took a pain killer this morning.”

“Pain killer? Do you need to go to the infirmary? I can take you.”, he insisted.

“Kuroo-san, I’m totally okay. “, she chuckled. Why is he prying? It’s not like I can say I took painkillers because last night I got pounded by my boyfriend's big ass dic—

“Mei-chan~!”, she turned her head to the source of the voice.

Tendou walked over to their table with Semi.

“Hi, Tendou, Semi-Semi, what’s up?”, she reached her fist toward Semi and they did a fist bump.

“Hello, Mei-chan. We just got out of class. Did you get to watch Ushiwaka’s matches? He seemed to be on a roll today. ”

Tendou and Semi moved to sit at their table.

“I had class. I’ll probably watch it online later.”, she said then heard a notification from her phone. It was a text from Wakatoshi.

 

Wakatoshi:

Thank you. We’re on our way back. Did you eat dinner yet?

Mei:

Not yet, I might just order something to eat at the dorm.

Wakatoshi:

Okay. Are you doing okay? Do you still feel sore?

Mei blushed at the text and slipped her phone back in her bag.

 

“Uh.. Guys, I'm gonna go ahead and go back to my room. I feel a bit tired. “, she said as she stood from her seat.

“Sugawara-san, let me walk you to your dorm.”, Kuroo said as he moved to stand.

“It’s fine, Kuroo-san. I can manage. Thank you though.”, she waved at them and walked away.

Tendou eyed Kuroo. Semi sat there confused.

“Kuroo-san, you are aware Mei-chan is dating someone, right?”

“Yeah, yeah.”, he huffed and gathered his things and left the lounge.

Semi raised an eyebrow as Kuroo left their table.

“What was that about? And Mei-chan is dating someone? Who??”

“Oh~ , you didn’t know? She’s dating Ushiwaka." he grinned

“HAH?!”

**

She entered her dorm, dropped her bag at her desk and lied on bed.

Ring ring ring

She moved to get her phone from her bag. Wakatoshi was calling. She realized she forgot to reply to his last text and answered his call.

“Hello?”

“Mei.. you didn’t reply. Are you still –”

“Wakatoshi..! Don’t talk about it, you’re in public. Jeez.. “

“I apologize.. but are you okay?”

“Yes.. I’m fine. Already took a painkiller this morning so I’m doing well. Stop worrying.”

“Are you done with class?"

“Yeah, I met up with Kuroo-san, Tendou , and Semi for a bit. I’m at my dorm now.”

“…”

Mei raised an eyebrow. Did their call get cut?

“Uh.. Wakatoshi? Are you there?”

“Why did you meet with Kuroo?”

“Hm? He just sat at my table when I was at the lounge. Then Tendou and Semi arrived. Semi asked if I watched your matches, which I didn’t. You already know that.”

“…” he sighed. “Okay. Did you eat dinner yet? “

“Not yet. I’ll get some later..”

“What do you want to eat? I’ll bring it to you.”

“Hey, stop. You’re doing that again.”

“What?”

“You’re wasting your money on me again. I can buy my own dinner.”

“It’s not a waste if I use it on you.”

“Stop it. I’ll order my food myself. Now, you go straight to your dorm and rest.”

“I want to go to your room.”

“No. I won’t let you in. You have to rest.”

“But –“

“No buts. I know your team won all your matches today so you have to rest well. Okay?”

He sighed. “Fine”

Chapter 5: Peach Tea

Summary:

Snacks, cuddles, and tea

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Midterms were coming up and Mei had been studying relentlessly. With countless reports due for submission at the same time, she was beyond stressed. 

Mei hasn't been able to spend time with Wakatoshi, with his multiple away games, or anyone else for that matter. After classes she went straight to her room to study.

It had been a couple of weeks since Wakatoshi last saw Mei. He had been texting his girlfriend, wanting to check up on her, but she had ignored him. Wakatoshi was frustrated that she wouldn't talk to him, or at least text back. He'd be happy if she even just texted a dot in reply. He tried calling but she didn't answer.

Wakatoshi sighed. He was frowning the whole time at practice and had messed up a few of his serves. His coach found it odd to see him like that so he decided to end practice half an hour earlier than usual.

He knew she was studying because she had a scholarship to maintain but he was worried she was pushing herself too hard. He didn't want to make things worse, but he wanted to see her.

Wakatoshi made her way to Mei's dorm room after practice holding  a plastic bag with her favorite snacks and a few cans black coffee. He arrived at her door, hesitating to knock but he did.

Mei heard the knock, confused as to who that could be this late at night. It was already 9 pm and she hadn’t checked if anyone texted her about coming over, or just her phone in general. 

She sighed, got up and went to open the door. She found Wakatoshi standing there holding a plastic bag in one hand.

"Here.", he grumbled as he handed the bag to her. Mei, eyes wide in surprise, took the bag and looked inside.

Coffee and snacks..?

Mei swore she felt her heart skip a beat

"Thank you, Wakatoshi.. but what are you doing here? "

"You hadn't replied to my texts or answered my calls.."

Mei pursed her lips.

Oh shit.

She opened the door wider to let him in. "I'm sorry, I was ..uh.. busy."

"I was worried about you.", he said as he went inside her room and sat on her bed.

Mei placed the snacks on her desk and went to sit beside him. She sighed.

"Are you mad at me?", he mumbled looking down.

Stunned, Mei glanced at him.

Why would I be mad?

“I'm not..I'm sorry if I hadn't replied. I guess I'm still not used to this.. dating thing even though it's been months. I just.. I was a bit stressed. My coursework has been piling up.. and with midterms next week I just--" , she halted her rambling and sighed, running a hand through her hair.

Wakatoshi glanced at her and took her hand, brought it to his lips, and pecked her palm.

Mei blushed. He always did this to comfort her but she could never bring herself to get used to it.

"I was just worried you were pushing yourself too much.", he said as he pecked her hand again and rubbed his thumb across her wrist.

"I'm sorry...", she mumbled, feeling guilty. Having someone worry about her was something new to get used to.

He patted her head and stood up. "I'll go ahead and leave you to study, but you should take a break first.”, he leaned down and kissed her forehead.

Mei grabbed his hand before he could walk away. He glanced at her, raising his eyebrows.  Startled at what she did, she immediately let go of his hand. " Um..-”

"Do you want me to stay?", he said quietly as he knelt in front of her, completely eye level with her. She stared at him for a moment and gave him a small nod.

"Alright.", he said as he moved back to sit beside her. He felt her arms wrap around his waist.

"I'm sorry..", she said again as she nuzzled her cheek against his chest.  

"Don't be.", he whispered as he pulled her to lie down with him, his arms around her as well. "But you shouldn't forget to take a break. Rest is important too.

"Okay. I promise I'll check your texts next time. I'll reply."

Wakatoshi smiled. "Do you still have coursework to do tonight?", he said as he rubbed her back.

"I do.. but I'll do it tomorrow.", she said quietly, enjoying the warmth her boyfriend gave her.

 

**

 

Midterms went by fast and Wakatoshi was away for matches again. Mei sighed as her class finally ended. She walked to a vending machine and put a few coins in. She looked at the variety of drinks, having a hard time choosing, as usual.

"Hmm..".. then someone behind her  pressed the button for green tea. She frowned, thinking it was her boyfriend again.

"I swear, Wakatoshi, you have to stop doing tha --"

 

She paused as she saw someone else towering over her. It was Kuroo.

 

"You were standing here for five minutes already.", he chuckled and took the drink from the machine and handed it to her.

"Uh, thanks Kuroo-san.", she took the drink from him.

"Just Kuroo is fine.", he said, showing her his signature smile.

She raised her eyebrows at him and smiled awkwardly. We're not even that close.

Silence

"Uh..", she didn't really know what to say

*

Wakatoshi had just come from his run. He was on his way to the vending machine Mei always went to. He was about to turn a corner when he saw her with Kuroo, he stopped in his tracks and watched them from afar. He narrowed his eyes at how close Kuroo was with Mei. 

Too close

And Mei didn't exactly look comfortable.

He took out his phone and dialed Mei's number.

ring ring ring bitch (lol jk)

Mei flinched at the sound of her phone ringing and pulled it out of her pocket, feeling Kuroo's eyes on her, and answered the call.

"Hello?"

"Mei..? Where are you?"

"Wakatoshi..! Hey,", she smiled upon hearing his voice. Kuroo, on the other hand, frowned and took a step back from her. He looked down and kicked his foot on the ground.

"I'm at the vending machine outside of Building 4. You went for a run, right? Are you on your way back?"

 "Yes. I'm near where you are now."

"Sweet! Can you come with me to the grocery store? I need to buy some stuff and I need your arms to carry them." , she let out a giggle at the end.

Wakatoshi smiled at her excitement " Sure. Ah, I think I see you now." , he said as he emerged from the corner and made his way over to her.

Mei turned her head and saw Wakatoshi walking towards her.  She waved at him excitedly. She turned their call off and slipped her phone in her bag. She turned to Kuroo and said, " Kuroo- san, I have to go. See you later.", she gave him a smile and jogged over to Wakatoshi, handing him the green tea she just got from the vending machine. She then kissed him on the cheek.

Wakatoshi took the drink and glanced (or glared) at Kuroo.

The ravenhead clenched his jaw and walked off to the other direction.

AN: ooooooo is this drama 

 

** 

grocery store

Wakatoshi was pushing the cart as Mei put a bunch of stuff in it, mostly toiletry and snacks.

"Hmmm.." She stood in front of a shelf of candy, her indecisiveness kicking in again. Her nose scrunched, and a finger at her chin.

Wakatoshi stared at her face. Ah, She's so cute.

She finally picked out a couple of orange flavored Hi-Chews and put it in the cart.

"I think that's it. Let's go pay."

They made their way to the counter and let the employee scan her items. (which filled two plastic bags)

"Your total is ¥3,754."

As she was about to hand over her card, Wakatoshi beat her to it and the employee already took his card.

Her mouth opened in shock as the employee swiped his card and gave the receipt to her.

Wakatoshi walked around her and picked up the plastic bags. He looked at her, waiting for her to follow him. " Mei-san, let's go."

Mei huffed as they made their way out of the grocery store.

They walked in silence, Wakatoshi glancing at her from time to time. As they approached her dorm building, she finally spoke.

"Ushijima-san.", she said sternly. Wakatoshi raised an eyebrow at hearing his last name.

"Yes?"

Mei glared at him and sighed. "You're sneaky. I can't believe you did that again.", as they made their way to the elevator, she reached a hand to take one of the bags from him but he moved the bag to his other hand.

She gave him a pointed look and crossed her arms, on one hand her index finger picked at the skin of the side of her thumb.

Wakatoshi glanced at her. She’s mad.

They arrived at her dorm and she opened her door. Wakatoshi went in and set the bags down on her table. He turned to leave the room but Mei stood in his way, money in her hand. She moved it towards him.

Wakatoshi only stared at her, maintaining his stoic expression.

"Ushijima-san.", she reached for his hand so she could hand the money to him.

Wakatoshi pulled his hands away and put it in his pockets.

"You are impossible ..! And stubborn!", she raised her voice a little bit as she shoved the money back in her pocket and walked away from him. She took her jacket off and hung it on her chair. She felt Wakatoshi's arms snake around her waist from behind, his chin rested on her shoulder.

"Don't be mad..", he mumbled.

"But I am mad.", she said bluntly, trying not to give in to him. She flinched when he started trailing kisses on her neck. She felt her cheeks warm up. He thinks he can get away with this. Not a chance.

" Uh uh, no. Nope.", she said as he pulled away from him. She faced him and took the money from her pocket and placed it in one of his.  Wakatoshi frowned. Mei sighed and pushed him out of her room.

"This isn't over. I'm still mad." she huffed and closed the door right in his face.

Wakatoshi sighed, but he let out a low chuckle. He left and went back to his own dorm room.



**

a few days later

Mei sat at one of the tables at the lounge, reading her notes because she had a quiz for her next class. She flipped a page and continued to read. She wasn't that mad at Wakatoshi anymore, but chose to still not talk to him, only replying to his texts with the least words possible.

"Mei-chan~!", the voice sang and sat in front of her. It was Tendo, along with Semi, Reon, and Yamagata.

"Do you mind if we sit, Sugawara-san?"  asked Reon

"Not at all, go ahead." she smiled at him and they all took their seats. Semi sat beside her while Reon took the seat beside Tendou

*So, Mei-chan. I hear there's trouble in paradise. Hmm?", Tendou teased while wiggling his eyebrows up and down.

She sighed. "It's Wakatoshi's fault."

"Oh? What did Ushijima do?", Semi laughed. It's not every day that Miracle Boy got in trouble.

"He wouldn't stop paying for things, honestly, I have my own money.", she huffed.

"Maybe he just wants to lessen your trouble.", Reon said before sipping on his boba milk tea.

"Miracle Boy is pretty rich, go spend his money!", Tendou laughed.

Mei gave him a pointed look. Dafuq.

"Hey, Mei-san isn't like that, Tendou. Although if it was me, I would've asked for a car, or a house!" , Semi joked.

They all laughed at Semi, even Mei., though she rolled her eyes at him. "Semi-semi's a gold digger."

Tendou laughed out loud at your comment then Semi slapped him on the arm.

The redhead winced but kept laughing.

"I saw him sulking in his room earlier, you two still haven’t talked?", Reon asked with a grin

"No. It's only been a few days. Let him suffer.", She chuckled.

"Oooh Mei-chan is scary." Tendou sang.

"Yeah yeah, anyway I have class and a quiz in 10 minutes. so I'll see you guys later." she gathered her things, giving them a smile and a small wave before leaving.

**

"Is it really her??", a girl laughed amongst her friends.

"Yeah! I hear she shut the door on Ushijima-kun's face!”

"She's not even pretty. God, Ushijima-kun deserves someone better.~"

Mei rolled her eyes at the conversation she heard. She looked out the window instead, trying to drown out the insults she kept hearing. She was minding her own business in her seat and these girls had to talk so loud about her.  Why didn't her professor arrive already?

 

In the back of her mind, she agreed with the girls. Why did Wakatoshi even ask her out? Why her? Sure, they knew each other but they barely talked back at Shiratorizawa, even if she was one of the managers. The only ones she talked to the most were Tendou, Semi, and Reon, sometimes Goshiki. Yamagata and Taichi were nice, too. But Shirabu.. uh yeah. Let's just say she’s never showing her face to him ever again.

Ah, I miss that kid, Goshiki. His energy was contagious, though he did worship Ushijima a bit too much.

She chuckled quietly at the sudden thought.

"Tch." , she heard one of the girls snarl, most likely toward her.

"Ok wassup homies, ready to start this quiizz?.", her professor said as he finally arrived.

The whole class groaned.

**

 

The quiz wasn't hard, and Mei thought she did pretty well. She sat at the lounge, at her usual table. Taking out a can of peach tea from her bag and opening it. She took a sip before finally texting Wakatoshi to meet her there after his class since she wanted to see him.

 

Mei:

Ushijima-san.

Wakatoshi:

Mei-san..?

Wakatoshi:

Are you still mad?

 

Mei:

Yes

 

Mei:

But not 100% anymore. Do you want to get dinner later?

Wakatoshi:

Yes. My class ends at 5:30, but I can meet you there if you'd like. Where do you want to eat?

Mei looked at the time.

4:53pm

 

Mei:

Kk , I think I want to go to McDonalds.. or maybe the Ramen place Reon told us about? I'll wait for you at the lounge.~

 

Wakatoshi:

Alright. See you then.

 

Mei:

And don't even think about paying for my food again or I swear, I will not talk to you for another week.

 

Wakatoshi:

):

 

She couldn't help but laugh, gaining a few stares from the people around her. Since when did this super volleyball idiot ever send sad faces via text?

She moved her hand to pick up her drink again to take another sip but she was met with her drink being poured on shirt with a splash.

Thankfully , she had moved her phone quick enough to avoid it from getting wet.

She looked up and glared at the culprit. It was the group of girls from her class earlier

"Oops, sorry~ ", she cackled, along with her minions, then they left.

She shut her eyes for a moment and let out a breath before standing up and leaving the lounge. Her shirt and part of her pants were drenched. It felt sticky and she just wanted to take a shower.

"Sugawara-san..!"

She halted and turned to see Kuroo. She figured he saw the whole thing.

His eyes widened at the sight. Mei looked pissed but she also looked like she was about to cry. He noticed her shirt was drenched in something that looked like juice or tea so he rummaged through his bag and handed an opened pack of tissues to her.

Mei looked at his hand for a moment, before taking a few pieces from the pack. Her hands shook as she dabbed it on her shirt. She let out a quick breath before looking up at him.

"Thank you, Kuroo-san.. If you'll excuse me.", she turned and hurriedly went to her dorm room.

She sat on her bed after taking a quick shower and putting on a change of clothes. She didn't feel like eating anymore.

She picked up her phone and went to text Wakatoshi.

time: 5:27pm

Mei:

Hey.. I don't feel too well. I think I'll skip dinner today.

Mei:

I'm sorry.

Wakatoshi:

It's alright.

Mei:

Sorry for canceling.. I really did want to have dinner with you.

Wakatoshi:

Don't worry. Just rest well. Do you want me to come by your room?

Mei:

It's fine. I think I'll just go to sleep.

 

 

Notes:

I mean don't we all just wanna be hugged in Wakatoshi's beefy arms
I first tasted peach tea when went on vacation to Vietnam a few years ago, I love it. Just chillin' at Turtle park with some street food and peach tea was the best.

ALSO
I saw 6 kudos for this omg wtf thank you (\ u w w /)

Chapter 6: Beer Pong

Summary:

drinks, photos, bff

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Wakatoshi had been away. Again. They had practice matches in a different city and they had to stay over from Thursday to Saturday. He wouldn’t be back until Sunday morning.

Mei never told him about the peach tea incident because she didn’t want him to worry. Besides, the witches had not bothered her since, which was odd seeing as how confident they were at the time, and a week later they were completely ignoring her.

 

She lied on her bed, scrolling through her feed when she received a text from Kuroo.

 

Kuroo-san:

Hey, Sugawara-san! We’re having a party at my place later tonight. I invited Tendou and the others. Suga ( your cousin) , will be there too. Hit me up if you’d like to come. Don’t worry, nothing wild’s gonna happen, just drinks, beer pong, maybe karaoke if Bokuto decides to.

Mei:

Sounds fun! I’ll let you know if I can make it. Got a ton of homework piled up this week. I bet Bokuto-san will sing to Katy Perry again. Haha

Kuroo-san:

Haha, definitely! Hit me up if you decide to show up. :)

Mei:

I’ll text you. Thanks for the invite!

 

She set her phone down on her stomach. Hmm. I guess drinking would be nice since it’s been a while. At least Tendou and the others are gonna be there if I don’t know anyone else. Oh, Koushi’s gonna be there. I wonder if he’s bringing his boy toy.

She grabbed her phone again and began to text her cousin

 

Mei:

Hey Bottom-kun

Koushi:

Mei-chan, what is it? >3<

Mei:

You gonna be at the party later at Kuroo’s?

Koushi:

Hmmm..Maybe.. if Daichi's still up for it

Mei:

Oho~ so I might be able to finally meet Mr. Beefy

Koushi:

Oh, ew, don’t call him that.

Koushi:

Though I can’t say I disagree

Mei:

He is beefy.

Koushi:

Hey, aren’t you dating Mr. Beefy, too? Haha

Mei:

Hey! He’s more than beefy. He’s built differently, y’know?

Koushi:

Yeah, I’d hit that if I wasn’t already in love with Daichi

Mei:

I am screenshotting this conversation.

 

**

The actual party

She arrived at Kuroo’s at around 9pm and the place was pretty packed. He had it easier since he had an apartment that he shared with Kenma. How Kenma would tolerate a party this loud was a mystery to her.

She squeezed through the people and arrived at the kitchen. The counter was filled with a variety of drinks. She took a cup and poured herself some mule. She watched other people as she continued to drink, barely feeling the alcohol. She sighed. 

I wish Wakatoshi was here.

“Oh, you made it!.”, Kuroo went over to her, grinning. He looked like he had a few drinks already.

"Yeah, thanks for inviting me. I see Bokuto's at it again." , she said, gesturing at Bokuto singing loudly, holding one of those microphone speakers. 

"Summer after high school, when we first met" , he sang somewhat desperately while Akaashi sat on the couch,sipping his drink as he watched his boyfriend in amusement. 

"Yeah, he's had plenty to drink already,", Kuroo said with a laugh as he leaned back on the counter beside her. 

"Koushi said he's gonna be here, did you see him already?", Mei asked, then sipped her drink.

"Yeah, I haven't seen him yet. Tendou and the others are already here though," he said as he gestured to where the group was. They were playing beer pong, and Semi was losing.

"Semi is going to black out soon if he keeps losing like that.", she giggled.

"Wanna play a round?", Kuroo asked, grinning.

"Sure."

They went over to where Tendou and the others were. "Hey, Satori-kun ~", she sang.

"Mei-chan~", he sang back and gave her a quick hug.

"Sugawara-san, did you wanna play?", Reon asked as he moved away from Semi.

"Hello, Sugawara-chan..",Semi grumbled as he tried to keep his balance. 

"Yeah, I'm gonna make sure Kuroo is black out drunk after he loses." , she challenged as she smirked at Kuroo.

"Hah, don't get your hopes up, Mei-san.", Kuroo smirked. 

Tendou narrowed his eyes at the ravenhead. " Hm.."

 

Mei and Kuroo began playing beer pong against each other and they were head to head. They had both drunk a lot already and Mei was getting pretty dizzy.

"Ugh..", she groaned as she put a hand on the table to balance herself.

"I think that's enough..",, Kuroo, groaned as well. 

Mei nodded and went over to the couch. Tendou and the others were in the kitchen along Bokuto and Akaashi. She felt the couch sink as Kuroo took the seat beside her. 

“I can’t believe I thought this was a good idea.”, Mei mumbled a hand to her head.

“Hey, you’re the one who challenged me. And I'm pretty sure you won." he chuckled, running a hand through his hair.

“This was really fun.. But I think I’m gonna head out.” She let out a breath and stood up . Kuroo followed suit. She stumbled and Kuroo had placed a hand on her back to steady her.

“Thanks..”, she managed to mumble as she put a hand on his shoulder. Her head was spinning and Kuroo was the only reason she could stand. 

“Want me to walk you to your dorm?”, he whispered his hand still on her back. They were far too close to each other.

 

Akaashi had been eying the two from the kitchen. He took a bottle of water from the fridge and headed over to Mei. 

“Sugawara-san., here.”, he opened the bottle and handed it to her. 

Mei took the water and finished the water in one go. She sighed. “Thank you, Akaashi.”

“Let me walk you back to your dorm.” Kuroo and Akaashi said at the same time. Akaashi only narrowed his eyes at Kuroo. 

Mei looked at the two men in front of her. “Uh.. Thanks, Akaashi.”, she moved closer to him. She then faced Kuroo and said, “Kuroo-san, you shouldn’t leave your own party.”, she smiled at him. “Thank you for inviting me, it was really fun. Though I think I’m gonna regret drinking this much tomorrow morning.”, she chuckled. “Anyway, I’ll take my leave. Thank you again.”, she waved and left Kuroo’s apartment with Akaashi. 

Kuroo sat on the couch again and sighed. 

**

Sunday morning

Mei woke up to the sound of her phone blasted with texts. She groaned. She tried her best to ignore it, but the notifications did not stop. She sighed and grabbed her phone from her side table. 

Geez, it’s only 11, why are these people texting so much?

She opened her messaging app and saw she had far too many texts from Tendou, Semi, Bokuto, and even Reon. 

She opened Reon’s first. 

Reon:

Sugawara-san, are you alright?

 

Why would he think she wouldn’t be?

 

She opened Semi’s next.

Semi:

Hey,

Semi:

Hey

Semi:

Did you see the picture already?

Semi:

I think Ushijima already saw it.

Huh? What is he talking about?

She opened Tendou’s next. The first 50 texts were either pictures from last night or something gibberish. Mei sighed as she scrolled to his latest text. 

Tendou:

Mei-chan..?

Tendou:

Hey, someone posted photos of you. 

Tendou:

Have you checked your Twitter yet? 

Again with the photos. God, what the hell are they talking about?

She typed a reply to Tendou's last text. 

 

Mei:

Semi said the same thing.

Mei:

I just woke up so I haven't checked.

Mei:

What pictures?

Tendou:

Someone tagged you and Ushiwaka on twitter.. 

Tendou:

and Kuroo

Kuroo? What does he have to do with this?  

Her head hurt more as she tried to process what her friends had texted her about. She switched over to Twitter and clicked on her notifications. Someone, who looked like a dummy account, tagged her, Wakatoshi, and Kuroo in the same tweet. There were photos of her and Kuroo from last night where he had helped steady her when she stumbled. But the angle of the photos made it look like they were about to kiss. 

The tweet already had thousands of likes, retweets, and comments. 

"Hah! So she's a slut! Who is she to cheat on Ushijima-kun?"

"Really? Kuroo? As if he would even notice her. She probably did something to seduce him. I feel sorry for Ushijima."

"That's just wrong."

"Woah! I didn't think Sugawara-san was this wild!"

And many more insults toward her filled the thread. 

Shit.

She felt her eyes water as she looked at her screen. 

Ping! 

Kuroo: 

Sugawara-san… 

Ping!

Wakatoshi:

Mei. 

Her hands started to tremble as she saw the latest texts as tears started to well up in her eyes.

**

 

Wakatoshi felt a pang in his heart as he saw the photos on Twitter. He knew Mei would never betray him but the angle of the photos made him doubt her, and he hated himself for even thinking that. He had seen the way Kuroo looked at Mei far too many times and he only felt anger when he looked at the photos again. 

He had texted Mei and it had been an hour already  She still hadn't replied. He pressed on his phone and called Tendou. 

"Hello, Wakatoshi-kun..?, Tendou said with a serious tone.

"Do you know where Mei is? Have you heard from her?"

"She replied to my texts about an hour ago. Have you tried her dorm?  I think she might have seen the photos already..", Tendou sighed, clearly worried for his best friend and Mei.

"Do you know who posted the photos? I didn't know she went to a party last night."

"The party last night was at Kuroo and Kenma's. We were there the entire time though, we didn't leave until she did. But she did play beer pong with Kuroo.."

Wakatoshi clenched his jaw at hearing that name. 

"Did he walk her back to her dorm? 

"No. I think he was about to, but I saw Akaashi walk over to them before he could." Tendou sighed in relief. 

"Alright. Thank you, Tendou.", Wakatoshi grumbled and sighed. 

"Hey, Wakatoshi-kun, don't be mad at Mei-chan, alright? The photos were probably angled like that on purpose. I know they didn't do anything you might think." Tendou said reassuringly.

"I know..I trust Mei, but not Kuroo."

"Alright, you should go talk to her now. I'm hanging up.~" 

The call ended and Wakatoshi sighed again. 

Mei.. I hope she's alright. 

He stood and walked out of his dorm. He tried calling her as he continued on his way to her dorm but he couldn't reach her. 

Worried, he arrived at her door and knocked. When no one answered, he tried turning the knob and it was unlocked. He peeked inside and saw her curled up in bed, visibly sobbing. He felt hurt seeing her like this. He let himself in and closed the door quietly. He saw her phone on the floor and picked it up before walking over to her. He took a seat beside her. "Mei..", he whispered as he put a hand on her shoulder.

She flinched at his touch and looked up at him, tears still streaming down her cheeks. 

"Wakatoshi, what are you doing here?", she stuttered as she sat up to face him. 

"Are you alright?", he asked, ignoring her question. He swiped his thumb on her cheeks. 

She couldn't say anything as felt her chest tighten and she started heaving, while she still cried now in pain. 

Wakatoshi, alarmed, placed a hand behind her and started rubbing her back. He gently placed his other hand on her cheek to make her face him.

"Mei, look at me. Breathe." , he tried his best to soothe her. 

It wasn't until an hour later until Mei finally calmed down. 

Wakatoshi lay with her on the bed,  his arms wrapped around her. He kissed her forehead. 

"I'm sorry.. Wakatoshi, I'm sorry.", Mei mumbled as she felt herself about to cry again. 

"Mei.. I'm not angry with you." , he said quietly as he stroked her back. 

"But you should be.. I shouldn't have gone to the party. I'm sorry.. Those photos... I don't know who took them but --”  

"I know nothing happened between you and Kuroo.", he said, placing a kiss on her lips. 

Mei squeezed her eyes shut, newly formed tears rolling down her cheeks again, as she kissed him back. 

"I love you." , Wakatoshi said against her lips. 

Surprised, Mei pulled back from the kiss. 

"You... Wakatoshi…what..?", she stared at him with wide eyes and was about to cry again. Why does he love someone like me

As negative thoughts continued to fill her mind, Wakatoshi leaned in again to kiss her, slowly and deeply, as he took her hand in his and intertwined their fingers. She kissed back as she continued to cry. 

Wakatoshi pulled back and pressed their foreheads together. "I love you, Mei.. Please don't ever doubt that.", he whispered then kissed her temple.

 

AN: Ok so waka said the L-word already omo omo omo

**

 

Wakatoshi managed to convince Mei to get lunch at the cafeteria. They walked over to a vacant table and told Mei to sit. 

"I'll get your food. What do you want to eat?"

"No.. I told you I'm not hungry.", she mumbled as she picked at the side of her thumbs. 

"You have to eat. You drank a lot last night and have not eaten anything since you woke up.", he said as he patted her head. "I'll get you something light. Stay here." , he said then jogged away to the cafeteria ladies. 

Mei had fixed herself to look decent when they went out but it was obvious that she had been crying. Her eyes were red and puffy. 

"Sugawara-san..", she heard Kuroo call her name. He stood near her table but kept his distance. "I'm sorry for --", he halted, only then did he notice how distraught Mei looked. He felt guilt building inside him. He bowed and said, "I'm sorry for last night." 

"Kuroo-san, you did nothing wrong." 

Kuroo looked up and saw Mei smiling at him. He felt a pang in his heart. He gulped. "Still, I apologize for causing you trouble. " As he turned to leave, Wakatoshi had come back holding a tray of food. Wakatoshi felt anger bubbling inside him but held it in. He walked around Kuroo and set the food in front of Mei. 

Kuroo felt dejected seeing the couple and walked off. 

Mei saw the tension between the two men and looked at her boyfriend. He was frowning as he arranged their food on the table. She reached for his hand and gave it a squeeze. 

He looked up at her and saw her smile. The anger he had for Kuroo just moments before slowly dissipated. He forced a small smile and handed her the food he bought. Then they started eating in silence. 

Notes:

I have no idea how I keep having these ideas lmao im just hoping this goes well
anyway D:

I'm thinking of making a beach vacation arc thingy. it'll be around 3 or 4 chapters long. Still trying to figure out what to put in it so if y'all have any suggestions, feel free to comment below. uwu

Chapter 7: Fangirls

Summary:

Tobio, a slightly jealous Wakatoshi, and some really mean people

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

The Schweiden adlers had an official match. Mei, along with Tendou, Semi, and Reon came to the stadium to watch it live since Wakatoshi had given them floor tickets. He told her that they were allowed to go to the court since there was still time before the match officially started.

“Wakatoshi, hey!”, Mei jogged over to her boyfriend and gave him a hug. The team had been warming up when they arrived. 

“Ushiwaka-kun~!”, Tendou shouted as they approached him, holding his hand up and Wakatoshi gave him a high-five, also doing it with Semi and Reon. 

“Ah, Kageyama-kun!”, Mei shouted and went over to him, also offering a high-five.

Kageyama froze for a second before doing the high-five with her. “Hello, Sugawara-senpai”, he bowed a little. 

“Damn, you grew! You might be taller than Wakatoshi soon.”, she chuckled.

Wakatoshi narrowed his eyes at the Mei and Kageyama. He walked over and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind. Resting his head on her shoulder as he glared at Kageyama.

“Oho~, Wakatoshi-kun seems jealous.” , Tendou teased, grinning.

Semi and Reon laughed while Kageyama took a step back. 

“Jeez, he's not gonna steal me from you, handsome.”, she chuckled and gave him a kiss on the cheek. 

Kageyama nodded quickly, as if trying to convince Wakatoshi, his eyes sparkling.

Mei only chuckled and pulled away from Wakatoshi. “Hey, you better make good tosses later, “ , she paused and glanced at her dear boyfriend before continuing , “Tobio-kun~”

Kageyama blushed profusely as he heard her call him by his given name.

Semi, Tendo, Reon, and Mei laughed at Kageyama’s reaction but laughed louder when they saw Wakatoshi. 

Wakatoshi glared at Kageyama yet when he looked over to his girlfriend, he looked like a sad, sulky puppy. 

“Wait, I am not the only one seeing this, right?”, he pointed at the sulking Wakatoshi as he laughed along with his friends. 

Mei took out her phone and quickly snapped a photo. Wakatoshi went back to his stoic expression. Mei grinned. “I’m gonna have this printed and framed. This belongs at a museum!.”, she laughed. Wakatoshi could only sigh in defeat. 

**

Schweiden won the match in only two sets. The scores were 25-19 & 25-13.

While Wakatoshi and his team were being interviewed, Tendou, Semi, and Reon told Mei they'll go ahead because they made plans. "Bye guys, have a safe trip.", she said and waved goodbye as they left. 

Mek stayed in her seat at the bleachers since she would be going back to the dorms with Wakatoshi. 

She scrolled through Tiktok as she waited. 

"That's her? Didn't she cheat on him with that black haired guy? It was all over Twitter!" , one girl whispered to her friend.

"Yeah, but probably she manipulated him to stay with her.", the other scoffed. 

Mei rolled her eyes at the conversation happening a few rows behind her. Mamma mia, here we go again ~ 

It was obvious they were talking about her. They might as well say it to her face. She sighed, got up and left.  Wakatoshi was still being interviewed when she got down to the courts. She stayed by the doors, not wanting to draw more attention. 

Kageyama was on his way to the locker room when he saw his teammate's girlfriend. He halted in front of her and bowed slightly before saying, "Senpai, are you looking for Ushijima-san?" 

"Oh, Tobio-kun~.", she chuckled when Kageyama blushed again. "I already see him. I'm just waiting for him here. Oh, and congratulations! You made a lot of great tosses today! and spikes!"  she said in excitement and gave him a thumbs up. 

"Thank you, senpai..", he mumbled as he rubbed the back of his neck. He turned when one of his teammates called him. "Senpai, I'll get going. Thank you again.", he said, bowing again before jogging over to his teammate with the white hair. 

"Bye bye~,"  she waved at him. 

 

"Hey, aren't you that girl who cheated on Ushijima-kun? 

Mei turned to see a different group of girls who looked like they came straight from a fashion magazine. They were all gorgeous. Mei felt like a sack of potatoes next to them. 

"I didn't cheat on him.", she said as she raised an eyebrow.

“Ushijima-kun deserves someone who’ll look good next to him, not someone who looks like you.”, another girl said. 

Lol, true. Mei only sighed. What is it with volleyball fangirls? They probably don’t even know shit about the actual game. 

"Ew, what's with that cheap looking ring?", girl number 2 gestured to the ring on her left hand and laughed wickedly along with the other minions. 

Mei hid her left hand in her coat pocket and started to pick at the skin on her left thumb with her index finger, hard enough to make it bleed, though she didn't notice. 

The girls cornered her and continued to insult her. She tried making a break for it but one of the girls pushed her until her back hit the wall. 

I thought shit like this only happened in movies. 

Mei was never confrontational and she didn't want to waste her breath trying to argue with these girls, but she didn't want Wakatoshi to see any of this. 

She let out a gasp when she felt a slap across her cheek and her eyes began to water.

"Think you could just ignore us and it will all be over?" , she cackled. The girl raised her hand and was about to hit her again when someone grabbed it.

"What do you think you're doing with my girlfriend?", Wakatoshi said in a menacing tone. 

The group of girls were shocked and scared at the aura this man was omitting. The girl pulled her hand from Wakatoshi and started to ramble excuses. 

Wakatishi dialed on his phone and brought it to his ear, flashing his ring with the purple stone. The girls looked at each other nervously. Glaring at the group, he said "I can sue you all for assault so brace yourselves. There's enough proof with all the cameras here." 

The girls looked to the cameras mounted on the walls. They turned to get away but Wakatoshi had already called the stadium's security. They were escorted out shortly after. 

Wakatoshi faced Mei, who was leaning back on the wall, looking at the ground. "Are you alright?", he asked as he touched her cheek.

"I'm fine.", she looked up at him with a sheepish smile. He sighed. He knew she was faking it but he didn't know why. "Are you hungry? We can get dinner if you'd like." 

She nodded quietly. 

time skip because idk*

The two sat  at a vacant table in the ramen place Reon once recommended. When their orders arrived, they started to eat. 

"Wakatoshi.."

"Hmm?", he glanced at her, chewing on the noodles. 

"Congratulations.. on your win earlier. You were great. All your spikes and serves were perfect.", she said quietly, but proudly. She smiled at him then continued eating.

"Thank you. It's because you came to watch." 

She chuckled, "Hey, I'm not the one who trained seven days a week. That win is because of your hard work. Tobio-kun did great as well. His tosses were perfect for your spikes." , she continued talking about the match as they ate.

His eyes trailed to her left hand. He was glad she was wearing the ring he bought her but frowned when he saw a bit of dried blood.

"Mei.."

"Hmm?", she looked at him, gnawing on a piece of meat from her bowl.

Wakatoshi rummaged in his bag and pulled out a bandaid. He took her left hand and carefully put it on her thumb. He caressed her hand for a moment before letting go. 

"Ah.. I didn't notice it bled..", she said nervously as she pulled her hand away.

"Was it because of the girls earlier? If only I had got there sooner.", he said as he looked down.

"Hey, it's not your fault. I probably did it unconsciously. And I'm fine..!", she grinned at him, " That slap was probably nothing compared to getting spiked with a volleyball on the face.", she laughed. "Remember when I did that to Shirabu?", she shudders. "I don't think I can ever face that kid." , she shook her head, smiling. 

“His nose bled a lot."

“Ah, don't remind me.. I still feel guilty about that.” , she put a hand to her face. 

Wakatoshi continued to listen to her as they continued eating, a small smile on his face the entire time. 

Notes:

made this during lunch at work lol XD
Honestly just wanted to put Kageyama in this haha
I was actually planning to post a different one but I just had the idea and I think it fit lol idk ehe

I hope y'all enjoyed this short chapter. (:

Just gonna say this again- I'm planning to make a beach arc thingy that would be 3 to 4 chapters long so feel free to comment down any suggestions or headcannons y'all would like to see uwu
Some people from Nekoma, Fukurodani, and Karasuno are gonna appear for that so yeah

bye LOL

chapter 8 might be up tomorrow or tonight since I'm still editing it (\ u w u /)

Chapter 8: Parentals

Summary:

phone calls & wild ones

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

 

Semestral break was coming up and Mei had been looking for part-time jobs for the past week. She sighed. It was harder than she thought but she had to push through otherwise, she had to spend her break at home. She definitely did not want that. 

Since staying at the dorms during break was allowed, she needed to at least get a job so she wouldn’t have to leech off her parents. 

Online Transcription Job : Apply Now! Available for Part-Time & Full Time / Open to Students / Earn up to $10/hour! 

Mei hurriedly clicked on the job post. 

At least I wouldn't have to go out of the dorm that much with this job. 

Mei read through the post and applied for the job a few minutes later. 

Okay, so my laptop is good enough for this, all I need is a decent keyboard and a headset with a microphone. She made a note on her phone to go to an electronics store to buy the stuff she would need if she ever got hired. 

** 

Wakatoshi was out on his usual night run (by night I mean around 6 or 7pm lol)  and as he approached near his university, he switched to walking to cool down. He entered a convenience store and went to pick up a bottle of water. He proceeded to the cashier and took out some money to pay for his water. A box of orange flavored Hi-Chew was displayed on the counter. 

"I'll take two of these as well.", he said, picking up a couple packs of the candy. After paying, he walked back to his university, drinking his water from time to time. 

** 

Koushi:

 Mei-chan..

Koushi:

Please don't be mad

Koushi: 

But I may have accidentally

Koushi:

Told my mother that you have a boyfriend

Koushi:

and she

Koushi:

might have ..

Koushi:.

Told your mother..

Koushi: 

I'm sorry!! TT_TT

 

Mei had read her cousin's texts after her class and she was scared. Her parents didn't restrict her from dating because they never expected anyone to like her, but they hated her for not studying medicine like the rest of her family. 

Wakatoshi was already inside the   university. He was on his way to the school's gym to shower.  He knew Mei didn't have any classes left so he tried calling but it looked like she was on another call. Confused, he decided to text her

Wakatoshi:

Mei, where are you? Did you have dinner already? 

*

Mei sat on a bench near the University’s garden. It was near the gym but there weren't many people around since it was fairly late.

She was currently on a call with her parents.

“All you do is fool around. If you mess up, we will not hesitate to cut your allowance.

“I know, Mother…”

It’s not like they were paying for her  tuition. She was on a scholarship, but her expenses did come from her parents.

That part-time job seems like a really good idea now.

“And you just had to pick a useless course. What are you gonna do with a writing degree? You should’ve taken medicine like your brothers or law like your sister."

Ah, There it is. 

"And I hear you have the nerve to get a boyfriend?", she heard her mother scoff.

Mei squeezed her eyes shut and started tapping her finger on her leg.

 "I wonder what idiot would even bother to date you."

She sat there listening to her mother's continuous rant and insults. 

When the call ended, she let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding in. She felt her eyes water, only now that her mother’s words hit her. She wiped her tears with her hands but they wouldn’t stop.

Wakatoshi when he heard a faint sound of someone sniffling. He went through the garden and saw someone crying on one of the benches. His eyes widened when he realized it was Mei, immediately running over to her.

“Mei..”

Mei, only now noticing someone else’s presence beside her, looked up at him, her tears rolling down her cheeks. She hitched a breath. “Wakatoshi..”, immediately tried to wipe them away as she looked away from him. 

Wakatoshi sat beside her and reached for her face and swiped his thumbs against her cheeks. “What’s happened? Did someone hurt you?”

Mei only shook her head. She couldn’t talk to him about this. She wouldn’t be able to.

Wakatoshi moved his arms and wrapped them around her, pulling her into a tight hug. He rested her chin on the top of her head. Mei only sobbed quietly as she pressed her face to his chest.

Mei managed to calm down after a few minutes. She pulled away from him. "Do you want to talk about it..?" ,Wakatoshi said, holding her hand. 

Mei shook her head and remained quiet, looking down on their intertwined hands.

They sat in silence for a moment. Wakatoshi felt like someone stabbed his heart. It pained him to see the girl he loved hurt but he knew prying would only do more damage. He looked at her hand and saw she had picked on her fingers again. 

“You should probably go, Wakatoshi. I'm sure you're tired from your run, right? I'll go back to my dorm..”, pulling her hand from his as she stood. 

He stood but took hold of her hand again and began to walk, bringing her with him. 

“Wakatoshi, I can go by myself..”

“At least let me walk you to your room."

Mei could only sigh. She knew Wakatoshi was only worried about her and she didn’t have any energy to argue anymore. 

**

 

Their break had officially started and Mei had been in her dorm most of the time because she got hired for the job she applied for. 

She worked 6 to 8 hours a day, and although she didn't exactly enjoy the job, she liked the wages. She had hours of free time everyday but only felt drained. She didn’t eat and sleep properly, and almost always lost track of time if it weren't for her part-time job. 

She missed Wakatoshi so much but couldn't bring herself to reach out to him. She didn't want to trouble him.

Wakatoshi had been away for a couple of weeks at a training camp. Since the incident at the garden, he and Mei had not talked properly. If he was honest, he felt their relationship was a bit stained. All he wanted to do was to help her but he didn’t know how. He could not focus on his training at all and made countless mistakes, the people around him were dumbfounded. 

Ushijima Wakatoshi was never distracted.

**

Wakatoshi arrived at his dorm from his training camp and lied on his bed. He had texted Mei at least once a day while he was away but she had barely replied. She had told him about her part-time job and he knew she had free time throughout the day. He was confused and a little angry. He only wanted to wrap his arms around her and kiss her but she didn't seem to feel the same.

He sighed and got up, grabbed his phone and keys, and went out of his dorm. After a few minutes of walking, he arrived at her door and knocked. 

Mei heard the knocking, confused. None of her friends would not be at the dorms until next week and Wakatoshi was at a training camp. 

She paused the audio she was working on and went to open the door. She was surprised to see her boyfriend standing there. She could tell he was tired.

"Wakatoshi, I thought you were at the training camp..", she said and let him in.

He nodded. "I just got back today."

"Uh.. um.. just sit wherever, I just have to finish this audio first. I'm almost done.", she said awkwardly and went to sit at her desk again. 

"Alright..", he walked over to her bed and lied down. 

Around an hour later, Mei finally finished. She stretched her arms upward, sighing. She shut her laptop off and fixed up her desk. She turned to look at her bed and saw her boyfriend fast asleep. Only then she realized how much she truly missed him and felt guilty that she had been deliberately distant towards him. 

She stood and turned the lights off. She sat beside him and put her blanket over his body. She gently caressed his cheek.

I don't deserve him. 

She lied under the covers with him and tried to get some sleep. She felt tired but being with Wakatoshi somehow made everything a little better.

 **

Wakatoshi fluttered his eyes open. 

I fell asleep.. ?

He blinked and he saw Mei fast asleep beside him. He looked at his watch for the time.

7:30pm

I slept for 4 hours. 

He didn't think he was that tired to take a nap like that. He sat up and ran his hand through his hair. He glanced down at Mei. She looked like she lost a bit of weight.

Has she not been eating well? I should get some dinner. 

He fiddled with his phone for a few minutes, ordering some food online, before lying back on the bed beside her. 

Half an hour later 

Wakatoshi got up from the bed and went downstairs to pick up the food he ordered. 

**

Mei woke from her nap. She had a headache and she was not enjoying it. Ugh.. 

She slowly got up and glanced beside her. Huh? Did he leave already?

Ah, he probably didn't want to be with me anymore. Maybe he finally got tired of me. I guess that would be for the best --

The door opened and Wakatoshi entered the room. He closed it and saw Mei had been up. 

"Ah, you're awake. I ordered some dinner and had it delivered." , he put the large paper bag on her coffee table and sat on the floor. He took the food out one by one and set it up. 

Mei could only stare at him in awe. All the depressing thoughts she had just a moment ago disappeared.

She immediately went over to where he was and knelt to pull him into a hug. He set down the food he was holding ang wrapped his arms around her as well. She kissed his cheek before she pulled away. 

"I've missed you..", he mumbled as he took her hand and kissed her palm. 

"I missed you, too..", she smiled, "How was your training camp?" 

"It was alright.", he lied, he pulled his hand away from hers and handed her a pair of chopsticks. "Here, let's eat."

"Thank you."

They started eating, chatting about what they did the past couple of weeks. 

"Ah, are you gonna go home before school starts? We only have a couple of weeks left.."

He shook his head. "I told them I still had training."

"Hm? But you don't...", she stared at him in confusion. 

He nodded. "I want to spend time with you."

She felt her heart skip a beat. 

"That's.. um.. really sweet, Wakatoshi.", she mumbled as she picked at her food.

"We can go to the summer festival. It's next Friday." 

Next Friday… That's August 13th. 

  1.  

" Isn't that your birthday?" , she asked.

He blinked a few times and nodded, “It is. I didn't notice."

"Shouldn't you celebrate that with your family? ..", she glanced at him before taking a bite of her food.

"Do you not want to spend time with me?", he said in a bit of a sad tone and Mei turned to him in panic.

"What? No, that's not it! I just thought since it's a special day, you should be with your loved ones.."

 

"But I love you."

 

She blushed as she looked away, covering her face with her hands. 

"God, Wakatoshi, how can you say that so bluntly?", she whined, her voice a bit muffled by her hands. 

Wakatoshi smiled. "I'm only stating facts.", he said as he continued eating. 

He heard her mumble something against her hands but he couldn't hear it clearly. "Hmm? I didn't quite hear that." 

"I said I love you, too.." , she said quietly, peeking through her hands. 

OH MY GOD OH MY GOD I SAID IT OH MY GOD

He reached for hand and pulled it from her face. He moved closer to her and kissed her softly, mumbling "I love you" against her lips over and over. 

Mei's heart was beating so fast but she didn't notice, she wrapped her arms around his neck as she kissed back. His pace became faster and his hands snaked around her waist. Hearing him say "I love you" over and over turned her mind to mush. 

He moved her to sit on his lap, not breaking their kiss. She pulled away a bit to catch her breath. 

" Wakatoshi… ", she bit on her lip. "We haven't even finished eating yet..", 

 

"I want to eat something else", he whispered as he proceeded to kiss down her neck.

She moaned at his touch. "Shit, Wakatoshi, where do you learn to say ..ah.. things like that?", she whimpered as she ran her fingers through his hair. 

She flinched when she felt Wakatoshi lick her neck and suck on a spot. 

"Wakatoshi.. wait.. ", she whined, though it sounded like a moan.

"Hmm?" , he pulled away from her neck. 

"We should finish eating first…", she was red as a beet. She slowly got off his lap and sat down at her spot. 

Ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod

** 

They started to clean up after eating. Mei picked up the paper bag full of trash. "I'll just throw this out." , she said and hurriedly went out of her room. 

She decided to go downstairs even though there was a trash can on her floor. She needed time to calm tf down.

Oh my god, I can't believe he said that he loves me! And then I said I love him too! Shit shit shit oh my god 

She put the paper bag in the large trash can and slapped both her hands to her cheeks. OH MY GOD

"Uh.. Sugawara-san..?"

She turned and saw Kuroo. He looked at her with his brows raised in a mix of worry and confusion. He wore a jacket, track pants, and running shoes. He seemed to be back from his run, or was in the middle of it.

"Oh, Kuroo-san. Good evening. ha ha..", she said awkwardly and she dropped her hands to her sides. "Did you spend your break here?"

"Ah.. no. I went back home but I got back today…" 

"Are you alright?", he asked after a few moments of silence,  he wiped his sweat with the sleeve of his jacket. 

"Oh, yeah! Totally..!", she glanced sideways to a very interesting tree. 

"Oh.. alright." He scratched the back of his neck. "I'm sorry.. again for what happened at the party.."

"Kuroo-san, I told you, it's fine. It wasn't your fault at all." she said and looked at him. "You were only trying to help me… and I was pretty drunk. I can't believe I even challenged you, in beer pong out of all things ", she chuckled. 

Kuroo blushed and smiled.

"Bokuto's planning to go to a karaoke place with the others this week.. I'm sure he'll invite you as well." 

"Sounds fun! I look forward to it.", she flashed him a smile. 

Kuroo's eyes drifted to her neck and saw a faint reddish mark. His eyes narrowed. He clearly knew what that was, and he couldn't help but be jealous. He looked away again. " Um.. I'll get going. Have a nice evening, Sugawara-san."

"Oh.. uh.  Okay. You too. Bye~!" , she waved as he jogged away. 

**

"What took you so long?" , Wakatoshi was sitting on her bed as she entered her room. 

She went to sit beside him.

"Sorry," she said sheepishly, "I threw it in the trash can outside the building.. And I ran into Kuroo,"

Wakatoshi narrowed her eyes at her. "Kuroo?  What did he want?", he grumbled. 

She wrapped her arms around his waist, "Hey, we just talked. He told me Bokuto might invite us to karaoke this week.", she pecked his cheek. 

"Did he say anything else?"

"Hmm.. Not really. I think he was in the middle of his run so he left right away. Why?" , she rested her chin on his shoulder.

"...", he looked away from her, frowning. 

She raised an eyebrow. Then it hit her. 

"Wakatoshi.. could it be..?"

"What?"

"Are you jealous of Kuroo?"

"...", he only clenched his jaw.

"No way..!", she let out a laugh. "Ushijima Wakatoshi, jealous?..! Oh my god!", she continued to laugh, a hand on her stomach. "I have to tell Tendou about this, oh my god!", she moved to get her phone but Wakatoshi pinned her down on the bed before she could. 

Mei stopped laughing and stared up at him with wide eyes. She gulped, a bit nervous. "Um...Wakatoshi..?"

He looked at her with narrowed eyes.

Ah shit, I think I went too far and made him mad.

"Hey, I was only kidding. I won't tell Tendou if you don't want me ..Ahh..", she moaned as she was cut off by Wakatoshi kissing her neck. She squeezed her eyes shut when he sucked on her skin roughly. He started roaming a hand down her waist and slipped his hand under her shirt. 

Mei flinched at his touch. He was never rough like this before. She was nervous but thrilled. Maybe if I push him just a bit more.

“If this is about Kuroo, we really did just talk. Nothing happe--mmpf..!”,before she could say anything else, he crashed his lips onto hers and kissed her hungrily as he traced his hand to her chest. 

Holy shit

Wakatoshi pulled away and took his shirt off, tossing it to the side. “You keep talking about Kuroo. Do you like him more than me?”, he grumbled. She eyed his half naked self and bit on her lip. He’s definitely angry. But damn, he looks so good. 

Staring at her with an intense gaze, he sat back and picked her up to sit on his lap, grabbing her butt in the process. Everything he was doing was a shock to her. One hand never leaving her ass, the other went to the back of her neck as he pulled her in for a kiss 

“Why.. would you ever think… that I like Kuroo,” she said against his lips while wrapping her legs around his waist. 

“You keep saying his name, “ he growled, giving her butt a squeeze. She pulled away a bit and took her shirt off and moved to trail kisses down his neck. He let out a low moan at her touch. She sucked on a few spots before pulling away.  "I am liking this new side of you, Wakatoshi.", she grinned at him as she moved her hand from his chest, down to his toned abs, and to the edge of his sweatpants. She slipped past his pants and underwear and rubbed his hardened member slowly.

Wakatoshi let out a breath at her touch. He moved his hands to her ass and lifted her up slightly, his face level with her chest. He took her bra off with ease and cupped one of her breasts. Mei held on to him as she whimpered. "Wakatoshi, wait, that's -- ah..!", she moaned loudly as he began to suck on her boob. She brought a hand to her mouth, trying to muffle her moans. "Shit.. where did you.. learn to do that..?", she mumbled, trying her best to hold back her voice. 

He ran his tongue on her bud and lightly bit on it. She shuddered, feeling a tingle throughout her body.

My turn.

She pushed him on his back and pinned him to the bed. She slid her shorts off and smirked at him as she sat on his lap. She reached for his sweat pants and slid them down. She bit on her lip as she saw his throbbing member. She wrapped her hand around it and slid her hand up and down.

He propped himself on his elbows as let out a breath at her touch. His eyes widened when he saw her position his dick at her entrance. She grinned and started to move downward, sliding his member inside her. "Ugh..", she whimpered. She already felt full and she wasn't even halfway there.

He placed his hands on her waist and pulled her to sit, thrusting his whole length into her. "Ah..!", she almost screamed. 

"Are you alright?", he whispered as he moved to sit up. He placed a kiss on her lips. She nodded quickly. "God, you're too big for me..", she held onto his shoulders as she tried to move her hips. 

"I think I fit in you just fine." he whispered to her ear, supporting her hips with his hands. Moments later, she quickened her pace. 

Wakatoshi crashed his lips on hers as she continued to ride him.

"Wakatoshi.. I'm close..nn..", she said against his lips. She moved faster as she felt it.

She completely sat down, feeling his whole length push into her, as she climaxed. 

She stayed like that for a second, panting, before Wakatoshi pinned her back on the bed. Now on top of her, he thrusted his length into her. "Wakatoshi.. wait..!"

I'm going to come twice at this rate.

"I'm close, too.." He mumbled as he continued roughly thrusting into her. 

"Wakatoshi,", she moaned. "Do it inside."

His eyes widened but he nodded. 

Moments later, he moved faster and finally came. She felt something warm shoot inside her and gripped at his shoulders.

They stared at each other and both breathed heavily. She let out a chuckle. "You are a wild one, Wakatoshi." 

 

 

 

Notes:

- so i saw summer vacation in japan was from the 3th week of july to the 4th week of august but i only put a semestral break. anyway this a fanfic lol doesn't have to be 100% accurate anyway enjoy, i guess? idk 

**lol don't worry yall, she's on the pill. also, wtf am i writing haha

Chapter 9: Karaoke Night

Summary:

nothing like karaoke and booze

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

"Wakatoshi, come ooonn..!" , she whined as she dragged him to the Karaoke place Bokuto booked. Wakatoshi could only sigh. 

They arrived at room 012 and Mei knocked a few times. 

The room was big enough for 30 people, and there were about 20 of them already there. 

"Mei-chan, Ushiwaka!! I'm glad you could make it! ", Bokuto shouted as he went over to them, giving Mei a high five. 

"Bokuto! Thanks for inviting us.", she smiled sheepishly. Wakatoshi only nodded at him.

"You gotta sing with me later, alright?", the owl boy said excitedly and walked off to greet the others.

**

Suga greeted with a smile. "Mei-chan!!" , he grinned.

"Bottom-kun!", she grinned.

"Hey!", He exclaimed and pouted. Mei laughed. They went in and sat at a vacant table beside Suga and Daichi's. 

"So, Bottom-kun," , she started

"Bottom-kun?", Daichi asked, clearly amused.

"Mei! ", Suga whined.

She chuckled. " Alright, alright. So… . Mr. Beefy, when did you and my dear cousin start going out?" 

"Mr… Beefy?", Daichi laughed at the nickname. 

Suga groaned and brought his hands to his face.

"We've been going out for a year and a half now." , Daichi smiled, glancing at Suga. 

"Woooahh, you guys are so cute.", she said and quickly snapped a photo with her phone.

Suga rolled his eyes and then smirked. 

"So, Mei-chan~, how long have you and Mr.Beefy  been going out ?" 

Wakatoshi raised an eyebrow, clearly misunderstanding the situation and panic showing on his face. He looked at Mei then at Daichi. 

"Well, it's been 7 months for me now for my Mr. Beefy  and I." she grinned and hugged her boyfriend's arm.

Wakatoshi sighed in relief after finally understanding the situation. 

"You can't call both of us Mr. Beefy, Mei.", Wakatoshi said bluntly.

"But both of you are beefy. Can't deny the facts. You have this and this" ,she chucked,  poking his chest and biceps. 

"and my Mr. Beefy has this and this.", Suga grinned as he poked Daichi's chest and thighs.

The two former captains looked at each other and sighed. 

** 

Mei glanced around the room and saw Akaashi at a table by himself. He was frowning. 

"Wakatoshi, I'll just say hi to Akaashi. I'll be right back." She picked up a couple cans of beer and jogged over to his table.

" 'kaashi!", she sang and went over to him, giving him a hug. 

"Sugawara-san, hey.", he hugged back and smiled at her. 

"So... how are you and Bokuto? You two seem a bit… distant?", she opened the both cans and handed one to him. 

Akaashi took the beer and sighed. "That's because he's an idiot."

She sat beside him  "Did you guys fight?" 

He nodded. "Do you wanna talk about it?", she asked as she patted his back.

Akaashi shook his head.

"Alright.", she gave him another hug. "You gotta sing with me later, yeah?"

Akaashi smiled again, "Sure. But not one of those wild songs."

She chuckled. "Hey, I know your taste in music, so don't worry."

"You should go back to your boyfriend. He looks like he's about to kill someone. Specifically Kuroo.", he said in amusement, taking a sip of his drink. 

"Oh god, last time I mentioned Kuroo to him, he railed me. He was, surprisingly, so rough I could barely walk the next day.", she mumbled and gulped down half the can. "Woo. That hit the spot."

Akaashi, almost choking on his beer, he looked at her with wide eyes." Sugawara-san! TMI!"

"Oops." she grinned, and shrugged.

"I didn't think Ushijima-san would be a wild one.", Akaashi said and took another sip

"I thought the same. But it was exciting. ", she chuckled. "I'm sure Bokuto's the same with you though, right?"

"Not at all, he's too.. gentle?", Akaashi sighed.

"Woah, no way! Really?",she stared at him in disbelief.

He nodded. "He thinks I'll get hurt if he tries to be rough." , he paused and saw Mei take a sip of her drink.

"That's why I top him sometimes."

Mei choked on her drink upon hearing what Akaashi said. She coughed,slapping her chest a few times. 

"Akaashi! what the *cough*  fuck! You did that *cough* on purpose."

Akaashi laughed and handed her a few pieces of tissue. She took it and wiped her mouth. 

Bokuto had been watching the two from afar and he smiled. He was happy to see Akaashi smiling again. He walked over to them, "Hey hey hey! What're you guys talking about?", he grinned as he sat next to his boyfriend.

"Oh nothing.", Mei said, flashing a fake smile at Bokuto and glanced at Akaashi. She smirked. "Just how Akaashi tops you in bed.", she said before quickly escaping from the table.

"Sugawara-san!", she heard Akaashi shout.

Mei looked back and saw the two owls blushing profusely.

**

"Wakatoshi..~", she sang and sat beside the frowning boy.. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed his cheek. "What's bothering you?", she asked, looking up at him.

"Nothing..",he mumbled, wrapping his arms around her waist. 

**

 

As multiple people took turns singing, Mei had been drinking quite a lot, but she wasn’t drunk.

Yet.

Wakatoshi refused to drink no more than 2 cans of beer, saying he was the designated driver. He looked over to his girlfriend and smiled. She was enjoying herself as she watched Bokuto and the others singing.

"Sawarase naiiii", Tendou sang

"Kimi wa shojo na no~", Bokuto continued.

"Boku wa yarichin bitchi no osu dayo~!", sang this small guy called Nishinoya.

"Oh my god!" Mei laughed loudly with everyone else while Akaashi was covering his face in second hand embarrassment.

**

"Mei-chan, let's sing!", Bokuto pulled on her hand and dragged her to the front. 

"Alright, alright!", she chuckled. 

Bokuto played the song and handed another mic to Mei and they started singing. 

"Cause I, I, I'm in the stars tonight ~", Mei sang beautifully.

"So watch me bring the fire and set the night a light!~", Bokuto sang next. 

"Shining through the city with a little funk and soul~"

"So Imma light it up like Dynamite!~"

The two danced and sang throughout the song , pulling people along to the front to dance with them. 

Wakatoshi smiled in amusement as he watched. 

Tendou on the other hand, snapped a photo of Wakatoshi smiling.  He grinned and sent it to their group chat immediately. 

**

"That was so fun!", Bokuto said and pulled Mei into one of his signature bear hugs. She giggled and hugged him back. She pulled away and went to Akaashi and handed him the other mic. She grinned. 

"You promised you'd sing with me, 'kaashi." 

Akaashi, smiling, sighed and stood, taking the mic from her. " Fine."

Mei jumped excitedly and dragged Akaashi to the front. 

"I know this is one of your favorite songs, so here.", she said ,pushing the buttons of the karaoke machine. The soft strum of the guitar filled the room. The noise went down and everyone listened as Mei started singing.

"You don't know, babe

When you hold me

And kiss me slowly

It's the sweetest thing"

Mei smiled as she sang, looking at Wakatoshi as she did. Wakatoshi watched in awe, his cheeks tinted pink.

And it don't change

If I had it my way

You would know that you are

You're the coffee that I need in the morning

You're my sunshine in the rain when it's pouring

Won't you give yourself to me

Give it all, oh

I just wanna see

Akaashi joined in and sang with Mei. 

I just wanna see how beautiful you are

You know that I see it

I know you're a star

Where you go I follow

No matter how far

If life is a movie

Oh you're the best part, oh oh oh

You're the best part, oh oh oh

Best part

Akaashi started singing softly, glancing at Bokuto a few times. 

It's the sunrise

And those gold eyes, yes

You're the one that I desire

When we wake up

And then we make love

It makes me feel so nice

You're my water when I'm stuck in the desert

You're the Tylenol I take when my head hurts

You're the sunshine on my life

Akaashi & Mei: 

I just wanna see how beautiful you are

You know that I see it

I know you're a star

Where you go I follow

No matter how far

If life is a movie

Then you're the best part, oh oh oh

You're the best part, oh oh oh

Best part

If you love me won't you say something

If you love me won't you

Won't you ~

**

Akaashi and Mei ended the song and took a bow. Everybody clapped and cheered.

Bokuto ran to Akaashi with tears in his eyes and embraced him. 

Mei chuckled as she watched the couple. She went back to Wakatoshi and sat beside him, only then she felt all of her energy drained. 

“Well, that was fun.”, she said 

“”You sang beautifully.”, he said, kissing her cheek. 

“Thanks, Akaashi has a really nice voice, too. I’m glad I got him to sing with me.”, she snickered. "and I'm happy to see they made up.", she smiled as she saw Bokuto and Akaashi talking. She picked up her cup and took a sip. 

“You should stop drinking, Mei…”, he sighed.

“Hey, I’m not even drunk, don’t worry~.”

You don't have to say you love me

You don't have to say nothing

You don't have to say you're mine”

Yaku and Kuroo’s singing filled the room

“Honey

I'd walk through fire for you

Just let me adore you

Oh, honey

I'd walk through fire for you

Just let me adore you

Like it's the only thing I'll ever do

Like it's the only thing I'll ever do~”

 

“Woah, Yaku and Kuroo have great voices, too.” , she said in awe. 

Wakatoshi only glared forward and huffed as he noticed Kuroo glancing at Mei who was now busy trying to open another can of beer. 

**

Wakatoshi had gone to split the bill with Bokuto and the others at the counter. Mei was at the reception area, sitting on the couch , her hand to her head. She was so dizzy, she could barely stand. 

I am never drinking again. 

“Mei, let’s go.” , Wakatoshi said and helped her stand. She held onto his arm for support. 

“Ugh.. How much do I owe Bokuto-san?”, she mumbled as they walked to his car. 

“I took care of it.”, He opened the passenger door. He helped her get in and buckled the seatbelt for her. He closed the door and quickly got into his seat. 

“You drank two cans of beer and I already lost count of how much I did.. Please let me pay you back for those.”, she whined.

Wakatoshi sighed and started driving back to their dorms.

AN/: Ok i just couldn't stop thinking about Akaashi singing about Bokuto and it's just AGH my heart 

**

She fluttered her eyes open. Ugh.. What time is it? She slowly sat up and immediately brought a hand to her head. 

Holy shit, my head hurts

A few moments later, she realized she was in her boyfriend's room but he was nowhere to be found. She got off the bed and went to the bathroom. She was still in the clothes she wore the night before. She washed her face and gargled some mouthwash before trying to make her hair look decent. She sighed, frustrated, and just tied her hair into a bun. 

She went to fix the bed and proceeded out of the room. She checked the time and saw it was only 8:15am. He's probably still on his run. 

She wasn't feeling good at all. As soon as she entered her room, she ran to the bathroom and threw up in the toilet. She held on the toilet seat for dear life as if she was throwing up everything she ate for the past week. 

After a whole minute of throwing up, she cleaned up her bathroom and decided to take a shower. 

Her phone was ringing when she was changing into clean clothes after her shower. 

She picked it up without looking at the caller ID. 

"Hello?"

"Where are you?"

"Oh.. Wakatoshi. Uh.. I'm in my room."

"Why did you leave? You should have slept more."

"I felt a bit sick.." she said sheepishly, "and I didn't want to throw up in your bathroom..So.."

Wakatoshi sighed. "I'll bring you something to eat. Wait for me there."

"Wakatoshi, I'm not hungr -- Ah, he hung up..Ugh." 

Mei was sitting at her desk, transcribing something, when she heard someone knock. She paused her work and groggily went to open the door. 

Wakatoshi stood there with a paper bag which seems to be food from the cafeteria and another plastic bag. 

"Ugh.. Why'd you get so much food?" , she said, letting him in and sat on the floor at her coffee table     

"You said you threw up. You have to eat before you take your medicine."

Wakatoshi glanced at her laptop and sighed. 

"You should not be working right now.", he said as he set the food on her coffee table.

"It helped keep my mind off throwing up again…"

Wakatoshi opened the tubs of food and handed her a spoon. 

"I got you some soup." 

Not that it didn't smell great, but she felt bile rise from her stomach. She quickly got up and made her way to her bathroom. 

Wakatoshi ran after her and held her hair up as she threw up in the toilet. He placed a hand on her back and rubbed it gently. 

When she finished, she told Wakatoshi to get out of the bathroom and he complied. She closed the door and started to clean up. She brushed her teeth.. again. 

After a few minutes, she finally came out and sat down beside him again. 

"That felt horrible.." she groaned. "Sorry you had to see that.." 

"Here. You should at least eat this so you can take your medicine.", he said and handed her a rice ball. 

"Thank you, Wakatoshi..", she took the riceball and ate it slowly.

After managing to finish it without getting the urge to hurl, he handed her some medicine. 

**

"I'm always causing you trouble..", she was lying on her bed, curled up under her blanket while Wakatoshi lied beside her.

"You're not causing me trouble, Mei.", he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer. 

"What do I owe you? You paid for my share at the party last night and the food this morning…", she put her hand on his cheek and caressed it. 

"You don't have to pay me back."

"But I want to.. and I have a job now, so I have money.", she whined. 

"Mei. Just let me pay for you.."

"...but you're wasting money."

"I'm not."

Mei sighed. "Fine.. But I am not letting you spend one cent on your birthday. Promise me you'll comply?"

Wakatoshi stared at her and she stared back. He sighed in defeat. 

"Alright."

Mei grinned.

"Keep your word alright? I'm gonna spend lots of money on you!" 

Notes:

lol hi again, just posted chap 8 last night but i hope y'all enjoyed this chapter as well

wrote this on my phone as I'm in line at the bank. I'm still here actually, the line is so friggin long dafuq I'll probably edit this one for typos and other stuff because I just kept writing NXKDKD

anyway I have some ideas about Mei's family already so stay tuned for that ehe

i hope you like this story so far because I still have no idea how to finish this HAHAJSNS

might make a spotify playlist for this story if y'all want it haha
 

anyway

bye

Chapter 10: Birthday

Summary:

street food and fireworks

Notes:

Here's a short chapter for Waka's birthday .w.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Wakatoshi watched Mei in awe as she approached him. He was outside her dorm building and leaning against his car.

"Wakatoshi!" she grinned and jogged down the stairs. She wore a cream colored long sleeved dress that reached to her mid-thigh, and white platform sandals.

"You look beautiful.", he said. He couldn't help himself and leaned down,  kissing her deeply. 

She blushed and pulled away. "Wakatoshi..! We're outside." she whined, covering part of her face with one hand as she looked away from him. . 

"I'm sorry. I couldn't resist.", he said and gave her a pat on the head. He opened the passenger door and let her in. He jogged to the other side and got in as well. 

**

"Remember, Wakatoshi. You are not allowed to spend a cent today.", she chirped as they walked around the festival. 

Countless booths line up that sold food, trinkets, and games. 

"So, what do you want to eat first?", she grinned at him and held his hand. 

He had a small smile on his lips. 

"Taiyaki."

"Alright! Taiyaki for the birthday boy..!", she said excitedly as they approached the taiyaki booth. 

"Hi! We'll take a chocolate one", she said to the lady. "Wakatoshi, you?"

"Red bean, please.", he said to the lady  

"The lady quickly wrapped their orders and handed it to Wakatoshi. Mei pulled out a bill and paid the lady.

"There's takoyaki over there, Mei.", he said and gestured to three booths away from them. 

"Huh? Really? Do you want some?", her eyes sparkled. 

He chuckled and nodded. He knew it was one of her favorites. 

"Okay, let's go!", she said and dragged him to the other Takoyaki stall. 

"Hello, Two orders please! Please put a lot of bonito flakes!", she said happily and paid the man. 

**

They sat at one of the vacant tables nearby. They had bought drinks and other foods. She set them up on the table. 

"So we have Taiyaki, Takoyaki, Yakitori, and Choco Banana for dessert." ,she beamed. "Ah! Let's take a picture, Wakatoshi~."

He let out a chuckle and nodded. She took out a phone and held it up. She made sure to include the food. "Okay, 1,2,3~"

click

"Ok, one more.", she grinned and held a peace sign on her other hand. 

click

Wakatoshi leaned closer and kissed her on the cheek in time for the photo.

 

Stunned, she blushed profusely and covered her mouth with her hand as she looked at him. 

Wakatoshi let out a laugh. Her eyes widened.

Oh my God

Did he just laugh?

OH MY GOD

I can die in peace. 

He put a piece of Takoyaki in his mouth and she stared at him, still in shock. 

"Mei, you should eat. Stop staring."

She shook her head, picked up her chopsticks and started eating. 

"Wakatoshi, do you want to try this?", she handed him her Taiyaki. He leaned closer and took a bite while she was still holding it. He nodded. "It's good. Here, try mine." , He moved his taiyaki closer to her face and she took a bite. She smiled and  held a thumb up as she chewed happily. 

**

They spent their time walking around the festival trying out different games and buying a few things before the fireworks started. Mei brought him to a secluded area near the festival so they could watch it alone. They sat on a bench. 

"I think it will start in a few minutes.. So, here..", she said sheepishly and handed him a small gift bag."Happy Birthday, Wakatoshi.", she smiled.

His heart fluttered and he felt so happy to see her like this. "Thank you, Mei.", he took the gift. "May I open it?"

She nodded. She was getting nervous as he opened the gift bag. 

What if he doesn't like it? What if he thinks it's lame? 

Once he opened it, he saw two small boxes inside. He took one out first and opened it.

"I wasn't sure if you'd like it but um.. It's a sports watch.. Since you're pretty active, I thought you can use it to track you calories and stuff.", she said shyly and rubbed the back of her neck. 

"Thank you, Mei. I love it." He smiled and immediately wore it on his left wrist. "There's another one..?", he asked and took it out of the bag. 

She nodded but couldn't look at him at this point. She was far too nervous.

He unwrapped the small flat box and opened it. It was a small picture frame with a photo of them from their first date. He stared at the photo and felt his heart race.

Mei looked over to him and saw his face. "Do you..not like it..?", she mumbled.

He blinked, snapping out the trance. "I love it.", he said, setting the frame down on his other side and immediately gave her a hug. "I love you.", he said before pressing his lips onto hers. The fireworks lit up the sky but it didn’t matter.

Notes:

Yo haha I know this was short but I'll be uploading chapter 11 today as well ( which I think y'all will like, at least i hope lols). I'm still editing it for typos but I should be done in a bit.

(\ u w u /)

Chapter 11: Ice Cream

Summary:

volleyball, yakiniku, and ice cream

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

"Alright. I understand. Goodbye, Father."

Wakatoshi sighed after getting off the phone. His father had just bought him an apartment 20 minutes away from the University. It wasn't too far but it would mean he wouldn't be able to spend time with Mei as much. He was already thinking about his schedule.

"What was that about?", Tendou asked before biting on a piece of tempura. They were hanging out in Wakatoshi's room.

Wakatoshi told Tendou about his father's sudden decision.

"When are you moving out?"

"In a week.. just before class starts."

"Woah, that soon?", Tendou whistled a low tone. 

Wakatoshi could only nod. 

“Why’d he suddenly buy you an apartment? You’re still studying.”

The stoic boy shrugged.

"Well… When are you going to tell Mei-chan?"

"I'm not sure.. "

"You should tell her as soon as possible before you have to actually move out. You two might not see each other as much now."

Wakatoshi clenched his jaw. He knew Tendou was right. He didn't want to move out but knowing his father, he had probably talked to the university about his dorm already. 

 

**

 

Mei was laying on her side on her boyfriend’s bed while he sat beside her, watching footage of his latest match. She sat up and moved closer to him, wrapping an arm around his waist as she looked at the video on his phone. 

"Woah, that last spike was great, Wakatoshi." she said proudly then kissed his cheek. 

"I need to do more work on my jump. My timing was off."

"I think you did great. And I got a glimpse of your abs. That was hot.", she grinned.

Wakatoshi looked over to her and lifted his shirt to reveal his stomach. "Do they look good?"

She nodded. "I bet your fan girls are going crazy over them and there's probably a looped video of it on twitter right now. Too bad only I can see them up close like this.", she chuckled and snaked her hand to his abs.

Wakatoshi leaned in and pecked on her lips. "Mei..", he mumbled.

He looked troubled, like he was hesitating to say something.

"Hmm..What's wrong?", she tilted her head a bit.

"..."

"It's alright, you don't have to tell me."

"...I'm moving out of the dorms.", he mumbled as he avoided her eyes.

Her eyes widened a bit. Is he moving out because he doesn't like me anymore? Is he going to break up with me? Oh my god he's breaking up with me, isn’t h-- 

Her thoughts were interrupted when he spoke. 

"My father bought an apartment for me. It's not too far from here.", he put his hand in hers and intertwined their fingers.

Oh.

"When are you moving out?"

"... This friday."

"That soon?..", she stared at their hands.

"Yes… I’m sorry.”

"You don’t have to apologize. Although I guess it would be a bit harder to see you when school starts. Our schedules clash… And you have training.."

"I can make time to see you."

"That would mean driving back and forth and I don't want you to waste your time like that. It would tire you out."

"I want to spend time with you whenever I can.”, he put a hand on her cheek gently, rubbing his thumb across his cheek. 

"I know.. But you shouldn't go out of your way just to meet me, alright? You know I hate it when you waste your money on me."

"Mei.. " 

"Maybe we can have a date every weekend instead?", she suggested as she looked up at him with a smile. 

Wakatoshi felt his heart flutter.

I love you so much.

He put his hands on her cheeks and kissed her deeply. 

 

**

 

Mei had retained her part-time job despite the start of classes. She grew tired of spending her time in her room studying so she often sat at the lounge with her laptop when she had transcriptions to do. Wakatoshi had been fairly busy with his classes, games and practice. 

Their schedules didn't match so they had barely spent time together, especially with Wakatoshi not being in the same vicinity as her. They texted and shared calls but it was not enough. For the past month, they have only met twice. 

 

** 

 

Mei was at the lounge right after her class. She had not heard from Wakatoshi all day and figured he was just busy. She didn't want to study yet so she took out her laptop and started transcribing. With her earbuds in, everything around her seemed to disappear.

"Sugawara-san.", she heard a familiar voice call. It was Akaashi. 

Mei looked up and paused her work. " 'kaashi! What's up?", she smiled at him. 

"Do you mind if I sit?"

"Not at all, go ahead." , she said as she took her earbuds out and set them on her keyboard.

"You seem busy, am I disturbing you?", he said , setting his bag on the seat next to him. 

"Oh, no..! It's fine. I'm just doing a bit of work before I go back to my dorm.

"Are you okay?"

"Hmm? I am. Why?", she asked, a bit shocked at his question. 

"You seem a bit..distracted the past few weeks. Ushijima-san hasn't been around lately. Are you sure you're alright?"

"Hey, you're worrying too much." she chuckled. "You know our classes have been.. stressful lately so I try to keep myself busy with work.. ", she trailed off. 

Akaashi stared at her for a moment. 

"Do you want to play volleyball with us later? Bokuto and the others are gonna be there. We need another player."

"We see enough of each other at class, Akaashi. Are you sure you're not just inviting me because I seem lonely?", she chuckled.

"We really do need one more player.. and yes, I'm inviting you for that reason as well."

"Alright, fine. What time will you guys be there? "

"Around 5:30. We'll have dinner after." 

Mei looked at her watch. She had an hour to spare. "That works. I'll finish this up then I'll meet you guys there." 

 

**

 

Mei walked to the gym in sport shorts and a slim fit tee. When she got there, Bokuto and others were already warming up. 

"Sugawara-san! Over here.", Akaashi called her over. She jogged over to him and they hugged. 

"I'm not too sure If I can keep up with you guys.", she said sheepishly. 

"Don't worry too much, they're only here to have fun." , he said and started stretching with her. "and I know you play well. You did go to Shiratorizawa."

"I didn't play as much as you guys though, I was only a manager", she chuckled. 

**

Kuroo felt his heart race when he saw Mei walk in the gym. He stared at her as she talked with Akaashi at the other side of the court. He then felt a light kick to his leg. It was his best friend.

"What'd you do that for, Kenma?"

"Stop staring at Sugawara-san. You know she's taken.", Kenma said bluntly as he played on his Switch. 

"Yeah, yeah." , he grumbled and continued his warm up. 

 

**

Team A: 

Bokuto, Akaashi, Tendou, Mei, Daichi, and Yaku

Team B: 

Kuroo, Suga, Reon, Semi,Asahi, and Nishinoya

Kenma's the referee / umpire ( he is also videotaping the match and will be revealed later as to why) 

**

 

"Mei-chan~ Can you wrap my fingers?", Tendou sang as he went over to her, holding a roll of tape. 

"Sure, sure." , she took the tape and carefully taped his fingers. 

"Ah, Mei-chan, you're the best!" , he grinned as he flexed his fingers. 

"Hey, Tendou.. Have you heard from Wakatoshi today?", she said and put the roll of tape on the bench. 

"Hmm~, this morning he texted me. He said he had a practice match." 

She sighed. " I guess he texted the same thing to you, too." 

Tendou raised an eyebrow. "Hmm~.."

"Guys! Let's start!", Yaku called out to them. 

 

"The losing team treats the winning team to ice cream! Deal?", Bokuto shouted in excitement.

Everyone exclaimed in approval, getting hyped. 

Mei saw how everyone's gazes changed when they were about to start. She was the first to serve. 

"Mei-chan, nice serve!." , her teammates shouted. She heard the whistle and took a deep breath.

She threw the ball and ran up to do a jump serve. 

Akaashi was right. She was good despite not being an actual player like them. Being a manager also helped. She had the team of great players to teach her. 

The ball was fast and it hit just behind Kuroo. 

Kenma signaled a point for Team A. 

"Woah, Mei-chan!! Service Ace!" , Bokuto shouted. 

She grinned. She took another ball and served again. 

**

It was their third set. Team A took Set 1 and Team B won the next. 

The score was 23-23

Mei panted as she waited for Semi's serve (Team B's serve). She was in the back and had been targeted since she wasn't too good at receiving. 

She saw the ball coming her way , instinctively taking a step back , she lowered her body and received it. 

"Akaashi! Cover please!", she shouted as the ball went up. 

Akaashi swiftly moved to set the ball in time for Bokuto to deliver his powerful spike. 

Yaku managed to receive it but it flew off in a different direction. 

24-23 

“HEY HEY HEY!”, Bokuto shouted and jumped in excitement.

“Yeah! Nice spike, Bokuto!”, Mei ran to him and gave him a high-five.

**

“Sugawara-san, nice serve!”, Akaashi shouted. 

Mei let out a breath. Kuroo’s team already knew how to receive her serve so she was anxious. 

She wanted to win. She heard the whistle and glanced at the opposing team. Kuroo already took a step back ,getting ready to receive her serve. 

She threw the ball up. She ran, jumped and swung her hand and hit it with less power. 

Kuroo, Suga, and Tendou's eyes widened as the ball hit the net but went over to their side of the court. 

Nishinoya dove but he was too late. 

Kenma blew the whistle and flipped over the scores. 

25-23

 

“Free ice cream!”, Mei exclaimed as she jumped around with her team and gave each other high fives.

**

“That net serve during the match point was really clever, Sugawara-san.”, Mei looked back and saw Kuroo. 

She had already changed out of her sweaty shirt and was wearing a loose tee. She was sitting on one of the benches, fixing her stuff in her bag. 

“Thanks. Did I catch you off guard?”, she grinned at him and stood up. 

“Definitely.” , he let out a laugh. “I’m surprised you didn’t play in high school. You would’ve dominated the girl’s team.”, they started walking out of the gym with the others. 

“Nah, I don’t love volleyball as much as you guys. I'm totally out of shape and honestly, I’m not a big fan of physical activity.”, she chuckled. “But today was so much fun. Plus, free ice cream!”, she said excitedly.

Kuroo couldn't help but smile.

**

 

"Stop hogging the meat, Koutaro." , Akaashi sighed as he swatted his boyfriend's hand.

Bokuto immediately stopped when he heard his first name and started sulking. Akaashi sighed then put some meat on his boyfriend's plate.

Mei laughed as she watched the two. She hummed as she flipped some meat on the grill. 

"Oooh, these look cooked." She picked up the meat with her chopsticks and put some on Akaashi, Bokuto, Kenma and Kuroo's plates. 

"Sugawara-san, you should eat too. I'll take over from here.", Kuroo, who sat beside her, said and put some meat on the grill. 

"I'm good.", she laughed as she continued to flip some meat. "I already ate enough and I gotta have room for the ice cream later."

Kuroo chuckled. "I guess you're right."

"Hey, everybody! Let's take a photo!", Tendou said and held his phone up in selfie mode. Everybody posed as he took a few photos. "I'll tag you all later. ~" Tendou said then he tapped on his phone. 

"Ah, Sugawara-san, by the way, Kenma took some videos earlier. I think he had one when you first served. Do you wanna see it?" Kuroo asked, then put a piece of meat in his mouth.

"Woah, really? Yeah, can I see? I probably look weird next to all of you athletes." , she snickered. 

"I'll send it to you.", Kenma said, who sat across her, now tapping away on his phone. 

Ping!

She held her phone and pressed play on the video from Kenma. 

Bokuto, who was sitting beside her , rested his chin on her shoulder as he watched.

"Woah, Mei-chan! Your serve looks great from that angle! And look at Kuroo's face! Hahaha!", the owl boy laughed.

Kuroo, in the video, looked like he had seen a ghost when her serve got past him. Mei laughed at Bokuto's comment.

"You look like you just shit your pants!", Yaku said, appearing behind her.

"Shut up, you leprechaun!", Kuroo barked.

The bickering went on until they had to leave. 

**

"Sugawara-san, you should show that to Ushijima-san and ask him what he thinks about your serve.", Akaashi said as he walked beside her. They were on their way to the convenience store for ice cream. 

"Oh, I think not..! I might get dissed." , she joked. 

"Sugawara-san, do you mind if I post the video? I'm planning to use it for my editing class.", Kenma said.

"Is that "highlights video" thing you told me about? Like the ones we see after volleyball matches? "Kuroo asked.

Kenma nodded.

"And isn't that due tonight at 12am?"

Kenma nodded. 

"Oh,uh.. go ahead. I don't mind. Promise me you'll make me look cool. ", she chuckled.

Kenma nodded as he fiddled with his phone.

**

The group entered the convenience store and immediately went to the freezer filled with different types of ice cream. 

"Alright, people from my team, pair up with someone from the winning team and pick out your ice cream." Reon said. Everyone nodded in agreement and all of them paired up. 

"Sugawara-san, pick out something you like." Kuroo said and opened the freezer.

"Ooohh, That green tea looks good.. and so does that red bean one...hmm", she looked at the ice cream for a few seconds. "I'll go with the green tea..!" 

Kuroo chuckled and picked up the green tea ice cream and handed it to her then picked up a chocolate cone for himself. The rest started picking out their ice cream as well then the losers paid at the counter.

**

11:56 pm

Mei lied on her bed, staring at the ceiling. She was tired from the volleyball game just a few hours ago so she assumed she'd be asleep in no time. 

But she couldn't sleep. Though she didn't have class the next day, disrupting her sleep schedule was a very bad idea.

She sighed and picked up her phone from her side table. She started a text to send to her boyfriend but stopped midway.

He's probably asleep and will read this by morning.

Mei:

Wakatoshi~. I hope your practice matches went well. Make sure to rest. Good night. 💜

She switched to Twitter and scrolled through her feed. She saw a notification pop up. 

Kenma had mentioned her in a tweet with a video attached. 

@kodzuKenma

I made it.

 

Mei chuckled. She knew Kenma's tweet meant that he managed to submit his work on time for his class. She liked his tweet and saw tons of people comment below. A lot of comments mentioned the guys and a few mentioned her. 

Ping!

Wakatoshi:

Are you still awake? 

Mei:

I am. Shouldn't you be asleep? 

Wakatoshi:

I couldn't sleep. May I call you?

Mei:

Sure. (:

Her phone started ringing a few seconds later and she quickly answered it.

 

"Mei.."

"Hey, Wakatoshi..", smiled upon hearing his voice. 

"I saw Kenma's tweet. I didn't know you played today.." 

"Oh yeah. Akaashi said they needed another player so he asked me to join them. It was really fun and we won!" she said excitedly.

Wakatoshi smiled as he listened to her, although he did wish he was there so he could see how much fun she had. 

"We had dinner right after at the Yakiniku place nearby and Bokuto was hogging all the meat. Akaashi called him by his first name. He got all scared and stopped immediately.", she let out a laugh as she remembered how Bokuto sulked. 

"And I assume your team won? I saw you had service aces."

"Yeah! We did and the losing team had to treat us to ice cream." she chuckled. "Kuroo bought me this green tea ice cream and it was really good! I might go out to buy one tomo--"

"Kuroo..?" , he felt anger building up. "Do you spend all your time with him when I'm not there?", he scoffed

She was stunned after hearing what he just said.

“Wait, what are you talking about? I don’t spend that much time with him. We literally just played together a few hours ago.”

“But you do."

“I mean, yeah. Sometimes to get lunch but Akaashi is always with me --”, 

Wakatoshi had interrupted her. “So you eat with him now? You even sat beside him when you had dinner earlier. I saw Tendou’s photos.”, he said angrily. 

She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

What the fuck?

“What the hell is your problem? It’s dinner and everyone else was there with me. Do you think I go on dates with him?!”, she raised her voice quite angrily as well. 

“Maybe you do.” , he snarled again. 

She scoffed. “You know what? I can’t deal with this. Think whatever you want.”, she huffed and hung up on him.

She felt her eyes water.

What the hell just happened?

 

Notes:

:)

Chapter 12: Family

Summary:

dinner and tears

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

It has been almost two weeks since their fight and she had not contacted Wakatoshi at all. No text or call. She even refused to see him around campus. 

People were thinking they had broken up. 

Wakatoshi had left her messages and missed calls but she ignored them. She drowned herself in studying and if that wasn’t enough, she worked.

 

**

 

She was at the gym again with the others. Akaashi had always asked her to come with them to play and it was becoming an almost once-a-week thing.. She considered declining this time but she needed the distraction. 

She ran her fingers through her hair and tied it up. She walked over to Akaashi and stretched with him. 

“So.. You two are still not talking?” Akaashi didn’t want to pry but decided to ask anyway. 

“No.. “, she huffed. 

“I think you two should talk.”

"Maybe he doesn't like me as much as he thought. I mean I feel like this relationship happened a bit too fast and--"

"You guys have been dating for almost a year. Couples fight. Bokuto and I do. You like Ushijima-san, right?"

"Well, yeah but--"

"Then there's nothing to worry about. That's why you two should talk it out."

“He accused me of cheating on him. There's no way I'm talking to him any time soo-”, she paused as she  glared towards the gym’s doors.

Akaashi turned to see what stopped her from talking and saw Ushijima walking in with Tendou.

Mei started to pick on the side of her thumb again. Her mind was clouded with anger that she didn't even notice it bleeding. 

“Sugawara-san.”, Akaashi said and grabbed her hand. He sighed and pulled her over to the bench. He took out a piece of tissue from his bag and wiped the blood off her thumb. 

“This is a bad habit.” Akaashi said as he put a band aid around her thumb.

“Sorry..”, she mumbled as she kept her gaze to the floor. 

**

“Guys! Let’s start picking out teams!”, Yaku shouted from the other side of the court. 

Akaashi put a hand on her shoulder. “Are you going to be okay? You don’t have to play if you don’t feel like it.”

“I’ll be fine..So long as I'm not on the same team as him..", she forced a smile and they went over to where the others were gathered.

As they drew lots to pick out their teams, Mei glanced at Wakatoshi but he looked away.

 

Team A: 

Kuroo, Akaashi, Reon, Mei, Semi, and Nishinoya.

Team B: 

Bokuto, Daichi,Tendou, Ushijima, Asahi, and Yaku

Kenma and Suga are umpires/ referees

**

Wakatoshi was first to serve. He threw the ball up, ran and swung his arm as he jumped.

The ball was going in Mei’s direction. 

She knew she wouldn’t be able to receive that. Her arms would fall off if she did. She immediately stepped to the side and shouted “Out!.”

And it was.

Everyone could feel the tension between the couple. 

“Good call, Sugawara-san.”, Kuroo said, showing her a thumbs up.

“Thanks!”, she grinned at him.

Wakatoshi was fuming when he saw their interaction. 

**

Mei was tired, drained. Her team lost and it was their turn to treat the winning team to ice cream. 

She quickly changed and gathered her stuff. She ran over to Akaashi and walked out of the gym while the others trailed behind them. They arrived at the usual Yakiniku place and they all sat down. 

Mei huffed when Wakatoshi sat on her left. She was thankful that Akaashi was on her right,otherwise, she would've skipped dinner and went back to her dorm.

Kuroo sat across her, glancing at the couple while he grilled some meat. 

Mei started eating quietly, keeping her gaze away from her boyfriend. Wakatoshi picked up a piece of beef from the grill and placed it on her plate before he started eating. 

She stared at the piece of meat for a second before she ate it. 

**

Dinner went by quickly and they all went to the convenience store for ice cream. Mei sighed and faced her boyfriend. “Which one do you want?”

“Pick one for me.”, Wakatoshi said. 

She rolled her eyes, picked up a red bean cup and immediately went to the counter to pay for it. She handed it to him and quickly went outside. Wakatoshi sighed and followed her. 

“Why didn’t you get one for yourself?”, he asked as he stood beside her and opened his ice cream.

Mei only looked forward, arms crossed, tapping a finger on her forearm.

“I’m not in the mood for ice cream.”

Wakatoshi started eating the ice cream quietly. 

Akaashi exited the convenience store and saw the couple. He glanced back at the group still inside the store. They were still chatting as they ate their ice cream. 

“Sugawara-san, you can go ahead. The others are still chatting inside.”, he said as he walked over to the couple. “Ushijima-san, you should walk her to her dorm.” 

Wakatoshi nodded. Mei huffed. “I’ll get going, Akaashi. Thanks for today. I had fun.”, she said and gave him a hug. 

Akaashi went back inside after the couple left.

 

**

 

The two did not say anything as they walked until they arrived at the university.

“You don’t have to walk me to my room. I can go by myself. You should go home”, Mei said and walked up the stairs of her dorm’s building. Wakatoshi still followed her. 

When they arrived at her door, Mei sighed and turned to him.

“You should go home.”, she said again.

“Can we talk?"

"I'd rather not.", she said as she opened her door. 

"Mei, please…", he pleaded as he grabbed her hand.

Mei looked up at him.

"Fine." she pulled her hand from his and went inside, Wakatoshi followed her in and closed the door. 

She set her bag at her desk then sat on her bed. Wakatoshi sat as well, leaving a good amount of space between them.

"I'm sorry for what I said."

Mei crossed her arms and kept her gaze down. "Did you think I cheated on you?"

"....I was wrong to even think that."

She felt her eyes water but tried to hold it in. 

“It made me angry that you were with him when I wasn't around. I'm sorry that I blamed you--"

"I didn't understand why you were so angry at me. Kuroo's my friend, what's wrong with that?"

Wakatoshi looked away.

"I don't like that you're defending him."

"He's a good person. And I never spend time with him alone. You know that.", she sighed.

Wakatoshi kept quiet for a second.

"Do you like him?", he turned to look at her.

She let out a breath.

"You're seriously asking me that? If I liked Kuroo that way then I wouldn't be dating you anymore."

Wakatoshi pursed his lips and looked away again. 

"You know.. it really hurt.. after our phone call. I couldn't stop crying. God, I couldn't even breathe.", she said, her voice a bit shaky as she fiddled with her ring. 

"People were saying I don't deserve you, not that I wasn't already thinking that. I mean all I do is cause you trouble anyway.. and you have tons of girls after you, I don't really have anything to offer. You could easily replace me. I know you deserve someone better so I kept thinking you were finally gonna leave me and --"

"Mei…", he immediately felt guilty.

 He moved closer to her and wrapped his arms around her. "Why would you think that? I'm not going to leave you. I'm the one you should blame. It's my fault.", he buried his face on the crook of her neck.  

She pulled away from him and wiped her cheeks with her hands. "I think it's better if you leave." she mumbled.

Wakatoshi grabbed her hand. "Mei, please..", he pleaded.

"I don't want to see you right now, Wakatoshi." she said harshly and pulled her hand away. 

As she was about to stand, her heart ached at the sight of Wakatoshi's face. 

Tears were rolling down his cheeks.

She immediately felt guilt and panic. 

He's crying… but why?

His tears continued to stream down his cheeks as he was frozen in his spot. She hurriedly placed her hand on his cheek. "Wakatoshi.. I-"

He leaned into her hand and his tears continued. He loved her so much and seeing her suffer because of him made him feel like his chest felt like it was about to explode.

He pulled her into a tight embrace, clinging to her like it will be his last. He sobbed quietly, saying "I'm sorry" over and over. 

**

 

 

Mei fluttered her eyes open. It was still dark out. She picked up her phone from her table and looked at the time.

4:38am

She felt movement beside her. Her eyes widened a bit when she saw Wakatoshi still asleep. Then she remembered what happened the night before.

He cried... 

She lied on her side and stared at him. She reached a hand to his face and gently touched his cheek. 

His eyes slowly opened. She immediately pulled her hand away and sat up

"Sorry..", she mumbled. 

"Do you hate me?", he said quietly as he also sat up. 

She looked at him, a bit stunned.He had a pained expression. 

"Wakatoshi..", she placed on his cheek. She felt immense guilt and her heart sank. "I love you. Even if I was mad at you, I still love you."

"I'm sorry..I love you so much.. I'm sorry", he said, wrapping his arms around her.

He pulled away, only leaving a couple of inches between their faces. Her eyes watered as she stared at him. At the back of her mind, she wanted him to leave her for someone better. He panicked. "Mei, I'm sorry, did I do somethi --"

 "Why do you even love me?" she cried. "I don't deserve you. You.. You should be with someone better.", she said between her sobs. 

He was confused and his heart hurt. He loved everything about her. Why does she think she didn't deserve him?

He wiped her cheeks with his hands. He felt guilty when he saw her cry. "I'm sorry for hurting you. I love you so much.. ", he mumbled. 

Mei leaned in and pressed her lips against his. Wakatoshi's eyes widened a bit before he kissed back.

 

 

**

 

 

 

 

Mei was at her usual table at the lounge after class. She scrolled through her feed as she waited for her boyfriend to arrive. 

They had already made up Mei had a long talk with him about jumping to conclusions regarding Kuroo. Meanwhile, Wakatoshi wanted to have dinner with her at least once a week. He still felt guilty for hurting her; he hated himself for making her cry. 

"Mei." , he called out, making his way over to her table. 

She looked up and smiled. " Hey, handsome.", she stood up and gave him a quick hug and a peck on his lips before picking up her bag. 

Wakatoshi took her hand as they walked out of the lounge and to his car. 

**

"So, where are we eating tonight?" 

"At my place.", he said as he drove. 

She blinked. 

Wait

What

"Huh?", she asked and then noticed they had arrived. The building looked fancy. She’s never been to his place. No occasion to go there and then they had their fight.

i knew his family was rich but this is just…woah.

Wakatoshi opened her door for her and she got out. " Thank you."

Wakatoshi handed his keys to an employee and they went inside. They were greeted by a few people in the lobby. Mei was a bit startled as she awkwardly said greetings in return. 

Wakatoshi took her hand in his as they reached the elevator. 

"Which floor are you in?", she managed to say before the elevator doors opened. 

"11th.", he said and they got in. He pushed the button for his floor and they waited.

 

**

 

Wakatoshi opened his door and switched the lights on. 

"Woah..", Mei said in awe as she entered the spacious apartment but was more surprised to see the floor to ceiling glass windows where you have an overview of Tokyo. She walked over to the glass and stared at the view.

"I already ordered food. It should be here in a bit."  ,he said while setting his bag on the counter.

"This place is huge. Did you decorate it yourself?", she turned around and walked around the living room.

He shook his head. "My father picked it out. It was like this when I moved in." 

She chuckled when she saw the large flat screen TV mounted on the wall, a long black couch and a wooden coffee table across it.  "I bet you watch your matches on that." , she took a seat on the couch and Wakatoshi followed suit. 

"I do. It's easier to see my mistakes on a larger screen."

"You're being too hard on yourself again." She scooted closer to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. "I missed you..", she mumbled and nuzzled his chest. 

As he was about to wrap his arms around her, they heard the sound of the doorbell ringing.

Wakatoshi pecked her forehead before pulling away. He went to the door and took the food from the delivery man. "Thank you.", he said as he handed the money.

He brought the food to the dining area. Mei walked in and helped him set their food on the table. A moment later, they sat down and started eating. 

"Do you have work later?", Wakatoshi asked before biting on a piece of tempura.

She shook her head as she chewed her rice. 

"How about tomorrow?"

"Hmm.. I don't have to. The company lets us pick our own schedule." 

"You shouldn't work so much.."

"But I need to..", she sighed. 

They had finished eating now. Mei brought the dishes to the sink. "Mei, I'll do it. You can wait in the living room." He said as he walked over to her. 

"It's fine. You already paid for the food, as usual… and I know you won't let me pay you back." She turned the faucet on and started washing the dishes. 

Silence filled the room until she finished then she dried her hands with a towel. Wakatoshi was leaning back on the counter as he waited for her. They went to sit in the living room and he switched on the tv but he knew they wouldn't be paying attention to it. 

"Why do you need to work?", he said and put an arm around her shoulder.

Mei didn't say anything for a moment. She was thinking whether she should tell him or not.

"Remember that time when you found me crying in the garden near the gym? I..", she paused and let out a breath.

"Let's just say I don't have the best relationship with my parents...and siblings...basically my whole family."

He gently rubbed her arm as he listened. 

"I'm working now because I want to rent my own apartment after graduation…They still send me an allowance but I don't use it anymore. I like spending the money I worked hard for.", she paused and leaned her head on his chest.

"My parents wanted me to study medicine like them and my older brothers. The four of them all work at Tokyo General now… While my eldest sister is a lawyer…I think they all hated me for choosing a writing degree.. I just..", she sighed, she felt like she was about to cry. "I'm only a burden to them, that's why I'm saving up. "

 

Ah shit. I don't want to cry. 

But she felt her eyes water. 

"You don't have to do what they want." he kissed the top of her head. "I'm here if you need help." 

She smiled a bit while wiping her cheeks with her hands, she sniffled. "Thank you, Wakatoshi… Ah , I love you so much..", she said and hugged him. 

Wakatoshi rubbed circles on her back in an attempt to sooth her. "...Do you want to sleep over?"

"Yeah..", she pulled away and chucked when she saw his tinted cheeks. "That way, I can make us breakfast tomorrow.", she smiled and climbed onto his lap. 

"Mei..", he put his hands on her waist. 

She put her hands on his cheeks and kissed him deeply. Wakatoshi gladly kissed back and slipped his tongue in. As he slid a hand under her shirt, the sound of a phone ringing interrupted them. Mei groaned as she pulled away, "That's mine… sorry.", she reached for her phone on the table and answered the call. 

"Hello?", she said in annoyance but her eyes widened when she heard the voice on the other end. 

Wakatoshi looked at her, worried. He grabbed her free hand and gave it a squeeze.

"Why do I have to go?", she asked the caller. She sighed as she listened, biting on her lower lip. Her eyes started to water as the call continued. 

"Fine.", she said quietly and hung up.

"Mei..", he brought a hand to her cheek. She blinked as she stared at him, her tears starting to fall. "Are you alright? Who was that?", he asked as he wiped her cheeks with the sleeve of his sweater.

"Sorry..", she sniffled. "Um.. that was my sister. The one I told you about earlier..God, I just talked about her and now she called..What the hell..”, she let out a frustrated huff, “ She said we're having dinner tomorrow with the whole family.", she paused, not wanting to continue.

"What else?..", he tucked a stray hair behind her ear. 

"She told me I should bring you… because she didn’t believe someone was stupid enough to date someone like me", she trailed off.

Wakatoshi clenched his jaw. What kind of sister would say something like that? How can her own family treat her like this?

"I'm not letting you go to that dinner alone tomorrow," he said and pulled her closer.

"Wakatoshi, you don't have to--"

"I'm going with you. They need to understand that I'm very lucky to have you in my life and that they shouldn't treat you this way."

She stared at him for a moment, still with tear filled eyes, and hugged him tightly. "I love you so much, Wakatoshi. I love you, I love you, I love you.", she cried as she buried her face on the crook of his neck.

**

 

"Wakatoshi..", she said nervously "I really think you shouldn't go with me."

"Mei, I am not leaving you alone with them. ", he said sternly as he drove. 

They were already on their way to the restaurant. Mei wore a dark blue knee-length dress with long sleeves and beige pumps. Her hair was tied in a low bun, her bangs swept to the sides of her face. Wakatoshi wore a khaki dress shirt, black slacks, and brown loafers. His sleeves were folded up to his elbows, clearly showing his toned arms. 

Wakatoshi parked his car out front and they got out. 

"Wait..", Mei had grabbed his hand. "You really don't..", she shook her head, "shouldn't have to come with me. You can go. Please..."

He gave her hand a squeeze before taking a step closer to her. "I'm not leaving. I'll stay by your side.", he said and placed a kiss on her forehead. 

**

They entered the restaurant and an employee escorted them to her family's table. 

She felt like throwing up.

"Finally.", her older sister snarled and rolled her eyes. 

Mei took the seat next to her and Wakatoshi sat on her right. 

Her mother proceeded to order for all of them, not even bothering to ask them what they want. Mei kept her gaze on her plate and her hands on her lap. She was picking on the side of her thumbs again.

Wakatoshi glanced at her and grabbed her hand. He gave it a squeeze before intertwining it with his.

"I think it's time to introduce ourselves. I'm Sugawara Rin, Cardiothoracic surgeon at Tokyo General.", he said proudly while looking at Mei and Wakatoshi. 

"Sugawara Rei, Neurosurgeon at Tokyo General.", her other older brother said blankly as he fiddled on his phone. 

"Sugawara Mina, Lawyer at Tokyo J.A Firm.", she said in boredom as she looked at her nails.

"I'm Reiko, also a Cardiothoracic surgeon and the mother of these three wonderful children. This is my husband Mitsukini, Chief of Surgery at Tokyo General.

Mei's father only nodded.

Wakatoshi narrowed his eyes when he heard her say three. 

"So, you're the boyfriend?", her younger brother, Rin, asked, then took a sip of his drink. 

"Yes. My name is Ushijima Wakatoshi. It's a pleasure to meet you all." he said while giving a slight bow. 

"He's the former captain and ace of the Shiratorizawa Volleyball team. Now the Ace and opposite hitter for the Schweiden Adlers. He's also one of the top 3 Aces in Japan", her other brother, Rei said as he scrolled through his phone. 

"Woah, did she pay you to come here?", her sister laughed.

"No.", he said coldly, as he glanced at her. 

Mei's mother raised an eyebrow at the couple. "It's unusual how such an impressive person like you would date someone like this daughter of mine."

Mei sat in silence, desperately trying to ignore everything her family was saying. Wakatoshi squeezed her hand once more. 

"It is more unusual for Mei to have such a disappointing family.", he said bluntly.

Mine scoffed. "Disappointing? The only disappointment here is Mei. Everyone else in our family has credentials to be proud of, meanwhile, this little sister of mine takes up a useless liberal arts degree.", she laughed.

Rin kept a straight face as he watched the interaction. 

"Mei shouldn't be taking up such a stupid course.", her mother said. "Which is why we are so disappointed in her."

"I disagree. You should not be forcing her to choose a degree she will hate for the rest of her life."

"Wakatoshi, that's enough.", Mei said, and sighed. "I know you all don't want me here so we'll take our leave." , she stood up, her boyfriend stood as well.

Their food had just arrived and the waiters were confused to see the two standing. 

"Don't you dare leave, young lady. Unless you want to be cut from this family for good.", her father said coldly. 

Mei stared at each of them with a blank expression. "I was never part of this family, to begin with. You were all very clear about that.", she gave them a small bow. "It was nice seeing you all."

Wakatoshi took her hand and they walked away from the table. He glanced back at the family. Rin had a shocked expression, Rei was still on his phone, Mina and her parents looked furious.

**

They had arrived back at Wakatoshi's apartment. The entire drive back was quiet. 

He led her to his room and they sat on his bed.

Mei's entire body shook. She hadn't noticed the tears streaming down her cheeks until they arrived. Wakatoshi kept silent and pulled her to his chest and she sobbed quietly in his arms.

**

Mei curled up under his blanket, nervously tapping her finger. It was a habit she couldn't get rid of. The incident at the restaurant and her family's words kept replaying in her mind.

Ah, why can't I just disappear? Why can't Wakatoshi like someone else? I'm nothing compared to the girls that flock around him. Why does he even like me?  Even my own family hates me--

"Mei, you're awake", her boyfriend said as he came out of the shower, already wearing sweatpants and a long-sleeved shirt, his towel hung around his neck. 

She got up and fixed up his bed. " I'll go make breakfast ", she hurriedly got out of his room and went to the kitchen. 

She made scrambled eggs and fried rice with bits of spam and spring onion. In a few minutes she set up the table. She flinched when she saw Wakatoshi already leaning against the counter, watching her intently with his arms crossed. 

"What?" , she asked as she sat down. 

He went to the fridge and took out a can of her favorite black coffee and placed it beside her glass before sitting down across her. 

"You're not alright." , he said while he picked up some food and placed it on her plate before getting his own. 

"I'm fine.", she said quickly and started eating.

Wakatoshi stared at her for a moment and began eating as well.

**

Mei was in the bathroom taking a shower. She wanted to wash the dishes but Wakatoshi refused.

She sighed and ran a hand through her hair as she rinsed it. She got out and dried herself then wrapped the towel around her body.  She couldn't forget how her parents looked at her before they left the restaurant.

I didn't matter to them at all. 

Ugh.. I feel like shit. I hate myself. I hate myself. I hate myself. I hate myse--

Wakatoshi knocked on the bathroom door. "Mei?.. I brought you a change of clothes."

She opened the door slightly and took the clothes from him then closed the door in his face. 

Wakatoshi was a bit startled. He went to his room, and  got his hairdryer and comb before going to the living room 

Mei got out in a few minutes, her hair still damp. She let out a sigh and went to the living room and sat on the couch beside her boyfriend. 

"Mei.. Sit here", he gestured to the floor as he plugged in the hair dryer. 

Mei complied and quietly moved to the floor. 

Wakatoshi carefully combed her hair and turned on the hair dryer. 

They didn't speak until he finished.

Mei looked up at him before climbing back on the couch. 

"I should go back.." , she said quietly and leaned on his shoulder.

"I don't want you to be alone." 

"I know..But I don't want to trouble you anymore.. You already did a lot for me last night."

"I only told them the truth. They should not be treating you like that.” 

She let out a breath. Why does he have to care so much? 

"Stay." , he whispered and kissed the top of her head.

"Okay." 

 

Notes:

ok so the reason why Mei's family are a bunch of doctors is that I've been watching Grey's Anatomy lmao

anyway, I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter. the beach chapter is coming up! maybe in a few days or a week? I'm still roughing out some edges so yeaaahhhh i'm just hoping i don;t get writer's block sdihgjclsfhaofja

have a good week y'all! ~ #lifegoeson lols

Chapter 13: Beach Part 1

Summary:

new friends and the beach

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

 

A couple of months have passed and Mei has not heard from her parents or siblings at all. Thankfully, finals were approaching so she was at least preoccupied with studying. Wakatoshi convinced her to stop working for a while so she can focus.

She hadn't been eating nor sleeping properly and desperately tried to hide it from Wakatoshi. She often skipped breakfast and sometimes dinner if Wakatoshi wasn't around. But lunch was the problem. Akaashi (sometimes with Bokuto) always managed to meet her and ask her to eat even though she wasn't hungry. 

He knew something was wrong but didn't want to pry. Leaving her alone was the best option though Mei's habits were all too familiar to him by now. He even carried a box of bandaids with him in his bag.

"So, after finals, we have a couple weeks off.  Bokuto's itching to go to his uncle's beach resort in Kanagawa so we're going to get a good discount. We will be staying for a few days.”

Mei sighed and took a bite of her onigiri. Akaashi wasn't asking if she wanted to go but informing her.

"Ushijima-san already confirmed. We're leaving on Saturday." 

"Who else is gonna come with?"

"The usual lot. Some girls who were also former managers for other teams, more from Karasuno."

“So even my cousin is coming?”

Akaashi nodded.

"So basically a big group of volleyball idiots. Oh god." , she groaned.

Akaashi chuckled. " Yeah, it's gonna be.. loud. Bokuto already reserved a spot with a karaoke machine."

"Maybe I shouldn't go..", she sighed again. 

"And let you drown yourself in work the whole two weeks without proper meals and sleep?" he said and shook his head. "I don't think so. Besides, it's already been decided. I know you need this even if you don't tell me what's wrong.", he said bluntly as he stared at her, waiting for her response. 

She huffed.  She felt guilty for not telling him what happened with her family. "I guess I have no choice then."

**

 

Mei sat in the front seat of Wakatoshi's car while other former Shiratorizawa members were in the back. (The car can fit roughly 6 to 8 people, it's a Hyundai Palisade) 

Tendou, Semi, Reon, Shirabu, and Goshiki were talking about how excited they were to play at the beach and relax. 

Mei was happy to see Goshiki, she missed the kid. He was a bundle of energy and she loved praising him. She still felt a bit awkward with Shirabu though. Meanwhile, Yamagata and Taichi were gonna meet them there since Taichi brought his own car. 

Wakatoshi had been driving for two hours now and they were still an hour away. Mei glanced at Wakatoshi. "Do you think we can stop over somewhere?"

Her boyfriend nodded and parked at the next gas station. Goshiki and others raced to the bathroom.

"I'm gonna go buy some snacks. Do you want anything?", she asked and took out her wallet from her bag.

"Just water for me." 

"Okay, I'll be right back.", she got out of the car and jogged to the convenience store. She took a basket and picked out snacks and drinks for the whole group. After a few minutes, her basket was full. She went to the counter to pay then went back to the car. 

"Woah, Mei-senpai bought snacks!" , Goshiki beamed. 

She smiled. She took out the snacks and handed it to them. She handed a bottle of water and a granola bar to Wakatoshi.

"Thank you." he said and pecked her on the cheek. He then munched on his favorite granola bar while Mei ate a rice cracker.

** 

The resort was beautiful and not too crowded. 

Bokuto handed out room keys and told them that there would be two to three people in each room. Of course,couples were automatically roommates but the rest drew lots for fun.

 

Mei set her bag on top of a dresser. They didn't have to meet at the beach until later so they had a few hours to rest. 

"Do you feel tired?", she kissed his cheek and sat beside him. He shook his head and sat up. 

She stared at him for a second before climbing on his lap. "If you're not tired, then maybe…?" she grinned and took off her shirt. 

Wakatoshi stared at her for a second before he swiftly slipped his own shirt off and claimed her lips hungrily.

 

**

 

"Mei-chan! You look great!", Bokuto chirped.

Mei and Wakatoshi had arrived at the beach at around 3:30pm. There was a line of beach chairs and Bokuto had a large table filled with drinks and snacks. Wakatoshi decided to help out the other guys in setting up.

"Thanks..", she said shyly. She wore a black halter-type bikini top and a pair of sport shorts. 

Every other girl (or boy) would blush profusely at the sight of more than a dozen shirtless athletes at the beach. But Mei and the other former managers were used to it. Mei sat down on one of the chairs and rummaged through her bag.

"You're Sugawara-chan, right?", said a soft voice.

Mei turned and saw a goddess.

"And you're Shimizu-san?"

"You can call me Kiyoko." she smiled and sat on the chair next to hers. 

Did my heart just skip a beat? 

"Uh-um.. Yeah sure. You can call me Mei.", she said sheepishly and smiled as well.

"I hear there's a spa here. I was thinking of going with the other girls sometimes. Would you like to join us?"

"Oh.. yeah! That sounds nice and relaxing."

"We'll need it if we're gonna deal with.. them", Kiyoko gestured to the loud group of boys. 

Mei chuckled. "Definitely."

 

**

 

Mei had been glaring at Wakatoshi. 

Ugh, that super volleyball idiot.

She had been talking with Akaashi when she noticed a group of girls flirting with her boyfriend. Wakatoshi wasn't too fazed and only answered what the girls asked. 

"Alright, should we start? We need a few more players though. The others are too busy swimming", said Kuroo. 

"Can we join?!" Girl 1 said,walking over to them while Wakatoshi went to get some water. 

Mei rolled her eyes and Kuroo definitely noticed her change in attitude.

"Sure.", he said and flashed a smile at the group. 

Mei scoffed and tied her hair up in anger, mumbling something under breath. 

 

**

 

The teams were decided by drawing lots. 

Team A:

Girl 1 & 2, Shirabu, Yaku, Taichi, Lev, Ushijima

Team B: 

Kuroo, Mei, Noya, Akaashi, Bokuto, Goshiki, Tendou

 

"Mei-chan~, nice serve!", Tendou sang before facing forward and putting his hands behind his head. 

Mei held the ball and gripped at it tightly when he saw Girl 2 putting a hand on Wakatoshi's arm. 

I am calm.

Girl 2 was in the left corner and Mei made it her mission to serve in her direction. Kenma blew the whistle and Mei took a deep breath. 

She threw the ball up and ran. She jumped as the ball was coming down and swung her right arm with a decent amount of power. 

The ball was fast and hit the spot near girl 2. It almost hit her left foot. Girl 2 flinched and screamed annoyingly.

Kuroo chuckled. "Sugawara-san, don't go ripping people's feet out with your serve." 

Mei huffed and got the ball to do her serve again.

 

**

 

Team A lost thanks to the two girls because they kept flirting with Ushjima during the game.  He didn't notice but everome else did.

Mei went back to her beach chair and wiped her sweat with a towel. 

"Do you wanna go for a swim?" , Akaashi said. He was wiping his sweat as well. 

"I think I'll pass for now. I think I have sunburn. Ah, I should've put more sunblock..", she groaned and sat down. 

"You were really.. fired up earlier. Was it because of Ushijima-san?

"Oh, that clueless volleyball idiot." she groaned again. "He didn't even push those girls away when they touched his arm! God, I just wanna ..ugh!" she huffed while gripping her towel.

Akaashi watched her in amusement. "I'm pretty sure Ushijima-san only has eyes for you. His eyes were sparkling whenever you served and spiked.”

“But he’s a bit dense.”

Akaashi chuckled. “I guess you're right. But I think you should go get him before he rips Kuroo's head off. ”, he gestured to the two former captains staring each other down at the snack table.

“Oh, crap.” she stood up and walked over to her seemingly furious boyfriend. 

“Ah, Sugawara-san! Have some ice cream.” , Kuroo smiled and handed her a green tea flavored one before walking over to Kenma with a bag of snacks.

“Thanks, Kuroo.”, she smiled and took the ice cream. She gladly opened it and started eating. Wakatoshi stared at her, he was frowning. Mei dragged him to sit on one of the beach chairs. 

“What is it?”, she asked as she put the small spoon in her mouth. 

“...”

“Are you jealous?”

He nodded.

“Why?”, she pried as she scooped a bit of ice cream.

“Because you accepted his ice cream.”

“It’s just ice cream.”, she shrugged and threw out the empty cup. “It’s not like I kiss him.”,she grinned and gave him a quick peck on the lips. “And do other things with him.”, she whispered as she snaked her arms around his bare waist. 

Wakatoshi looked away, still frowning as he felt his cheeks warm up.

"You are adorable. You don't even realize how attractive you are.", she chuckled as she pulled away. "Which is why didn't notice those girls earlier.", now it was Mei'’s turn to frown.

Wakatoshi tilted his head in confusion. "What do you mean?" 

"Why do you think I was so fired up earlier?"

"...because Akaashi-san was setting more to you instead of Bokuto-san."

She shook her head. "Those girls were flirting with you. God, you didn't even brush them off when they touched you at every chance they got.", she rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

"I'm sorry. I didn't notice them because I was too busy watching you." he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. 

"Hmm.. Akaashi did say your eyes were sparkling." 

"It's because you played so well. I liked how intense you were.", he took her hand and placed soft peck on her palm. 

"That's because I really wanted to hit those girls in their faces like how I hit Shirabu, though that was accidental and I regret ever hitting him, but I really just want t-- mmpf--"

Wakatoshi had pressed his lips on hers to stop her rambling. He let out a low chuckle against her lips as he felt her arms around his neck. 

"Oi! Love Birds! Stop eating each other's faces! We're gonna play another set! Come on!", Semi shouted from afar. 

Mei pulled away and laughed.

"Let's go. I wanna be on the same team as you now. ", she grinned.

**

"Letting those two be on the same team was NOT a good idea..", Semi breathed heavily as he put his hands to his knees. 

"Your fault for calling them to play with us. They were happily making out. You could have just let them be." Yaku sighed dramatically. 

"And they're practically in sync because they're in love.", Daichi praised.

"Just like us!", Suga chirped.

Daichi smiled and nodded.

"Hey! It's not my fault they're both great at serves… and spikes.. UGH..", Semi whined.

"Oi, get ready. Sugawara-san's gonna serve." , Kuroo said as he got in position. 

Semi groaned again and got ready.

**

"That's it! You two are not allowed to be in the same team anymore. Ever!", Semi exclaimed as he pointed at the couple. 

They were at the resort's restaurant eating dinner. The others laughed at Semi's outburst.

"Hey, if you didn't interrupt us earlier, maybe your team wouldn't have lost.", she shrugged with exaggeration. 

Wakatoshi nodded as he took the tomatoes from his girlfriend’s salad. 

"And you almost hit me in the face, Sugawara-san!", Semi whined.

"Heh, I'm sure you would be alright if you received it with your face. It's not like my spike is as powerful as his." , she pointed her thumb to her boyfriend sitting beside her. 

"That's true.", Reon interjected.

"But it's powerful enough to make my nose bleed for two minutes." Shirabu said blankly before taking a sip from his drink.

Everybody turned their heads to the younger setter.

"Two ..minutes?", Asahi said nervously. 

"Woah! That must have been a lot of blood, Shirabu-san!", Hinata said in shock. D:   <- his face

"Hey! That was an accident..", she buried her face in her hands. "and I still feel guilty about that. " She looked up at him. "Shirabu, I'm definitely buying you lots of snacks tomorrow!"

Shirabu grimaced. " Ugh...No, thank you, senpai.." 

Mei looked over to her boyfriend. “Wakatoshi,”, she pleaded, “I think Shirabu hates me.”, she sulked. 

“He doesn’t hate you. He just doesn’t eat much.”, he said and gently patted her head. He then turned her head to the younger boy. “Shirabu, accept the snacks she’ll give you tomorrow.”, he said plainly.

“But --”

“Give it up, Shirabu-kun~. Gotta follow the captain’s orders.”, Tendou sang.

“Fine…”, he grumbled.

Mei grinned. “I’ll buy anything you want!”

“Oho~, Shirabu-kun, this is your chance. Mei-chan is willing to spend money on you~”, Tendou laughed. 

“Ugh.. Senpai,  can you just buy a box of Hi-Chew and be done with it?” Shirabu said to MeI.

“Just one box? Are you sure? What else do you want? I’ll list it down”, she said excitedly and took out her phone. 

The rest of the group laughed at their bickering.

**

While Wakatoshi showered, Mei stood in the small balcony of their room. She stared at the view as she leaned on the railing, blankly watching the waves hit the shore. I’m here to relax but why do I feel so restless? Maybe I should do a bit of work...

She sighed and went back inside. She took out her laptop and earphones and set them on the small coffee table. She sat on the floor and looked through her company’s work posts. She clicked on a 10-minute video and began transcribing.

**

Wakatoshi walked out of the bathroom, only in a pair of sweatpants. He ruffled his hair with his towel. He went to sit on the bed and saw Mei typing away on her laptop. He sighed. 

She’s working again.

He hung his towel on a chair before sitting on the floor behind Mei. He hugged her from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder.

Mei paused the audio and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll be done in a bit.” , then she continued her work. He nuzzled her neck as she kept typing for the next few minutes. 

“Okay, I’m done,” she said and shut her laptop off. She stretched her hands a bit. 

“You shouldn’t be working.”, he said quietly. 

“Sorry.. I felt a bit restless.”, She pulled away, stood up, pulling him with her to the bed. She wrapped an arm around his naked torso. “Aren’t you cold?”, she said, resting her head on his shoulder. He shook his head and gave her a peck on the cheek. “You smell really nice.”, she mumbled while nuzzling his neck. 

Wakatoshi put a hand on her cheek, he leaned in and pressed his lips on hers. She smiled into the kiss and opened her mouth a little for him while putting a hand on his shoulder.  He pulled away and lightly bit on Mei’s lower lip before moving down her neck. She hitched a breath at his boldness. “Damn..Wakatoshi..nn”, she moaned.

Wakatoshi sucked on a spot as his hand traveled down to her shorts' waistband. He slipped his hand in her underwear and began to rub her wetness.

Mei whimpered at his touch and she tightened her grip on his shoulder. 

 

Ring Ring Ring! 

 

Mei grabbed her phone and answered the call. "Hello? Oh Kiyoko-san.. Yes..", she squeezed her eyes shut as she felt Wakatoshi insert a finger in her. 

"Mhm.. Yeah, 4pm .. at the spa..on Wednesday.." , he slipped in another finger. "..sounds nice.. Alright...Bye..!", she immediately ended the call. 

"Wakatoshi..", she breathed. "I think we should.. sleep.. ", she cupped his cheek and made him face her. "We have to be up early for breakfast..and ..oh fuck.”, she covered her mouth with a hand, trying to suppress another moan.

Wakatoshi pulled her hand from her face and pecked her lips, then curled his fingers before he thrust faster and deeper. Mei jolted and buried her face onto his shoulder. She shuddered when she felt a warm release. Oh my God. Did I just --

Mei's face turned red and Wakatoshi felt accomplished. 

“I’m not done.”, he whispered before he crawled on top of her.

 

**

 

They were all walking along a trail to the temple near the resort. Bokuto said visiting the temple will bring them good luck and no one dared to oppose that.

Akaashi stopped in his tracks and stared at his best friend.

Mei stared right back at him.

"Did you two --?" Akaashi started as he pointed to the red marks on her neck. 

"And you two --?" Mei said and pointed at his neck too. 

"I guess some people had a busy night ~" Tendou sang as he walked past the two. 

Akaashi sighed in frustration. "I told him he shouldn't leave marks this obvious.. And he was a bit rough too, for a change.”

Mei gasped.

“Akaashi! God, TMI!”, she laughed and slapped his arm. 

 

“Hey hey hey~!, What’re you two talking about, hmm?”, Bokuto appeared behind Akaashi and hugged him from behind, resting his chin on his boyfriend’s shoulder.

“Oh nothing..”, she chuckled, she saw Wakatoshi talking with Semi. “I’ll see you two later.”, she said and jogged off to catch up to her boyfriend.

She walked alongside him and took his hand in hers.

Wakatoshi glanced at her and her lips curled a bit upwards. 

“I’m super excited for tonight! Karaoke and drinking without having to worry about the next day is the best!”, Semi said excitedly. The others shouted in agreement.

"I want to play beer pong with you, Mei-senpai!" Goshiki beamed.

Wakatoshi glared at the smaller boy. 

"You're on..!" Mei grinned. "Try not to pass out, Tsutomu-kun~."

Goshiki's cheeks turned red after hearing his first name. 

Click.

Tendou had snapped a photo of the blushing boy and laughed. 

“Alright, we’ll need to pray first before we do reckless things later.” Mei chuckled as they arrived at the temple. 

 

Notes:

Yo! So I hoped y'all liked this chapter. I had a few more ideas so there will be around 3 or 4 parts for this.
I'll try to update in a few days or maybe in a week bec i am kinda stressed ehe my actual job sucks lol ANYWAY

I also want to go to the beach so I can just float around in seawater ( my skin desperately needs it hngg) but the corona situation is still here so .. ugh..

Also, I totally forgot to mention that Mei and Akaashi are taking the same course

ANYWAAYYYY, i hope y'all have a good weekend BYYEEE

Chapter 14: Beach Part 2

Summary:

Four balls

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

 

Tables and chairs were scattered in the function room Bokuto's uncle had let them use for free. Mei was with Kiyoko and the others set up the drinks and snacks on a large table on one side of the room. 

"I'll set up another table for beer pong." , Mei said to Kiyoko while carrying a set of red cups and some drinks. Kiyoko gave her a nod and Mei went off to a smaller table. 

She started lining up the cups in a pyramid shape on each side then filled them with water.

A/N: Y’all don’t drink from the cups where the ping pong balls end up because that is plain disgusting lol. Actual drinks are in separate cups/ shot glasses.

“Oho, beer pong? I wonder who’ll be your next victim, Sugawara-san?”, Kuroo chuckled. He was carrying a few bags of snacks.

“Hey..!”, she let out a laugh as she set down the last shot glass. “It’s not my fault you lost to me. I do have a good aim.”, she grinned. 

“You should get Yaku to play a round with you. He’ll definitely blackout.”, he chuckled.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”, she laughed.

Kuroo felt his heart skip a beat and looked away. “Uh.. I’ll see you later, Sugawara-san.”, he said and walked off to the snack table. 

**

“But now there's nowhere to hide!!”, Taketora sang somewhat desperately.

“Since you pushed my love aside!!”, Tanaka sang as loudly 

“I'm out of my head!!” Nishinoya sang next

“Hopelessly devoted to you~!!” , the three sang and pointed to Kiyoko.

Kiyoko only gave them a pointed look and took a sip of her drink.

“You’re still very popular, Kiyoko-san.”, Mei chuckled. 

The goddess pushed her glasses up her nose. “They have a lot of..feelings.. But I know they’re good people.”

“Has anyone here piqued your interest yet?”, Kaori giggled, a bit tipsy from the few drinks she had.

“Hm..I guess there is one person.”, Kiyoko mumbled as her cheeks flushed.

All the girls gasp. 

“Who is it?”, Yachi squealed.

“Um.. Let’s just say he looks good when he’s eating a banana..”

The girls stared at her in confusion for a few seconds before bursting into a fit of giggles.

“Alright, since you won’t tell us, let’s all drink!” Yukie handed each of them a glass.

“To good-looking banana-eaters!”, Yachi shouted and put her glass up. They all laughed and clinked their glasses.

**

“Tsutomu-Kun!”, Mei grinned as she approached the boy. 

“Senpai!”, he beamed. 

“Wanna play beer pong now?", Mei said excitedly.

“Okay! Tendou-senpai, you too!”Goshiki said and dragged the redhead to the table. 

“Hey, hey~ I’m not going to play a game I know I’ll lose.”

“How about you guys take turns against me?”, Mei challenged.

“Hm~ If that’s the case, I'm going to recruit more members!”, he said and ran off.

A few minutes later, Tendou came back with Semi, Yaku, Bokuto, and Daichi.

“Woah, that’s enough for a volleyball match. “, Mei laughed and they smirked. “Let’s start.”

**

“I feel like I’m gonna be sick.”, Yaku groaned.

“Same here,”, Semi groaned as he sat on the floor.

“Yeah!”, Mei jumped as the ping pong ball she just threw ended up in her opponent’s last cup. 

Daichi sighed in defeat and picked up the shot glass and downed the drink. 

“Sugawara-san, you’re too good at this.”, Kuroo said in amusement. “And to think I only suggested you get Yaku to play, and you went to make three other people blackout.”, he gestured to the Goshiki, Yaku, and Semi sitting and groaning on the floor.

“It was their funeral.”, she shrugged and chuckled. The boys only got her to drink 4 shots but it was enough to make her a bit dizzy since she had already drunk quite a bit before playing. 

“Here.”, Kuroo said and handed her a bottle of water. 

“Thanks." She took it and drank half the bottle in one go.

“Mei-chan! Come sing with me!”, Bokuto chirped and handed her a microphone.

“Only if Akashi is singing too.”, she smiled. 

“Alright! I’ll get him!”, Bokuto jogged away to drag his boyfriend to the front.

Mei set the bottle of water on the table and flashed a smile at Kuroo before going over to the two owls. 

**

Wakatoshi had been drinking a lot for the first time. He didn’t plan to but Mei had left him at a table full of other guys before sitting with the girls. He downed drink after drink and he was feeling a bit lightheaded. He was still surprisingly sober.

His eyes went over to the beer pong table when he heard his girlfriend shout in excitement. 

Ah, it looks like she won. 

His eyes drifted to Semi, Yaku, and Goshiki sitting on the floor while Tendou and Daichi were chuckling. He suddenly felt anger when he saw Kuroo hand over a bottle of water to Mei while she took it with a smile. He closed his eyes and let out a breath.

It’s just water. 

He opened his eyes again and saw Mei going to the front with a microphone in one hand. The water was nowhere to be found. 

**

Mei found her boyfriend sitting quietly, a half-empty glass in front of him. The people around him were chatting amongst themselves and others were passed out in their seats.

“Wakatoshi..”, she said quietly and sat beside him. “You okay?”

He turned to look at her and nodded. Mei stared at his flushed face and poked his cheek.

“You seemed to have drunk a lot.”, she chuckled. 

 

“So softly a tender breeze brush against my knees

On a summer afternoon

I get to thinking 'bout the hazy days

Under August shade that I used to spend with you"

 

Bokuto’s soft voice filled the room as he sang in front. Akaashi was sitting nearby, smiling as he watched his dear boyfriend dedicate a song to him yet again. 

"I didn't realize it was all I wanted, what I had

My riddled heart, I had to cradle back together just to see

It's all like magic to me, you do magic, baby”, the black and white-haired owl sang and gestured to Akaashi. 

“When you love me, you're so lovely

I can't help but fall for you, love

When you love me, it's so lovely loving you

Oh-oh, oh-oh

So lovely loving you

Oh-oh, oh-oh

So slowly a sunlit dream pulls me out of sleep

Feel the morning through the blinds

I turn my head to meet your sun-kissed fa ce

In this quiet place, I can give you all my time.~”

 

Mei couldn't help but smile at the two when Bokuto ended his song. She looked over to the man beside her who had wrapped his arms around her as Bokuto sang and has not let go since.

So he’s clingy when he drinks.

She placed a kiss on his cheek and ruffled his hair. 

“I think that’s enough drinking. We should go back to our room.”

He nodded but did not move to stand. 

“Come on, handsome~."  she said and freed herself from his arms. She took his hand and pulled him to stand.

 

**

 

Wakatoshi woke up with a splitting headache.

I feel like this has happened before. 

He groaned as he sat up. He glanced at the clock on the wall. 

 

4:46am

 

He looked to the side and saw Mei sleeping soundly. He gently stroked her cheek. 

Mei stirred in her sleep and slowly fluttered her eyes open. She saw him looking at her and smiled. 

"Hey.. Are you feeling okay? You drank a lot last night.", she yawned and sat up.

Wakatoshi nodded. "Just a headache.. and I feel a bit hot." He placed a kiss on her forehead before getting off the bed. "I'll go take a shower. You should go back to sleep.", he said and ruffled her hair then went off to the bathroom.

He closed the door and took his clothes off. He stepped into the shower and turned the water on. He let out a breath when the warm water hit his body. 

The bathroom door opened and Mei entered. Wakatoshi looked at her with wide eyes when she began to strip. 

 

Warning: smut lol

 

Mei entered the shower stepped closer to him. She grinned up at him and per her hands on his shoulders.

"Mei..What are you --? he whispered, his cheeks flushed. 

She leaned in and kissed him deeply as she pressed her body against his. 

Wakatoshi moaned lowly against her lips and put his hands on her waist. 

He pulled away and pinned her on the wall. Mei chuckled and placed kisses down his neck then to his chest.

He ran a hand down to her entrance, his thick fingers circle slowly, and she buried her face into his shoulder, breathing in his scent. She gasped when he moved down and curled his two fingers right into her folds. She clung to his shoulders as she felt warm wetness coming between her thighs that she knew didn't come from the shower. 

He leans his head back to meet her eyes. “You’re wet,” he says, pulling gently her fingers out and she let out a gasp for breath.

"That's because the shower is on.", she joked and his brows furrowed. He let out a low chuckle and pressed his lips onto hers again.

His fingers dived back in her and she moaned, all further sarcasm flew from her mind as warmth spread through her body, clouding any other thought.

She wanted him, his fingers, his cock, driving into her and fucking her senseless against these walls.

“You’re getting wetter,” He said again, and Mei felt her insides beat hotly against him as he withdrew his fingers again. The pulsing comes faster and faster as he guides you by your hips back into the corner between the wall with the showerhead, out of the main blast of the water.

 

“Ah..” She let out a slight moan, feeling a tingling sensation down her body as he reached down, his hand following the curves of her body down to her slit again. Mei reached up, her right arm resting against his to hold on to his shoulder. 

They both felt the anticipation and tension. "Wakatoshi, fuck me,” she said breathlessly, the steam rising not only from the shower now.

 

“Mmm, I need your help,” he mused, and she hooked her free hand up against the wall. His brows furrowed, concentrating as he hiked her right leg over his hip. His dark olive eyes dart back to her and they suddenly relax, sparkling with that devious delight that sent pulses through her. His hand went to his throbbing member, guiding it to her wetness before moving his hand up to the small of your back, holding onto you for mutual support.

“Hold on to me. I don't want you to fall, Mei.” He said, his voice rising over the splashing water, and she let out a shaky cry, digging her right hand into his shoulder as his cock slid into her entrance. She moved forward and sunk onto him. Suddenly feeling so full, she almost forgot to breathe.

The slick of the water was somehow both easier and harder to handle than she had imagined. He grunted as he rocked his hip into her, her hand slipping against the wall. She let out moans of delight as he continued to thrust into her. She had a hard time keeping her leg hooked around him and tried to ignore the aching shake of your muscles working to keep you upright, even with your fingers clawing into his upper arm. A few more thrusts, deep and pleasurable in her core as they were, made it clear that her fear of falling was greater.

“Wakatoshi, wait.. ugh.." 

“Alright..", he said as if he read her mind. He let her leg fall and she gingerly pulled her body up, wincing as he pulled out of her. She suddenly felt sore and empty, something hotter than the water rising under her skin. She nodded quickly, almost clawing his arm as she came down.

Wakatoshi was just as eager because his olive eyes narrowed in concentration. He tilted his face close to hers and kissed her under the blinding water, one hand coming down to trace lightly against her slit. 

The teasing warmth made her shudder, and she reached forward to find his cock, gently stroking him again, even if the motion felt less smooth. Her own slick arousal quickly washed away by the water. He growls into your mouth. It must not feel unpleasant.

“Turn me around,” She mumbled, trying not to bite his lip. He broke the kiss and guided her to face the wall without slipping. She leaned over, fitting her fingers into the grooves of the soap dish hollowed into the wall. The little bar of soap flew to the floor.

“Oh god, Wakatoshi, yes…"

He sank quickly into her again, pressing himself immediately against her body and grabbing onto her waist tightly. Mei couldn't help but cry out again. The water felt like fire, trickling against her body like a thousand kisses. Wakatoshi leaned forward, slightly resting his head against her back. He sucked a quiet bruise into her shoulder that made her moan again. His touch added more to the pleasure she felt.

Any joking words are fully gone from her, their bodies tense and strained against each other. Mei felt her feet almost turning inward into the shower floor as his cock drove into her again and again. His fingers pushed into her skin, holding her close and tight.

"You're so beautiful, Mei. I'm so happy you're mine." he said, his voice half-lost in the drum of the shower, but spurred her forward as he rolled her hips back to buck against him. His hands traveled down to her ass, clenching so hard she found her body dropping even lower, holding on desperately as she felt her insides tighten at his touch. He held tight and pounded her at a fast, smooth rhythm that seemed to ripple through her entire body. Her thighs were wet, not just from the water,  as the arousal poured from her. She kept begging Wakatoshi, not to stop, but to keep fucking her.

“Wakatoshi, baby, please – more,” you say aloud. His hands slowly travel up, hips jerking harder and faster and losing any rhythm he had made before. She rolled your head back, almost knocking against his, as fire surged throughout her entirety.

“More, you want more, my love?” he asked as he leaned back again. It was a reassurance that his cock driving so deep into her was a mutual pleasure, and she gave a whine in response. "I love you, Wakatoshi..So much..", she said in between breaths as his hips rolled into hers, skin slapped against skin, liquids running down her legs with every thrust washed away by the shower with every roaring gush of water. The pulsing in her wetness builds and builds as he fucked her. Her legs wet and trembling, eyes squeezing water away and almost rolling back in pleasure.

The base of her stomach tightened, without warning, and she cried out his name when she came. He stumbled a little as her body flexed over his, he felt her slit pulse and clench as the orgasm wave rode. He leaned forward over her again, pulling her into him. Wakatoshi growled as a response to her body’s clenching release, pressing his lips to her skin and mumbling. She heard her name mixed in with his low grumbles over the sound of the water, and he said, “Mei.. Fuck, I’m so close, I’m – ”

Mei moaned as he came with a grunt that turned into a raspy cry, and she felt his teeth against her skin. It was rare to hear him swear and it only turned her on even more. 

His hands curved and held her so close to him it felt like he wanted to press his body fully into hers even more than he already was. His thrusts stopped, his throbbing cock pushed so far into her it impaled her; it was excruciating. So excruciating that she never wanted him out of her because she felt so full.

But Wakatoshi did pull out, still holding her closely by the waist as her knees trembled, feet close to sliding against the floor. He murmured a mixture of her name and reassuring praise. When he leaned back, she gave in to her tired muscles, sliding fully down to the tiles, breathing deeply.

“Mei.. Are you okay?” Wakatoshi asks, a sudden alarm in his voice. “Was I too.. rough?", he said and put a hand on her shoulder. 

Heat rose to her cheeks indeed, but she let out a giggle at his worried tone. She slowly stood, finally facing him, keeping a hand on the wall to keep her from stumbling. She let the water run through her hair and all over her body. “No, no," she said. "That was amazing, I would not have it any other way.", she whispered and kissed him deeply once again but pulled away with a grin. She did a small jump and wrapped her legs around his waist, quickly holding onto him. Wakatoshi, a bit shocked, immediately held her, his hands on her butt. He carefully leaned her back against the wall as he stared at her.

 

"Did you really think we're done?", she smirked and kissed him again. 

 

**

 

After their ..uh… rigorous activity in the morning, the couple went back to sleep and didn't meet with the others until lunch. 

Mei put her plate on the table and sat down. She groaned. Surprisingly, she wasn't too affected by all the drinking she did the night before. She didn't have a hangover but she felt sore after what happened in the shower just a few hours ago. 

"Sugawara-san, you alright?" Kuroo asked and sat down a few seats away from her. She was alone with the black haired because Wakatoshi was still getting food with Tendou and the others. 

"Oh.. I'm fine.. Just a hangover.", she said sheepishly. Kuroo's eyes drifted to the reddish spots on her shoulder then brought his attention to his food. 

Akaashi arrived at the table and took a seat beside Mei. He set down a can of black coffee beside Mei's plate. "Here. I know you need it." 

"Akaashi~, you know me so well.", she grinned and hugged her best friend's arm before opening the can. She took a sip and sighed in content. 

"Mei-chan~, I hear you and the girls are going to the spa later.", Bokuto beamed as he sat down. 

She nodded. "Yeah, Kiyoko-san asked me to come with.", she smiled and took another sip from her can. 

Wakatoshi arrived with Tendou and Goshiki, then sat down beside Mei. He whispered to her ear before placing a kiss on her cheek. "Are you feeling okay?"

Mei smiled at him and nodded. "I am, my love.", she let out a chuckle and kissed his cheek. Her eyes then drifted to Goshiki and Semi who looked like hell.

 

"Tsutomu-kun~, are you alright?" , she beamed, trying to suppress her laughter.

"Ugh.. Senpai.. I'm never playing beer pong with you ever again.."

"You reap what you sow. Yaku is still passed out in his room.", Kuroo laughed and then ate a spoonful of his food. Wakatoshi glanced at him after hearing his comment while Mei let out a laugh. 

"Great at volleyball and drinking. Sugawara-chan, I'm never playing beer pong with you ever again as well.", Semi groaned. 

"Daichi-san, Bokuto-kun, and I were the only ones who could keep up with Mei-chan. And I got her to drink twice!", Tendou grinned.

"Yeah, yeah.", she shrugged jokingly. "But I got all of you to drink, even Mr. Beefy.", she chuckled.

"Damn, I could never win against him if I played. So thank you my dear cousin for getting my Mr. Beefy to drink.", Suga grinned as he praised her with exaggeration. Daichi could only laugh as he shook his head at his boyfriend's comment. 

 

***

 

“So, Mei-san… How did you and Ushijima-san get together?”, Yachi asked as she sank a little more into the hot water. 

The girls were now relaxing in the resort’s hot spring and sat with enough distance from each other. 

“Um..We actually slept together… after a party.. “, She mumbled and avoided their gazes.

“Oh..”, They collectively said nervously and went quiet for a moment before Mei spoke again. 

“But he asked me out a week later.. Even when all I did was avoid him that time.."  she said and smiled at the thought of Wakatoshi bluntly asking her out.

“Aw..That is so sweet!”, Kaori squealed.

“But you knew him since high school, right? And you were the team’s manager too. Weren't you friends with him then?”, Kiyoko said.

Mei tilted her head and thought for a bit. “Hmm. I'm not aure if we were friends.. I mean, he was pretty nice to me but we never really hung out that much. I’m still pretty surprised he wanted to go out with me after that night.”

“Oho~, Maybe he already liked you back then?”, Yukie teased.

Mei let out a laugh and waved her hands. “I don’t think so. I’m not really the kind that boys chased in high school. I was pretty lowkey.”

“Hey.. You’re very beautiful Mei-san.”, Kiyoko said sincerely and smiled at her. “Also very considerate and caring. I always saw you wrapping Tendou-san’s and the others' fingers at matches. Your team relies on you a lot."

Mei blushed the comment and sunk into the water just up to her lips. She had never had anyone tell her something like that.

“Kiyoko-senpai, you’re making her flustered.”, Yachi giggled.

 

**

 

They all had a great time talking with each other while relaxing at the spa. After the hot spring, they got massages, then got manicures and pedicures. 

“I’ll wait for you girls outside. I’ll text the boys if they’re on their way to get dinner," Kiyoko said and the girls said their approvals from the dressing room.

Mei put her shirt on and fixed up her tote bag. She took out her phone to text her boyfriend as she walked out, while the other girls followed suit. 

 

“Come on, it’s just your number. I’m sure I can show you a good time.”, an arrogant voice mused while Kiyoko took a step back from him, though her back was met by a wall. The seemingly older man gently ran a hand on her shoulder while his three other friends laughed.

The girls saw what was happening and their eyes widened. Mei quickly mumbled something to them and they quickly ran back inside the spa.

“Hey!” Mei shouted as she made her way to the group and one very uncomfortable Kiyoko. The men looked over to her and quickly smirked. 

“Well, I see you have a friend. Both of you can have fun with us. The more the merrier.”, Another man mused.

“Let my friend go. Clearly, she’s not interested in goons like you.”, Mei snarled and she reached for Kiyoko’s hand. 

Man 2 grabbed her hand and pulled her to him. “Woah, we have a feisty one! I’m sure I can make you beg.”, he smirked at her, inching his face closer to Mei’s. 

“Get off!”, Mei slapped the man on the cheek. She was met by a glare and he pushed her hard to the ground.

“You bitch.”, Man 2 scoffed and touched his reddened cheek and winced.

Mei grimaced as her knees scratched against the pavement. Holy shit, that hurt! 

She stood up despite the pain and quickly swung her leg between Man 2’s legs. Man 2 hitched a breath and dropped to his knees while he clutched his dear balls.

"Asshat!", she shouted and glared at the man on the ground.

Mei then made her way to where Kiyoko was at and kicked Man 1 between his legs as well as she shouted “I said let her go, you arrogant bastard!”

Man 2 heaved and dropped to his knees while screeching in pain.

Mei glared at the two men and they took a step back. She grabbed Kiyoko’s hand and dragged her back inside the spa. 

 

“Kiyoko-san, were you hurt?” Mei quickly asked.

“No.. But Mei-san, your knees.”, Kiyoko gasped as she saw blood. 

“Kiyoko-chan!",Tanaka shouted as he went into the spa, a few others trailing behind him. Kiyoko’s eyes widened as she saw Tanaka and felt her eyes water. She made her way to the taller boy and ran into his arms, burying her face into his chest. The fear she felt just a moment ago faded away. 

Mei sighed in relief and felt her energy drain from her body. She was about to crouch down but winced at the pain on her bloody knees. 

“Mei!”, a very worried Wakatoshi ran over to her and wrapped his arms around her.

“Woah.. Wakatoshi. I’m fine.”, she pulled away from him and smiled up at him, trying to reassure him but it didn’t work because she winced again at the pain from her knees. His eyes widened at the sight of blood trailing down her legs. He felt a gush of guilt and anger pierce through him. She’s hurt. And the one who did this to her is just outside those doors. 

His eyes narrowed and he turned, planning to meet the perpetrator but Mei grabbed his hand before he could. “Wakatoshi, stop. I already had Yachi-san call the security before she called you all here. They’ll be taken care of, alright?”

Wakatoshi faced his girlfriend again and huffed. 

“Sugawara-san… Here.”, The couple turned to Kuroo who had a first aid kit in his hand. “I got this from the reception.”, he mumbled and handed it to Ushijima. 

“It doesn’t look too deep. I’m sure it won’t scar.”, Kuroo drifted his eyes away as Ushijima took the small white box from him. 

“Thank you, Kuroo-san.”, Wakatoshi said bluntly before the raven-haired left them alone. 

 

He led his girlfriend to the couch near them in the spa’s lobby. He then crouched down in front of her and began cleaning her wounds.

“Damn..That stings.”, she grimaced, squeezing her eyes shut. 

Wakatoshi pursed his lips as he put a plaster on her knees. "How did this happen?", he finally said and moved to sit beside her  

"Those guys were trying to get Kiyoko-chan's number.. but they were being very rude and scary about it.. I tried to grab her but this other guy pulled me. Then I slapped him and he pushed me to the ground." , she carefully explained. and glanced at him. She grabbed his hand. "Wakatoshi, I'm completely okay. These are just scratches.", she gestured to her knees. "I can't imagine how it had been for Kiyoko-chan..", she mumbled.

"It could've been worse.. I should've picked you up and made sure you were safe.", he ran a hand through his hair. 

"Wakatoshi, don't beat yourself up for this. It was those disgusting guys' fault, alright? Besides, I got to kick two of them in the nuts.", she chuckled at the end and smiled at him.

Wakatoshi looked at her and felt a bit relieved at the sight of her smiling face. 

"Come on, let's get dinner. All that kicking made me hungry.", she beamed, standing up and pulling him with her. 

**

 

“Mei-chan! I heard what happened! Are you okay?”, Bokuto said in worry, quickly standing up from his seat and enveloping her in a tight hug.  

 

“Bo! I’m fine but I can’t breathe..!”, she joked, though the owl boy quickly pulled away. 

 

“Mei-san.." Akaashi mumbled, he also stood and walked over to her, his eyes drifted to her knees. 

 

“Akaashi, I’m alright.”, she smiled and gave the taller best friend a quick hug. 

 

“I’ll have you guys know that I kicked, not one, but two, guys in the nuts!”. She said proudly as she took a seat across theirs, the two followed in suit. 

 

“But your knees..”, Akaashi said quietly.

 

“Just a scratch. Don’t worry. And the security already kicked those goons out. I’m just glad Kiyoko-san is alright.”, she said and smiled, hoping to reassure them.

 

Wakatoshi arrived with two plates of food and set them on the table. He sat beside Mei and nodded at the couple across them as a greeting. Mei looked over to her boyfriend and said “Thank you.” before kissing his cheek.

 

Bokuto stared at Mei.

Mei noticed this and raised an eyebrow at him. “What is it, Bo?”

“I just… I wish we were there for you..”, he sulked. Akaashi nodded.

 

D: Aww… Mei thought.

 

“Look, I’m totally fine. If you want to make me feel better then…”

 

Bokuto beamed and looked at her in anticipation.

“Let’s go swimming tomorrow!”, she grinned.

“Okay!”, the owl boy said excitedly. Akaashi’s gaze softened at his boyfriend.

 

“Mei-san..”, They all turned their faces to the meek voice.

 

Kiyoko stood in front of Mei and bowed. “I’m very sorry for causing you trouble.”

 

Mei looked at her in shock and panic. “Oh my.. Kiyoko-san, please don’t bow.”, Mei was beyond flustered. “And please don’t apologize.. You did nothing wrong.” ,she stood and gave the girl a hug.

“But I’m the reason why you got pushed and your knees... I’m sorr--”

“Ah! Stop!”, Mei said and put a hand up. “Okay. The only thing you can do to repay me is..”

“What is it? I’ll do anything..”, Kiyoko said and held her hands, her eyes sparkling.

“Tomorrow, let’s hang out at the pool and ...tell me what’s going on between you and Tanaka-san.”, she teased, wiggling her brows.

The other girl blushed and nodded. 

 

“Yay!”, Mei sang and gave her another hug.

 

Notes:

feeling kind of burnt out at work and writing has been a good escape

also, my Fukurodani jacket arrived (along with a bunch of haikyuu keychains) lols, I was really excited when I saw the package. I won't be able to use it as much though since I live in hell ( a tropical country).

 

I hope y'all liked this chapter

Chapter 15: Beach Part 3

Summary:

braids, sunblock, and teal eyes.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Mei & Kiyoko at the pool

 

"Mei-san, let me put ointment on your knees.", Kiyoko said as she sat on the beach chair next to hers. 

"Okay.", Mei said, raising her legs on the chair and Kiyoko began to carefully put the cold cream on her knees. 

"So… You and Tanaka-san?", she teased. "He was pretty worried and I saw you run to him last night. Is he ..?"

Kiyoko nodded, a pink tint on her cheeks.

"So he's the good-looking banana-eater?", Mei gasped.

The goddess nodded again. 

"Oh my god,  has he asked you out yet?", Mei said chirped.

"Countless times back in high school. ", Kiyoko sat back on her chair and put the ointment back in her bag.

"Wait.. Then why haven't you--?"

"I wasn't sure... He even asked me to marry him when we first met. But I.. I think I started liking him after we graduated."

Mei couldn't help but squeal. "Well, has he asked out again? You have to say yes!"

Kiyoko shook her head. "After I rejected him so many times.. he stopped.", she mumbled.

"Well, then maybe you should ask him out.", Mei beamed. "I'm sure he won't say no to that."

 

**

 

“Tsukki! The others are gonna play a match. Let’s join them.”, Yamaguchi said in excitement to his seemingly annoyed best friend.

“Shut up, Yamaguchi. It’s too hot to play.”, the tall blond grumbled as they walked towards the beach chairs by the pool.

 

“Ah..! You’re Tsukishima, right?”, Mei called out to him and he stopped in front of her. “The one who kinda broke a finger when you blocked Wakatoshi?”

Tsukki only narrowed his eyes at her and huffed.

“I don’t mean any offense. I mean, you did successfully block my boyfriend. You were pretty cool. You still are.”, she chuckled. The blond muttered a “Thanks” then drifted his eyes elsewhere.

“Chill, Tsukki. Sugawara-senpai just complimented you.” Yamaguchi laughed. 

“And you’re Yamaguchi, whose jump floats are top tier! I’d love to play on the same team as you later.”, Mei said when she turned to him, 

The freckled boy looked at her, stunned with his cheeks flushed. “Sure.. Uh. Thank you!”, he stuttered before he did a small bow and walked off, dragging Tsukki with him. 

 

“Are they dating?”, she curiously asked Kiyoko as she watched the two leave. “They seem like they’re dating and they look good together.”

Kiyoko laughed a little and shrugged, though she had a smile on her lips.

 

**

 

“Oi, Kenma.”

The blond looked up only after he paused his game. “What?”

Mei grinned and handed him a slice of watermelon. Kenma looked at her in disgust but took it anyway. “It’s pretty hot out, don’t you wanna swim?”

“I like my beach chair.”, he said before taking a bite, then glanced at her. 

“Why are you staring?” the blond asked. 

Mei stared at him for a few more seconds before saying what she had been thinking about for almost half a day. 

“Can I braid your hair?”, she said carefully. 

Kenma gave her a blank look and shrugged. 

“Sure. Just not too tight.”

She grinned and turned around, “You two each owe me a thousand yen!” , she laughed and went to stand behind the blond, lightly running her fingers through the setter’s dyed hair. 

Kuroo and Bokuto walked over to them, emerging from their hiding spot. The raven head grumbled as he handed a bill to her, which she gladly took.

“I can’t believe you managed to bribe him with food.”

“I really thought Kenma would say no.”, Bokuto laughed.

“Cold watermelon on a hot summer day is the best, right, Kenma?”, she chuckled. The blond only shrugged and continued playing on his Switch. 

“I don’t mind Sugawara-san braiding my hair. She has light hands.”

Mei laughed a little before tying his hair with an elastic. She walked around the blond and gently fixed up some loose strands and tucked them behind his ears. “There.”, she said proudly before taking a selfie with him. “Do you mind if I post this?”, she asked. 

“Go ahead.”, he said plainly.

Kenma glanced at his best friend, who had been staring at Mei the whole time. 

“I wonder if Azumane-san would let me braid his hair, too. His hair is so silky.”

“Mei-chan, you should braid mine!”, Bokuto chirped and sat down on the vacant beach chair next to Kenma’s. 

She chuckled and made her way over to the owl boy. “It’s a good thing your hair isn’t spiked up as usual.”, she ran her fingers through his black and gray hair, carefully doing a french braid from the top of his head to the back. 

“This is relaxing. No wonder Kenma didn't mind you doing this.”, Bokuto said calmly, even closing his eyes as he smiled. Kuroo drifted his eyes elsewhere as he took a seat beside the blond. 

“By the way, Bo, I haven’t seen Keiji. Where is he?”

“Oh.. uh.. He’s not .. feeling well.”, he said sheepishly. 

“You guys did it, huh?, she teased as she finished. 

“Mei-chan..!”, the owl boy whined. Kuroo chuckled as he watched the two bicker. He felt a nudge to his arm and he looked over to Kenma. “What?”

“Stop staring.”, Kenma said quietly, his eyes still fixated on his game. 

Kuroo let out a huff and stood. “I’m gonna go get something to drink.”, he turned to Mei and Bokuto, “you guys want anything?”

 

“I’m good, thanks., Mei said with a smile (which made Kuroo’s heart go doki doki).

“Cider for me.”, the owl boy chirped. Kuroo nodded and left to buy their drinks. 

 

 

**

 

 

“Shoyo.”

“Oh, Kenma! What is it?”, the ginger beamed and went over to the blond. Kenma was still sitting on his beach chair. Bokuto and Mei were talking while Kuroo sat by them, sipping on his drink quietly as he listened. 

Kenma rummaged through his small bag and handed him a bottle of sunscreen. “You’re burnt.”

Hinata let out a laugh. “I’m just tanned.”, he took the bottle and applied some on his arms and face. “Thanks!”, he said before running off to play volleyball with the others. 

“How come you don’t give me sunscreen?”, Kuroo asked, to which Kenma just shrugged off.

Mei chuckled. “You don’t seem to burn easily, Kuroo. But here.”, she threw him her bottle of sunscreen. The raven-haired blinked before swiftly catching it and muttered a “Thanks..”.

“Mei.”, Wakatoshi called out as he and Tendou approached them

She stood and went to give her boyfriend a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek. 

“Bokuto, Mei-chan~, let’s swim!”, Tendou chirped and put his arm around her shoulder.

“I’ll go get Keiji first.”, he grinned and jogged off.

“She can’t. Her knees will sting.”, the stoic one said.

“I’ll be fine, babe. It’s all healed up anyway.”, she waved her hand a bit before putting her arm around Tendou’s torso. “Let’s go!”, she beamed and walked off with the redhead.

Wakatoshi sighed and trailed behind them.

 

 

“I bet you wish you were Tendou right now, huh?”, Kenma said, still playing his game. 

“Shut up.”, Kuroo grumbled. 

 

**

 

"Tendou, is it just me, or does that look like Tobio?", she said as they got out of the water and went back to their beach chair. Kuroo waved a hand at them and Mei did the same before picking up her towel.

"Huh, where?" Tendou turned and followed her gaze.

"That shirtless guy wearing the black swim leggings with the blue line thingies. Look! He has blue eyes, too!"

"Woah, he's like Kageyama-kun's twin, but more, I don't know, calm and sparkly?"

"Yeah, yeah. Totally.", Mei chuckled.

 

"That's Nanase.", said a deep voice.

 

The two looked up to see the source but saw three tall, shirtless men, who appeared to wear the same brand of leggings as the Kageyama twin but with different colored lines. 

The one with olive green hair smiled sweetly at them before calling "Haru" over.

"Haru! Get out of the damn water! We're gonna get something to eat!", the one with reddish hair scowled.

"Don't mind him. He's just grumpy because he's hungry.", said the one with teal eyes. Mei blinked a few times as she gawked at the taller man. He had brown hair, tan skin, a very toned body.

 

Woah..

 

"I'm Yamazaki Sousuke.", he reached out his hand to her. He was tall, had a very toned body, tan skin, and the most breathtaking eyes.

"Sugawara Mei.", she smiled and shook his hand.

Kuroo remained seated as he eyed the three men. 

"I'm Tachibana Makoto, this is Rin. And you already know Haru.", he smiled and shook her hand as well. Haru then approached them with a dazed look while Rin complained about how long it took for him to get out of the water.

"Is he okay?", Mei chuckled.

"Yeah, he's just obsessed with … swimming.", Sousuke added. 

"I know a lot of people who are probably just as obsessed as he is, but with volleyball.", she laughed a bit and gestured to the ones playing on the sand. 

 

And just as she said this, Hinata and Kageyama just did their signature quick attack.

"YEAH!", the two high-fived and immediately went back to playing. 

"That must be a lot to handle.", he chuckled, his teal eyes gleamed as he glanced at her. 

"Yeah, though I actually managed their rival team a few years ago. This guy was on it.", she gestured to Tendou, who was now laying on the beach chair, in total relaxation mode. 

 

"And this guy's the former captain of another team.", she pointed her thumb to Kuroo.

The raven head only nodded at them and looked through his phone..

"You guys must be athletes as well. Let me guess… swimming?", she snickered.

"How did you know?" Sousuke joked and couldn't resist the curve of his lips.

"Well, you guys are built but more on the leaner side. Hm.. I'm guessing you specialize in backstroke?", she gestured to Makoto.

The olive haired blinked and nodded with a chuckle. 

"The Kageyama twin, Nanase, right?”, she asked and Sousuke nodded. “probably swims freestyle."

"Kageyama twin?" Rin questioned and Mei told him to look at Tobio playing on the sand. The redhead laughed. "Look Haru! It's you but with volleyball!"

Haru watched Kageyama blankly. 

Kageyama sneezed as he was about to serve.

"And you two.. Butterfly?",, she said to Rin and Sousuke, but mostly to Sousuke.

The teal-eyed nodded proudly. She saw Rin was about to ask her how she knew and she quickly said. "Shoulders. Butterfly takes a lot of work with your shoulders, right?" 

Rin nodded, impressed.

"How do you know so much about swimming, Mei-chan?", Tendou mused.

"My older brothers used to swim as well. I don't think they were that good though."

Rin laughed a little but was disturbed by Makoto's ringing phone.

"Nagisa? Yes, we're on our way. Yes. Of course, I've got Haru.", just as he said this, he put his hand on his best friend's shoulder when he felt the blue-eyed was about to walk back to the water. Haru looked back at him with sulky, pleading eyes.

He hung up after a while and faced his friends. "Nagisa says he already got us a table."

"Alright, let's go.", Rin cheered. "It was nice meeting you, Sugawara-chan.", he gave her a wink and waved a hand. Makoto and Haru waved as well before they walked off.

The teal-eyed stayed behind a little and faced her.

"I guess I'll see you around?", Sousuke said, something lingering in his voice,

"Maybe. Maybe not.", she couldn't help but smile. 

 

Wakatoshi was walking over to her when he passed the group of swimmers. He had seen her talking to the tallest one and frowned.

Mei took a seat beside Tendou and put a towel around her shoulders. 

"Who were you talking to?" 

"Yamazaki Sousuke, apparently. And his friends", she said plainly as she sat back.

He sat down by her legs and gave her a pointed look.

"He was just making small talk as they waited for their friend, who, by the way, looked very much like Tobio. Blue eyes and all. Though that Yamazaki guy had the most beautiful teal eyes. I swear they were sparkling like the sea.", she said in amusement but stopped as she saw him keep his intense eyes at her. 

 

"Uh oh.", Tendou teased.

"What?", she whined and turned to the redhead. 

"Mei-chan, the buff teal-eyed guy was flirting with you… and I think you were flirting back.", Tendou chirped a mischievous grin on his lips.

"Hey! I was not.", she warned, then turned to her gloomy boyfriend. "Babe, he's joking, alright? And I prefer olive eyes over teal ones!", she quickly put her hands on his cheeks. "And I like volleyball more than swimming.", she grinned and pecked his nose. 

Wakatoshi drifted his eyes elsewhere but couldn’t resist looking back at her after just a few seconds. There was still a frown on his face and Mei pecked his lips for reassurance. He grumbled and wrapped his arms around her, clinging to her like a koala bear. A moping koala bear.

 

"Ugh, ew.", Tendou faked a barfing noise and stood up. "You guys are disgusting."

"You're just single, Satori.", she teased and went back to consoling her boyfriend with more kisses.

 

Notes:

So, this was more of a filler chapter since I had a bunch of ideas that I wanted to keep so I put them in here together haha
It's pretty short but I hope y'all liked this! I love reading y'all's comments <3

I watched "Free" years ago when it was release and I still have a major crush on Sousuke and Makoto. I was rewatching it the other day that’s why I felt the need to put them in here somehow lmao. Haru is ethereal, Makoto is dreamy, Rin is smexy (and Mamaru Miyano is his VA, Hnggg), and Sousuke.. Is just.. So fcking beautiful. 

Also, Wakatoshi is taller than Sousuke. I COULD NOT GET THAT OUT OF MY MIND KDJFHCNX

Chapter 16: Beach Part 4

Summary:

Truths and dares

Notes:

Final part for the Beach arc thingy!

*warning: slight smut at the end LOL

Enjoy! <3

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

The group gathered at the beach for their last night before leaving. There were multiple beach towels laid on the sand where people sat, a bonfire in the middle, and a large speaker where Bokuto played some music. The night wouldn't be celebrated without drinks and snacks. 

Mei and Wakatoshi sat closely on a beach towel.

"Are you sure you're not cold?", Mei looked up at him, his jacket draped over her shoulders.  He shook his head. "I'm fine," he showed her a small smile. 

"Okay..", she mumbled and rested her head on his shoulder. 

They all sat in a circle with the others. "Let's play truth or dare.", Suga suggested with a grin as he held up an empty beer bottle.

The others gave responses of approval and the gray haired placed the bottle on a flat surface. He spinned it and it landed on Goshiki.

"Alright, Goshiki-kun, truth or dare?", Suga smirked.

"Dare!", the younger one beamed confidently.

"I'll start this off easy so I dare you to…hug the person you like the most here."

Goshiki stood up, his cheeks flushed from the cool night breeze. He hesitated for a moment before walking over to Mei.

Mei felt flattered. "Aww, Tsutomu.."

"You're the best senpai I could ever ask for.", he beamed sheepishly.

“I feel offended.”, Tendou said in a joking manner.

Mei pulled away from her frowning boyfriend and stood up. Goshiki gave her a quick hug before going back to his seat. 

She sat back down and whispered to her frowning boyfriend. "You can hug me too, my love." and he immediately did.

Goshiki spun the bottle next and it ended up on Hinata. 

"Truth or dare?"

"Dare!", the orange haired chirped and stood up.

"I dare you to .. smell the armpit of the person on your right.", Goshiki smirked.

Hinata's mouth dropped open as he glanced at the person next to him. It was Kageyama who had a disgusted look on his face. 

The group laughed as the ginger tried to smell his rival's armpit.The game went on with even more crazy dares.

**

“Bokuto-san, truth or dare?”, Kaori asked sweetly.

“Dare!”, the owl boy grinned.

“I dare you to touch your favorite body part on Akaashi-san.”, she giggled.

“Ooooohhh.”, Mei teased.

Akaashi looked down and started fiddling with his hands but Bokuto grabbed one. “His hands.”, he said proudly. “They’re beautiful.”, he said and kissed the top of his boyfriend’s hand. 

“Oh my god, he is blushing.”, Mei said and quickly snapped a photo

**

 

"Mei-san, Truth or dare?", Akaashi asked.

"Hm.. Truth?", she said sheepishly.

"Where was the last place you and Ushijima-san did it?", the setter asked with a straight face.

Everybody turned their heads to the setter and there were multiple comments at the same time.

"Woah!!"

"Oh my..god."

"Damn, Akaashi-san!"

"Huh? Did what?"

"Sex, you idiot!"

"oh.. OH."

"Ugh, I don't think I want to hear this.."

"Akaashi!" Bokuto whined.

Akaashi stared at his best friend, a playful smirk now on his lips.

Mei pursed her lips and let out a breath. Everybody shut their mouths and all eyes were now on her.

"In the shower.", she said plainly and smiled dearly at Akaashi. 

Wakatoshi felt his face burn up and buried it into Mei's neck. 

Bokuto's mouth dropped. Yaku and Noya choked on their drinks. Asahi and Yamaguchi blushed profusely. Hinata and Kageyama stared into nothing with their mouths open. Semi and Goshiki looked like they had seen a ghost. Daichi shook his head as Suga laughed loudly. Kuroo looked extremely uncomfortable.

“I did not need to know that.”, Shirabu mumbled, his cheeks tinted pink.

"Alright, my turn.", she stood and went to spin the bottle.

This time it landed on Akaashi and Mei chuckled. "Truth or Dare, Keiji-kun?~", she teased. 

He chuckled and said. “Dare.”

Mei paused to think before smirking. She went over to Akaashi and whispered it to his ear instead, while everybody waited in anticipation.

“You are evil.”, Akaashi said as Mei went back to sit beside Wakatoshi. 

“Hey, what are best friends for?”, she laughed and wrapped her arms around her boyfriend’s waist and kissed his cheek. 

The tall setter sighed and stood up from his seat as all eyes followed his every move. He then proceeded to straddle Bokuto, sitting on his lap and then put his hands on his boyfriend's shoulders. The taller owl froze and blushed profusely as Akaashi began to lean in closely to his face, as if he was about to kiss him. 

Everybody was quiet, too shocked or focused at what was happening in front of them.

“I know we’re all adults here, but this game is getting a bit too racy.”, Yaku said as he looked away from the couple, red as a beet.

Akaashi then moved his lips to the owl’s forehead instead, giving it a light peck before getting off his lap. 

Mei quickly snapped a photo of the blushing Bokuto. His golden eyes started to water and he quickly hugged his boyfriend.

"Mei-chan! That was mean!", Bokuto whined with teary eyes.

The others started laughing at his outburst.

 

**

 

The bottle finally landed on Ushijima. 

"Oho~, this should be interesting.", Tendou sang. "Wakatoshi-kun, truth or dare?

"Truth.", he said blankly. 

Tendou grinned mischievously and glanced at Mei before asking, "Since when have you liked Mei-chan?" 

"Oooooh", a few people from the group mused at the same time. 

All attention was now on the couple.

Mei widened her eyes and looked at her boyfriend. She was curious too. 

Wakatoshi glanced at Mei for a moment before speaking. "Our first year of high school." 

 

Everybody stared at the couple with shocked expressions on their faces. 

"Wait...what?", she managed to say before bringing her hand to her mouth.

"Woah..", Semi mumbled.

"Really??", Reon asked.

"I knew it!", Taichi said to Yamagata. "You owe me a thousand yen."

"But that bet was 5 years ago!"

"A bet's a bet. Hand it over.", Taichi smirked and laughed deviously.

Yamagata grumbled under his breath and handed the money to him. 

"Mei-chan, you really didn't notice?" ,Tendou sang

"What.. What do you mean?" still shocked, she faced the redhead.

"Didn't he always wait for you when you were assigned to close up the gym?", the redhead started. "And he always walked you back to your dorm since practice always ran late. And by 'always', I mean everyday."

Mei blushed as she kept listening.

"Now that I think about it, Ushijima-san always helped you carry our water bottles after you filled them.", Reon said, also a bit shocked at the realization.

"And when he buys us snacks! Ushijima-senpai always has Mei-senpai's favorites.", Goshiki added. 

“A lot of guys wanted to ask you out Mei-chan.. But this big guy was always with you so they thought you were off limits.”, Tendou snickered.

What the hell?

Mei was stunned as she had never noticed. She assumed Wakatoshi was just being nice. He was quiet and stoic but he was a good person. Anyone in the Shiratorizawa team knew that. She didn't think he was treating her any differently.

"Although.. Wakatoshi-kun wasn't aware of his feelings until I explained it to him. Do you remember me always asking you to wrap my fingers?"

Mei nodded.

"And do you remember him asking you to wrap his fingers for the first time?

She nodded again. Holy fuck. Mei recalled the time Wakatoshi came to her. She was a bit shocked since he never needed his fingers wrapped.

"That's when he knew.", Tendou explained.

Mei looked over to Wakatoshi but he avoided her eyes. 

Suga glanced at his seemingly uncomfortable cousin and walked over to the bottle. "Alright, I think that's enough truth. Let's continue playing." he said then spun the bottle. 

 

**

 

 

Wakatoshi and Mei sat next to each other on a beach towel. Both were facing forward, watching the moonlit waves hit the shore.

"I'm sorry,."she mumbled. " for not noticing…" 

"There's no need for you to apologize. I did not have the courage to confess back then but I am happy that I get to be with you now.", he said as he put a hand on her cheek. 

She stared into his eyes then nuzzled her cheek into his hand. "But I don't understand.. how..why would you like someone like me back then?"

"Tendou once asked me if it was love at first sight but I… I felt more than that. The more I spent more time with you, I saw how you treated everyone, even those who didn’t like you. You're kind and caring. You always put others before you. I always felt at ease whenever we were together.  Before I knew it, I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”

Mei blushed at his statement and decided to bury her face into his chest. 

“But why didn’t you tell me?"

“I ..didn’t think I was ready to tell you. I was afraid you might.. Reject me if I did. I was very happy when you agreed to go out with me.”, he said quietly and put a hand on the small of her back. 

“When you asked me to wrap your fingers the first time, we were first years, right?"

He nodded.

"I was a bit confused. You never wrap them and never need to. Why did you --?”

“I always saw Tendou come over to you to have his fingers wrapped and I wanted you to touch my hands too..”, he mumbled.

“And that’s when you knew..? That you liked me?”

He nodded.

“But you acted normal even after that..you still had me wrap your fingers occasionally and then the party happened years later..", she said and he hummed.

“We didn’t even hang out much our first couple of years in college. I didn’t think we were friends. ”,she pulled away from him and took his hand in hers, ”But I'm glad you asked me out, even if it was after we had a very drunk encounter.” Mei chuckled. Wakatoshi was almost sure his heart was beating so loud that even Mei could hear it. He put his fingers to her chin and pulled her in for a kiss. 

It was slow and sweet. Wakatoshi felt butterflies in his stomach when he felt her smile against his lips.

 

**

 

“Thank you for dropping us off, Ushijima-senpai!”, Goshiki beamed and did a small bow after getting out of the car. Wakatoshi had driven them to the train station when they got back to Tokyo. He nodded at his kouhai and made a small wave.

“See ‘ya both at school next week!”, Tendou sang. 

“Drive safely.”, Reon said and waved his hand.

“Bye guys!”, Mei waved at them before Wakatoshi started driving again.

She heard him sigh and she turned to him. He had brought a hand to his neck to rub a spot.

“Wakatoshi?”, she asked.

“Hmm?”, he kept his eyes on the road as he drove.

“Can I stay over at your place?”

“Of course.”

“Alright!”, she beamed. “Then, can we stop by the grocery store? I want to cook us some dinner later.”

Wakatoshi smiled slightly, “Alright.”

**

Mei played music on her phone as she cooked in Wakatoshi’s kitchen. Meanwhile, he put away their things and took a shower.

 

“I should be over all the butterflies

 

But I'm into you~

 

And baby even on our worst nights

 

I'm into you~”

Wakatoshi smiled when he heard her singing as he got out of the bathroom. He went to his room to put on a shirt and a pair of sweatpants. He ruffled his hair with his towel as he walked out of his room and to the kitchen. 

Mei kept singing along, a different song already playing, as she put the food on their plates. She then brought the plates to the dining table. Her face lightened up as she saw Wakatoshi enter the kitchen. She grinned and went over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck

Wakatoshi smiled and gave her lips a peck, his eyes drifted to the food on the table and Mei definitely saw his eyes sparkle. 

"You made Hayashi Rice?"

"Yeah, it's your favorite, right?"

He nodded. "How did you know?"

"Volleyball Monthly."

He blinked and let out a sad "Oh.."

"I'm kidding.", she chuckled. "I asked Tendou,'' she said, then sat down. 

Wakatoshi's eyes sparkled again and sat down as well. 

"Itadakimasu.", they both said and started eating. 

 

**

 

"Wakatoshi..?"

"Yes?", he asked as he was rinsing the last plate in the sink.

"Do you.. uh..", she mumbled, leaning back on the counter. 

He wiped his hands dry and faced her. "Is something troubling you?", a bit worried, he walked over to her side.

"No, no..  Uh… Is it alright if I stay here? Just until break is over--"

Wakatoshi immediately pulled her into a hug. "Of course, you can stay here.”, he pulled away and gave her lips a peck. “You don’t even have to ask.”, he smiled and Mei felt her cheeks flush as she stared at him. 

She pulled away and looked away from him. “God, I swear your smile is just so.. Breathtaking.”, she said, clearly flustered.

He chuckled. "Do you want to watch a movie? 

Mei nodded and they headed to the living room. 

Wakatoshi picked up the remote and handed it to her. 

"Ah, you choose. You know how indecisive I am..", she laughed as she sat down on the couch.

He hummed as he sat beside her. He flipped through the films on Netflix and stopped on "Crazy Rich Asians". 

"Have you seen this one? I heard Semi talking about it the other day."

She shook her head. "Not yet. It looks good, let's watch it.",

Wakatoshi glanced at her and was in time to see a bit of her bare stomach as she stretched her arms upward. 

She's wearing a crop top...

He huffed as he drifted his eyes forward and played the film, placing the remote on the table before he leaned back on the couch. 

An hour and 59 seconds later

"Nick Young is hot.", Mei said as she saw the shirtless leading man in the film.

He glanced at her and snaked his arm around her waist. She chuckled as she looked up at him and saw a pout on his lips. He inched closer to her and pecked her lips, hoping to distract her from the half naked man on the screen. 

Mei put her hands on his shoulders as she pulled away. "You're tense here… You must be tired from driving.", she gently rubbed the spot between his neck and shoulders.

He nodded and groaned quietly, feeling relief from her massage. 

Mei looked at him in worry. "Should we head to bed? We can finish the film another time.." 

He hummed. Mei got off the couch and shut the TV off. She pulled on his hand and led him to his room. 

"Wakatoshi, can you lie on your stomach?"

He blinked. "Why?"

"So I can massage your back. I used to give massages for the team all the time when Coach Washijo went extreme, remember?", she said plainly. He complied and moved to lie on the bed, resting his  on his arms. 

He felt the mattress sink as Mei crawled over to him. His cheeks flushed when she moved to sit on his lower back. Mei moved her hands to his shoulders and started the massage. "I'm not too heavy, am I?", she said. 

" No..",he said quietly.

Only ten minutes had passed and it felt unbearable. He kept his shirt on but everytime her fingers touched a bit of his bare skin, he felt his stomach turn.

"Mei.. Let’s stop.”, he said. 

“Oh..Alright.”, she pulled her hands away and carefully got off him while Wakatoshi sat up and let out a breath that he didn't realize he was holding in. 

''Wakatoshi, did I do something wrong?” she said and put a hand on his arm. 

He turned to her and immediately pressed his lips onto hers. It was a bit of a surprise for Mei but she gladly kissed him back. She moved to straddle him on his lap and she felt his hands on her waist.  

Mei grinded her waist to his and felt his hardness. She snaked a hand down from his chest, stomach, and then to his pants. She couldn't help but smile against his lips as she felt him against her hand.

She pulled away from his lips, and whispered to his ear. "Is this the reason you wanted me to stop?", she slowly rubbed him against the fabric and she heard him groan.

“I’ll take that as a yes, then.”, she chuckled and gently pushed him to lie back on the bed. Mei inched her face closer to his neck and trailed kisses, keeping her hand on the tent in his pants.

“Mei..don’t…" he whimpered.

Mei moved to his waist and  helped him pull his shorts and underwear down. Licking her lips, she stuck her tongue out and grazed the tip of his swollen cock, enticing a hiss from her dear boyfriend.

"Fuck.." he muttered, bringing one of his clenched fists to his mouth.

Gaining a bit more confidence, Mei popped the head into her mouth, sucking it lightly. Wakatoshi stuttered out another moan, whispering her name. She went down his shaft a bit further, gripping one of his thighs for support. He surprisingly gave her praises here and there, keeping his hand on the back of her head.

Her other hand went to grip the rest of his cock that she couldn't fit into her mouth. He was girthy and her jaw was beginning to hurt from the unusual strain. She bobbed her head with more speed, glancing up at her boyfriend who had his head thrown back in pure bliss. 

His hips started thrusting shallowly to meet her mouth and moaned louder. He couldn’t help it.  

"Mei.. stop," he panicked. "I'm about to--" 

Ushijima Wakatoshi came undone before her and it was the sexiest thing she's ever witnessed. A slightly salty taste filled her mouth but she didn't pull away until he finished, feeling his warm release down her throat as she swallowed.

When Mei finally pulled away, she chuckled, feeling very accomplished. Wakatoshi stared at her and blushed as he saw a bit of cum escape her lips. 

She licked her lips and went back to straddling his thighs. Wakatoshi sat up, panting, and moved a hand to her waist. "Was that the massage you were hoping for, Wakatoshi?", she whispered as she wrapped her arms around his neck. 

He hummed and licked down the crook of her neck while his hands roamed to the hem of her shirt. She chuckled. "You seem very eager, my love." 

He pulled away from her neck and faced her. He simply nodded with a straight face. Mei let out another laugh. "You are adorable.." ,she put a hand on his chin and pulled him in for a slow kiss.

 

Notes:

I had fun writing this because the thought of Wakatoshi having a crush on her for years is just so fcking fluffy yo HAHDLSDNHX

Chapter 17: Domestic

Summary:

Fish and seals

Notes:

Listen to the song "Best of Me" by John K. for the mood <3

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

8:15 am

 

Mei fluttered her eyes open as her alarm rang in her ears. She groaned and sat up to shut the damn thing off.  She yawned and looked over to her peacefully sleeping boyfriend. She lost count of how many rounds they did the night before and to say she was tired was an understatement. 

 

She was sore.

 

Mei sat up and moved to stand but she was pulled back to the bed and locked in an embrace. 

 

"Stay..", Wakatoshi mumbled, his voice still hoarse.

 

She sighed and turned to face him, wrapping an arm around him. "I was about to make breakfast. You didn't go on your run today?"

 

"Didn't want to…", he said sleepily, his eyes still closed.

 

Mei watched him, a bit stunned. 

 

Ushijima Wakatoshi sleeping in. Now, this is something new. 

 

She gently caressed his cheek and he nuzzled her hand as he opened his eyes. 

 

He brought his face closer to hers, "I like this.", he said and gave her lips a soft peck. 

 

"Hmm? What do you mean?”

 

"Seeing you the moment I wake up."








Holy shit.







"Oh my god.. You… Where did you learn to say things like that?”, she backed away from him and covered her flushed face with a pillow. She heard him chuckle as he pulled the pillow from her hands. “I’m only telling you the truth.”, he said, his voice still a bit raspy. 

 

He pulled her closer by the waist while Mei kept quiet and avoided his eyes. 

 

Cute.

 

He slid his hand to the side of her thigh and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I hope I didn't tire you out last night ", he whispered.

 

“But you did… My thighs are aching.”, she groaned a little.

 

“I can help you stretch.”, he chuckled before giving her lips a peck, keeping his hand on her thigh still.

 

“I'll ..uh..make breakfast..”, she stuttered and pushed him off. She quickly got off the bed before he could reach for her hand and sprinted out of the room. 

 

She huffed and went to the bathroom first to wash her face. With Wakatoshi's words still echoing in her mind, she brushed her teeth in a hurry. 



**



Wakatoshi made his way to the kitchen after brushing his teeth, the smell of fried bacon in the air. Mei still stood in front of the stove, stir-frying some rice so he went to set the table. 

 

He didn’t drink coffee a lot but it was Mei’s favorite drink, so he always kept a pack of different kinds: ground, instant pods, powdered, and the one in cans. He put a pod into his coffee machine ( that he barely used but it was there when first moved in) and waited for it to finish. 

 

Mei started putting the food on the table: Fried rice, tamagoyaki, fried bacon and sausages.

 

“Thank you for making breakfast.” Wakatoshi said and kissed her cheek before setting the mug of coffee on the table. She smiled at him and they both took their seats. 




**



“Do you want to go out later?”

Wakatoshi said before popping a small piece of bacon in his mouth. 

 

“Hm.. Sure. Oh, you said you needed to buy some knee pads, right?"

 

He nodded and asked, "Is there anywhere you want to go?"

 

Mei hummed. "It's been a while since I've been to an aquarium. Do you want to go to one?"  



Wakatoshi nodded, then went on his phone and typed away. A minute later he showed his screen to her. "How about this one?"

 

She looked at his phone, "Woah, that place looks really cool!", she beamed.

 

"We can go later.", he said then set his phone down before heading over to the sink with their bowls. He then started washing the dishes. 

 

"Then, it's a date?" She giggled and wrapped her arms around his waist from behind. 

 

Wakatoshi hummed in approval, a small smile on his lips.

"You should go get ready. I'll finish up here." 

 

"Alright~.", she pulled away, giving him a quick peck on the cheek before heading to the bathroom. 



**



"Wakatoshi?", Mei said as she knocked on the bathroom door. Mei had finished and it was his turn. 



Wakatoshi opened the door, his shirt already off. Mei's eyes widened a bit at the sight of a few reddish spots on his chest. She turned away, clutching on the towel wrapped around her body.

 

"Uh.. Can I borrow one of your shirts?", she mumbled. 

 

"Sure. Pick out anything you like, but they might be too big for you."

 

"Thanks.", then quickly walked off. 

 

**

 

Mei looked through his closet and saw a familiar piece. "Ah. Wow, this brings back memories.", she chuckled and picked up the shirt, then put it on. It looked like an oversized tee on her so she tucked it in her pants and poofed it up a bit. 

 

She picked up her bag and went to the living room. She browsed on Tiktok as she waited for Wakatoshi. 

 

@BokutoKou is now live

 

"I know everybody's excited to send in their requests, but guys! This is strictly a PG13 stream, alright? It's way too early for anything racy." Bokuto let out a loud laugh while the comment section was flooded by a few thousand. Mei started typing. 



WMei: Aww I was hoping for another strip show! 😂

 

Bokuto had stared at his screen for a moment as he read the comments. He seemed to be in their apartment's living room, though Akaashi was nowhere to be seen.

 

"Ah, Mei-chan! Hi! And no, it's not.", he laughed. "Keiji! Look! Mei-chan's watching my live stream!"

 

Akaashi popped his head from the kitchen, now appearing on the screen, before walking over to Bokuto. Her best friend sat beside his boyfriend and did a small wave with his hand. "Hello, Mei-san… and everyone.", Akaashi flashed a smile.

 

Bokuto spotlights Mei's comment as the other viewers welcomed Akaashi with hundreds of comments.



WMei: I think we all want a strip show from Akaashi instead. 👌



Bokuto laughed again and the countless people commented their approval. 

 

"Sorry guys, he's all mine. I am not letting you guys see my beautiful Keiji." Bokuto grinned as he wrapped an arm around his dear boyfriend's shoulder. 



WMei: Show us your abs, Keiji-kun! ✨✨



Bokuto whined jokingly  "Noooo~." as he saw Mei's comment again.

 

Mei gasped as she saw Akaashi suddenly stand up and lift the front of his shirt.

 

The viewers went crazy. Akaashi may not have been as ripped as Bokuto but he was just as gorgeous. His slender torso would have made anyone drool.

 

On the other hand, Bokuto panicked and immediately stood in front of his boyfriend, his back facing the camera, the viewers getting a good view of his cake.

 

"Keiji!", he groaned. Akaashi snickered and wrapped his arms around his neck and seemed to kiss him.



WMei: Get a room! XD



The other viewers commented a variety of things like:

 

"OH MY GOD"

 

"AAGGHH"

 

"I SHIP IT"

 

"CAN Y'ALL FACE HERE PLEASE"




The couple seemed to make out , though it wasn't a hundred percent visible, for a few more seconds before Bokuto pulled away and faced the camera. Akaashi now walked away in another direction and disappeared from the screen. 

 

"Alright, uh..", Bokuto said sheepishly and chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck, his cheeks now tinted pink, a dazed look on his face.

 

"I might end --", he looked to the side and his eyes widened. His mouth gaped and his whole face became red as a beet. 



sMei: Have fun with Akaashi, Bo! Haha 



Bokuto started stuttering and hastily ended his live stream. 

 

Mei chuckled and put her phone in her bag. She heard the bathroom door open so she stood and went back to his room.The door was wide open and revealed a still shirtless Wakatoshi. Though he had already pants on, it was still a sight to see. He stood by his bed as he dried his hair with a towel. 

 

Mei whistled as she saw him and leaned against the door frame.

 

He slipped his shirt on before looking over to her. His mouth gaped a bit in shock as he saw her wearing his old jersey from Shiratorizawa.

 

"What?", she laughed.

 

"I wish you could have worn it back then…", he said quietly and looked away, his cheeks tinted pink. 

 

"Ah, but you would've been too distracted if you saw me wearing this as I cheered you on", she teased.

 

"That's true.", he mumbled and walked over to her. He leaned down to her and immediately kissed her, putting his hands on her waist.

 

Mei gladly kissed back, smiling against his lips. She pulled away after a short while. "We still have our date to go to.", she whispered.

 

Wakatoshi stared at her and nodded. "Sorry.."

 

"It's fine. We can continue later.", she grinned.



**

 

"Wakatoshi, look! That fish kinda reminds me of Tendou!", she laughed and pointed to the small red fish with frilly fins and tail. 

 

"It does.", he said bluntly as he stared at the fish. 

 

She looked over to him and saw him watching the fish intently. 

 

Is he even enjoying this? Maybe I should've let him choose the place ugh. Maybe I should've--

 

"That one looks like Kageyama.", he said and pointed to a dark blue fish with gray fins that looked like wings. 

 

She blinked a few times before following his gaze and saw the fish. She bursted out laughing. 

 

"Oh god.. it does look like him..!", she put a hand on her stomach as she laughed.

 

Wakatoshi looked at her and his lips slightly curved upwards. 



Beautiful.



"Dad! Let's go see the seals!", a kid said excitedly while his dad just nodded and then went off.

 

Mei had stopped laughing and saw Wakatoshi watching the father and son interaction. She took his hand in hers.

 

"Wakatoshi, let's take a photo.", she grinned and held her phone up. 

 

He leaned down a bit and smiled as she took the picture. 

 

"Ok, last one.", Mei said.

 

Click

 

Mei kissed him on the cheek just as the timer stopped. She pulled away and looked at the photos. "Do they look alright?", she asked and showed him her screen. 

 

He nodded, pulling his hand from hers and moving to wrap his arms around her from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder as Mei typed on her phone. She posted their photos on her Instagram and tagged him.



   @Meitheodds

Aquarium Date with my love @UshiWM 💜 And we saw fish that looked like @GMSatori & @TobiOK 😂



She put her phone back in her bag before looking over to him, "It's almost 12. Do you want to grab lunch?" 

 

"Sure.", he said and they made their way to the exit.



**

 

Wakatoshi was quiet the whole time, the sight at the aquarium still lingering in his mind. 

 

The couple sat across from each other at a booth table by the window and both were already done eating. 

 

Mei eyed him as she took a sip of her drink. "Wakatoshi..?", she asked, though she was really hesitant. He blinked then looked up at her and she spoke again.

 

"So... You already met my family, though it wasn't exactly..a nice.. thing? .. Um, anyway, what are your parents like?"

 

He stared at her for a moment and pursed his lips.

 

"My parents got divorced when I was in middle school.” 

 

She instantly felt guilty for asking. “Oh.. I’m sorry. I didn’t.. I won’t ask anymore.”

 

“It’s alright. I’m very close with my father… But he lives and works in the U.S.”

 

“Do you miss him?”, she said carefully.

 

He nodded and looked down on his plate. Mei got up and moved to sit beside him.

 

“He’s the one who taught you volleyball, right? I’m sure he’s very proud of you. You're one of the best players in the country.", she said and took his left hand in hers, giving it a squeeze. He only nodded again. 

 

“My mother’s family wanted to correct my left-handedness when I was younger but my father refused. It was the only thing he ever asked for because he thought that it would become my strength.”

 

“And he wasn’t wrong.”, she smiled as she looked over to him. 

 

Wakatoshi felt comforted by her smile, like the loneliness he always felt just faded away. 

He brought her hand closer to his lips and kissed it.

 

“Does he ever visit?”, she asked, squeezing his hand a bit.

 

“Last year.. He watched one of my games. He only stayed for a few days before going back because of his work.” , he said quietly. “I hope when he visits again, he’ll get to meet you.”, he pulled her into a hug and buried his face in the crook of her neck.

 

“I look forward to it.”, she patted his head gently.




**




"Is it this kind you need?" , Mei showed him a pack of knee pads.

 

Wakatoshi nodded. 

 

"Do you need anything else?", she asked as she picked up another. 

 

He shook his head. 

 

"Okay~." she chirped and they went to the counter. She swatted his hand when she saw him take out his wallet and immediately handed money to the store employee. The lady looked at the couple and chuckled. 

 

"Mei..", he sighed.

 

"Wakatoshi, stop it. You didn't let me split the bill at lunch, remember?"

 

He looked away, a slight pout on his lips. 

 

"Here you go. Thank you and come again.", the lady smiled at them as she handed the small paper bag to Mei. 



The two exited the store hand in hand. "You'll be pretty busy when class starts, right?" 

 

Wakatoshi hummed. "We have the World Championships in a few months…" 

 

"Don't overdo your training, alright? I'll be cheering you on.", she smiled.

Notes:

Hello!
I was supposed to post this yesterday but I wasn't in a good place if you know what I mean ha ha ...
this chapter kinda feels *bleh* to me Idk, maybe I'll edit it someday lol ANYWAYYY I'm already working on the next chapter, just tweaking a little bit more but it should be up in a week. I kinda have a plan for how this story will end but it's still only just a few ideas here and there. hopefully, my motivation (in general) comes back hngg

Thank you for reading my fic! <3

Chapter 18: Bestie

Summary:

date with bestie

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text



“I’ve been meaning to go to that café with Wakatoshi but it’s been a tough few weeks. He's busy, I'm busy.”, Mei sighed. “We're gonna be seniors next semester and now we have to apply for internships too. God, I don’t want to study anymore." she whined.

“You always say that.”, Akaashi said as he walked beside her. "Kou's pretty busy with practice, too. I barely see him, even at home." 

"Why did our boyfriends have to be so good at volleyball?", she whined then stopped as she spotted a bookstore. “Hey, is it alright if we stop by here first?”

Akaashi nodded and they both went inside. 

“What book are you gonna buy?”, he said as he browsed through the shelves.

“Hm.. I don’t have anything particular in mind and I haven’t been reading much since I got so busy lately.”, she picked up a book and looked at the back of it briefly then picked up another one.

"Hm.. Can you recommend one to me one?", he said as he picked up another book. 

"What genre do you usually read?"

"Fantasy, romance, action, and whatever manga that Bokuto keeps in his room."

"Then…" Mei picked up a book and handed it to him. "I think you'll like this." 

Cupid's Match by Lauren Palphreyman

"It's really good and it's part of a series. Although, I haven't read the last one." 

Akaashi looked at the cover and nodded. "Alright, it looks promising."

The two went to the counter to pay. Mei had three books in her hand and  some pens while Akaashi had the book she recommended and a small owl pin that he said reminded him of someone. 

 

They arrived at the café minutes later.

“Go grab us a table and I’ll order. What will you have?”, Mei said as she got in line.

He nodded. “Iced Café Mocha for me.”, he said and took his wallet out but his hand was swatted.

“I’ll take care of it. Go, go.”, she said and shooed him away.

Akaashi sighed, though there was a smile on his lips, and went to a vacant table by the window.

 

 

“Is this seat taken?”, a voice said.

Akaashi was looking outside the window, his chin resting on his hand, before he turned to look at the one who interrupted his daydreaming. 

The taller man grinned at him. 

“Yes, it is.” 

“Oh.. That’s a shame. You looked like you needed someone to talk to.”

Akaashi raised an eyebrow. Is he flirting with me?  He's obviously way older than I am and why does he look familiar?

“I’m waiting for my friend, she’s at the counter.”

The man stared at him for a moment before speaking again. “I know I might be a bit too forward.. But I’d love it if I could have your number”, he said sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck.

Akaashi pursed his lips. He’s pretty cute.. But not my type.. And he really looks like someone I know.

“I’m sorry, I already have a --

“Akaashi! I got our orders, and I also bought us some cake and a croissa--”, Mei stopped in her tracks as she saw the man her best friend was talking to. “What the hell are you doing here?”, she said coldly and put the tray down on their table. 

Akaashi looked at the two, confused.

“Oh my dear baby sister. You didn’t tell me you had such .. an attractive friend.” Rin said sweetly.

 

Sister?

 

“Get lost, he’s already taken.”

“Not by you, I hope since you’re dating that beefy volleyball guy. Unless..?” Rin turned to Akaashi.

Mei rolled her eyes at him. “I’m not dating two guys, Rin. Now stop flirting with my best friend and get lost.”, she huffed and sat down across Akaashi.

Rin chuckled then turned to the owl boy again and placed his business card on the table and slid it to him.. “Call me if my baby sister ever gets too annoying. Or if you just want someone to talk to.”, he winked and then left the table. 

“Ugh.. I’ll burn that for you if you’d like.”, she groaned.

“Please do.” Akaashi said and slid the card over to Mei. 

“God, he’s still such a flirt. Sorry about that.”, she sighed and handed him his drink.

“It’s fine… But you two don’t seem close..”

“Yeah. I don’t ..really have a good relationship with my family.”

“Is that why you’re working?”, he said bluntly. Mei stared at him for a second then nodded. 

“Alright. I won’t pry anymore.”, he said and took a sip of his drink.

She pursed her lips. “No. I should tell you..”

 

Mei spent the next hour talking about her family, even the time they met with her and Wakatoshi at the restaurant. Akaashi listened attentively and didn’t ask too many questions. He didn’t know how Mei could smile with how her family treated her.

“So that’s why you always stay in the dorms even when we have no school..”

“Yeah.. If I didn’t go to the beach with all of you, I really would’ve stayed cooped up in my room.”

“It’s a good thing I tricked you into going then.”

"Yeah.. wait , what?”, she looked at him with wide eyes.

He chuckled. “I lied when I told you that Ushijima-san confirmed. I only asked him after you already said yes."

Her mouth gaped as he stared at him. Akaashi picked up his fork, took a bit of cake then put it in her mouth. Mei ate it but she still stared at him.

“You.. You are despicable..!”, she huffed and pouted.

“Well, I am your best friend.”, he shrugged, smiling sweetly at her before taking a bite of the croissant. “So.. Your brother..”, he continued.

“Wait, why are you asking about him? Do you like him? Oh god, Keiji, he’s way too old for you." Mei rambled as she buried her face into her hands.

“Not that, though he is pretty cute, he’s not my type.”

Mei sighed in relief. 

 

“You mentioned he’s a doctor right? There must be a big age gap between you two, then?"

“Yeah.. 8 years.. I think that’s part of the reason why we’re not really close. With Rei the gap is 12 years, with my eldest sister Mina, it's 13. My parents are both doctors and all of my siblings have been preoccupied with studying since I was a kid. So, I was always alone at home unless I'm at Koushi's." 

“And that’s why you’re so comfortable living alone.”

“Mhm.. I’m planning to rent out an apartment after graduation. I'm already saving up for a deposit.”

“Ushijima-san lives alone, right? Why not stay with him?”

“Oh, God no. I can't do that.”, she looked at him like he said something ridiculous.

“Why not?”, he raised an eyebrow at her. “It’s been a few years since Bokuto and I started living together, and we got to know each other even more.”

“But.. Wakatoshi owns his apartment. I feel like I’ll be a freeloader if I stay with him.”, she mumbles.

“Then pay him rent.”

“You and I both know he won’t accept money from me.”, she sighed. “Besides.. It’s not like he’ll ask anytime soon and I’m not even sure if we would even still be together after graduation”, she mumbled as she stirred her drink with her straw.

“You're such a pessimist. Anyone can tell that Ushijima-san loves you very much and he's liked you years before you two even started dating. If that isn’t some kind of commitment, I don’t know what is.”

Mei took a sip of her drink and kept quiet. 

“You stay over at his place sometimes, right? How do you feel about that?”

“Well…He's very clean, his fridge doesn’t have much unless I go grocery shopping with him. Whenever I cook, he never lets me do the dishes. When he has food delivered, he doesn’t let me pay, as usual.. Though I do slip a few thousand yen in his bag whenever I can.”, she chuckled. “Now that I think about it, living with him doesn’t seem so bad but..”

“But?”, Akaashi then sipped his drink.

“But what happens if we fight? It’s his place…”

“If you two fight, you can always stay with me. Our apartment has two rooms for a reason.”

“What do you do when you and Bokuto fight?”

“I stay in the other room until we both calm down. You know how his emo mode is. After things settle, either he comes to me or I go to him. Then we talk or..”

“Or?”

“We have sex.”, he said plainly and shrugged.

 

“Akaashi..!”, she exclaimed, a bit flustered at his statement.

“Well, you asked.”, he let out a laugh.

Mei drifted her eyes to her phone when it started ringing and Wakatoshi's photo popped up on the screen.

Akaashi noticed how she brightened up almost immediately as she answered the call.

"Wakatoshi~", she said fondly, "Mhm.. I'm hanging out with Keiji. Yeah..", she chuckled. 

Akaashi picked up his phone and signaled to her that he was going to take a selfie with her, Mei smiled and posed, making a peace sign with her free hand.

Mei heard Kageyama calling Wakatoshi back to the court. "You should go back to practice, babe. say hi to Tobio for me, alright? Yes, I'll come over on Saturday."

Akaashi chuckled as he watched her argue with her boyfriend.

"I didn't skip lunch, babe. I promise!", she let out a laugh  "You can even ask Keiji, here." , she put the call on speaker and held it between them. 

"Ushijima-san, I made sure she ate lunch before going out. She's eating cake now, too."

"Thank you, Akaashi-san." 

"Babe, you should really go back. I can hear Hirugami-kun calling you already." she chuckled again.

"Okay… I'll call you again tonight.", he said,a bit gloomy. "Bye , my love.

"Bye babe~. '' Mei said giddily and slapped Akaashi's arm, to which he gave her a pointed look, '`I love you ~", she said and hung up as quickly as she could.

 

"You didn't even let him say it back." , Akaashi teased.

"I felt like my heart was gonna jump out of my chest just hearing him call me "my love". Jesus Christ." she put a hand on her chest.

Akaashi gasped, "Maybe you're in love with him.", he said in a shocked tone before letting out a laugh.

Mei was about to burst out laughing before her phone let out a "ping" sound and a text appeared on her lock screen.

 

"I love you, too."

Notes:

End note: I hope you liked this short chapter with Akaashi <3 I honestly think a lot of people (regardless of gender) would hit on Akaashi bc I mean have you seen him? Haha

Also, I am totally blank again HAHA and i really just write smut every time I hit a wall LOL 

I actually started working on a oneshot (UshixMei again but diff story) because I keep losing focus on LMLY but Idk when that would be up since it’s still very far from what I want it to be. My word count goal is around 10 to 15k ? Also, you’ll be seeing Kuroo there as well haha and of course, there’s gonna be smut ehe

 I’ll try putting up the next chapter out in a week if I can hngggg

Chapter 19: Breathe

Summary:

"Breathe with me, alright?"

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

6:15pm

 

Kuroo yawned as he made his way out of his last class. It’s been a while since he last hung out with his friends since they were all busy.

I could use a drink. I wonder if Bokuto’s not too busy tonight. 

He stopped walking and took out his phone to text his friend but at the corner of his eye he saw a familiar person run towards the stairwell at the end of the hall. He raised a brow, wanting to ignore what he just saw but he felt something in his gut that told him to check it out. 

 

When Mei reached the stairwell, she closed the door and clutched a hand on her chest. Tears welled up in her eyes as she desperately tried to breathe but the pain only got worse. 

“Ah shit..Why does it hurt so much now..?”, she asked herself as she slid to the floor, her face now buried in her hands.  She was so busy trying to calm herself down, she didn’t notice the pair of  hazel eyes now watching her from the door. 

 

“Sugawara-san..?”, Kuroo said quietly as he saw her and worry instantly filled his thoughts. 

 

Why is she--? Did Ushijima have something to do with this?

 

He crouched down in front of her, and put a hand on her shoulder. “Sugawara-san, hey, look at me.”

 

Mei trembled as she put her hands down and looked up at him. 

“Breathe with me, alright?”, he said and demonstrated.

Mei stared at him and did as he said.  She breathed in and out a few times. After a while, she finally felt her heart calm down. 

 

Kuroo pulled his hand away from her shoulder and now sat in front of her. “Are you feeling better..?”,



She nodded, still trembling a bit,  and wiped her cheeks with her hands. 

Kuroo took a bottle of water from his bag, opening it before handing it to her. "Here."

"Thank you..", she took the bottle and took a sip. She let out a breath and gave it back to him. "Sorry you had to see that..", she said and sniffled. 

 

Kuroo searched her face,  and sighed. "Don't apologize. Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine. This has happened before.. especially in high school.. so i'm kinda used to it. Though it hasn't happened lately.. ugh.."

She's used to it? What the hell?

 

"Does he know?, Kuroo said carefully.

"What?", she looked at him, confused.

"Ushijima. Does he know you get these panic attacks?"

 

Mei pursed her lips and looked away. "No."

 

She's suffering like this and he doesn't even notice?

 

"I really try my best to hide it.. He has nothing to do with this. It's just..", she sighed. "There's a lot going on and.. I don't know.. It's hard and I don't want to bother him with my problems. He's already helped me enough..", she fiddled on the side of her thumb with her index finger. 

"The more you try to endure this, the more it's going to get worse. You have to tell someone."

"I can't.", she stared at him. " And I won't. So please just.. just don't tell anyone about this.",her eyes watered again and Kuroo panicked.

"Alright, alright, I won't. You have my word.", he said and handed her his handkerchief. She took it and wiped her damp cheeks. 

"Thank you, Kuroo..", she sniffled again. 

 

He sighed. "You have to at least tell Akaashi."

She shook her head immediately. 

"Sugawara-san, please. What if this happens again and I'm not around to help you?", he reached a hand to her and brushed the hair away from her face, tucking it behind her ear. "... I can talk to him for you if you want." 

 

She clutched her bag and huffed. " Fine.." 

 

Kuroo stood and helped her up. "Is it alright if I call Akaashi now? So he can take you to your dorm."

 

Mei nodded and Kuroo took out his phone to call the owl boy. He led her out of the stairwell while he talked to Akaashi. He didn't really explain anything, other than the anxiety attack,  since he didn't know what exactly happened but Akaashi said he would go to meet them immediately anyway. 

Kuroo opened the door to an empty classroom and told Mei to take a seat. He leaned against the door frame until Akaashi arrived. 

The owl boy arrived panting, beads of sweat decorated the sides of his face. 

 

I guess he ran all the way here unlike some people. Kuroo thought. 

 

Akaashi walked in the classroom, giving Kuroo a nod before heading over to his best friend. Mei stood from her seat, she felt relieved when he saw him. 

"Mei-san.", he said and immediately wrapped his arms around her. She hugged him, rubbing a hand on his back. "I'm fine, Keiji", she mumbled.

"No, she isn't.", Kuroo retorted. "I'll get going.", he turned to leave.

"Kuroo..", Mei said as she pulled away from her best friend. Kuroo stopped in his tracks and looked back at her. 

"Thank you.", she gave him a small smile. 

Kuroo only nodded and walked off. He couldn't help but smile to himself.

 

**

 

Akaashi brought Mei to a convenience store much to her complaints. He knew she almost never ate unless she had people with her.

"Sit.", he told her sternly. Mei sighed and did as she was told. 

The owl boy went to buy a bunch of food and drinks, and came back to their table in a few minutes.

 

"So..", Akaashi started. 

"I don't want to talk about it…At least not yet.."

"Alright, if you don't want to talk, eat.", he handed her a rice ball. 

She stared at him in disgust. "I'm not hungry, Akaashi."

"You're never hungry but you have to eat.", he placed the onigiri in her hand. 

"Fine.", she groaned and started eating. 

"Don't think we're done with just a rice ball. I'm going to force feed you if I have to."

"Ugh… why am I friends with you.."



"Best friend.", he corrected before taking a sip of his drink. "So... Kuroo helped you out?"

"Yeah.. He saw me enter the stairwell."

"Does Ushijima-san know --?"

"God, no. I would never.. I can't tell him."

"Why not? You told Kuroo and you didn't even tell me."

"He... Kuroo found out accidentally. I didn't tell him anything.", she sighed.

Akaashi handed her an opened pack of shrimp crackers next. She gave him a pointed look but she took a few pieces and ate them.

"I'd rather deal with my own problems."

"Obviously, you can't.", he said bluntly and Mei glared at him. Akaashi took her hand and gave it a squeeze.

 

" Mei, I'm here to help you but you have to tell me what's wrong. You don't have to do it now but you know I'm here for you. Always."

Mei stared at him and started crying again. "Damn you and your pretty words, Keiji.", she said in between sobs. 

He immediately moved to the seat beside her and embraced her. 

Mei didn't know how long she cried on his chest but Akaashi stayed there, his hand rubbing circles on her back. 

 

**

A week later. 


Mei stood from her desk when she heard a knock on her door. She was already drained from studying for finals and all she wanted was some peace and quiet. She grumbled under her breath and  dragged her feet to the door.

 

Wakatoshi stood there, a frown on his face. 

 

“What?”, she sighed, stepping aside and letting him in. 

“We were supposed to have dinner. But you didn’t return my texts.. And calls.”

“Sorry, I’m not hungry and I’m too busy studying. So please , just let me be.”, she walked back to her desk and sat down. Wakatoshi could only sigh. 

“Mei..", he said and walked over to her. He gently shooed her hands off her keyboard and closed her laptop. "I know you haven't eaten since lunch." 

"Wakatoshi, seriously!", she snapped and this caught him off guard. She stood and faced him.

 

"Why are you like this, my love?", he reached a hand to her and cupped her cheek but she swatted his hand away. 

"Damn it, I don't want to eat. So just leave me the hell alone."

"Mei…", he sighed.

"Just get out already.", she rolled her eyes and went back to her desk.

 

Wakatoshi stared at her, still a bit shocked that she snapped at him. He pursed his lips into a thin line.

 

"Fine,'' he snarled. He left her room, slamming the door shut on his way out. 



**



Mei finally shut her laptop off and went to lay on her bed. She picked up her phone and started typing. 

She was about to send a text to her boyfriend before it hit her.



Shame.

Regret.

Guilt.



Holy shit.

 

What the hell did I just do? 

God, he totally hates me now.

Why did I do that to him?

I'm a horrible person.

He'll never speak to me again.

Oh, he's gonna break up with me. 




ring ring ring



Mei looked at her phone and saw Akaashi's photo, and she answered right away.  

"Keiji?"

"Can you come over? Bokuto's being a…", he let out a shaky breath. "I just ...I don't want to leave my room and I can't--"

"Okay, okay, what happened?", she said, worried when she heard the tone of his voice.

"He's just.. Can you get here tonight?"

Mei looked at the time. 

 

8:48pm

 

"Yeah, no problem.", she said and stood from her desk. 

"Bring a change of clothes so you can stay over.”

"Alright, alright. Damn, Keiji. Okay, chill for a second. Is it that bad?"

"Yes, it is.", he sounded like he was trembling.

 

He's crying .

 

"Hang in there ,alright? I'm on my way out now.", she said before locking her room's door and proceeding out of the building. 



**



Mei arrived at Akaashi and Bokuto's apartment building. She jogged to the convenience store just next to it and proceeded to buy some snacks, mainly onigiri, soda, and some bread. After that, she headed to her best friend's place on the 3rd floor as she carried two plastic bags.

She knocked on the door a few times. 

Bokuto heard the knocking from the living room. He raised an eyebrow, confused. It was far too late for anyone to come over. He went to open the door and saw Mei. 

"Hey, Bo..", she smiled a bit and made a small wave with her hand. 

"Mei-chan? What are you doing here?"

"Keiji called. You guys fought?"

Bokuto stepped aside and let her in. He avoided her eyes as he nodded. 

"Alright. I know I'm Keiji's bestfriend so I'm gonna go and hear what he has to say. But I'm not siding with anyone until I hear both sides. Have you had dinner yet?"

The owl boy shook his head. 

Mei sighed. It was a good thing she bought enough food. She handed him the other bag. "Eat, alright? I'll be right out once I talk to Keiji.", she put a hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. Bokuto looked up at her and nodded. 

"Thank you, Mei-chan.."

 

Mei then walked over to Akaashi's door and knocked. " 'kaashi, it's Mei.. Open up, will 'ya?"

She heard some rummaging and footsteps before she was met with a puffy eyed best friend. Her eyes widened and immediately went inside the room. She put the bag on the floor and pulled him into a hug.

Akaashi quietly sobbed as he buried his face onto her shoulder.

 

What the hell did Bokuto do?

 

Mei led him to his bed and they sat down. She took a piece of tissue from his bedside table and gently wiped his cheeks.

"Keiji, hey, hey.. Can you tell me what happened?", she put a hand on his back and gently rubbed in circles.

"That idiot..", he huffed. "We were.. We were about to buy some dinner when this group of girls approached him. I know he's a sociable guy and he's pretty famous. When one of the girls asked who I was, he said I was just a friend. Can you believe that? Our relationship has been out in the open for years now. His fans even ship us on our social media. 

Now he calls me his friend?", he let out another breath, his eyes starting to water again.

Mei only listened to him and handed him another piece of tissue. 

Akaashi wiped his cheeks with it and continued, "It's just.. I was surprised and I didn't want to make a big deal out of it but when I confronted him about it, he just brushed me off like it didn't matter. If he wants to flirt with girls, at least break up with me first. He wouldn’t even talk to me. Am I not enough anymore?"

"Keiji…You are more than enough.  And if Bo doesn't see that I will beat his ass, I swear.", she said as she gave his arm a squeeze.

"You know what you need?", she stood and picked up the bag and gave it to him. "Onigiri.", she grinned. "I got you all kinds so eat up.", she patted him on the head. 

Akaashi looked inside the bag and took one of the rice balls out. He sniffled as he opened it. 

"I'm gonna go talk to Bo, alright? I'll give him an earful."

Akaashi only nodded as he munched on the onigiri. 

 

Mei made her way out to the living room again and went over to sit on the couch beside Bokuto. 

The owl boy was blankly staring at the tv and didn't even notice her.

"Bo..?", she poked his shoulder.

He flinched and looked at her. "Ah.. Mei-chan… what did he say?", he sulked. 

Mei flicked his forehead and Bokuto winced.

"Ow! Mei-chan!"

"I swear, you are..! Ugh! You seriously called Keiji your friend in front of a bunch of girls? You've never hidden your relationship before. What the hell, Bo?"

 

"..."

 

"Bo... Keiji cried."

Bokuto still kept quiet and pursed his lips.

"Bo..! He cried! And if he's hurt enough to call me over, then this is a very big deal. And I can't forgive you for making him cry! I swear, if you don't tell me I am gonna beat your motherfuc--"

"I saw some guys flirt with him the other day"

Mei stopped and listened to him. 

 

"But I don't know if he noticed them..  and I just.. wanted to make him.. a little jealous.", he mumbled.

Mei stared at him, mouth slightly gaped.

"Are you fucking serious-- You! Bo!", she yelled in frustration and hit his arm with a couch pillow. 

"Why *hit* would *hit* you *hit* do that?!"

Bokuto flinched at every hit but only looked down at his lap. 

"Go in there and tell him exactly what you just told me.", she said sternly.

"But Mei-chan I can't --"

"You're gonna have to or else I will seriously --", she stood, raising her hand and was about to hit him with the pillow again

"Alright! Alright!", Bokuto stood and backed away from her, clearly not wanting to feel her wrath. 

The owl boy took a deep breath and went to Akaashi's room. 



I'm here trying to help in someone else's relationship when I just ruined my own.. Ugh. I'm a terrible person...

Mei stood and went to the kitchen. She opened their fridge, picked out some stuff and began cooking. 



**



Bokuto and Akaashi stepped out of the room an hour later after a long talk. They made up and made out. 

Akaashi had to stop his boyfriend before they went any further since Mei was just outside his room. "We can't. Alright?", he pecked the owl boy's lips and stood. 

Bokuto pouted but followed him out and back to the living room. 

The couple saw Mei already setting the table with food. 

"Mei.. You didn't have to--", Akaashi said.

"Stop," Mei held a hand up. "Let's eat." She smiled at them and sat down. 

The couple looked at each other first then sat down. 

"Thank you, Mei-chan.", Bokuto beamed and took a quick photo of the food with his phone. 

"Itadakimasu!", the three said before digging in. 

 

**

 

Mei sat beside Akaashi on his bed. 

She only stared at her hands and Akaashi stared at her. 

"Okay, that was your fifth sigh. What's wrong?", he set the book he was reading on his bedside table. 

"I did something..bad."

"What is it? I'm sure it can't be worse than drugs. Unless it's drugs.", he trailed off, "Is it drugs..?"

 

Mei bit on the inside of her cheek before she started to ramble, "I said some things to Wakatoshi.. that I shouldn't have and I feel like a jerk. I am a jerk. But I don't know why I said all of that and he looked so mad after I yelled at him to leave. Was it mood swings? I'm not on my period so I really just-- oh my god. What am I gonna do? He's gonna break up with me. Oh my god, he's definitely gonna break up with me and he'll leave me for someone better and --"

 

"Mei, shut up and calm down.", Akaashi said and put a hand to her shoulder, "He's not going to break up with you that easily. So, you yelled at him? Why?"

"I was studying and I forgot we had dinner plans.. and you know I hate eating when I have so much left to do and I just… I just snapped." she brought her hands to her face and sighed again. 

"Ushijima-san was probably just worried. He cares about you and he loves you. I know you didn't mean to snap at him but you still did. Even if you don't know the reason, it's clearly your fault. You're the one who forgot about your dinner plans so you have to apologize. What would he think if he saw you eating with us now when you didn't even show up to your dinner with him?"

"But what if he doesn't want to talk to me anymore? Fuck, he probably hates me now. What if he--"

"He will talk to you. And if he doesn't, you're just gonna have to chase him until he does. Otherwise, I'll lock you both in a room until you two figure it out."

Mei pursed her lips and nodded. 

"I know he won't be able to resist you when you explain yourself. He loves you a lot and you him.", Akaashi put an arm around her, Mei rested her head on his chest. 

 

"Besides, make up sex after a fight is the best. I'm sure he'll be a bit rougher with you because of the left over anger and--

 

Mei pulled away and slapped his arm. "Keiji!", she pouted but burst into a fit of giggles.

He chuckled. He was glad to see her smiling again. 

"If I wasn't gay, I'd just date you. We understand each other so well." ,he laughed. 

"Keiji! Did you just --Are you leaving me for Mei-chan?", Bokuto said as he stood by the door, carrying a few cans of beer in his arms. 

Mei laughed at Bokuto's frustrated expression. "Oh I have to take a photo of this.", she said and quickly snapped a photo of the pouting owl boy. 



**



Wakatoshi sat on his couch, browsing through his feed. He lost his appetite long before he got home and he was exhausted. He saw a few photos posted by Bokuto. They were photos of food and them at their dining table. He clenched his jaw when he saw Mei.

She told me she didn't want to eat but here she is. Eating. 

He sighed. He was beyond frustrated, angry even, but he didn't want to be.

Wakatoshi only wanted to spend time with her after so long. He had been busy with volleyball, and she was busy with studying and work. 

I make time for her but she doesn't even want to spend an hour of dinner with me.

Am I not enough? 

Does she like someone else? Does she like Kuroo?

He shut his phone off and leaned back on the couch. He put his arm over his eyes and sighed. 

 

I love her so much. Why can't she see that?

Notes:

anxiety attacks are worst fr, i tried my best to put what I experience into writing. it's hard hfndcksd

anyway,

At first, I planned on making Kuroo bad guy but I couldn't bring myself to do it LOL #KurooIsAGoodFriend

AND THE ONESHOT I'M WORKING ON IS ALMOST FINISHED (I THINK LOL IDK) It might be around 15k words or more because I keep writing lol ... or maybe I'll just make it into a short series?? like up to 5 chapters??

It's gonna be called "Ease" and it's gonna be a bit different from LMLY.

anyway, imma get the bts meal later and wallow in self pity as I listen to Cardlin on spotify LOL

Chapter 20: I'm Sorry

Summary:

"Do you miss her?"
He nodded almost immediately.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

 

 

Mei stood outside Wakatoshi's classroom. It was close to lunch so she thought they could talk while they ate. 

She had tried calling and texting everyday but he never answered and only left her to read.

Wakatoshi walked out of the classroom, the same stoic  expression on his face. When he saw her, he quickly turned the other way and walked off. 

Mei tried to go after him but the surge of students rushing out of class blocked her path. She lost sight of him just a minute later. 

"Damn it." , she grumbled.

 

**

 

"Woah, this is a big box! Who is this from?" Tendou said, clearly impressed and excited. 

It was Tendou's birthday and he took everyone to their usual karaoke place. After singing for an hour, they started presenting their gifts to the redhead.

"That's from me…", Mei said sheepishly and rubbed the back of her neck. She walked over to him and gave him a quick hug. "Happy Birthday. I hope you like it.", she smiled. 

Mei went back to stand beside her best friend. Akaashi had his phone up, recording the redhead as he unwrapped the large box. "He's gonna scream."

Mei chuckled. "Yeah, he just might."

Tendou finally finished and stared at the white box in awe. "No way.. No way..! No way! What the-- Mei-chan! You can't possibly! Mei-chan!", he shouted, clearly shocked.

Everyone seemed amused and laughed at his reaction. 

"What? You don't like it?", she teased.

"No, no! I love it! This is a KitchenAid  Artisan Series 5-mixer! And it even has a pouring shield! Ah, how can I not like it?!" , he screeched and jumped excitedly, then hugged the box.

Tendou quickly went over to her and wrapped his arms around her. He even spun her around a couple of times. 

Mei burst into a fit of giggles as she held onto him. "Alright, alright! Put me down, Tendou!" 

"But Mei-chan, this is really expensive. Is this really mine?", he said as he put her down.

"Yes! It's all yours.", she grinned. 

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!", he said and hugged her again. 

Mei let out a laugh. Tendou finally pulled away and he went back to open his other presents.

She sat down at her table and glanced at her boyfriend who sat a few tables away from her. She nervously picked on her thumb.

"Go over there and talk to him." Akaashi said, taking a sip of his beer. 

"I will..", she said but remained seated.

"Mei. Go already.", he gave her a slight push. 

Mei finally stood and glared at her best friend for a brief moment, though Akaashi only chuckled, before walking over to her boyfriend.

 

Wakatoshi sat quietly alone at his table as he fiddled with his cup. 

"Wakatoshi..", Mei said as she stood in front of him.

He looked up and only narrowed his eyes at her.

She flinched at his glare and pursed her lips. "Can we --"

Wakatoshi abruptly stood, not even letting her finish, and quickly walked away. 

Mei turned and saw him say something to Tendou before leaving the room entirely. 

She made her way out of the establishment as well and saw him walking to his car. 

She tried to catch up to him but he had already got in and quickly drove away.

 

He saw Mei in his rearview mirror as she crouched down, her face in her hands. 

His grip on the steering wheel tightened. He felt guilty for avoiding her but he was still angry. And the last thing wanted to do was lose his cool with her.

How ironic.

 

**

 

"Oi", Tendou poked his sulking best friend's arm. 

Wakatoshi picked at his food quietly, head hung low.

The group were all sitting in their captain’s living room, just hanging out after a long day of exams. 

Wakatoshi sat on one end of the couch, Tendou and Semi in the middle, and Reon  on the other side. While Goshiki, Shirabu, Kawanishi, Yamagata, and Soekawa sat on the floor around the coffee table.

"What's wrong with him?" Semi asked before munching on a rice cracker.

Reon shrugged as he chewed.

"Maybe he and Mei-senpai fought?",  Goshiki said carefully as he eyed his former captain. 

"Oi, Wakatoshi-kun,"Tendou started. "Are you two still fighting?"

Wakatoshi nodded. 

"Whose fault was it?", Reon asked.

"I don't know…", he grumbled.

"Go apologize to her." Tendou sighed.

"Why would I apologize? I didn't do anything wrong.", he looked up at him, confused.

The redhead gave him a look. "Exactly. That's why you should apologize. Or at least try and talk to her and not avoid her like she’s the plague. It's been two weeks and you even left my birthday party earlier just because she approached you!”, he whined.

“Has Sugawara-chan contacted you?” Semi asked.

The former captain only nodded.

"And have you answered her calls and texts?", Soekawa asked,

He shook his head.

“Do you miss her?”, Kawanishi asked.

He nodded almost immediately.

“Damn..”, Yamagata said, then took a sip of his boba. 

 

Ding dong~

 

All heads turned to the door.

“Well, who could that be?”, Shirabu said.

“I’ll get it!”, Goshiki beamed and jogged to the door. 

The younger one froze when he saw who rang the bell. 

“Tsutomu..? Um, hi.. Is Wakatoshi --?”

“Mei-senpai! Ah, yes! He’s here. Come in, come in!”, he stepped aside and let her in. 

She walked in and stopped as she saw basically the whole team in the living room.

Wakatoshi only stared at her, clenching his jaw. It was weird. He wanted to see her, hug her, kiss her but he still felt anger bubbling inside him. 

And he didn’t like feeling this way at all.

“Mei-chan~, Hi~”, Tendou sang.

“Hey Tendou.. And all of you guys..”, she gave them a small smile while the others said their greetings back. She looked at her boyfriend, “Wakatoshi, can we talk?”

Mei glanced at the rest of the group. “Or not. I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you guys were hanging out here. I’ll just come back another time."

“Oh no, no. We were just about to leave. Right, guys?”, Reon said as he stood. 

“Yeah.. Yeah! It’s getting pretty late anyway. Let's go!”, Semi laughed awkwardly and dragged Kawanishi and Yamagata from the floor while everyone else stood and followed the others to the door.

"Bye, senpai.", Goshiki smiled shyly before he walked out. 

"Senpai, good luck.", Shirabu said, and patted her on her arm before leaving. 

“Bye, Mei-chan~”, Tendou sang before fully leaving the apartment and shutting the door closed.

 

He's definitely mad. He probably doesn't even want me here. I should just leave--

 

“We can talk now.”,Wakatoshi said curtly.

Mei blinked, now out of her thoughts. She walked over and sat on the other side of the couch. She faced him but avoided his gaze.

He didn’t realize the gravity of the situation until he saw the expression on her face. The way Mei said “ Can we talk?” could have meant differently and he didn’t really think things through. 

Wakatoshi internally panicked and looked down at his clenched fists that rested on his lap. 

 

Is she breaking up with me?



“I’m sorry.” Mei mumbled.



She's breaking up with me.




“For yelling at you and getting angry. I was so irritated and I don’t even know why. I know it sounds like an excuse but I just really.. I don’t know..”, she let out a breath and continued to ramble, her voice trembling a bit. "I’m sorry.. I really am and if you still don’t want to see me, I totally understand. And none of it is your fault, it’s all my fault and I really just --”

Her rambling was cut when Wakatoshi pulled her into a tight hug. He buried his face into her neck, sighing in relief.

She hesitantly put her arms around him and hugged back. Only now did she realize how much she missed him. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry..”, she said again, trying her hardest not to cry. 

Wakatoshi pulled away and put his hands on her shoulders, “You scared me. I thought..”, he paused and pursed his lips, his gaze was still on her. 

“You thought ..?”, she said quietly.

“I thought you were going to break up with me.", he said.

Mei stared at him, her mouth gaped a bit in shock. She felt a pang of guilt as she saw the sullen look on his face. 

“What.. Why ..Wakatoshi, why would you ever think that?”, she said rather loudly but her voice softened and trembled as she continued. “I could never.. Oh my god.. I’m so sorry. I .. I was such a jerk and if what I did to you led you to thinking that I was gonna.. Holy crap.. I’m so sorry.”, she rambled, feeling her chest tighten. She held a hand on her chest as she felt her eyes water. “I’m a horrible person, crap. I’m sorry.. I’m sorry--”

“Mei, my love. Shh”, he cooed as he wrapped his arms around her once again, gently stroking circles on her back. “You are not a horrible person.”, he placed a kiss on her forehead. 

“I’m sorry.. I’m so sorry..”, she sobbed.

Wakatoshi pulled away, setting his forehead onto hers. His eyes closed as he let out a sigh. He didn’t realize how much tension had been in his body until now, and all he wanted to do was sink into her embrace. All the anger he felt had disappeared but he somewhat felt guilty at the sight of her crying, even though he wasn't at fault. 

Mei inched closer and pressed her lips onto his but pulled away right after.

"Sorry..", she mumbled, wiping her cheeks with her hands, then she stood. "I should get going.. I might not make it to the dorms' curfew..", she turned to walk away but Wakatoshi stood and grabbed her hand.

"Don't go.", he pleaded.

She stared at him, stunned. Why would he want me to stay after what I did to him? 

"But don't you hate me..?"

"I can never hate you.", he took a step closer, "I forgive you.", he said and kissed her again, putting his hands on her waist. She put a hand on his chest, pushing him away.

"What’s wrong?”, he put a hand to her cheek as he stared at her. 

"I don't understand how you can forgive me so easily."

"You apologized and I forgave you."

"But... why? You should be angry. I did a shitty thing.  God, you even thought I was going to break up with you.. I can't --"

"It's because I love you."

Mei stared at him, her eyes starting to water again while Wakatoshi looked at her so lovingly. 

 

I don't understand.

 

“How did this happen?”, he said as he brought her right hand up, running his thumb across a small straight wound near her wrist. It looked healed but he couldn't help but worry.

“It’s nothing... It happened when I was wrapping up Tendou’s present last week.”, she mumbled and was about to pull her hand away but Wakatoshi brought her hand to his lips and gently placed a kiss on her wound. 

"You must be tired from all your exams today.", he pecked the back of her hand, "I'll get some clothes you can change into, okay?"

 

How can he worry about me like this? He should hate me for what I did.

 

After Mei finished changing in the bathroom, he saw Wakatoshi sitting on his bed while reading a book.

Mei crawled to the space beside him and hugged a pillow. Her back facing him. He closed the book he was reading and set it on his bedside table 

"I would prefer if you hugged me instead.", he whispered, he scooted closer to her, putting a hand on the side of her waist and pulled her closer to him. He rested his chin on her shoulder 

Mei flinched at his touch. Feeling his breath on her neck made her shiver. 

"Mei…", he whispered again. 

 

God damn it. 

 

She let go of the pillow and turned to face him. Her eyes widened a bit as she didn't expect to be so close to him. Their noses were barely touching as she stared into his soft gaze. 

"Wakatoshi..", she said quietly as she put a hand on his cheek.

"Hmm..?" he mumbled and nuzzled his nose against hers. 

"I'm really sorry…"

"Stop apologizing.", he pecked her nose and then her lips.

"But --"

He pressed his lips onto hers again to stop her from talking, only this time he deepened the kiss as he ran a hand down to her side and slipped it under her shirt. 

 

Shit.

 

Mei thought his hand would go to her chest but Wakatoshi slowly moved his hand to her back then to her ass, giving it a squeeze. kissed a touch harder, swiping her tongue over his lip to part them. Their tongues danced for a while before she lightly nibbled on his lip and  pulled away.

 

Fuck it

 

She sat up and quickly took off every piece of clothing on her upper body, and Wakatoshi followed suit. 

“I’ve missed you, Mei.”, he whispered.

He gently pushed her to lie back as he crawled on top of her. He lowered himself on his forearms to cup her breast. Her skin felt like silk against him and Mei could feel the heat of his breath as Wakatoshi licked all over her. Spiraling slowly back towards her nipple before closing his lips in a bite, he tugged lightly before pulling up and dropping her from his mouth. Everything felt good.

He switched, his fingers rolling over the abandoned nipple in hardening pinches, and Mei moaned again as she leaned back. Everything went fuzzy for a second when Wakatoshi bit a little harder than she was ready for.

Wakatoshi moved down and Mei felt a tingling sensation as he ran his tongue down her body, sparing a moment to kiss along her waist as he pulled her pants and underwear  down. When she kicked her leg up in reflex, to help him in the undressing, he kissed her knee and held her thigh as he lowered it back down. He settled down between her legs, guiding her to put her leg over his shoulder.

“Oh,” Mei moaned as he lowered to her entrance, forcing her head back down. Wakatoshi looked up at her as he dragged his upper lip over her clit.  He opened his mouth wide, beginning to just tease his tongue against her in tiny, fast, flickering motions.

"Fuck..", she let out a breathy whine as she felt like mentling into the bed, and the tingles radiating through her body began to ripple out from him again. Her hips began to rock into him, she hitched a breath when his fingers came up to press against her inner thighs, a relaxing massage of his thumbs that coaxed her trembling legs even wider. She curved her leg thrown over his shoulder into his back, pushing against the back of his head, pulling him deeper in her Her next breath is caught in a whimper when his tongue moved down to her opening,

Wakatoshi heard her whimper and he couldn't help but chuckle,  something hot and vibrating that made her roll her hips again and again as he pressed into her. He tongue-fucked her and she felt her heart begin to beat in her ears, his fingers pushing up and spreading her open. Soon, she was practically humping his face, feeling an intense heat through her core begin to burn even hotter below her bell and her legs trembled. 

"Shit.. Wait..Wakatoshi-- stop.. I'm almost--"

"Mmm,” he hummed before licking up her folds to speak clearly, fingers massaging over her clit in place of his tongue, doing nothing to help keep your fire at bay. “That’s alright. Just come, my love." 

He pushed his hands out to her thighs again, forcing them to spread wide and up as he buried his face back in her, forcing her to the edge.

Mei reached down, grabbing his head, fully riding the wave of the orgasm as his tongue kept moving over her clit, somehow harder and faster even as she felt herself pulse against him. His movement made the orgasm go on and on, the hot waves pulsing through her even when her cry loses sound.

Mei sat up, trailing her hands to his shoulders, ready to pull him back up towards her to change positions and return the favor, but his mouth kept moving, gently now, stroking through her folds again, licking away her climax and still moving.

"Wakatoshi.. Ah.. Come here."

 

"Mei.", He replied in a husky voice, lifting his head to press his index finger in lazy circles around her throbbing clit, “I’m going to taste all of you. Think of this as your punishment. I am not going to hold back this time." His face remarkably calm, with only a deviously raised eyebrow, much different from her flushed cheeks.

He moved his fingers down to her entrance and put his tongue back over her clit, flicking in circles that matched the movements of his index finger rolling over her opening. Her leg fell from his back and her knees raised as she tried to buck her hips up, her body responding to his motions, practically riding his face.

The heat has returned and her lower body writhing for satisfaction again. She clenched her thighs around his head, feeling his hair tickle against her skin, grinding herself against him again. She fell back to the pillows, fully surrendering, gripping the edge of the mattress with both hands, the sheets were somehow so hot against her back. His fingers moved into her, first one, then two, curling up. She instinctively felt herself clench over him.

“Wakatoshi!" 

All she could say was his name, as his fingers found it, a soft spot inside her  that seemed to punch through her stomach in an insanely pleasurably way.

“Here?", He panted when he broke his mouth away from her.

“Yes, yes!”

He moved faster and faster, and she felt him rest his head against her thigh, pressing a soft kiss and smiling into her skin as his fingers pushed deeply into her.

“More,” He heard her say, “Please, more.”

She felt him chuckle against her. His tongue fell back to her clit, lighter touches so sloppy she could hear the slurping of his mouth as he ate her up. His fingers moved non-stop, curling tighter and tighter. It was almost enough to pull another orgasm out of her again. Almost.

He must have felt her walls contracting again over his fingers, because he broke his mouth away again, still fingering her roughly, Come for me again, my love. I know you can,” he says.

Her toes curled as much as she tried to control her trembling, and her palms grew sweaty as they grasped against the bed. She felt the wave coming down hotter, the pulse in her core beating furiously as if it never completely faded.

“You can do it," his voice catching against his gasps, but encouraging in tone. He held onto her with his other hand, using his strength to control the other with speed and push it even harder. “Come on, come for me, my love."

She finally felt herself come, the orgasm somehow hitting harder than the first. She couldn’t even scream this time, just a quiet whimper, his name spilling from her as her muscles spasmed uncontrollably, legs falling to the bed. Her stomach hurt, everything clenched and unclenched. She propped herself on her elbows shakily, watching him worship her wetness with his tongue, kissing the top of her thighs and clit, slowly easing the heat back down.

Wakatoshi looked up at her as he pulled his fingers out, his hand wet with her cum, and he still kept her spread open with his other hand. His breath was heavy over her, almost teasing her sore clit. But  she suddenly felt even worse as it throbbed empty without him, despite feeling tired and swollen.

"You did well.". The approval in his voice almost made her shiver with desire. He raised himself to kneel on the bed, his own arms shaking and indented with the sheets. 

Mei pushed herself up to kneel too, feeling something drip down her legs as she moved. She grabbed his cheeks and pulled him into a kiss, tasting herself. He held her by the waist, his hardening member bulging against his pants.

“I want you." she said, voice still half moaning. He smiled against her mouth, hands dancing down to squeeze her ass as he brought her down with him, adjusting onto his back with her straddling him. His feet were against the pillow as Mei slipped his pants down, revealing his throbbing cock. She licked her lips as she moved to position him at her entrance. 

Wakatoshi moaned as she sank onto him. She moaned as well, even though he slid so easily into her, she was tight. Her thighs visibly shook as she began to ride him. 

She suddenly felt so full. She leaned back, hands on his thighs as she adjusted to the new position that so quickly hit deeper than his fingers reached, and he was only half way in. 

Wakatoshi, however, had little patience for this, and she moaned as his hands came to her hips to control his thrusts into her. His full length reached even deeper and her trembling legs tense against the motions as he fucked up into her. If his fingers felt like a punch to the stomach, his cock pushed straight, raw, deep to her core, again and again with every stroke.

"God, you're so big. Look, you're all the way here. ," she put a hand a few inches above her belly button as she continued to ride him. "It's so good.", she almost cried.

His hands tightened on her thighs, and she looked down, to see a smirk across his mouth.

She didn’t even know if she could come again. Everything felt hot, overstimulated,and she was almost in tears over the pure pleasure he had over her, spoiling her body, driving her over the edge. But then, she didn't know if she could force herself to wait for him.

All she could do was moan, a moan that rose and stayed longer and higher the more he pounded into her. Her legs quivered and she moved to lean forward, moving as much as his anchor-like grip allowed her  to. She clawed at his chest, raking her nails red down his skin, and Wakatoshi let out a groan of pleasure of his own.

This new position forced him even deeper and Mei fully fell on him now, using whatever strength she had left to rock back and forth. He brought his hands to cup her ass and firmly pulled her up and down, squeezing into her as she braced herself on either side of his head. 

Mei tilted his chin up and kissed him. It was brief and choppy with the rhythm of their bodies, but satisfying.

She felt herself begin to squeeze spastically over him, and Wakatoshi smiled against her lips  “You’re getting close,” he said softly.

“Yes,” , Mei groaned as her hands scrambled against the sheets.

He let out a sharp sound, maybe a laugh or a grunt, and started thrusting into her even harder as if he was a bit angry. 

"I love you.”, he whispered and this sent a shiver down her spine. 

"Wakatoshi  --" 

He cut her off with a groan. She felt his hands clench, his hips starting to stutter in their pace below her. She could feel it now, feel him throbbing just as her insides started fluttering out of control. Mei pushed herself up on her hands and slammed her hips down just as he pushed up.

Her orgasm was even harder this time, her ears already ringing when the pressure began to flood through her, and Wakatoshi’s own heat rose with his own panting breathing. Mei cried out his name, still feeling herself clench over him. She felt all of the energy drained from her and she almost fell off him but she pushed herself a bit more and moved to lie beside him. She rolled onto her back, feet on the pillows as well. She squeezed her eyes shut, breathing heavily.

Wakatoshi moved closer to her and cuddled into her. The couple lied in silence for a while, Mei's body screaming from the overstimulation, her breath slowly settling back down as if her heart needed to be convinced that all the rolling waves were finally done. Wakatoshi's hand felt heavy on her stomach, her limbs like jello, but her heart happy. 

Wakatoshi turned to her, their foreheads almost touching. She stroked his hair in a silent thanks. 

"How do you feel.. my love?", he whispered. 

 

That … is sexy.

 

"Tired… but I loved every second of it.", she smiled. 

 

"Let's go wash up.", he chuckled as he sat up. Mei barely had the energy to get up so Wakatoshi easily picked her up and went to the bathroom. He set her down carefully and turned the water on. 

Mei stood on her tiptoes and gave him a peck on the lips before reaching for the bottle of shampoo. 

 

**

 

"Achoo!", she sneezed into a piece of tissue and wiped her nose. She sat on his couch after they had dinner. Wakatoshi went to his room a while ago to change his sheets.

"Mei, drink this.", He said when he arrived in the living room. He handed her a mug of tea. 

"Are you alright?" he said and sat beside her.

She took a sip from the mug and placed it on the coffee table. "I'm fine..It’s just a bit cold..", she said and scooted closer to him. 

Wakatoshi put his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. 

"I'm sorry..", she mumbled and nuzzled his chest.

"Mei.. Stop apologizing.", he rubbed her arm. "I'm not angry with you."

"But you should be.."

"I believe I was angry enough just a while ago.", he whispered as he moved to kiss her neck. 

 

Holy fuck

 

Mei blushed profusely and immediately pulled away from him. "Wakatoshi.. that's.. You..!"

Wakatoshi chuckled, amused at her flustered state. 

 

Cute.

 

"Shall we head back to bed?", he said as he moved closer, crawling over her.

"Yes.. uh.. To sleep, right?", she stuttered, doing very little to back away.

"Yes. Unless you want another punishment.", he whispered and gave her neck a lick. 

"Hey! We just did it and you..!" she stopped as she remembered how many times he made her come. She covered her face with hands. 

Wakatoshi let out a laugh and got off her. "Let's go to sleep.",he said and pulled her up.

She lightly hit his chest. "Where did you even learn all that?", she mumbled.

"I did some research,'' he said bluntly as they walked back to his room.

"Oh my god.", she grumbled and immediately hid under the covers. 

Wakatoshi took his shirt off and laid beside her under his blanket, immediately wrapping an arm around her. 

"Was I good? When I--"

"Okay, stop. Oh my god.", she panicked. She turned and faced him. "You did good..You were amazing."

"I'm glad.", he chuckled and placed a kiss on her forehead, "Good night, my love.", he mumbled, his eyes feeling heavy as he rubbed his hand on her side.

 

 

 

Notes:

They fought and made up but how long will this last? *insert shookt pikachu meme*

I'm still trying to finish up my upcoming oneshot called "Ease". Idk if it will be up by the end of this month oo maybe next month ... or maybe in August? IM SORRY AHSXDNKAO

and I kinda wanna make a Kuroo oneshot too but I'm still out of ideas HAHAFLAEISHC maybe after I finish LMLY but Idk v__v

Also, how does an Ushijima August sound? I have some other oneshot ideas for him but probably ranging from 1k-3k wordcount . They would either be pure fluff or pwp LMAO

Chapter 21: I Can Hear the Bells Part 1

Summary:

a wedding and two plus ones

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

 

"Keiji, I found this really cool company perfect for an internship."

"Is it nearby?", Akaashi said as he continued typing on his laptop. The two sat at the lounge as they both worked on an assignment.

"They have an office here in Tokyo. It's an hour away by train though. Do you wanna apply with me? And it says here that interns get paid.”, Mei said in awe before she turned her laptop around to show him her screen.

"Hm.. I already sent in a few applications to other companies. I'll let you know once I get feedback.. but a paid internship does sound nice." 

"Yeah, it does.”, Mei chuckled and turned her laptop around again before she checked the time. "I'm gonna go buy some coffee. Do you want anything?"

"I'll come with you. I wanna stretch my legs a little.”

They both stood and went to a vending machine just outside the building. Mei inserted some coins and was about to press a button until she heard a familiar voice call out to her. 

"My dear baby sister! Finally, we found you!"

Mei and Akaashi turned and saw Rin and Rei walking over to them. 

She looked at them with wide eyes. 

" What the fuc--", her words were cut when she was pulled into a hug by Rin. 

Rei sighed as he stood next to his younger brother. 

Mei pushed her brother off him and glared at him. "What the hell are you two doing here?"

"My, my,. It's nice to see you again.", Rin had ignored her words as he faced Akaashi.

The owl boy took a step back, clearly uncomfortable.

Mei stepped in front of Akaashi before she spoke again. "Please leave. You have no reason to be here." 

"We're here because we were guests at a seminar in the auditorium, which ended a few minutes ago. We were hoping to have dinner with you. You can bring your friend." Rei said plainly. 

"No, thank you. We're busy.", She said and took Akaashi's hand and pulled him with her. 

She halted when Rin had taken a hold of her best friend's other hand. 

Akaashi looked at the two. "Uh..”

"Please, Mei. Have dinner with us. We have something important to tell you.", Rin pleaded. 

Mei glared at him again but glanced at Akaashi as he squeezed her hand. "Have dinner with them. I can come with you if you need me to, ``he said quietly. 

Mei sighed. "Fine. But we’re eating at the cafeteria.”

**

The four sat at a vacant table, each with a tray of food in front of them. Mei had complained that Rei had insisted he pay for all of them but she gave in anyway. 

"So, what is it you two want to tell me that is so important that you had to drag me, and my best friend, to dinner?", she said, her arms crossed. 

"Onee-san is getting married." , Rei said bluntly before taking a bite of his food. 

She blinked, confused. "So? Why do I need to know that?"

Rin started, "Dad said if you come to the wedding, he'll give you an allowance again--"

She scoffed. "I don't need it. I'm already working part-time. I have enough money for myself."

The younger brother glanced at Akaashi, as if asking for help. The owl boy ate quietly and glanced at Mei.

"It's mandatory,'' Rei spoke again. "Otherwise you'll be cut from the family completely.. as Mother said.."

"Wow, I'm so scared. It's not like I'm part of this family anyway. And Onee-san wouldn't even want me there.", she laughed.

"Mei..", Rin sighed. "You're our sister. Just come with us to the wedding .. or just the reception. Bring your boyfriend and even Akaashi-san if you want to--"

"No, thank you.", Akaashi said bluntly before taking a sip of his drink.

Mei chuckled. "Yeah. No, thank you, dear brother." 

"Alright, what do you want?", Rei huffed.

Mei raised an eyebrow at him. "What do you mean by that? I don't need your money."

"Attend the wedding in exchange for anything you want."

Akaashi then spoke before Mei could. "An apartment. Buy her an apartment and a car after graduation." 

"Keiji!", Mei exclaimed and looked at her best friend. 

"What? That's what you've been saving up for all this time right?"  , the owl boy said.

"Done.", Rei said while Rin watched them in amusement.

"What?", Mei looked at her brother with wide eyes.

"I'll buy you an apartment if you come to the wedding. Send me the details if you already have a place in mind or I can help you look.”

"And I'll buy you the car.", Rin said deviously. "Only if Akaashi-san comes with."

"No.", she glared at Rin and moved to stand

"Fine.", Akaashi said and pulled on her arm for her to sit again.

"What the fuck, Keiji!", Mei hit his arm.

He winced before he continued, "Only if I can bring someone with me as well." 

"Alright. I'll send you the invitations. It's this Saturday.  The reception's gonna be at The Ritz-Carlton."Rei said as he stood. "I hope to see you there, Mei."

"It was nice to meet you Akaashi-san. I feel relieved that my sister has a friend such as yourself.", he said and bowed a bit before they left.  

Mei sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "What the hell, Keiji.."

"It's just a wedding, Mei. Ushijima-san is gonna be with you and I'm bringing Kou. You won't be alone."

"But--"

"And you're gonna get an apartment and a car. I assumed your brothers have money since they're successful doctors… and they seemed .. I don't know, desperate."

She sighed. "I didn't know you had it in you to scam people."

"It's not a scam. It's what you deserve.", he put a hand on hers and gave it a squeeze. "Now, eat. You didn't even touch your food."

Mei pursed her lips and finally started eating. 

**

Friday - 5:17pm

“Um..Wakatoshi..”, she said sheepishly.

The couple sat beside each other at the lounge. It had been a while since their schedules matched and now she waited for him to finish doing his homework before going to his apartment for dinner.

“Yes, my love?”, he stopped typing and looked over to her.

“Are you free tomorrow?”, she scooted her chair closer and wrapped her arms around his torso.

“I have morning practice until 8. I’m free the rest of the day.”, he smiled a bit and put an arm around her. 

“Can you come with me then?”, she said looking up at him.

“Mhm.. Where are we going?”

“My sister’s wedding…”, she muttered.

Wakatoshi blinked and stared at her for a moment before he spoke again. 

“Did they force you to go? You know you don’t have to--”

“No.. It’s um.. My brothers were here last night.”

He flinched and narrowed his eyes.

“Akaashi was with me the entire time and they were… nice.”, she said, hoping she reassured him.

He let out a sigh of relief.

“Rei said it’s mandatory, otherwise I’ll really be kicked out of the family..”, she scoffed. “I was very adamant to really not go at all. I mean, my sister wouldn’t even want me there…”

“But..?”, he asked, rubbing her arm gently. 

“But Akaashi stepped in when Rei asked me what I wanted in exchange for going to the wedding.”

“What did he say?”

“An apartment .. and a car if Akaashi comes along, which he will, that snake..”, Mei grumbled.

“Your brothers seem to care about you.”

“I don’t need their help.”

“Mei.. It will only be a few hours and I won't leave you alone with them.”

“I know but.. I really don’t want to go..”

“You don’t have to.”

“But then again.. the free apartment… and car..”, she sulked and buried her face onto his chest.  Deep down, she did feel happy when Rei had offered it. She had never seen her brothers so determined to get her approval. Ever. It was weird.

“Then, we’ll go to the wedding.”, he kissed the top of her head.

She suddenly pulled away with a gasp  "Oh crap, I have nothing to wear."

Wakatoshi stared at her for a while before letting out a chuckle. "We still have time later to go buy clothes.", he leaned in and pecked her cheek then her lips. 

**

Saturday 1pm

"Do I look alright?" Mei stood in front of him in his living room. She wore a lavender knee length dress with a bateau neckline and long fitted sleeves, and a pair of black pumps. Her hair neatly tied in a low bun,and her long fringe swept to the sides of her face.

"Beautiful.", he said in awe as he walked over to her. 

Wakatoshi wore a crisp white dress shirt under a black jacket with matching pants, and brown loafers. 

"You don't look too bad yourself.", she chuckled and fixed the collar of his shirt. 

"Keiji and Bo are almost here. Should we go down now?"

Wakatoshi nodded and took his keys from the counter before they headed out of his apartment.

**

 

Akaashi and Bokuto had just arrived at the lobby when Mei and Wakatoshi got to the lobby.

"Keiji! Woah, you look really good.", she praised and gave him a quick hug. "Bokuto, you too. You two look so great together.", she smiled.

Both owls wore a black suit but Akaashi wore a turtleneck under his jacket while Bokuto had a fitted white dress shirt under his. 

"Thanks, Mei-chan!", Bokuto grinned. "You two look great, too! And you're matching!", he chuckled.

"I'll bring the car around." Wakatoshi said and gave Mei a kiss on the cheek before jogging off to get his car. 

 

**

 

"Crap..Okay, maybe we shouldn't do this.", Mei said nervously as they stood near the reception hall of the hotel. 

"Mei, we're already here." Akaashi said and put a hand on her shoulder.

 She looked over to him and pursed her lips.

"Remember, free apartment and car.", Akaashi said and smiled.

"Right.. free apartment and car.", she whispered. 

Wakatoshi took hold of her hand and gave it a kiss. "I'm right here."

Mei let out a breath and squeezed his hand. "Alright, let's go."

The four went in and were met by the spacious hall with at least three hundred people already inside. Mei gulped and looked at their invitation for their table number.

"Mei..!", she heard someone call out to her. She turned and was met by Rei. He walked over to her, smiling at the four.

She blinked. It was a rare sight to see her eldest brother smile. "Who are you and what have you done with my brother?", she thought aloud.

Rei raised a brow at her and chuckled. "I'm just happy you made it. Come, you're all placed at the same table as I am." 

The four looked at each other before following Rei to their designated table. They were placed near the front. 

Bokuto, Akaashi, and Wakatoshi sat down but Mei remained standing, biting on her lip as she saw her parents at the table just next to theirs. 

Wakatoshi stood and held her hand. "Do you want to greet them? I can come with you..", he said quietly to her ear.

She thought for a moment before nodding. 

The couple went over to where her parents were seated. 

Her mother looked up at her and tapped her husband on the shoulder.

Wakatoshi did a small bow while Mei only stared at them. 

"I didn't expect you to actually come.", he mother said and eyed the couple from head to toe. 

"I assume Rei convinced you?", her father asked. 

"He did. I wasn't planning to go. I know onee-san, and you two don't want me here."

Her mother pursed her lips and her father maintained a blank expression on his face.

 Mei immediately turned away and went back to her table.

Wakatoshi watched the situation unfold and bowed again before he turned away.

 

**

 

"Akaashi-kun!", Rin said gleefully and took a seat at their table, directly across from the owl boy. "I'm glad you came."

"I'm here for Mei so keep your promise.", Akaashi said plainly.

"Of course, of course.!", he grin faded as he saw the black and white haired man seated beside Akaashi.

"Who's this?", he grumbled.

"Hello! I'm Bokuto Koutaro! Also a friend of Mei's", the owl boy chirped.

"and my boyfriend.", Akaashi said, smiling a bit as he looked over to Bokuto. 

"Told 'ya Keiji's taken.", Mei said and took a sip from her cup. 

"I thought you were joking.", Rin sighed.

Bokuto blinked and looked at Rin then Akaashi. His mouth gaped slightly at the realization. 

"I didn't flirt with him, Kou.", Akaashi said. Mei nodded. 

"I even burned the business card he gave to Keiji, so don't worry.", Mei chuckled.

"You burned my business card?!", Rin looked at her in disbelief.

"Oh, relax, will 'ya?. I only tore it up and threw it away if it makes you feel any better.", Mei raised an eyebrow at him. 

"How is that supposed to make me feel better...", he said with a pout.

"Rin, stop flirting with Mei's friends.", Rei said, who had just arrived at their table after greeting other guests, and sat down. 

"Fine, I'll stop. But Mei, can you at least introduce me to your other friends? I saw this one guy on your instagram a little while ago. What was his name..? Yama something.. No .. Kage.. Kageyama! ", he said with a clap. "Kageyama with the black hair, pretty blue eyes. He's pretty cute and definitely my type.", he said as he glanced at Akaashi.

Mei choked on her drink and Wakatoshi put a hand on her back as he handed her a napkin. 

"Kageyama..?! You like Kageyama Tobio?!", she winced, realizing her loudness. "I am not introducing you to anyone. Especially Tobio-kun. Nuh uh. Never." 

Kageyama was like a little brother to him and no way was he exposing him to Rin. Not a chance.

Wakatoshi and Akaashi watched in amusement as the siblings continued to bicker. Meanwhile, Bokuto hugged Akaashi's arm protectively.

**

“So.. Rei-san, you’re also a doctor?”, Bokuto asked.

“Yes. I’m a surgeon.”

“Woah, that’s so cool! How old are you? You look like you've just graduated from college. You’re definitely not older than 26, right?”, Bokuto said in awe.

“I’m actually turning 35 this year.”

“No way! Are you a vampire?”, the owl boy teased.

“He means it as a compliment.”, Akaashi in slight panic.

“No offense taken. I’m quite flattered.”, Rei smiled.

“Rei-nii looks younger than you.”, Mei said to Rin. “You look like you're 38. Wait, no. 42.”

“Hey! I am 4 years younger than him!”, Rin whined.

 

 

Notes:

felt kinda weird that I made Rin have a crush on Akaashi but I mean who wouldn't though??? but he's over it now lol

I picture Rin as that chaotic yet somehow stable gay uncle that we all like to hang out with while Rei is the calm uncle you have tea with (he also radiates dilf energy even though he's still a bachelor)

Aaannnndd if there are typos or other errors, sorry cuz I blindly posted this as I am mentally tired haha

also
Wakatoshi in a suit *chefs kiss*

Chapter 22: I Can Hear The Bells Part 2

Summary:

Butter

Notes:

So I looked up how Japanese weddings worked. In the traditional one, only family members attend the actual wedding and the guests are only there at reception. But they also do western style ones. but uh.. I'm only writing about the reception since I'm not confident to write about a tradition I'm not very familiar with (and I don't want to write it and be wrong so yeah) Hope y'all like this?

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

 

 

Wakatoshi watched the host talk among some of the guests as the program continued. But he could feel Mei staring at him for quite a while.

He turned to face her and saw her eyes were at his chest. 

"Mei..? You've been staring. What is it?"

"I think your shirt is a bit ..tight.", she blinked then looked the other way

"But you've seen me wear something like this before."

"I know, I just … the fact that someone as handsome and perfect like you is my boyfriend is still so unbelievable to me.", she mumbled, quietly enough that only he could hear. She took his hand and intertwined their fingers.

 

Wakatoshi was speechless as he felt his cheeks warm up.

 

"Alright! I bet all of you are hungry now. Everyone, the food will be served to each table momentarily. Please enjoy your meal." , the host said before leaving the stage.

 

**

 

"Woah, the food looks great ", Bokuto said in awe before digging in. 

Mei picked at her food and sighed. She was still nervous. She didn't want to eat but Wakatoshi and Akaashi were with her so she had to, even if she had to hurl everything up later on. 

Akaashi and Wakatoshi ate quietly, glancing at Mei from time to time. 

"Congratulations,Onee-san.", Rei said and stood to hug Mina, Rin following suit. The newly-weds had been greeting guests at each table. 

Mei froze as she saw her sister. 

Akaashi stood and went over to Mina. "Congratulations on your wedding. I'm Akaashi Keiji, Mei's best friend.", he held a hand for her to shake. 

Mina raised a brow but shook his hand anyway. "Thank you.", she said sweetly. 

"Congratulations, onee-san." Mei stood as well and went over to her. She pursed her lips and faced the groom. "You seem to make her happy so please keep it that way. Otherwise, she'll kick your ass.", she said as shook the hand of the now wide-eyed groom.

Mina let out a loud laugh before pulling Mei into a hug. "Thank you for coming, you brat.”

 

What is it with them and all the hugging today?

Mei thought as she hesitantly hugged her sister back before the newly-weds moved to the next table. 

 

**

 

Mei stared at her plate for a moment before poking the piece of meat with her fork. 

"Mei, is something wrong?

"It's just.. she seems happy. Genuinely happy and I think this is the first time I've ever seen her smile like that. "

"And she looked very happy to see you."

Mei blinked and looked over to him. "Really?"

Wakatoshi nodded.

 

That can't be true.

 

**

 

"You should totally sing for them later, Mei.", Rin teased. 

"What? Why me?"

"I agree. You have a wonderful voice. I saw a video of you online singing “Best Part”. I believe Akaashi-san sang as well.”

“Video..?” Mei looked at him confused until she gasped and turned to Bokuto. “It was uploaded..?”, she grumbled.

“I didn’t mean to! I promise! I was about to upload my volleyball video last week but I clicked on it by mistake..  because I wanted to watch Keiji sing again." Bokuto's voice faded as he talked, then he hid behind Akaashi.

“Here it is.”, Rei said and showed Bokuto's Tik Tok video on his phone screen.

Mei looked at it and gasped. “Almost three hundred thousand views? Bo! What the fu--”

“Mei, language.”, Wakatoshi said and put his hand on her thigh.

 

Mei continued to mumble under her breath. 

 

“You did great, though. What’s the big deal?”, Rin said.

“I don’t like posting publicly.”, she huffed. "Plus, I only sang because Keiji agreed.."

"Hey! You sang with me before that!", Bokuto whined. 

Mei blinked. "Did I?",she asked, trying to remember.

"Yes, you did. You two sang Dynamite.", Akaashi chuckled.

"That's one of onee-san's favorite songs. She's been a bit obsessed with BTS for a while now.", Rin beamed.

 

Mei looked at him like he said something crazy. "Are you sure you're talking about the same onee-san? The one who got married today? "

"Yeah, what? Don't believe me?"

"Nah. No way.", she shook her head. 

"Alright, I bet you the car I promised that if you sing a BTS song later and Onee-san reacts positively, I won't get you the car.", Rin grinned mischievously.

Akaashi looked at his best friend in worry, "Mei.. you have to think this through--"

 

"Deal.", Mei said confidently.

 

"Alrighty then," Rin smirked. "I guess you're not getting the car.", he shrugged as he walked off to tell the organizer about the surprise.

"Keiji, you have to sing with me."

Akaashi sighed. "Why me? Just sing with Kou again."

"But you sound better.", she said.

"Hey!", Bokuto whined.

"Keiji~, I'll buy you all the onigiri you want for a week. ", she pleaded.

Akaashi eyed her for a moment before sighing again. "Two weeks."

She grinned. "You got it!" 

 

**

 

"Looks like we have a surprise performance from none other than the bride's little sister and her frie-- "

"Best friend.", Mei corrected.

"Ah, I'm sorry, best friend!", the host said with enthusiasm while the crowd clapped. 

Mina, who sat beside her husband, watched in confusion. "What is happening?", she asked him, but the groom only shrugged, clueless as well.

"Alright, put your hands together for  Sugawara Mei and Akaashi Keiji!", the host introduced them before exiting the stage.

The two walked to the middle of the stage, each holding a microphone. 

Mei felt all eyes on them and gulped nervously.

 

The drummer of the wedding band hit his sticks together thrice before the music officially started and Mei sang first, her eyes on the newly-weds.

 

"Smooth like butter

Like a criminal undercover~"

 

Mina's eyes widened but she kept a straight face. The groom and the crowd cheered at the sound of Mei's voice, and cheered louder when Akaashi sang too.



Akaashi:

"Gon’ pop like trouble

Breakin’ into your heart like that”




Akaashi smiled as he continued.

“Side step right left to my beat (Heartbeat)

High like the moon rock with me baby”

 

Mei: 

Know that I got that heat

Let me show you ’cause talk is cheap

Side step right left to my beat 

 

Mei & Akaashi:

 

Get it, let it roll~

 

Mina was still trying to not show interest but Rin suddenly dragged her to the stage and started dancing with her as Mei and Akaashi continued to sing.

 

Mei and Akaashi:

“Smooth like (Butter)

Cool shade (Stunner)

And you know we don’t stop

Hot like (Summer)

Ain’t no (Bummer)

You be like oh my god

We gon’ make you rock and you say (Yeah)

We gon’ make you bounce and you say (Yeah)”




Mina finally broke into a smile and started singing along. 

Bokuto went to the groom and dragged him to the stage too.

The newly-weds danced as everybody else in the reception hall clapped along.

Rin grinned at Mei and she only rolled her eyes at him as she kept singing, a smile on her lips.

Wakatoshi and Rei remained at their table and watched in amusement.

 

Mei:

"Hotter?”

 

Akaashi:

“Sweeter!”

 

Mei:

“Cooler?”


Akaashi:

“Butter!”

 

Mei & Akaashi:

“Get it, let it roll~”

 

The crowd clapped and cheered after they ended the performance.

 

**

 

"Well, that was fun.", Bokuto said as they all sat down.

"I guess I won't be getting that car.", Mei sighed but chuckled.

"I was only kidding, Mei.", Rin laughed. "But it was fun to see you so fired up." 

Wakatoshi put an arm around her shoulder and whispered to her ear. "You were great."

Mei felt her cheeks flush. 

"I'm gonna go to the bathroom real quick.", she stuttered and immediately left the table. 

 

**

 

She sighed as she sat on the toilet. She didn't even need to go to the bathroom, she just wanted to get away from everything.

Why are they all being nice now? Onee-san seems happy but there's no way she likes me. That was probably just for show or something. This is all too good to be true.

"Did you see her boyfriend? Isn't he some kind of famous athlete?"

"Yeah, and he's dating her ? Isn't she, like, the failure of their family?"

"Yeah. Mina-chan's a top lawyer, her parents and two brothers are the best surgeons in the country and she's…?"

"Nothing.", she cackled. 

"Rei-kun is still so dreamy though. Ah~, If only he wasn't so rude.", she chuckled.

"Rin is pretty cute, too bad he's a fag."







What the actual fuck








Mei slammed the door open and saw the two women fixing their makeup in front of the mirror.   

"What did you just say about my brother?", she grumbled as she stepped closer to them.

Girl 1 looked at her and smirked and laughed, "What? That he's a fa--"

A ripping sound echoed throughout the large bathroom. Mei had grabbed one of the girl's short sleeves and tore it off.

"What the-- Do you know how expensive this dress is?!" , the girl panicked as she backed away from her.

Mei looked at the mirror and fixed her fringe. "Then you should have enough money to buy some decency.", she then walked past them but stopped and turned to face them.

"You can insult me all you want, I'm used to it, being the failure of the family and all. But disrespect my brothers again and I will make sure to do more than rip your cheap dress." 

"You bitch!", the other girl rushed toward her and raised her hand to slap her across her face.

 

"What do you think you're doing to my sister?.", a menacing voice said as he grabbed the girl's hand. 

 

Mei turned and saw Rei towering over them. Anyone could tell how furious he looked.

The girl pulled her hand away and nervously took a step back. "Rei-kun.", she stuttered. 

"You two are no longer guests here. Get out now, or would you like me to call security?”

The two girls flinched and immediately left. 

Rei sighed and rubbed his temples.

"Uh.. Nii-san.. We're technically still in the women's restroom."

He blinked and looked around. "Oh." 

 

They both walked out and stopped at the open bar. 

"So, care to tell me what that was about?", Rei said after he ordered a drink. 

"I'd rather not.", She mumbled then called the bartender and ordered a rum and coke.

"Mei, you can tell me. Did they do something --"

"...They called Rin a fag."

 

Rei kept quiet for a moment before speaking again. "So that's why you tore the sleeve off that girl's dress."

Mei flinched and brought her hands to her face. "So, you saw and heard everything?"

Rei hummed and took a sip of his drink. "Only from the part you tore her dress. So, I guess you don't hate Rin."

"I'm still not sure about that." , she grumbled and finished her drink in one go.

"You know, he's the one who talked to onee-san about you."

She glanced at him. "...What did he say?"

 

"He told her to not be so harsh on you just because you were able to do what you wanted in college. Did you know she only went to law school to piss off mom and dad?"

Mei was shocked. "I .. did not know that."

"Rin told her that just because you took a course that you actually like, doesn't mean you're not under pressure like the rest of us. You stood your ground and I admire you for that." he smiled. "But I guess it would be nice to study for only four years though.", he chuckled.

"You're a great doctor now… but did you even want to become one?"

Rei nodded. "I did. It seemed fun, you know, to cut people open, poke their brains, and to save lives, of course. It wasn't fun anymore when I was required to like it."

"Mom and dad can be…", she started.

"a bit too much.", they both said at the same time. They looked at each other for a second and burst out laughing.

 

"You two seem to be having fun."

 

The two turned to the voice and saw Rin smiling at them.

"We were just talking about you.",Rei said.

"Rei-nii, don't even think about telling him what happ--"

"Mei defended you from a couple of homophobic guests earlier.", Rin said calmly.

Mei's eyes widened before she was pulled into a tight hug. "Oh, my tsundere baby sister likes me now.", Rin sang.

"Get off me.", she whined.

 

Rei ordered drinks for their table before they went back to the others.

Rin finally pulled away but kept his arm around her shoulder as they walked.  "Hey, when do you have time? Let's go car shopping!", he beamed. "You're about to start your internship next semester, right? I don't want you to commute."

"Ah, we should look at apartment listings, too." , Rei said. 

"You're both so… clingy. It's just.. ugh.", she shuddered and finally sat down next to her boyfriend.  

"Is next Saturday okay for you, Mei?", Rin beamed as he looked at the calendar on his phone. 

"Aren't those things meant for after I graduate?, And I'm busy…", she mumbled and glanced at Wakatoshi, silently asking for help.

The olive haired blinked. "You don't have classes and work on Saturday. "

"Okay, Saturday it is!", Rin said and typed away on his phone. 

"Wakatoshi, you're supposed to make an excuse for me.", she whined, a pout on her lips.

Akaashi chuckled. "You should've glanced at me, then. "

The rest of them let out a laugh while Wakatoshi was still a bit confused. 

 

**



Mei and Waka go back to his apartment around 6pm

The couple finally arrived at Wakatoshi's apartment and they went straight to his room. Mei sighed as she lied back on his bed

"What do you want for dinner?", he sat beside her and rubbed a hand on her arm.

"Hmm.. I'm not that hungry.. I'm just tired.", her voice a bit coarse. 

"I'll order something light later.", he said. "How about karaage?" ,he stood and took his jacket off. 

She hummed as she peeked at him then sat up. "I know I have clothes here, but can I borrow one of your shirts?" 

"Sure." he said and opened his closet.

Mei felt a smile to her lips, she stood and went over to his side and pointed to his Adlers jersey. "Can I use this one?" 

He blinked before nodding. Mei took the shirt and placed it on the bed. He quickly changed into sweatpants and a shirt. 

"Wakatoshi, can you help unzip my dress?" , she said as she failed to pull the zipper down her back because it got stuck. He walked over to her and carefully pulled it down, revealing her bare skin. He felt a blush creep to his cheeks so he quickly pulled away and sat on his bed. 

" Thanks~.",  she sang and completely took the dress off, Wakatoshi looked away. 

Mei turned around and saw his flushed face. She let out a chuckle and put his shirt on. 

 

"What's wrong?", she teased and sat back down on his bed.  He looked back at her and saw how loose his jersey fit her. It was long and barely reached her mid-thighs but it rode up when she sat.

"I'll go make some tea.", he quickly said and rushed out of the room.

Mei watched him in amusement and followed him out a little later. 

He leaned back on the counter as he waited for the kettle to go off, his cheeks tinted pink.

"Wakatoshi~", she sang and went over to him, phone and wallet in hand. "I'm gonna buy some snacks downstairs. Do you want anything?"

He narrowed his eyes at her, "You can't go out wearing just that."

"Hmm, why? Your jersey is as long as a dress." She said and made her way to the door. 

"Mei.", he sighed and followed her out of his apartment. 

 

The two got in the elevator. Mei pressed the button for the lobby and turned to her frowning boyfriend.

"Okay, what's wrong?", she poked his arm.

"You should've worn shorts.." He mumbled.

Mei laughed as the elevator doors opened.  "Even if I did, you're still gonna take it off me later anyway.", she teased as they walked out.

Now even more flustered, he jogged after her. 

 

"Welcome.", a tired convenience store employee said groggily as the couple entered the store. 

Mei went straight to the fridge and picked up a few cans of flavored beer and put it in the basket he held. 

"Hmm.." She picked up a pack of shrimp crackers then a pack of hi-chew. "Babe, do you want anything else?", she said as she looked at the shelf of snacks.  

Wakatoshi looked at her, his mouth slightly gaped.

When she didn't hear a response, she looked at him and saw his shocked expression. She raised a brow at him. "What?"

"You..", he mumbled and brought his hand to cover part of his face.

She just chuckled though she didn't know what made him so flustered. She picked up another pack of junk food and went to pay at the counter with him.



**



"Hey, Wakatoshi.", she said after she put the beer in his fridge, now walking to the living room where her boyfriend sat on the couch and browsed through netflix. 

"Yes?", he asked, focused on the tv. 

"Why were you blushing earlier at the store?"She teased and sat beside him.  

He flinched and glanced at her.

"Was it because I called you babe?", she said playfully as she moved closer to him, placing her index finger under his chin.

Wakatoshi swallowed the lump in his throat as he watched her. He nodded. 

Amused, she moved to whisper to his ear. "Did you like it that much, babe? 

"Mei, stop teasing..", he said breathily. He was clearly frustrated and turned on.

She chuckled, now moving her hand down from his chest to his torso and to the band of his sweatpants. 

"My, my. I should call you babe more often, then.", she teased as she slipped her hand past his pants and boxers and slowly rubbed his hardness.

Wakatoshi let out a low groan as he moved his hand to her thigh.

"You're already so hard, my love. What went through your mind earlier when you saw me in your jersey?", she pecked his lips, as she kept her hand on his dick, now rubbing her thumb on the tip.  

She watched him whimper as she started to pump slowly. His eyes were hooded and his chest rose with his heavy breaths. His gaze flicked from her hand then to her face, his lips slightly parted.

 

He let out a breath. "I wanted to take it off you as soon as you put it on."

 

"Really?", she challenged, a playful smirk on her lips as she pulled her hand out of his pants and stood in front of him. She slowly lifted the jersey upwards, but only a little bit. Wakatoshi watched as she revealed more of her thighs. 

He reached for her, turning her around first before he  pulled her to sit on his leg. Now her back pressed against his chest, he traced a hand up her inner thigh slowly  and pressed his lips down her neck.

Mei let out a breath at his touch as she grinded on his thigh, pressing her body back against him. His hand snaked past her underwear and he slowly rubbed her wetness.

"Babe...", she pleaded, though it was more of a whisper, as she bucked her hips against his hand. He rubbed circles on her clit with his thumb before he slipped his middle and ring finger in her.

"You know, the shirt you wore earlier was so tight that other women kept staring at you.." she let out a shaky breath. "Then you kept teasing me, keeping your hand on my thigh and it just--"

His long and thick fingers were knuckle deep in her. She was caught off guard when he curled them and it hit just the right spot. She jolted at this and felt a shiver throughout her body. 

"Found it.", he said proudly and curled his fingers again, earning another moan from her. 

"Shit.. You're so good, babe.", she whimpered and she rode his fingers as she held onto him.

He doesn’t answer with words, his right hand tilted her chin so he can meet her lips. It was a bit of an awkward angle but as soon as his tongue swiped at her bottom lip, it didn't matter.  She opened her mouth to him and nearly groaned as he pushed his tongue into her mouth. 

His other hand slipped under the jersey and went to her chest, pulling on her bra to give her hardened nipple a squeeze. He thrusted his fingers faster and Mei felt her insides tighten. “Fuck..” she moaned against his lips. “Wakatoshi, more..”

Mei felt it, she was close but he suddenly slowed his fingers,, all the rush she was about to release suddenly fading. He pulled them out and rubbed circles on her clit.

“What the hell…”, she panted after Wakatoshi pulled away from her lip and moved to her neck. 

 

“Not yet.”, he grumbled and gave her earlobe a nibble. 

 

Babe..” she whined and he only chuckled.



In one swift motion, he stood and had her in his arms. She held onto him as he made his way to his room. He gently placed her on the bed.

He rummaged around his bedside drawer until he found what he was looking for. Mei snatched the small box from his hand and took a condom out. It was no secret how truly huge Wakatoshi’s build is, and his dick is no exception. It’s long and girthy, She felt her wetness throbbed at even the thought of it being inside her again.

Wakatoshi quickly stripped before he moved closer and grabbed her by the hips, dragging her ass to the edge of the bed. Mei wrapped her legs around his waist, giving him a full view of herself. She ribbed the small packet open and reached a hand to his twitching hardness, stroking it lightly. She grinned when he let out a groan and put the thin condom on his dick. 

“Ultra-thin, huh?", she teased, spreading herself for him so he can enter more easily. Even after all this time, she still felt a burn when he pushed in, his dick stretching her in the most delectable way. 

“Fuck, you’re big,” she hitched a breath as he thrusted out. She gripped onto his arms ,digging in hard enough to bruise his tan skin.

He enjoyed the sight of her just losing it, how nothing else seemed to matter when they made love. She wished she could wipe the smug look on his face but she threw her head back in pleasure when he pulled out and slammed back into her again. She felt how big he really was whenever he pulled out and she wasn’t sure how long she was going to last from the overstimulation.

“You really like me in your jersey?”, she teased, though she was a bit breathless. He nodded. Seeing her wear his number just made him want to fuck her until dawn.

She kept herself up on her trembling arms as she moaned. Wakatoshi held her hips up by her ass as he fucked her, his nails digging into her skin, not that she felt them. 

“You take me in so well.,” he praised and leaned down to capture her lips. From that angle, he hit  even deeper, and Mei could barely hold back her voice anymore. He filled her up so well and she never wanted it to end. Her legs shook and toes curled as he kept hitting that spot within her.

“Wakatoshi, fuck..!”, she cried out as her trembling hands gripped at his skin. 

“I’m already doing that, my love.,” he joked, but his pants were just as noticeable as hers. If she wasn’t so preoccupied, she might have teased him for even making a joke. Wakatoshi hissed as she felt her tighten around him, he brought his hand to her wetness and gave her clit a light pinch. 

 

It was like he flipped a switch.

 

This caused her to jolt and couldn’t help but feel a warm release come over her, flooding through her and making squeeze her eyes shut. She even felt a little lightheaded. Now she felt like thanking her boyfriend for not making her cum with his just his fingers earlier because having her climax as he fucked her senseless was better than anything else. But she barely had any energy left in her.

He thrusted a few more times before releasing his own with a grunt. Wakatoshi slowly pulled out and got rid of the condom and Mei wished they didn't use one seeing how much he cummed. She wanted him to fill her up.

"Babe..?", she mumbled as Wakatoshi moved to lie beside her, resting his hand on her bare stomach. 

"Yes, my love?", he inched closer and placed a kiss on her cheek.

Mei turned a bit, now fully facing him, and brought her hand to his slick member again. She felt him flinch and she couldn't help but smirk.

"Again.", she whispered , putting her leg over his waist as she used her hand to position his dick to her entrance. 

Wakatoshi, obviously stunned, felt himself go hard again. He put a hand on her hip and slammed his dick into her harshly. 

" Oh..", she moaned, curling her leg around his waist even more. With Wakatoshi's size, she realized she preferred doing it raw because she felt every inch of him. She put a hand on his shoulder for support.

"You're still so tight, Mei.", he teased as he thrusted faster. 

"You're the one who's getting bigger … inside... oh fuck ", she bit on lower lip as hit her spot once again. 

 

Wakatoshi grabbed her by the hips and changed their position.

Mei was on top of him now and it was a sight he very much enjoyed.

"Since you wanted another round, I guess you should do it yourself.", he said bluntly.

She could barely think straight as she leaned back a little, her hands on his thighs for support, the change of angle made him reach deeper into her. Wakatoshi kept his hands on her hips as she rode him. 

His thumb found her clit again and Mei shook her head with a whine, tears already at the edge of her eyes with the overstimulation. 

She bit on the back of her hand with a pleading look.

“Wakatoshi, I can’t—”

“Yes, you can,” he promised as rubbed her throbbing bud faster. 

He flipped their position again and now he was on top. Gently setting her head on his pillow, he brushed his lips onto hers as he slammed deeply into her. 

Mei felt it so suddenly that she couldn't help but cry out his name as her eyes started to water. His thrusts continued as she cummed around him, but they were sloppier, heavier.

"Shit," , he hissed.

And then she felt it, a sudden warmth filled her insides and it brought her pure bliss. Mei tightened her wrapped legs around his waist as he continued to fill her up. 

Wakatoshi pressed his forehead against hers, both were catching their breath.

“Best cardio ever.”, Mei joked and Wakatoshi smiled before kissing her, slowly and lovingly. 

 

 

Notes:

It's obvious I've hit a wall again because of the smut at the end LOL

I'll fix the weird spacing later hngngn

Also, "Permission to Dance" is out! omg

Chapter 23: Test

Summary:

Chocolate

Notes:

Hello! A very quick paced chapter.

Enjoy!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

 

 

“Before I end this class, you will all be put into groups for your final project.”, The professor said as he picked up a piece of paper from his folder. 

Mei frowned and glanced at Akaashi, who sat next to her. 

“This will take up 40 percent of your final grade so no slacking off and absolutely no freeloading. If the latter happens, group leaders must inform me right away.”, their professor said as he eyed the whole class.

Akaashi glanced at his best friend and poked her arm. “I hope we’re in the same group.”

Mei nodded.

“I have a list of groups here. No switches are allowed. You’re stuck with whoever I put you with.”, their professor glared before announcing the groups he made.

 

**

 

“Alright, who will be the group leader?”, Mei asked. 

There were five of them in the group. Akaashi, Mei, two boys named Nifuji Takashi and Takahashi Haruki, and a girl named Shio Ami. They remained in the room even after their class ended to talk about the project before heading out to lunch. 

“I think you should do it, Sugawara-san.”, the Shio girl said sweetly.  “You’re very reliable.”

Mei blinked and glanced at Akaashi. He raised an eyebrow at her as he tried to hold back a smile.

“Yeah, I agree.”, Haruki beamed.

“Same here.”, Takashi seconded.

“I guess Sugawara-san is now our group leader.”, Ami chirped and clapped her hands. 

Fucking hell. 

Mei sighed and gave in. “Uh.. Alright then. Then I’ll designate our tasks and send it later. Then we can meet on Saturday to start working on the project?”

Everybody agreed and stood from their seats.

“Can I have lunch with you, Sugawara-san?”, Ami said sweetly. 

“Um.. Yeah, sure.”, she said sheepishly. “Is that alright with you, Keiji?”

Akaashi nodded and they all went to the cafeteria.

 

**

 

“You are despicable.”, Mei pouted as she sat across from him at the cafeteria. 

“Don’t worry, I’m not a freeloader.”, the owl boy joked before he ate a spoonful of rice.

“Sugawara-san, here! My treat.”, Ami, who just got back from the vending machine, handed her a can of coffee and sat down.

“Thank you, Shio-san. You didn’t have to--”

“Oh, don’t mention it. We’re friends now, right?”, she chirped.

“Oh.. Yeah, friends..”, she said shyly. The only girls she could call friends were also previous volleyball club managers because they went through the same thing: dealing with a bunch of volleyball idiots. Not to mention, she wasn’t exactly outgoing.

Akaashi eyed the interaction and raised a brow. He had a gut feeling but chose to ignore it for now. 

 

**

 

A few days later they group went to meet at the lounge to start on their work. They all sat at the same table with their laptops out. Mei had given them their designations and they were still debating on who would present with her. 

“I’m not good at presentations.. Kinda have stage fright and all.. But I’ll do my best with what you assigned to me, Sugawara-san. Promise!”, Haruki said. 

“Aren’t you friends with Mei-chan, Akaashi-san?”, Ami turned to the owl boy. “Why don’t you do it?”

Akaashi narrowed his eyes on her and was about to say something but Mei beat him to it. 

“Keiji’s already helping me with the data gathering and revisions so I think it would be better for someone else to present with me.”, Mei said and smiled.

“Why don’t you do it, Shio-san? I think you’ll do a good job presenting.” Takashi suggested. “I’m not really good at talking in front of people either… so..”

Ami kept quiet for a second but flashing another one of her cheeky smiles. “Well, if you think I’ll do well.. Then okay!”, she giggled. 

Mei let out a huff and forced a smile. “Alright, then it’s decided. Shio-san and I will present. If we can finish everything by Friday, it’ll give us an ample amount of time to practice presenting. So please,”, she paused and gave them a look. “Do your parts and submit them to me and Keiji on ti--”

“Mei-chan!”, a familiar voice sang. The group turned their heads and laid their eyes on the tall redhead who carried a few small boxes in his hands. 

“Satori! Hey~. “, Mei greeted him and stood to give him a side hug.

“Here, have some. I just made these in class.”, he handed her a box then another to Akaashi. 

“Ooh, chocolate.”, Mei chirped and gladly took the box and opened it before setting it down on the table. 

“Feel free to share them. I’ll get going. I’m off to force feed your boyfriend this whole box.”, Tendou grinned.

“You know he doesn’t eat sweets unless you make them.”, Mei chuckled. “Bye, Tendou~”, she waved a hand before the redhead turned to leave. 

Mei sat back down and found her three groupmates staring at her while Akaashi was busy nibbling on a piece of chocolate as he typed. His own box of chocolate by the side of his laptop, out of reach from everyone else. 

“What?”, Mei raised a brow at them. 

“Who was that weird looking guy?” Shio said with a smile.

Akaashi glared at the girl and watched the situation quietly.

“His name is Tendou Satori and he’s a really good friend of mine. Have some chocolate, it’s really good..”, Mei took a piece and popped it in her mouth. Quite unbothered, she offered the box to them before typing away on her laptop again. 

 

**

 

A couple of hours later, Akaashi stood from his seat and stretched his arms upward. “I’m gonna buy something to drink.”, he said before leaving the table.

“Um.. Sugawara-san..?”, Haruki asked shyly. 

Mei looked up from her laptop and looked at the blushing boy. “Yeah, what’s up?” 

“I just wanted to ask if… uh--”

 

Ring ring ring 

 

Mei’s eyes drifted to Akaashi’s ringing phone and saw Bokuto calling. She picked it up and answered the call. 

“Hey, Bo. It’s Mei. Keiji went out to buy a dri-- Okay, wait, slow down.. No.. What do you mean by that? He’s not mad at you, he’s with me because we have a project together.. Uh huh.. Yep. I’m not lying. Stop it or I swear --”, Mei sighed.

"Bo, calm down or do you want me to tell him about that Tiktok draft I saw you doing? Yeah, that’s what I thought. Uh huh, yes. We’ll be done in a few. Yes, you can pick him up now.”, Mei let out a laugh, "Alright. Bye, Bo.”, she ended the call and set the phone down before looking over to Haruki again. 

“Sorry, you were saying?”

“Um.. yeah. I was wondering if Akaashi-san is dating anyone?”

Mei stared at him for a second before bursting into a fit of giggles. The blushing boy looked like he was about to faint from embarrassment.

“Crap, I'm sorry. I’m not making fun of you. It’s just..”, she let out a breath to calm herself first. “The one who called was --”

“Mei-chan!~”, the booming voice of another owl boy cut her off. 

“Oh shit, speak of the devil himself.”, Mei chuckled. 

“Hey, hey, hey! Mei-chan, where’s Keiji?”, Bokuto beamed as he arrived at their table.

“Right here.”, Akaashi said from behind him, holding two cans of coffee in his hands. He handed one to Mei before going back to his seat. 

“'kaashi!”, Bokuto said lovingly and sat next to him. “Mei-chan said you guys are pretty much done. Let’s go home.”

Akaashi hummed and typed a few more lines before saving his work. 

“Haruki-san, uh.. To answer your question... This is Bokuto Koutaro, Keiji’s --”, Mei started but was cut off by Akaashi. 

“He’s my boyfriend.”, he said plainly as closed his laptop.

“Hello, everyone.”, Bokuto chirped and smiled at them. 

 “His very annoying boyfriend,'' Mei teased.

 

“Hey!”, the owl boy whined. 

 

Akaashi chuckled and gave the taller boy a kiss on the cheek before he fixed his things.

Ami narrowed her eyes at the couple, still keeping a smile on her lips.

Haruki, still a blushing mess, quietly gathered his things while Takashi put a hand on his shoulder as a silent way of comfort. 

“How about you, Mei-san? Are you dating anyone?”, Shio said sweetly, fluttering her lashes.

“Oh.. um, yeah..” Mei smiled a little at the thought of her adorable boyfriend. 

“Woah, really? Who is he? Show us a photo!”, the girl said. 

Mei picked up phone hesitantly. “You probably know him. His name is --”

“Mei.”, a familiar voice interrupted her and the group all looked up at the 6 '4 man, in workout clothes, standing before them.

She brightened up, immediately standing and giving her boyfriend a hug. “Hey, babe.”, she said sweetly. 

 

“Ready to go?” he asked, then gave her a kiss on the forehead. 

 

Mei nodded and picked up her bag. “Guys, this is Ushijima Wakatoshi.. Uh ..my boyfriend.”, she said sheepishly. 

"Woah.", Takashi said in awe as he saw the seemingly stoic man. 

“Nice to meet you!”, Shio said cheerfully and stood. She walked over to the taller man and shook his hand. 

Akaashi watched in silence as he stood up as well. 

“Why don’t we all go out for dinner and drinks?”, Shio insisted, keeping her eyes on Wakatoshi. 

Mei looked at her with wide eyes. 

“Actually, we have plans. “, Akaashi interrupted and walked over to Mei. “We were gonna check out the bookstore before dinner, right? They have new releases that came in today.”

Mei blinked. “Oh yeah.”, she said as if she just remembered. 

Wakatoshi just watched, a bit confused but nodded anyway. 

Shio clenched her jaw but forced a smile. “Then, we should do it sometime this week instead.”

“Yeah, sure.”, Mei smiled. 

“Let’s go.”, Akaashi said and dragged his best friend away, while their boyfriend’s trailed after them. 

 

**

 

“Alright, what was that about, Keiji?”, Mei said, as she sat across from him at a fastfood place, Wakatoshi beside her and Bokuto beside him. 

They didn’t even go to the bookstore and she was a bit annoyed to be surrounded by people who ate a lot. 

“...”

“Keiji.”, she whined. 

“It’s nothing.”, he said calmly before taking a bite of his burger. 

“Is this about Haruki-san? Because he already knows you’re dating Bo and I know he’s gonna back off. Though he never really did anything, he just asked if you were single so --”

“Mei, I’m fine.”, Akaashi sighed. 

Mei huffed and rolled her eyes at him. Wakatoshi brought a french fry near her lips and she gave him a pointed look. “I already ate earlier.”

“That was lunch.”, Akaashi said immediately. 

“You’re such a snitch, you know that?.”, she grumbled and ate the damned fry. 

 

**

 

“Mei-chan, I’ll get going now. I have something important with my family. You can finish this, right?”, Ami said as she stood from her seat. The two met up at the lounge to work on their project while the others were still in class. They all agreed to meet since their presentation is in a few days. 

“Yeah, don’t worry about it. Just don’t forget we still have to meet up to practice our presentation.”, Mei said and smiled up at her and watched the girl leave. She sighed and continued to type away on her laptop. 

A few minutes later she received a message from their group chat. 

 

Haruki: 

Sugawara-san, I might not be able to meet you and the others TT__TT But I already finished my part so I’ll send it right now to you and Akaashi-san. 

 

Takashi: 

Same here, something came up. Gotta meet my professor after my class. I’ll send mine tonight. 

 

Mei:

Okay. no problem. Just send your work by 8pm. 

 

**



Mei stayed at the lounge for a few more hours before Akaashi arrived from his last class.

“Where is everybody?”, he asked as he sat down in front of her. 

“Not here, obviously.”, she snapped but continued typing.

He frowned at her tone and looked at his watch. 

 

8:25pm

 

“And you’ve been here since 3? Where’s Shio-san and the others?”

“Can you just shut up? They already said they couldn't make it in our group chat.”

Akaashi gave her a pointed look and scoffed. “Fine. I’ll just leave you alone then.”

Mei looked up and saw he was about to leave. She sighed and called out to him. “Wait, Keiji.. I'm sorry, alright? I didn’t mean to snap at you. I’m just ….really tired and stressed.”,  she brought her hands to her face in frustration. “They haven’t even sent in their parts yet and we only have a few days. I can't fail this class if I want to maintain my scholarship.”

Akaashi sat back down and stared at her. “I forgive you...But you have to eat dinner with me.”

She looked up at him with a disgusted look and the owl boy kept his stoic expression. 

“I’m not hungry.”

“Do you want me to call Ushijima-san then?”

“You wouldn’t.”

Akaashi took out his phone and tapped away but Mei grabbed his hand before he could press the call button. “Alright, alright! Geez..”

 

**

 

“I really did send it!”, Shio yelled. 

“You didn’t. I had to do your part because I had to turn it in.”, Akaashi said calmly as he typed on his laptop. 

“What’s going on?”, Mei asked as she arrived at their table. 

Haruki and Takashi looked at her nervously. 

“Shio-san didn't send her work to me on time. I had to do it for her just so I can send in our final draft.”

“Oh crap.." Mei sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "Keiji, I’m sorry. She sent it to me but I forgot to forward it to you.”

The owl boy looked at her in disbelief. “ It's her responsibility to send it to me and not yours. I had to stay up until 4 this morning just so I can submit it on time. I only had 2 hours of sleep because of her and you're seriously defending her right now?”

“What? No. I’m telling you the truth. I didn’t mean for you to do all that work. I’ll do all the revisions now so don’t worry about it anymore.”

Akaashi slammed his laptop shut and got up. "I’m leaving, then. ”, he grumbled. 

 

**

 

“Love…?”, Wakatoshi poked her arm. 

 

Mei blinked and turned to him. “Sorry. What was that?”

The couple sat on his couch and were watching a movie, or at least Wakatoshi was.

“Is something bothering you?”

Mei hummed and brought her knees to her chest, resting her chin on them as she faced the tv. 

“Keiji's mad at me and... I don't know. I'm just tired I guess." she sighed and ran a hand through her hair. 

“Come here.”, he mumbled, and opened his arms for her.

Mei glanced at him and pursed her lips. She moved closer to him and let herself be embraced in his arms, relaxing in the warmth he emitted and basked in his scent, nuzzling his chest.

“Sorry.. I barely talked to you at dinner and the movie.. I’m sorry..”, she tightened her hug.

Wakatoshi kissed the top of her head and gently rubbed a hand on her back. “It’s alright. Being with you like this is more than enough.”

She felt her heart skip a beat.  

“You know what would make you feel better?”

“Hmm… What?”

“Cuddles,” he squeezed her into him a little, “and kisses.” He pecked her cheek a couple times and she let out a chuckle. 

How can he say that with such a straight face? 

Wakatoshi trailed gentle kisses from her cheek to her neck as he whispered praises to her, hoping she’ll forget her problems even just for a little while. 

 

**

 

“Mei-chan, are you free tomorrow?” Tendou asked as they walked together, his arm around her shoulder.

“I have to work on our presentation,''she groaned, “But I’m gonna be at the lounge working on it for the next few days if you need me.”

“We’re making pastries for a project. I just need you to taste them.”

“I’m not saying no to that. I'm sure Keiji would like them as well.”, she smiled a bit. 

The two were about to turn a corner when Mei heard a familiar voice. 

"I'm telling you, she's stupid. She may have good grades but she's a total pushover. I got her to do most of my work for that group project we have. I should've approached her a long time ago. Plus her boyfriend's really hot and I bet I can snatch him from her.", Ami laughed as she talked on the phone. "She's got weird friends too. And all of them are guys! She's more of a slut than I am, and that's coming from me."

The redhead’s eyes narrowed at the sight of her groupmate, while Mei clenched her jaw as she listened. Tendou took out his phone and started taking a video of the rude girl.

"I met this one guy. He was so creepy! Red hair and all that. Like, ew. He gave us chocolate he made and I didn't dare take one.", Ami continued. 

Mei took a step forward, ready to lunge at the bitch but Tendou grabbed her hand to stop her. She looked back at him with watery eyes and he only shook his head as he held his phone up with his other hand. 

"Yeah, totally. I even got her to side with me instead of her faggot best friend. Yeah, the guy with the black hair, Akaashi.", she made a fake hurling sound, "Yeah, he was so mad it was funny.", she cackled, not noticing someone was listening in on her conversation. 

 

**

 

"Huh? Keiji, where's Mei-chan? You guys have that presentation tomorrow, right?." Bokuto asked when he arrived at their apartment. He set some snacks down on their coffee table and sat beside his boyfriend. 

"She's probably with her new best friend," Akaashi grumbled.

Bokoto was about to take a bite of his food but paused when he saw the look on his boyfriend's face. He set them down and scooted closer to him. 

"Hey, hey..", he cooed and immediately wrapped his arms around Akaashi, "Can you tell me what happened? "He put a hand on his head and gently played with his hair in an attempt to soothe him.

"Mei is just…", Akaashi sighed, frustrated. " She keeps taking Shio's side and.. I really have a bad feeling about that girl but Mei can't see it.",

Bokuto kissed the top of his head, "Friends fight, baby. I'm sure you two will work it out somehow."

"Maybe… or maybe we'll never be friends again."

"Ah! Stop the negativity, Keiji.", Bokuto pulled away, a pout on his lips. "You're too stressed. I think I know what you need.", he grinned as he stood up.

"What could I possibly need that will solve this problem--?" Akaashi paused and looked up at him, "Why are you taking your shirt off?"

"What? You don't like it? I've been working extra hard at training lately." he teased and threw his shirt away. Akaashi didn't see where it went because he was too focused on his hot, half-naked, and very well built boyfriend 

Bokuto slipped his pants off and began to straddle him on his lap. He slowly traced a finger on his chin. "You need to relax, Keiji.", he whispered before he dragged his lips to his neck. 

 

**

 

"Good morning.", their professor greeted. "Group A, lead by Sugawara, set up your stuff. You're on in five minutes." , he said and sat down at his desk. 

Mei got up from her seat and handed each of her group mates a printed copy of their presentation, except for Ami. 

"Hey, where's mine?", she said innocently.

"Oh, you're not part of this group anymore." ,Mei said plainly as she took out her laptop. 

"What ..what the hell?", Ami raised her voice and the whole room went quiet.

Akaashi, Haruki, and Takashi watched Mei, completely baffled.

"Why are you so surprised? You barely contributed anything, you didn't even come to practice the presentation with me so I figured you didn't want to do it anymore."

"Of course, I want to do it! This is a big part of our grade! You should've called me!"

"Should've done your part then." Mei smiled. "You seem to have had a lot of time in your hands, though. I guess you were too busy insulting my friends instead of doing actual work." ,she said calmly and stood up. 

Ami’s eyes started to water, a devastated look on her face. 

"Keiji, you can do the presentation with me, right?" Mei turned to him. 

Akaashi stared up at her before standing up, "Of course."

The two went to the front to set up her laptop. 

"I warned you, didn't I? No freeloaders.", The professor said to the whole class, his eyes stopping at the crying Ami, clearly amused. 

 

**

 

"What did she do that you just had to kick her off the group? You didn't even tell us. I know you're the group leader, but you still should've given us a heads up.", Takashi said. The group had stayed in the classroom as everybody else started to leave, though their professor was still there packing his stuff. 

"She didn't do her part. That's all there was to it. The file she sent to me last time was corrupted so it was useless. I had to do it myself.

Haruki chimed in, "Maybe you're making this a bit too personal? You said she insulted your friends an--”

 

"I met this one guy. He was so creepy! Red hair and all that. Like, ew. He gave us chocolate he made and I didn't dare take one. Yeah, totally. I even got her to side with me instead of her faggot best friend. Yeah, the guy with the black hair, Akaashi. Yeah, he was so mad it was funny."

 

Mei had taken out her phone and started playing a video for them and the two just looked stunned as they watched it until the end. Akaashi’s expression, however, was a bit unclear.

“Who took that video?”, Haruki asked in disbelief.

“Tendou. I was with him when this happened. I really just wanted to ..ugh..!” Mei let out a breath to ease her anger. She turned to Akaashi, “I can report her for discrimination if you need me to do so, Keiji.”

The owl boy shook his head. “There’s no need. Her repeating this class is more than enough compensation.”

“True that.”, their professor chimed in before he finally left the room. 

 

**

 

Akaashi and the others were still talking so she just made a lame excuse to leave. She sighed as she made her way out of the classroom. 

Despite the events that happened just an hour ago, she still wasn’t sure how to make up with her best friend, if she was even allowed to call him that.

“Mei.”, Akaashi suddenly called and catched up to her.

She slowed down a bit and walked beside him. “What’s up?”

He didn’t speak right away as they kept walking. 

Akaashi finally let out a huff, as if he just finished thinking of words to say.

"We should fight more often."

Mei raised a brow, a bit confused by his statement. 

"Hah? Why would you want that?"

"I just had the best sex of my life last night because I was sad about our friendship. Let's fight again next week”, he said with a straight face.

 

She burst out laughing and Akaashi joined in, too. 

 

Notes:

I noticed the previous chapter was around 4k words and then this one is like half of that XD talk about inconsistency LOL

I decided to upload this earlier than usual because I'm trying to finish up the oneshot I've been writing. Hopefully, I can have it up next week... or at least before this month ends because I already started on another one... AHHSKDXNALDIH

See you next week!

Chapter 24: Cake

Summary:

Purple stones

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

 

 

Mei sighed tiredly as she sat in a cab. She had just finished with her research class and was planning to sleep right away but she promised Wakatoshi dinner at least once a week. 

She took her phone out and dialed his number. It rang a few times before he answered.

"Hey babe, I'm on my way. I'll arrive in about ten minutes. What should I get for dinner?"

"No need. I already ordered some. Be careful on your way."

Mei stared at her phone when he hung up in a hurry. 

 

What the hell was that? 

 

She began to become a little antsy the whole ride and even more so when she got in the elevator. She let out a breath as she finally arrived at his door 

 

He sounded kinda angry. Is he angry?

 

S hit, did I do something wrong?

 

Did I forget something important?

 

Crap, what did I forget? 

 

She sighed and hesitantly pressed on the doorbell, tapping her foot nervously.

 

She heard a beep from her phone. It was a text from him.

" Just come in. I'm still in the shower." 

She blinked a few times before putting in the door code. 

 

Mei turned the knob and entered the apartment. It was dark and she didn't hear the shower running. 

"Wakatoshi?", she called out before switching on the lights. 

 

"Surprise!", a collective shout made her jump and clench her bag to her chest.

 

"What the fu--", she started but was cut off by another shout from at least twenty people in the living room.

"Happy Birthday!" 

 

Mei felt like her heart was about to jump out of her chest from the shock and something else.

 

Why are they all here?

 

She looked at all the faces, everyone she went to the beach with were there and Mei finally felt her eyes water. "What the hell guys..", she croaked and brought her hands to her face. 

"Mei-chan, don't cry.", Tendou cooed as he walked over to her. Akaashi put a hand on her back. 

Mei wiped her cheeks and looked up at all the people again. They were all smiling at her but she looked around the room and finally found who she was looking for.

Wakatoshi had a small smile on his lips and walked over to her while she immediately ran into his arms. 

The people around them cheered.

"Happy Birthday, my love." , he whispered to her and kissed the top of her head.

 

"Mei-chan~, make a wish!"Bokuto chirped.

She pulled away from her boyfriend and turned to see the owl boy holding a two-tiered cake with lit candles. She stepped closer to him and closed her eyes for a few seconds before blowing out the candles. 

Everyone cheered and greeted her again. 

"Senpai! Happy Birthday!", Goshiki beamed and gave her a hug. 

"Tsutomu, thank you!" , she chuckled. 

"Mei-chan~, I finally got to use the mixer you gave me.", Tendou sang and put an arm around her shoulders. 

"Woah, you made the cake?", she gasped. "That's really cool and so sweet of you.", she gave him a hug. "Thank you, Tendou.", she smiled at him when she pulled away. 

"Alright! Let's get this party started!" Bokuto said to a microphone ( that he brought with him to use for Karaoke, along with speakers), and started playing some music. 

 

**

 

"Hey, do you guys want some cake? Wakatoshi isn't big on sweets and I don't wanna eat it by myself.", Mei said sheepishly to the few people sitting in the living room and set the cake on the coffee table. 

"Yeah!" Yachi said happily.

"I'll go get a knife.", Kaori chirped and got up from her seat 

"I'll get us some plates.", Kiyoko said. 

Not even a few minutes later, everyone heard a pained scream from the kitchen, followed by the sound of something hitting the floor. 

Mei asked Bokuto to turn down the music and saw Akaashi help Kaori walk back to the living room. She froze.

 

Blood.

 

The red liquid was gushing from Kaori's arm and Mei froze. Wakatoshi immediately went to get his first aid kit. 

"Somebody get me a towel or anything to stop the bleeding." ,Akaashi said, visibly in panic.

Semi quickly handed him a handkerchief and the owl boy pressed it on the wound. 

“What happened?”, Suga asked in worry.

“I .. I was about to bring the knife .. for the cake but it.. Slipped and..”, Kaori stuttered as she cried in pain.

"Alright, everybody back off.", Mei suddenly spoke amongst the chaos quite calmly, everybody went quiet except for Kaori’s crying. She helped Akaashi move her to the couch so they could sit. 

"

Mei," Wakatoshi said as he crouched beside her and opened the first aid kit on the coffee table.

"Kaori-chan, I have to clean your wound first, alright?... And It’s a bit deep. I'm afraid you might need stitches. I can do it if you’ll let me..”, she said carefully.

Kaori nodded and squeezed her eyes shut as Mei dabbed the wound with an alcohol-soaked pad. 

Wakatoshi and the others watched in awe as Mei worked swiftly and quietly. She carefully covered the wound and the surrounding area with a betadine spray. She felt relieved so see a numbing agent in the kit and put it all over the wound. She took out a small pair of forceps and a suture needle with thread. 

"This might hurt and you’ll feel some pressure but it'll be over in a second, alright?" 

Kaori trembled and she didn’t dare open her eyes. She trusted Mei.

Mei let out a breath before she sunk the needle into Kaori's skin and finally stitched the wound together. 

 

"Mei-senpai...Where did you learn to do that?”, Goshiki stuttered in shock as he watched her. 

“I learned a lot of things growing up in a house full of doctors.”, she said calmly. In a matter of minutes, she was done. She sighed in relief. 

“That’s a clean stitch. You’re even better than my interns.”, a familiar voice said and all heads turned to the source, it was Rin. Her two brothers had arrived prior to her stitching and watched until she finished. They were just as curious as everybody else.

“Rin-nii and Rei-nii.. Oh thank god. Can you check on her wound?”, Mei stood and moved out of the way. She went to stand next to her boyfriend, who immediately put an arm around her.

The two walked over to them and Rei sat beside the poor girl, carefully examining her now stitched up arm.. “It’s good. Just wrap it and she’ll be alright.”, he said and everybody collectively sighed in relief. The older one began to wrap the girl’s arm with a bandage.

“Who knew years of practicing sutures on bananas would come in handy someday.”, Mei said out loud and everybody looked at her in shock. 

“On a banana?”, Tanaka flinched.

Mei nodded and Rin let out a laugh. “We couldn’t leave the dinner table if we did a wrong stitch.”

 

**

 

The party continued after a while and everybody took this as a chance to eat and take a breather. 

Mei went to the kitchen and washed her hands, only now she noticed how much she trembled. She let out a shaky breath before drying them with a paper towel. 

Wakatoshi arrived at the kitchen and heard her sigh. He couldn’t help but admire how levelheaded she was earlier. 

“Mei, They already sent Kaori-san home.”, he put a hand on her shoulder before leaning down to place a kiss on her forehead. 

“I don’t ever want to do that again… unless absolutely necessary.”, she said quietly as she leaned against the counter, her head hung low and arms crossed. "That was terrifying, holy shit.", She let out another shaky breath as she tried to calm down.

Ugh… This is why I didn't want to go to med school. 

Wakatoshi watched her and saw how her hands trembled. 

She didn't look like it but she's scared.

He walked over and put his arms around her. “Do you need them to leave?”, he whispered.

“No, God, no. They came all the way here for… me. It would be a waste.”, she mumbled, nuzzling his chest.

“Alright.”, he cooed, gently stroking her hair.

“And the cake isn’t gonna eat itself.”

 

**

 

“You really didn’t have to give me gifts..Guys, oh my god..”, Mei sat in the middle of the couch and everybody surrounded her, gifts in their hands. 

“You have no choice but to accept, alright?”, Bokuto teased and handed her a medium-sized wrapped box. “This is from Keiji and I. Open it.”, he said excitedly.

Mei placed the box on her lap and unwrapped the box. When she saw what was inside, she brought a hand to her mouth as she gasped. “Keiji, Bo.. what the--”

“Do you like it?”, Akaashi chuckled. 

“Like it? I love it!”, she stood and immediately pulled the two into a hug. Inside was her favorite band’s latest album.

"Senpai. Happy Birthday.", Shirabu mumbled and handed her a small envelope, looking away.

Mei looked at the setter in shock for a while before taking his gift. "Shirabu..? You didn't have to--”

"Just take it.", he grumbled, then immediately went back to his chair. Mei swore she saw the setter's cheeks turn pink. 

Shirabu's gift was a set of acrylic bookmarks, one of which was a customized one with a photo of the whole team that they took when the seniors graduated printed on it.  “Wow, this is..Shirabu, thank you..”, she smiled at him and the setter only avoided gaze.

 

“This is from us.”, Reon said, handing her the gift while gesturing to the other former Shiratorizawa members. 

Mei opened the large gift bag and she froze. Moments later she let out a squeal.

“Oh, I love you guys! Thank you!”, she squealed again as she took out the large Rilakkuma plush and more trinkets of the same bear.

“I told you she’d love it.”, Semi commented.

“And she used to have Rilakkuma keychains hanging on her gym bag all the time.”, Taichi said.

“Yeah, I did. I still have them.”, Mei chuckled.

“Sugawara-san, this is from me.”, Kenma gave her a small pink envelope. Mei took it and was about to open it but the blonde boy stopped her. “It’s a gift card...Uh.. Yeah. Open it later.”

Mei stared at him for a while then nodded before thanking him.

“Sugawara-chan, here’s mine.”, Kuroo said and handed her a red gift bag. 

 

Wakatoshi eyed them, his arms crossed, but he kept quiet. If it was up to him, he wouldn;t have invited the raven head. He knew Mei was friends with him but he still felt uneasy.

Mei smiled at the taller boy and carefully opened it. 

“Where the hell did you get this?”, she said excitedly as she took out a pink book. “I couldn’t even get a pre-order of this book. Isn't this sold out everywhere?"

“I know some people.”, Kuroo chuckled. “Open it,'' he said.

Mei opened to the first page and she held a hand to her mouth in shock. The book was signed by the author and even dedicated to her.

“No way...No way. Kuroo Tetsurou , holy shit!”, she set the book on the table and gave the raven-haired a hug. She pulled away and smiled at him. “Thank you, Kuroo.” 

Wakatoshi huffed and averted his eyes somewhere else. 

 

It’s just a hug… nothing else.

 

“Alright! My turn! Well, technically, this is from me and Onee-san”, Rin chirped and handed her a large box. It was a new laptop and Mei gladly accepted.

“Here’s mine. No returns.”, Rei warned her with a smile.

“No returns? What do you mean?”, She quickly opened the small pouch and took out a black card.

“What the ... I can’t take this.”

“No returns.”, Rei chuckled and ruffled her hair.

Everybody’s attention was on her and looked at the black card in her hand. 

Mei sighed in defeat, but smiled and wrapped her arms around her oldest brother.

 

**

 

The others helped clean up before they left so there wasn’t much to do. Mei put the last of the trash in the bin then washed her hands.

“Mei..”, Wakatoshi mumbled from behind her, resting his chin on her shoulder, his arms already around her waist. 

“Hi, babe.”, she quickly dried her hands and turned around to face him. She began to ramble with excitement. “Thank you for today. Really, it was really fun and all the gifts, wow. I didn’t even remember my own birthday was today and I kinda freaked out because I thought you were mad at me or something when you hung up on me earlier."

Wakatoshi gently put his hands to her cheeks and pulled her in for a kiss. She smiled against his lips. 

“I’m sorry for hanging up on you like that, I didn’t mean to make you worry."

She pecked his lips to stop him. “It’s fine, it’s fine.”

Wakatoshi pulled away from her, only taking a step back while Mei jumped to sit on the counter. “Here..”, he mumbled and handed her a small box. “Happy birthday.”

She took the small thing and glanced at him before opening it. Inside was a beautiful silver bangle that looked like vines and it was decorated with small purple stones, much like the stone on their rings. 

“I hope you like it.. I know everybody else’s gifts are far better --”

“I love it.”, she said in awe as she put the bangle on her left wrist and brought her hand up excitedly. “The stones match our rings. It’s beautiful.”. Wakatoshi watched her admire the bracelet and couldn’t help but smile.

“I had it made at the same store where we bought our rings on our first date.”, He said and held her hand, placing a kiss on the inside of her wrist.

“Isn’t that store a bit far from here?”, she reached her other hand up and gently patted his head.

“It is.”, he said quietly as he looked right into her eyes. “And I’m very happy you like it.”

“Love, not like. I love it.”, she chuckled and put her hands on his waist, pulling him closer., “and I love you.”

Wakatoshi could feel his heart race when he heard her. He put a hand to her chin and inched his face closer to hers.

“Happy birthday, my love.”, he whispered and pulled her in for a kiss.




Notes:

I just wanna run into Wakatoshi’s arms and nuzzle into his mommy milkers ehe
If any of y'all read Under Oak Tree on Manta Comics, Riftan reminds me SO MUCH of Ushijima GEEZ HAJDKSLKSKWLS

Sorry about this chapter. It's really short but I didn't want to drag it along anymore TT_TT

Anyone else listen to asmr guys? Because I came across this guy called Matthew Tower and I have no regrets subscribing to him on patreon. AND I SWEAR HIS VOICE AGGHH is so nice. Y'all should check him out (ONLY IF YOU ARE OF LEGAL AGE PLEASE <3)

Lastly, I'm not sure if ill be able to update next week because I have some medical stuff to deal with so um yeah /) >_< (\

Chapter 25: Help

Summary:

Friend

Song: "The Beach" by The Neighborhood

Notes:

Panic attacks or anxiety attacks are different for everybody. I wrote this based on my own experience. Remember, please get help even if you think you don’t need it.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

 

"Hey, babe. You have that TV interview today, right?", Mei spoke to her boyfriend on the phone as she walked to the station.

He hummed. "I'm already here. It's in ten minutes."

"Aw..I guess I won't be able to watch it live. I'll watch it later when I get back."

"Are you going to your internship today? I should have driven you over."

"Wakatoshi, stop. You're not my chauffeur. The train's usually not too crowded anyway." ,she chuckled. 

He let out a huff. "Will you come over tonight? I miss you..."

"Oh... I can't, I'm sorry."

"Why…?", he mumbled as he fiddled with a pen in his other hand.

"I have a presentation to work on for tomorrow."

"Again..?"

"Ah, I gotta go. The train's almost here. I'll text you later, okay?" 

"Okay…", he sulked.

"Bye, babe~", she sang.

"Be careful on your way. I love you.", he said.

Mei couldn't help but smile, she felt giddy. "I love you ,too.", she said before they ended their call.

"Senpai, they're calling for us now.", Kageyama said.

 

Wakatoshi stared at his phone for a moment before putting it away in his bag. He stood and walked with Kageyama to the set.



**



"So, Ushijima-san, There's been talk that you've been seeing a certain someone."

He blinked a few times before he spoke, "Yes, I am.", he said plainly  

"Oho, was that a confirmation?", the interviewer chuckled and signaled for the photos to be flashed on the big screen. 

It was a bunch of photos of Ushijima with a female volleyball player called Nakamura Akari.

"Oh. We were just talking." , he clarified.

"I see. But your fans have been saying that you two are the perfect couple to dominate the V-League. How do you feel about that?"

"Nakamura-san is nice and she’s an outstanding player, but I already have a girlfriend who I have been going out with for over a year. And I love her very much.", he said bluntly. 

His teammates cheered at his declaration. 

"Mei-chan, you have yourself a keeper!" Hoshiumi teased as he waved to the camera.

"This is her, right?" , he continued as a few photos from Wakatoshi's Instagram flashed on the screen. 

Wakatoshi felt a slight tug at his lips before he nodded. The interviewer looked at him,a little impressed at his sincerity. 

"Ah, you two look so cute! I guess this is bad news for those who thought they had a chance with Ushijima-san.", the interviewer let out a laugh before he moved on to ask Kageyama next. 



**



The next day.



Nakamura Akari is so beautiful… And she’s a powerful player, too. 

 

They’re both perfect.

 

They would look really good together. 

 

How can I compete with that?

 

Geez, why is he even dating me? 

 

Wakatoshi should definitely date her instead.



“Mei?”, she heard Akaashi say.

She snapped out of her thoughts and stopped walking. Akaashi stood in front of her with raised brows.

“You okay?”

 

“Huh..? Yeah.. Just tired, I guess. “, she sighed and continued walking with him out of the classroom. 

 

Despite being drained from her internship and the commute, she watched the interview that the Adlers were on when she got home the night before. It was all over social media and she felt uneasy. Countless people have approached her online, asking very invasive questions.

“I saw Ushijima-san’s interview. I think he smiled when he saw your pictures with him.”

Mei chuckled. “Yeah. He was so cute. Screenshots of it were all over my feed.”

“Mei-chan!”, Bokuto sang as he approached them, Kuroo trailing behind him. 

“Hey, Bo~, and Kuroo.”, she flashed them a smile. 

Bokuto immediately pulled his boyfriend into a hug and gave him a quick peck on the lips before the group started walking again, on their way to the lounge.

“Hey, Sugawara-san.”, Kuroo said. “Oh, I saw you yesterday at the station when I was on my way back. Are you interning near Ueno?”

She nodded. “I get out by 5:30. I guess we take the same train. You should’ve called out to me so we could’ve walked back together.”

“Kenma’s interning nearby as well. I’ll let you know next time so we can all catch the train together.”

“That’d be nice,'' Mei added.

 

When they arrived at the lounge, they sat down at a table. 

 

“You guys still have class today?”

Kuroo nodded as he sat across from her. “Last one in about forty minutes.”, he then yawned and laid his head on his arms on the table. 

“Oh yeah! I saw the Adler’s interview yesterday. Kageyama looked nervous.”, Bokuto laughed.

“Tobio did stutter a bit but he did pretty well.”, Mei chuckled.

“Ushiwaka, too. He was pretty confident, as always. But I guess the interviewer tried to prey on him. Even putting up pictures of him with another girl. Sheesh.”, Bokuto commented. 

Mei took out her phone and checked her Twitter while Bokuto and Akaashi kept talking. Her feed was still filled with clips and photos from the interview and a lot of people still kept tagging her at tweets about her relationship. 



“Nakamura and Ushiwaka look great together! Perfect couple if you ask me!<3”



“They should be a couple already! They’d be the best to represent Japan. #WingSpikerCouple“



“Aw, Ushijima definitely looked at Nakamura a bit differently. They are so cute!”



“Nakamura-chan looks waaayyyy better than with @UshiM than with @wMei!"

 

“I ship #UshiNaka! Just imagine how good at volleyball their future babies would be LOL”




“Sugawara-san..?”, Kuroo asked as he sat up properly. He grew worried when he saw her repeatedly tap her index finger on the table as she kept her gaze on her phone.

Mei let out a shaky breath. “I… Um..I’m gonna go back to my dorm.”, she hastily stood and grabbed her bag but the phone slipped from her hand and fell to the floor. “Damn it..”, she grumbled.

Akaashi and Bokuto paused, then turned their attention to her.

Kuroo immediately stood and picked up her phone. When he saw what was on the screen, he looked over to Akaashi and gave him a nod. 

Understanding right away, Akaashi put a hand on Mei’s shoulder and pulled her to sit back down. 

 

“Take a deep breath for me, okay?”, he whispered to her. 

Mei nodded and did as she was told. 

“Sugawara-san, you’re doing great. Breathe, just like last time.”, Kuroo said quietly and put her phone back on the table.

“Okay.”, she mumbled and moved to hug Akaashi, who wrapped his arms around her immediately. He looked over to Kuroo with pursed lips. 



**



“This might get out of hand, Akaashi. She needs help.”, Kuroo said as they talked outside of the lounge. Mei had finally calmed down and Bokuto had kept her busy with his stories so far.

“I know.”, the owl boy hissed, then sighed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap. Her older brothers are doctors, they might know someone. But she'll hate me if I get her family involved."

“I know someone as well. Her clinic is nearby.  I’ll try to talk to Sugawara-san…”

“Mei isn’t gonna agree so easily. She’s very hostile about this.”

“...Has she told Ushijima?”

Akaashi shook his head.

“This is partly his fault for getting his pictures taken with some other girl and the media showing it on television for the whole world to see. And he hasn’t even noticed? ”, Kuroo raised his voice a bit. 

Akaashi glared at him as a few people passing by gave them weird looks. “Don’t make a scene. None of us had noticed, you of all people know that. Mei’s really good at hiding it and we would’ve never known if you didn’t find her at that stairwell. Ushijima isn't as observant as you."

“So much for being a boyfriend.”, he grumbled.

“Cut it out.”, Akaashi warned, “She’s in a committed relationship. Interfering with that will only hurt her.”

 

“I care about her, Akaashi. I really do… and I just.,” Kuroo ran his hand through his hair and huffed, “I want to help her because --”



“You’re in love with her.”, Akaashi said.

 

Kuroo sighed, "Is it that obvious?"

 

"Are you kidding? You're like a walking signage that says 'I'm madly in love with Sugawara Mei'."

"Well, I don't have plans on telling her because I'm not helping her because of that, but as a friend."

Akaashi watched him for a while as he crossed his arms. "I'm not going to interfere with whatever you do, just make sure you don't hurt her or you will have to deal with me."

 

"I would never hurt her."



Notes:

Hi

I know, very short chapter ugh but I am drained TT_TT
I don't think I'll be posting new chapters for LMLY for a while hngngngngng because I'm trying to make it >not terrible< or at least tolerable ?? so yeah HAHA needs to chill for a while (': and remind myself that writing is my way of destressing and not the other way around so (\ u w u /)

 

BUT

I do plan on posting "Ease" (Ushi/Mei Office Au oneshot) on the 13th because it's Wakatoshi's birthday. There are still some loose ends but more or less, it's done. :D (fcken finally, right?)

For anyone who have a hard time falling sleep , such as myself, try listening to Mathhew Tower's sleep aid asmr. His voice is so soothing and I've been sleeping well these days because of it.

I hope you're all well and see y'all on the 13th! <3

Chapter 26: Everything

Summary:

i love you

Notes:

Y'all should listen to "Everything" by John K while reading this

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

 

 

“Huh.. That's weird."

Mei had been studying but had checked her phone for the fifth time. She had not received a single text from Wakatoshi and it was already 8:15pm. She knew he would be at home from practice and by then already texted her like usual. 

She set her phone down and went back to typing on her laptop. 




















Ten seconds later she picked up the damn thing again and finally decided to call her boyfriend. It rang a few times before he answered.

"Hello..?" His voice was a bit coarse before he coughed a few times.

Her eyes widened a little as she heard him, "Hey, did you get home safe? Are you alright?"

He hummed but that didn't convince her.

"Did you go to practice like this?"

There was a pause before he replied. 

 

"Yes…"

 

"Well, you shouldn't have,"she pursed her lips and stood from her seat, "Please tell me you've had dinner."

He hummed again. "I ate an onigiri."

"Just an onigiri?" Mei sighed and grabbed her bag before heading out of her room. 

 

"... and water."

"Are you serious— oh my god. Alright, go eat another onigiri and I'll call you back." She heard him mutter a quiet "okay" before she hung up. 

She rushed out of her dorm building in a matter of minutes  and hailed a cab. 

 

**

 

Mei didn't bother ringing the bell or knocking and quickly put in his door code. 

"Wakatoshi?" She called out when she got in. She went to the kitchen and set the plastic bag of food she brought on the counter. 

When she didn't hear a response, she made her way to his room. 

Wakatoshi was curled up on his bed, phone still in his hand, sleeping with a slightly heavier breathing than usual. Setting her bag down on the floor by his bed, she went to his side and gently put a hand on his forehead. 

 

He's burning up. 

 

Mei carefully put his blanket over him and went back to the kitchen. 

She decided to make a small batch of rice porridge with the stuff she bought and in about forty minutes, she was done. 

She went back to his room and set up a few things on his side table: a bowl of porridge, a thermometer, cooling pads, water , and medicine.

Wakatoshi was still asleep, a few beads of sweat rolling down his temple. Mei brought out a small face towel and a shirt from his closet before sitting beside him. 

She set the shirt on her lap while she used the towel to carefully wipe his face.

A few moments later, she put a hand on his arm and gently nudged him. "Wakatoshi… Babe, wake up. ", she said.

He groaned a little before he slowly fluttered his eyes open. He blinked a few times, not sure if he was still dreaming. 

"Hmm.. Mei?" He mumbled and carefully sat up. 

She smiled a little and gave his arm a squeeze. His eyes drifted to the clock on his wall.

 

"What are you doing here? It's late."

"You didn't sound so good earlier so I got worried. And now you're running a fever," she sighed,"I made some porridge and bought medicine. But you need to change your shirt first, okay?"

He nodded and groggily took his shirt off. She gently dabbed the small towel onto his flushed skin.

 

I think this is the first time I've ever seen him this sick.

 

Mei handed him the clean shirt and took the other, quickly jogging off to put the sweaty shirt in his laundry basket. She walked back over to him and brought the thermometer to his ear. 

 

39.4 C° 

 

Her brows raised a bit, "Wakatoshi, this is a bit high.. You are definitely skipping practice tomorrow."She huffed and handed him the small bowl of porridge before sitting beside him again. 

Wakatoshi kept quiet and started eating silently, stealing a few glances at her as she used her phone. After he finished, Mei handed him his medicine and a bottle of water. He did everything tiredly before laying back down. 

"Were you already feeling like this before you went to practice?", she asked, gently brushing her fingers through his hair then putting her hand on his cheek.

He leaned into her hand and nodded weakly.

"It may have worsened after you showered, too." Pulling her hand away, she picked up a cooling pad. 

She pecked his forehead before putting the blue patch on him. 

Mei remained seated as she continued to stroke his hair. 

"You shouldn't have come all the way here. It's late and dangerous..", he grumbled as he watched her. 

"Don't worry, I took a cab."

"Still…", he sighed.

" Still , you made me worry because you pushed yourself too much today. I'll tell Tobio you're not gonna come to practice for a few days until you're better.", she picked up her phone and started typing.

"I'll be better tomorrow...", he sat up again and put his chin on her shoulder, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"No, you won't. I'll stay here until you get well."

"Mei..", he frowned.

"I'm not leaving and you can't make me.", she faced him and tried to give him a stern look.

 

Ah, so cute. 

 

Wakatoshi wanted to kiss her so badly but he didn't want her catching his cold. He grumbled under his breath and nuzzled his cheek on the crook of her neck instead.

Mei brought up her phone and opened her selfie camera. Ushijima smiled a bit and kissed her cheek just in time for her to click the shutter.

She chuckled and turned to him. "You have to rest. I'll go clean up the kitchen first and I'll be right back." She patted his head and slowly pulled away.

He grabbed her hand to stop her. "Stay here... We can do the dishes tomorrow."

"Don't be stubborn. I won't take long.", she pulled her hand away from him and jogged out of his room. 

 

**

 

"Mei…" he whined as she came back to his room. He sat up and opened his arms for her as she approached him.

She got on his bed and was immediately engulfed into a hug. She found it adorable when Wakatoshi wouldn't let go. 

"You're so cute when you're clingy. You really like me that much?", she teased and pulled him to lie back down and putting his thick blanket over both of them. For a change, Wakatoshi was the little spoon.

He hummed, "Not like, love. I love you a lot." He mumbled.

She kept quiet for a while before she moved to kiss his forehead. 

 

"You do?"

"Yes. So much.", he gently pressed his lips to her neck. 

"I don't get it…"

"What do you mean?"

"I don't get why you love me when I barely like myself.", she chuckled. 

 

Wakatoshi pulled away a bit, though he was close enough to be face to face with her. He stared into her eyes for a moment before he spoke.

 

"I love how your nose scrunches when you're trying to pick a drink at a vending machine even though you always end up choosing black coffee. I love it when you put your hand in mine when you feel a bit nervous."

Mei blinked, a bit stunned and Wakatoshi continued as he took her hand in his, locking their fingers together.

"I love when you sing, especially when you sing to me. I love when you make Hayashi rice. I love how you wear my shirts because you find them comfy... and because you really look cute. I love how every time you pause to think, you let out a huff. I love it when you're mad at me and you pout. I love it when your eyes sparkle every time we buy Takoyaki."  

Wakatoshi brought her hand to his lips and gave it a peck. She felt her stomach turn as she watched him go on and his flushed face didn't exactly help calm her down. 

"And when you hate tomatoes in your salad but always leave it in so you can give them to me, I really love that. I love it when you take care of me even if I'm fine and when you take care of your friends.  When we haven't seen each other in a long time, I love how you run into my arms. I love how you snuggle with me on the couch every time we watch a movie. I love everything about you," he paused and felt his lips curl up a little. 

 

"But I really love it when you say you love me because I know you mean it."

 

**

 

Wakatoshi finally fell asleep.

Mei carefully got off his bed and tiptoed out of his room. She felt bile rising from her stomach and rushed to the bathroom.

She fell to the floor, hunched over the toilet and threw up.

Mei felt uneasy when Wakatoshi started declaring his love for her, the little things he noticed that never even crossed her mind. 

Should it have felt magical? 

It should, right?  

Everyone knew how blunt and sincere the man was. No one ever questioned his honesty.

 

Do I even deserve him? 

 

Notes:

I actually didn't plan on posting a chapter this week because I still have nothing to write but I suddenly thought of this today and couldn't stop writing so ahaha
A flushed looking Ushijima just seemed so cute >__<

If you saw some typos and errors.... you didn't.

kidding! I'll edit it this when I have more time. <3

I hope you enjoyed reading this!

Edit: Hi!! I think I might have have a chapter this week. :)

Chapter 27: Shrink

Summary:

Friend

Notes:

Songs (:

Futon by Ūla
Dazed & Confused by Ruel
Coming Home by HONNE Feat. NIKI
It takes two by Fiji Blue

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

 

"Babe," Mei said, holding the small plate of apple slices she just brought from the kitchen to him. 

He picked up a piece before Mei set it on the coffee table. 

She stretched her arms a bit before she picked up one of his shirts from a basket. Mei neatly folded it as she watched the show in front of them.

“Mei…” Wakatoshi said quietly, putting a folded pair of pants on the table as he scooted closer to her on his couch.

“Hm..? What is it?'' She said groggily, her eyes still focused on the TV.

“You shouldn't have come over."

“Do you want me to leave?" she turned to him, her brows furrowed.

“No, no… That's not what I mean. You're probably tired. You had classes this morning, your internship, then you came all the way here just for dinner.”

“But I'm also staying over for the weekend, remember?, she whined and put the folded shirt onto the pile, "because we are both gonna be busy again starting next week."

“I know, I'm sorry,” He mumbled and put his arms around her.

“Ah, don't apologize.'' she said fondly and kissed him on the cheek a few times, "I really, really, really, missed you, my love.”

“Me too.'', he brought her hand up and gave it a peck, “I'm very happy you're here.”

 

Mei felt a weird feeling gush over her. 

"I love you." She suddenly blurted out.

Wakatoshi looked over to her and couldn't help but chuckle. "I love you, too."

"Damn it, why are you so cute?" She mumbled and immediately straddled him on his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. She drew him toward her with her eyes and he put his hand on her waist and the other to her face, gently running his thumb across her lower lip.

Mei's lips quivered a little, her longing for his touch made her cling to him even more.

"Kiss me." She whispered.

He inched closer, "Gladly," he finally met her lips and kissed her hungrily.

 

**

 

"Kenma!" She chirped as she walked over to the blond.

"Hello, Mei-senpai," the blond said quietly, a small smile on his lips. 

Though he would never admit it, he grew fond of the girl and he enjoyed teasing his best friend for having a crush on her. 

"Did you wait long? Where's our dear rooster head?"

"Right here!" The raven-haired panted as he arrived, putting his hands on his knees as he crouched a little, "Really? Rooster head? I think you've been spending way too much time with Kenma."

"Tetsurou!" She chuckled and gave him a pat on the back. "Let's go, Bo and Keiji are meeting us at Shin's. I desperately need a drink."

 

The three made their way to the platform and waited for the train.

So, Kenma, how's your internship going?" she asked.

"Boring. They only make me do paperwork," he mumbled as he kept playing on his Switch, "Maybe I should've just waited until my last year…" 

She chuckled a bit and looked over to "Kuroo. You?"

"Same here. Paperwork and the occasional coffee run. I think my boss has a crush on me, though." He joked.

"Well, you are very attractive, can't say I blame her." She laughed.

Kuroo felt his cheeks flush at the compliment, luckily the train arrived before Mei could see his embarrassment.

They entered the crowded train. There weren't any vacant seats so they all stood. Mei held onto a pole as the train started moving. 

Kenma stood on her left while Kuroo on the right. Mei put a hand to her mouth and let out a yawn.

Kuroo smiled fondly as he saw her. 

 

Ah, why does she have to be so cute?

 

The raven-haired raised a brow when Meis eyes suddenly widened a bit. His gaze drifted to the person behind her, who was way too close to her for his liking. He immediately scooted over to the space in front of the smaller man and glared at him.

The man pulled his hand from Mei's waist and turned away as if nothing happened.

Kuroo turned back around and saw Mei sigh in relief. 

"You okay?" he said quietly and she nodded.

"Thanks…" She huffed.

 

**

 

Shin’s Pub

 

Mei groaned as she sat down, “Geez, I know I’m only an intern but I’m so tired already.”

Akaashi chuckled and handed her a glass of brandy.

Kuroo took the seat beside her and moved a plate of nachos to her.

Mei picked up a piece and was about to take a bite when her phone rang. 

“Hey, love,” she smiled as she talked on the phone with her boyfriend, “Mhm.. We’re at Shins right now… Of course, I’m drinking,” she chuckled but scowled as she listened further. 

"You can't come over, you have practice… No. I said, no, Wakatoshi, you are not picking me up " 

Akaashi chuckled. "Ah, here they go again."

“Stop— Stop it. The championship's pretty close. You need all the rest you can get and driving over here just to pick me up and take me to my dorm is not gonna do you any good.”

The raven-haired glanced at her before gulping down his drink then he let out a huff.

 

**

 

"I'm just gonna go to the bathroom then order some more snacks. Do you guys want anything?” Mei said as she stood. 

“Another Nachos platter would be nice,” Kenma said.

“And some fries,'' Akaashi added. 

"A Sprite for me," Bokuto said tiredly as he leaned his head on his boyfriend's shoulder.

“Okay. Tetsurou, you?”

“I’m good,'' Kuroo said, picking up a piece of nachos from Kenmas plate while the blonde swatted his hand.

Mei chuckled then gave them a thumbs up before walking away from their table.

 

“So...When are you gonna tell her?” Akaashi said before he took a sip of his beer. 

Kuroo’s brows raised, “Who said anything about telling her? I know she doesn’t like me so why should I bother?”

Kenma and Akaashi looked at eachother then back at Kuroo. 

The raven head gave them a pointed look, “What? I’m just telling you the truth. I dont think I can compromise my friendship with Mei-chan. I don't want things to be awkward any more than it is now. And Ushiwaka hates my guts.”

“I think Akaashi-san was talking about the psychiatrist.”

 

**

 

“Mei-chan, can I talk to you about something?” Kuroo said as they walked out of the train station, now on their way back to the university. Kenma bailed on them when Hinata called so it was only the two of them.

It was pretty late and Mei zipped up her jacket to avoid the cool night air.

“Hm? What about?”

“... Promise me you won't get mad?

“Okay..? Why are you so serious all of a sudden?” Mei laughed a bit but stopped when she saw the way he looked. 

“I'd like to introduce you to a therapist.”

Mei stopped in her tracks and gave him a horrified look.

“Mei-chan, it’s not what you think. I just,” he said, slightly panicking, “I really want to help and I know her because I used to go there, too. Well, I still go there a few times actually…”

Too?

“What do you mean? she crossed her arms as she watched him, feeling a bit nervous.”

“I... I dealt with some family stuff for a while back in middle school and it was pretty rough. She really helped me out when I almost gave up volleyball. She even introduced me to a psychiatrist when I got worse. I was on medication for a while."

Kuroo avoided her eyes for a while as he rubbed the back of his neck. “I actually have a session next weekend. If you want, you can come with me, meet her and just try it out?” he said carefully and finally looked at her.

 

Mei kept quiet and then continued walking while the raven-haired kept up with her with his head hung low.

"I'm sorry if I offended you. I really do just want to help…"

She let out a huff and slowed down so they could walk side by side. 

"I'll think about it.", she said.

Kuroo's mouth gaped a little, "Really?"

"I'm not saying yes yet," she laughed a little, "I think it's a big step… but thank you for telling me this. You're a good friend." She smiled at him but then looked up at the sky. "It's raining.."

She’s such an amazing person.

Kuroo caught himself staring again and hastily took out his umbrella. He held it up for them just in time when the rain really started to pour.

 

**

 

Wakatoshi parked his car near the dorms and stepped out, carrying a plastic bag of food he bought for Mei and an umbrella in his other hand.

She insisted that he shouldn't meet with her in the meantime because of practice but he really wanted to see her. He was stressed with the upcoming game and not being able to spend time with her was taking a toll on him. 

He stopped walking when he finally saw her but his smile disappeared when he saw the one she was laughing with. 

 

They seem to be having fun. 

 

When was the last time I saw her smile like that? 

  

His grip on the plastic bag tightened as he turned around, making his way back to his car. 

He sat in the driver's seat for a while and watched Mei arrive at her dorm building, clenching his jaw when she gave the raven-haired a hug before she went inside. 

Kuroo walked off with a smile on his lips while Wakatoshi still sat in his car. He didn’t know how long it took him to finally go home.

 

**

 

7:35pm

[Mei]

Hey babe! I just got back to my dorm. How was practice? <3

 

9:30pm

[Mei]

You’re probably tired, right? Rest well~. I'll call you tomorrow, okay? Good night. :)

 

 

Sunday

11:30am

[Mei]

Babe? 

 

[Mei]

Are you getting my texts? It’s been a few days since you replied.. Are you alright? Did something happen?

 

[Mei]

And you aren’t answering my calls. Is something wrong?

 

5:45pm

[Mei]

Wakatoshi? I’m on the train back to the Uni. Want me to come over?

 

Wednesday

[Mei]

I know you're busy but I miss talking to you. Call me back if you’re free, alright?

 

Saturday

 

Tendou yawned as he walked out of the lounge. He only had a 7:30 am class then met with his groupmates for their midterm project. 

It was almost noon and he was getting hungry so he made his way to the convenience store just outside the university. 

“Tetsurou, maybe this is a bad idea,” a familiar voice said.

“It’s going to be fine. I was pretty scared when I first went there, too. You don’t have to say everything all at once.”

The redhead raised a brow as he heard the two voices from in front of the konbini and walked over to them. 

“Look, the cab’s here. It’s okay if you don’t want to do this. There's no rush.” Kuroo said and opened the passenger door. Mei bit the inside of her cheek and huffed.

“It’s not that I don’t want to but I just —”

“Mei-chan?” Tendou called out as he reached them, “Where are you two headed?”

“Oh..Um…” She said in a slight panic and looked over to Kuroo.

“She’s going to help me pick out a present for my sister,'' Kuroo said with a smile.

“I see…” Tendou said, his eyes narrowed as he watched the two. 

“Tendou, have you heard from Wakatoshi?” Mei suddenly asked. 

The redhead put his hands in his pockets, “Hmm? No, not really. Why?”

“Ugh.. I guess he’s ignoring everybody.., she sighed.

“Mei-chan, we have to go. Do you want me to call Akaashi over?” Kuroo said.

“No..!” She panicked. “And don't tattle to him about this, geez,” she said and got in the cab.

Kuroo chuckled and shut her door before jogging over to the other side.

Mei pulled the window down and waved at Tendou as the taxi drove off.

Tendou kept quiet as he turned away, finally making his way into the convenience store. He was contemplating whether he should tell Wakatoshi what he just saw. It wasn't that he didn't trust Mei, but he knew anything to do with Kuroo was a red light.

Notes:

Ayo!

Actually had a scare earlier because I thought I lost my whole draft TT_TT
Luckily I was able to copy everything before my file vanished. The only downside is that when I pasted everything (from chapters 1 until my draft for chapters 28 and 29 (which roughly 76k words in total now I think?) , ALL OF THE QUOTATIONS MARKS DISAPPEARED KDVBDKSCF and spacIng oh geez

Of course, I'm not gonna edit everything, only the recent and upcoming chapters but it still pissed me off lols

Chapter 28: Heavy

Notes:

Songs (:
0X1=LOVESONG (I Know I Love You) by TXT
Feelings are Fatal by mxmtoon
R U Mine by Arctic Monkeys

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

 

Friday

[Mei]

I'm on my way to the game. Good luck! Not that you need it… But yeah…

 

[Mei]

Can we meet up before your match starts?

 

 

The Adlers had their final match and she came to watch. Mei was anxious when Wakatoshi had ignored her the past few weeks but she kept thinking that he was just busy with practice.

She headed over to where they would be practicing and finally saw him walking ahead of her. 

 

“Wakatoshi! I finally found you.” She caught up to him and was about to give him a hug when he glared at her. She stepped away and let her arms fall to her sides.

“You haven't gotten back to me through text and calls, and I know you're busy because of today. But it's been a few weeks and… Did I do something wrong? Why are you mad at me?"

He pursed his lips before speaking again. “I saw you and Kuroo walking back to the university on the night I wanted to pick you up.”

Mei raised a brow at him. 

“Are we seriously talking about Tetsurou again? I take the train with him and Kenma because we're all interns near Ueno. I already told you that. And, seriously, he and I are just friends.” She explained.

“You go by first names now? I guess you two are closer than I thought. Tendou said he saw you two on a Saturday. Where did you go?" 

 

Mei froze.

 

“I...I’m sorry but I can't tell you.”

 

"That's what I thought." He snarled and turned to walk away.

"Hey, wait a minute. What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Mei jogged after him and stood in his way.

"Get out of my sight."

Mei, stunned at his words and tone, stepped to the side to let him pass.

Wakatoshi walked away without looking back at her. 

 

** 

 

The Adlers won but Mei had not been paying attention to the game at all. He sat amongst the other fans with her head hung low the whole two sets. She realized it was all over when she heard the final whistle and the crowd cheered the names of the winning team. 

After the award ceremony, Mei stood and immediately walked back to where she met Wakatoshi earlier, hoping to talk to him again. 

 They won but Wakatoshi did not look happy at all. He looked serious as always but his teammates could tell something was off.

"Sugawara-senpai is waiting for you outside."Kageyama said carefully as he changed into a clean shirt. 

"Great." He grumbled as he fixed his things and slammed his locker close. The rest of the team flinched and silently watched their ace storm out of the locker room. 




Wakatoshi huffed as he saw her waiting for him. He walked right past her and made his way to his car. 

“Hey, wait.” Mei grabbed his hand when she finally caught up to him. 

He stopped and looked at her, harshly pulling his hand from her hold.

"Wakatoshi, please just—"

“Will you tell me now?”

“I will tell you. Just—Fuck — not right now, okay? I have to sort some things out but I promise I will. Please just trust me on this.”

"If you truly love me, you would've told me already."

"Wakatoshi, I'm not cheating on you, if that's what you're thinking. Kuroo was just helping me out with something. You know I love you—" 

"I'm beginning to think you don't.”

Mei stared at him with wide eyes, "Wakatoshi, that's not fair."

"Fair?" He scoffed.

"You're being ridiculous."

"You won't let me pick you up because you would rather spend your time with Kuroo."

Mei clenched her jaw and let out a frustrated breath before she spoke again.

"Do you think I prefer having to squeeze in a train with perverts everyday? I don't want you to pick me up because you're already tired. Ueno's an hour away and if you went there from the gym and then back to the university, you'd be wasting your time. And by the time you get home, it's already 10. Then you have to wake up at 5am because you have practice. I don't want you to waste your time like that.”

Wakatoshi looked away. He knew she was right but he couldn't stop the anger he felt. "Why can't you tell me then? You know I don't care if I'm tired or not if it means that I'll know you got home safe..!" 

"Well, I care, Wakatoshi. Damn it." 

"Really? I don't think you do because it seems to me that you have no problem talking to Kuroo. Why him? Out of all people, why him? Why can't it be me?”

 

"I told you, I can't tell you yet but that doesn’t mean I won’t.”

Wakatoshi sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He wasn't getting anywhere no matter how hard he tried and it felt frustrating.

"Get in the car. I'll drive you back to your dorm.", he grumbled and got in the driver's seat, slamming his door closed and starting his car. 

Mei walked to the other side and got in the passenger seat.

 

**

 

The drive back was quiet. Mei fiddled with her hands nervously. 

 

"We're here.", his voice brought her back from her thoughts.

Mei looked out the window and saw her dorm building but she didn't move. 

"Get out.", he said tiredly, looking out his window.

She turned to him and saw the scowl on his face. 

 

"Wakatoshi."

 

"No. Get out." 

 

"I'm sorry.", she finally said before getting out of his car. 

 

Maybe this is for the best. 

 

Wakatoshi drove away without a second thought. 

 

**

 

Mei sighed as she put a few cans of coffee in her basket. It was cold and dark out so she wore a pair of sweatpants, and a hoodie. She didn't bother bringing her phone, only her wallet.

She set her basket down as she got to the candy aisle.

"Mei-chan?"

Mei had been looking at a row of Hi-chews for a few minutes when she heard a familiar voice. She looked up and saw the redhead. She smiled at him and waved her hand. "Hi, Tendou." 

"Hey. We're gonna watch a movie at Wakatoshi's. You should come. I'll buy you shrimp crackers!", he chirped.

"It's fine. I actually just came here to get some candy and coffee. I still have some work to do.", she said sheepishly. 

"Hmm..", Tendou narrowed his eyes on her. He didn't know what but something about her was different. She seemed sad. "Are you alright, Mei-chan?"

"I'm fine. I just kinda had a fight with Wakatoshi last week… and.. Yeah.", she turned back to the candy to avoid his gaze.

"I told him about that one Saturday I saw you with Kuroo. Maybe it's my fault you two faught."Tendou mumbled.

"No, it's not. You're his best friend so I get why you told him.. He's mad at me because I couldn't tell him why I was with Kuroo that day." 

"I see… Well, he's right outside with the others. Do 'ya wanna talk to him?"

"I don't think that's a good idea. He probably doesn't want anything to do with me anymore." she mumbled, putting a few packs of orange flavored Hi-Chew into her basket, "Hell, I'm not even sure if I'm still his girlfriend."

 

Tendou gave her a sympathetic look and a pat on the shoulder before he decided to leave her alone and went to pick up snacks of his own.

She picked up a few more snacks before heading over to the counter. 

The convenience store employee groggily handed her change and two plastic bags with the things she bought.  

Tendou was already behind her to pay for his stuff just as she turned around.

"I'm gonna go. Here,", she handed him one of the bags, "Have a fun movie night with the guys.". The redhead smiled at her and nodded. Mei put her hood up as she walked out of the store.

"Ah! Mei-senpai?", a voice beamed.

She flinched and stopped in her tracks before turning around. She saw Goshiki waving at her, the rest of the team with him. She glanced at Wakatoshi who only looked down on the ground. 

She forced a smile and waved back at Goshiki before immediately walking away.

The younger one's smile faded as he saw her leave. "Wha— Why did Mei-senpai just leave—?"

"Lovers quarrel.", Tendou said as he exited the store and went over to them and handed Wakatoshi a plastic bag, "Here, Mei-chan wanted us to have them."

The frowning man looked inside and saw a few of his favorite snacks. 

 I bought beer. I figured we're gonna need it.", the redhead said before heading over to his best friend's car.

 

**

 

"How was it ?"Akaashi asked as Mei stormed out of the doctor's office.

"Horrible. I am not coming back here."

“Hey, give it a chance. It's only your third session, right?”

“Easy for you to say. I think I feel worse.” She grumbled

 He put a hand on her back and rubbed it in circles, "Okay, I think you should stay with me for now."

"I have a dorm, Akaashi. Dont worry, I'm not gonna kill myself just because my family is a mess and that Wakatoshis mad at me. I'm not suicidal." She scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"That's not what I meant," he frowned, ''Kou's gonna be away for a game again and I don't want to be alone.

Mei gave him a pointed look before sighing. "Alright. Fine." 

 

**

 

Akaashi typed away on his laptop. He managed to get Mei to eat dinner with him despite her protest. He knew that Mei’s doctor prescribed her antidepressants but she needed to eat if she wanted to take them. He wasn’t sure if she was even taking them though.

 

“I'm not gonna kill myself just because my family is a mess and that Wakatoshis mad at me.”

 

He sighed and closed his laptop. Hearing that from her only made him worry and it scared him that she even thought of it.

 

Akaashi quickly turned to the sound shuffling against the wooden floors and rushed out of the room. When he saw Mei hastily enter the bathroom, he immediately jogged after her.

Mei was on the floor hunched over the toilet when Akaashi arrived. He knelt beside her and held her hair up, rubbing a hand on her back.

 

Moments later, he helped her up and led her to the sink, handing her a new toothbrush before he left her alone.

 

**

“I'm sorry, Keiji…” She mumbled as she sat on the couch.

“There's nothing to apologize for,” he said, setting two mugs of tea on the coffee table before he sat beside her, “Does this happen a lot?”

“No… At least not until recently.”

“After you fought with Ushijima-san?”

“No, no. I think it started way before that. I don't know. I just kinda feel.. Overwhelmed? Lately..About everything. Then I feel really nauseous and... ah fuck." she trailed off to a whisper as she hugged a couch pillow.

 

Akaashi pursed his lips as he watched her. He had no idea how else to help her. 

 

I don't blame her for being with Kuroo because he's the reason she even considered going to a psychiatrist in the first place.

 

Ushijima isn't wrong to be angry because he knows Kuroo has feelings for Mei.

  

What the hell do I do?

Notes:

hi hello
currently in a slump for ch29 ahahahdfdcleffuckkcjbdckln

also I feel very low today hgnngnggn bye bye for now

Chapter 29: Seesaw

Summary:

"Alright, a repeating seesaw game"

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

 

 



“Kenma!” Mei called out as she caught up to the blonde

“You said you needed help editing a video. What for?”

The two continued to walk down the hall and on their way to the lounge so they could sit. 

“I gotta make a short ad for my advertising class. They gave us a bunch of materials and our assignment is to edit it however we like. I already have a draft but I really need your creative input.” 

“I’m not that creative but sure.”

“A total understatement!” She chuckled. 

Just as they were about to sit down at a vacant table, Mei froze. 

Kenma glanced at the direction she was staring at and saw Ushijima.

The taller man was with Tendou, Semi and Reon a few tables away.

 

“Senpai.” Kenma said and poked her arm.

“Huh? Oh. Sorry.” Mei said sheepishly and finally took a seat, keeping her eyes focused on the stuff she put on the wooden table. 



**




"Alright, this topic will be on the exams so make sure to note everything down."

Mei let out a huff and set her phone down on her desk. She could barely focus on whatever her professor was rambling about because she was too busy staring at the text she typed but feared to send.

 

[Mei]

Wakatoshi, can we talk? Please?

 

No, that's not it.

 

[Mei]

I hate fighting like this. I'm sorry.

Ugh.. no, delete delete.

 

[Mei] 

I have to tell you something.

 

She sighed, deleting everything and shutting her phone off.

There was no point in reaching out if he was only going to ignore her. 



**

 

"Bokuto, do you know where Mei-chan is?"Kuroo asked as he arrived at his best friend's table at the lounge.

"She's in class with Keiji and they'll be out in a few minutes. Why?"

"Nothing. I just..", the raven haired sighed as he sat down.

"... Bro, you okay?” Bokuto gave him a worried look. 

"I think I'm gonna tell her today. I can't take this anymore.

“Didn't you say you wanted to remain friends?”

“I know...God, I know that. She doesn't like me back but I feel like my heart is going to burst if I don't tell her."

“That's…" Bokuto sighed. "You know she just had a fight with Ushiwaka, right?”

 

**

 

“We should get dinner.”Akaashi said as he took a seat beside his boyfriend, tiredly resting his head on the bigger boy's shoulder. 

Bokuto wrapped his arm around him and gave the top of his head a kiss. 

“Where do you wanna eat, baby?”Bokuto cooed. 

“Ugh. They're so lovey dovey…” Mei scowled and stood from her seat, “I'm gonna go buy some coffee outside.”

“I'll come with you.” Kuroo suddenly said, standing up from his seat

Akaashi glanced at him.

“Sure.” she smiled at him, “Lets go.”

 

**

 

Mei bought them each a drink from the vending machine before walking over to a nearby bench.

“So.. What's up? You're a bit pale. You look like you're about to puke." Mei chuckled as she set her drink down on the bench while they remained standing.

“No.. Uh…Ah, fuck.”, Kuroo felt his heart beat erratically against his chest, he was so nervous that he began pacing.

She looked at him in worry and put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, did I say something wrong? I was kidding about the puking." 

“Mei-chan."Kuroo pursed his lips then took a deep breath and finally faced her, "Okay. Okay,shit. I know this isn't a good time and you're going through a lot but I have to say it otherwise I'm gonna go crazy."

Mei just watched him, her arms crossed as she tapped her finger nervously. 

"I'm in love with you and I know you don't feel the same but I just wanted to tell you because I can't take it any more. I really care about you and I don't want to lose the friendship we have now and I… I'm sorry that I have these feelings for you.”

Mei was stunned at the sudden confession but she couldn't say she didn't see it coming. 

Kuroo liked her and it was pretty obvious. 

Fuck, even Wakatoshi thinks so. 

But Kuroo being in love with her absolutely baffled her.

 

“Why are you apologizing?” She smiled at him, giving his arm a squeeze, “I'm the one who can't return your feelings back.”

He let out a frustrated huff as he ran a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry..."

“Stop that, will you? You're a good person and I just know you'll find someone who will love you just as much.”

Kuroo felt like a huge weight was lifted off his shoulders.

 

"Can I hug you? Just this once."

Mei saw the expression he had on his face. He kinda looked like an abandoned puppy. 

The silence was deafening and Kuroo wanted to jump off a cliff. 

"I'm sorry. That's too much, isn't it? Forget I ever said anything. " He trailed off, now looking at his shoes. 

“Okay.” Mei said.

He raised his head and looked at her with wide eyes, “Really..?” 

She nodded. 

 

Kuroo hesitantly put his arms around her and squeezed a little while Mei wrapped her arms around his torso. He pulled away in a few moments with a sad smile on his lips. "So...yeah. I'll see you later. I’m a call away if you ever need anything, alright?"

"Alright.", Mei said.

Just as Kuroo turned to walk away he heard her call out his name.

 

"Tetsurou."

 

"...Yeah?"

Kuroo's eyes widened when he felt a soft peck on his cheek. 

Mei ruffled his hair before taking a step back, chuckling at the sight of her blushing friend.

 

Time seemed to slow down when a fist harshly landed on Kuroo's cheek, making him fall to the ground with a loud thump.

 

The raven head groaned and brought his hand to his now reddened cheek.

"Wakatoshi! What the hell?!" Mei gasped and immediately went to help the her friend up, her arm around his torso to steady him. 

"Is this what you've been up to?" The olive haired snarled.

She looked up and was met by her boyfriend's raging gaze.

"Mei-chan, I'm fine. " Kuroo said quietly and pulled away from her.

"Tetsurou, I'm so sorry. You should go and get some ice on that.", She patted his arm, giving him a sympathetic look before stepping forward to face her raging boyfriend.

The raven head pursed his lips and hesitantly walked back inside.

Mei looked around and sighed. There were a lot of people walking around and she didn't want to attract more attention.

"Let's talk somewhere else." She said, grabbing his hand but he only pulled away.

"I think we're just fine right here."

Nothing about his tone was normal. He was beyond angry and this made her a bit nervous, but she still pulled him aside to where there were fewer people walking by. She was glad that Kuroo had left already, otherwise Wakatoshi might've risked his career over something so trivial.

She definitely didn't want that. 

 

"You were way out of line, Wakatoshi. You don't get to assault my friends like that."

"I guess you kiss your friends, now?" He scoffed.

"You know what, I've already been feeling like shit, Wakatoshi. I don't need you adding more to that." She snapped as she glared at him. 

"I didn't realize I was such an inconvenience. I'm sure Kuroo will always keep you company because you'd rather have that!"

"Don't raise your fucking voice at me." Mei retorted, seeing the people who stopped to watch them fight.

Wakatoshi let out a huff, "I see the way you look at him." 

"You must be blind then. You're always going on and on about me cheating on you, and it's so fucking tiring. You're making this harder than it already is."

"That's because you keep lying to me. You kept canceling on me and then you're here laughing and smiling with him!" 

"Hey! You're one person I look forward to talking to but you just cut me off! You wouldn't listen to me…" she let out a shaky breath, "and I felt like shit. Now you're mad at me for hanging out with my friends? What the hell do you expect me to do, Wakatoshi?" 

"I expect you to at least spend time with me but I'm starting to think you don't even want to be with me anymore. You kissed him!"

Mei sighed, running her hand through her hair in frustration, "When have I never wanted to be with you? You're busy as it is and I'm just trying not to add more to your plate. And geez, I kissed him on the cheek! That's not any different to when I do it to Keiji, Bo, and even Kenma."

"Is that what you think to make yourself feel better? You're making it seem like he has a chance with you. Well, maybe you think he's better than me and you're finally ready to toss me aside." 

Mei looked at him in disbelief, "How can you say that? Wakatoshi, that's just—," She sighed angrily, "You are impossible. God, I hate you."

His eyes widened. 

 

Does she really mean that? 

 

"Then maybe we should just end this."

 

"Now that I think about it, I did get into this relationship on a whim when we barely knew each other. You're right. Maybe we should." 

Wakatoshi, stunned, felt anger bubbling inside him.

"Fine." He turned and walked away without looking back.

Mei, on the other hand, didn't even watch him leave. She walked back inside, went to their table again.

 

Kuroo groaned as Bokuto pressed a makeshift ice pack that he got from one of the cafeteria ladies.

"Bro, what the hell happened? Who punched you? And why didn't you fight back? Jesus, you look like hell." 

"I'm fine."Kuroo grumbled but his eyes widened when he saw Mei sit down in front of him. 

"Mei…? Are you alright?"Akaashi asked and he saw how Mei looked so broken down.

"I don't know." She said plainly and began to put her stuff in her bag.

"What happened?" Her best friend asked and shifted in his seat.

 

"It's over."

 

Bokuto and Akaashi watched in confusion.

"Mei-chan..? What do you mean?" Bokuto asked.

Akaashi's eyes widened at the realization and reached a hand to her but she moved away.

"Mei, I'm so sorry. It's all my fault. I—"Kuroo started.

"Don't." She said as she looked at Kuroo with a small smile. "It's not your fault and I think it's for the best. He's better off without me anyway."

Mei stood from her seat and slung her bag on her shoulder.

 

 

Notes:

So I'm putting these songs at the end because I didn't want to spoil y'all (sort of haha)

"like I need u" by Keshi inspired me the most for this one as I thought of what Wakatoshi could be feeling.

Seesaw by BTS (Suga) for the whole vibe of this chapter and Dry Flower by Yuuri for when I thought about what their relationship is really like

And Better Off by Jeremy Zucker &Chelsea Cutler for that last line :)

Also, Happy Birthday Bokuto! <3

Chapter 30: Crumpled

Summary:

Honey

Notes:

Songs:
Urs by Niki
Free time by Ruel
as long as you care by Ruel

:)

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

 

 

Akaashi took a seat down in front of his best friend at the lounge. He sighed as he watched her continuously typing on her laptop.

"Mei. Didn’t you say you were done with your part? All we have to do is print it and turn it in tomorrow.

"Already done." Mei slid a folder over to him before going back to typing.

Akaashi opened it up and flipped through the pages. "Then what are you doing?"

"I'm working. So shh already, will 'ya? I have a deadline tonight."

 

Akaashi made a face. “Didn't you quit that because we're interning? And what do you need the money for? Your brother gave you a debit card."

Mei sighed and faced him, "Ugh, shut up. I'm doing it in my spare time," she picked up her iced coffee and took a sip.

The owl boy glared at her, and took the coffee from her hand.

"Hey!" 

"How long has it been since you slept?"

"What's that got to do with you? Give me my coffee back." She grumbled.

"You need rest and you're not even supposed to be drinking a lot of caffeine. I know you just went through a breakup but punishing yourself isn't going solve anything—"

"I'm not punishing myself..!" 

 

Mei hitched a breath as she saw some people pay attention to her sudden outburst.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" She whispered as she buried her face into her hands, "I just have more time now since— just forget it, okay?”

Akaashi set the coffee down and reached his hands to hers. "The only reason why you have more time is because you’re not sleeping properly. I'll wait for you to finish that but that's the last one you'll do tonight."

She raised her head and looked at him while Akaashi stared right back at her with his piercing gaze.

"Okay?"

"Fine.”

"Good, because I'm dragging you to my place."

"Again? You don’t have to coddle me, Keiji.”

“I can and I want to because I care. And frankly, you look like the undead with how dark your eyebags are and that ghostly complexion."

“You’re exaggerating.”

“You don’t look well — no, you look like shit. Be honest with me, how many hours of sleep did you get last night?”

Mei mumbled under her breath as she looked away from him. 

“I couldn’t hear you. Just spit it out.”

“I said I haven’t slept in two… or maybe three days? I don’t know. I did have a ten-minute nap earlier—”

 

“What?!"

Mei flinched a bit at his outburst. “Keiji, don’t be dramatic and just drop it. I’m fine.”

“You’re not fine. How many times have you done this?”

“...”

“Good god, how did you even manage to finish your part with zero hours of sleep? Jesus, I bet you barely ate, too.”

Mei rolled her eyes and went back to typing, causing Akaashi to grow angrier.

He swatted her hands and closed her laptop shut with a slam.

"Ow! What the — hey! You told me you'd let me finish this!"

"I changed my mind." He said as he started to pack her things.

"Keiji." She whined.

"No." Akaashi stood and glared at her. "You need to eat, take your meds, and go to sleep. I am dragging you out to dinner right now and you are staying over with us."

"Would you just quit it, Keiji? I don't need a babysitter." She stood as well and tried to get her bag from him but he stepped away from her reach.

"I swear to god, Mei, if you are going to keep being like this, I am calling your brothers."

She frowned. "You wouldn't."

"Try me." He warned.

She let out a frustrated breath while her taller friend only stared her down.

"Fine, okay? I'll go with you. Geez."

"Good. Let's go." Akaashi took her hand and led her out of the lounge.

"What about, Bo? It's Friday. You two should be on a date or something. I don't wanna intrude.”

"As long as you make him a bento for his practice tomorrow, he'll be fine. And I texted Kenma. He's coming, too."

 

**

 

“Senpai, congratulations on the new shoe sponsorship!” Goshiki beamed.

Ushijima nodded at him before chugging down half his glass. 

“Woah, slow down. We have plenty of time to drink, buddy.” Reon said and slid over a plate of fries to him. Ushijima picked a piece and ate quietly.

“I bet Mei-chan’s excited for you.” Tendou picked up a piece of Kara-age and started munching on it.

The stoic one only let out a huff and looked away. “Can we not talk about her?” He grumbled and called over a waiter.

He was already so swamped with his classes, training, and now commercial shoots. He didn't have time to be hurt.

He couldn't even avoid thinking about her at home. The bottle of facial wash in the bathroom she always used, the clothes in his closet folded in a certain way, or the way his bed felt bigger now that he slept alone.

“Did you two fight again?” The redhead nudged his arm with his elbow.

"I'm sure they'll make up after a day or two, like always." Taichi said.

"Totally. I have to admit, I never thought that you guys would be a couple." Semi chimed in before taking a sip of his drink.

"Yeah, same here. Captain never looked like he was in love in high school." Soekawa chuckled.

"Hah! You guys didn't see him blushing that one bus ride?" Tendou sang 

"What?" They said collectively.

"Blushing? Captain? No way!" Goshiki's eyes were wide.

"Yes, way! I think it was on our way to the first match with Karasuno. Mei-chan was the last one to board because she had to check all of the stuff we needed."

"Weren't you sitting beside him?" Hayato nibbled on a french fry.

"I was. But when I saw Mei-chan get on, I moved to the vacant seat just in front of him." Tendou wiggled his brows as his old teammates listened in anticipation.

"And then what happened?" Taichi said.

"I think they were talking for a while but Mei-chan drifted off to sleep. And then.."

"And then?!" Goshiki exclaimed.

"Her head swayed a bit so the captain let her rest it on his shoulder."

"Aw…" The rest said collectively.

"And then he put his jacket over her.I think I still have a picture of it on my old phone."

"Let’s talk about something else." Ushijima suddenly said after he set his glass down on the table a bit harshly.

They all flinched and looked over to him, a bit startled by their friend’s sour mood.

 

“So…" Semi started to fill the awkward silence, "Are you gonna hook us up with some free shoes?”

“That’s going too far, Semi.” Hayato laughed.

“Hey, I was just kidding!” 

The rest laughed along as they continued to tease the silver haired boy.

“I had them include it in my contract. You’re all getting a few pairs each in the mail by next week.”

“Huh..?”

“Wait, what?”

“Captain, you’re amazing!” Goshiki praised and raised his glass, everybody else following suit.

“I’m also paying tonight so go ahead and order whatever you all want.” Ushijima gestured for the waiter and ordered a few more glasses for himself.

 

*

Akaashi swatted Mei's hand when she handed him some money for their dinner.

"This one's on me, remember?"

"Hey, you should at least let me pay for my share —ow!" 

She rubbed her hand after her best friend swatted it again. 

"Stop. I'm the one who dragged you out to dinner. I'm paying."

Bokuto chuckled, "Keiji can be pretty stubborn, Mei-chan. I just let him do what he wants at this point," He kissed his boyfriend's cheek a few times while Akaashi rolled his eyes.

“He can be pretty scary, too.” Mei huffed.

“I heard you.”

"You were meant to. You're not meant to pay for my food though."

"You can't win this one, senpai." Kenma said as he continued playing on his phone. 

"I didn't even want to eat." She mumbled.

"What was that?" Akaashi warned.

"Nothing." 

"Baby, don't 'ya think you're a bit too hard on Mei-chan?" Bokuto cooed as he snaked an arm around his boyfriend’s waist.

“No.” The waiter arrived and Akaashi handed his card.

Mei sighed, "I’ll get it next time, alright?”

"Can we get Yakiniku, then?" Kenma said, lifting his head from his game and staring at Mei.

"Oooh! Yeah, that sounds good. And we have to get Kuroo to join us." Bokuto chimed.

Mei smiled a bit, " Yeah, but let's do it after finals and make it a pre-graduation celebration. Well, except for Kenma."

 

**

 

“I know he's really not in the mood but I don’t think we should let him drink any more.” Reon whispered to Tendou.

“Yeah. I asked him if something was wrong but he only glared at me. It was scary…” Goshiki said quietly as he eyed his captain. 

 

“One more.” 

 

Their heads turned to the Ushijima and watched him order another pint of beer. 

“I didn’t think he liked beer that much.” Reon said. 

“He doesn’t.” Tendou sighed.

 

**

 

"Let’s just catch a cab.”" Akaashi said as they walked out of the restaurant.

Mei nodded and yawned as she trailed beside them. Kenma had a frown on his face because his phone died but he was using Mei's portable charger. Bokuto was telling a story about how he almost missed a spike earlier in practice while Akaashi listened quietly. 

They all stood by the bus stop and waited for a taxi. Much to their demise there were several people waiting as well since it was a Friday night.

"Jesus, why did he have to be so heavy?" A familiar voice whined.

Mei looked over to her right and saw Semi and Tendou struggling to keep a barely conscious Wakatoshi in their arms.

Her brows furrowed. 

Is he drunk? That's… strange.

"Ah! Mei-senpai~!" Goshiki greeted and wobbly walked over to her. 

"Tsutomu, woah. Careful." She rushed over to him and kept him steady when he was about to fall. "Geez, how much did you drink?"

"What happened?" Akaashi went over to her and eyed the drunk group.

"I don't know. I think they were drinking, which is weird since it's still pretty early and they don't exactly have the best tolerance." Mei sighed and looked at the other people in the group. 

"The others already went home. There's only four … five?... Wait! One, two, three… three...Five… eight!" Goshiki could barely talk right as he held on to her. 

"Do you think we could get them in a cab first?" She looked over to her best friend and he nodded. 

"Wakatoshi brought his car… ugh… but I can't exactly drive." Tendou mumbled, "Holy fuck, my head hurts so much."

"Senpai can drive! Right, Mei-senpai?" The younger one giggled as he hugged her arm.

"Hey, you don't have to. They can just leave his car here." Akaashi interrupted.

She sighed. "No, it's alright. I have some stuff to get from his place anyway."

"Are you sure? I can come with—"

"Keiji, it's not a big deal. I'll drive them there, the people at reception know me so it's okay. Then I’ll head straight over to your place."

Akaashi stared at her for a moment before sighing. "Call me, okay? I’ll wait for you.”

 

**

 

"So… You guys went drinking?"  Mei said as she drove. Tendou was the only one awake while everyone else was knocked out.

"Yeah. Wakatoshi just got a sheo sponsorship."

"Wow… That's cool.."

"That's 'cool'? Really? That's all you're gonna say? Aren't you proud of him?"

"I am. I guess…"

"Did something happen between you two, Mei-chan? A fight, maybe? He wouldn't tell us and he just kept drinking. He doesn't even like beer but he was chugging them down like it was water."

"It’s been a week and he didn't tell you?"

"Huh? Tell me what?”

"That’s weird…"

“Just say it already. You’re making me nervous.”

“We broke up. It was mutual— Sort of. We had a fight and… it kinda just happened."

Tendou grew silent. He wasn’t sure if he heard her right or he was hallucinating because of all the alcohol he consumed. 

 

It didn’t seem real.

 

**

 

It was a struggle to bring them up to Wakatoshi's apartment, though she only had to help Goshiki out, it was still a challenge since the younger one wouldn't stop whining.

She pulled the coffee table to the side and laid a few comforters on the carpet. 

Tendou, after getting Wakatoshi into bed, immediately laid on the comforters while Mei had to drag Semi and Goshiki from the couch.

Mei put dome blankets over them and shut the lights off. She then went to Wakatoshi's room and saw him sleeping soundly. 

She walked over to his dresser and took out the clothes she had always left there. Glancing at him again, she took out one of his shirts and pants and placed them on his bedside table. 

Tendou did a good job at getting the bigger guy on the bed but he didn't remember to make his best friend comfy. Ushijima's stuff was either on the bed or the floor, like his phone. Mei had to pick it up and set it on top of the clothes, so it would be easier for him to find it.

Mei sighed and lifted his blanket and laid it on top of Ushijima, carefully tucking him in. She hesitated at first but gently ran her hand through his hair.

"Why did you drink so much..?" She whispered.

Just as she pulled her hand away, Ushijima stirred in his bed.

"Mei..My love, is that you?" He mumbled in his sleepy state, his eyes still closed.

In panic, she couldn't utter a word and immediately left his room.

Mei had gone to the kitchen to calm herself. She felt close to having another attack so she took out her meds and gulped down a glass of water with it. 

As she brought her glass to the sink, she saw a small pile of dirty dishes. 

"I'll just wash this and I'll be out." She mumbled to herself. 

 

**

 

"Huh..? Why is this here?" She frowned as she picked up Wakatoshi's favourite sneakers from the floor by the couch. She brought it to the top of his shoe rack instead,just where he liked it to be. 

She sighed, relieved that she'll finally be able to leave the apartment but something caught her eye again.

Her brows furrowed at the sight of Ushijima's sports bottle sitting on the kitchen counter.

Mei walked over to it and filled it with water before putting it in the fridge. She glanced at the sleeping Goshiki, Tendou and Semi.

They are going to be so hungover later.

She jogged to the bathroom and took the bottle of ibuprofen, bringing it back to the kitchen.

She took out a big bottle of water and a small Winnie the Pooh shaped bottle of honey. After setting them down on the table, she took out her notepad and quickly scribbled something down. 

1 full glass of water then add a tablespoon of honey for your hangover. And some Advil if your head still hurts. Please drink this as soon as you can then get something to eat.

She ripped the piece of paper and put it under one of the glasses. 

Mei noticed another thing and she let out a huff.

“Geez, these are gonna be overripe.” She put a bunch of bananas in a small container and scribbled another note. 

Bananas might go bad. Give to Tendou. He can use this for banana bread. 

She went back to the living room, just to check on the three guys one last time. 

Mei went over to the windows and closed the blinds. She knew the sunrise in a few hours would only make their heads hurt even more. 

“Okay, that should do it.” 

 

**



9:47am 

“Ugh…” Ushijima groaned as he sat up. 

He woke up about twenty minutes ago but he could barely move due to his headache but he knew he had to. 

Ushijima remembered eating and drinking with the guys but not how he got home. He looked for his phone and saw it on his bedside table,under it was a shirt and a pair of pants. 

“Who put this here…?” He mumbled and changed into the clothes anyway.

When stepped out of his room, his brows raised at the sight of Tendou, Goshiki, and Semi cuddling each other on his living room floor. They seemed to be laying on comforters he didn’t even remember having. 

He made his way to the kitchen and stopped by the dining table.

Advil, honey and water…

He picked up the note, immediately crumpling it in his hand just after he read it. 

Ushijima felt his heart sink.

 

He knew all too well whose handwriting it was. 

 

Notes:

Hello!
Sorry if I haven't updated in so long (\TT_TT/) I kept rewriting this chapter because I didn't like how it was hng
And then I just stopped writing for like a week then came back to it when I listened to Free Time by Ruel. It really got me writing this chapter hehe
I hope you enjoyed reading this one :)

Chapter 31: Second Thoughts

Summary:

Damage

Notes:

Songs:
"Cry with You" by Jeremy Zucker
"Smile again" by blackbear
"Too Proud" by BROODS

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

 

 

“What did you want to talk about?” Ushijima said as he sat in front of his best friend. 

It was a few days after the drunk incident and Tendou called, asking to meet with him at a nearby cafe. 

“The bagels here are really nice. Here, try one.” The redhead slid the plate over to the bigger guy as he sipped his drink. 

Ushijima picked up a piece and took a bite.

“So, you and Mei-chan broke up.”

“We did.” He said plainly.

“Who initiated it?” Tendou stirred his drink with his straw as he watched his best friend eat.

“I did.”

“Why?”

“She kissed Kuroo.”

Tendou’s eyes widened, “What?! And you caught them?”

 

The stoic one nodded. He didn’t know why it never occurred to him to tell Tendou about his breakup. He was too busy with volleyball but now he isn’t. Maybe that’s why he felt even more miserable because he had nothing else to distract himself with. 

 

“Damn. You really caught them making out?”

“She kissed him on the cheek.”

“Wait… What? Wait a minute. On the cheek?”

“Yes.”

“And you broke up because of that?”

Ushijima glared at him. “She’s always with Kuroo. It’ll start with a kiss on the cheek and progress into something more.”

“But why did she kiss him?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t ask.”

“Why not?”

“Because I was angry. She had been spending more time with him than she was with me.” Ushijima grumbled.

"Ah, you lost your temper again, didn't 'ya? You’re pretty busy, you know that right? I’m pretty sure she’s not cheating on you.” Tendou sighed, “Anyway… What happened to Kuroo?”

"I punched him. He deserved it."

"Wakatoshi, I think you went too far with this one."

Ushijima gets up from his seat with a huff. 

"Sit back down. I'm not done." 

"What else could you possibly say? You seem to be taking his side."

"I am not taking anyone’s side. Sit down.” Tendou warned and Ushijima hesitantly complied. It was rare to see his best friend so serious.

“I’m just saying that you shouldn't have lost it in front of Mei-chan."

"Why the hell not? She's the one who kissed him."

"You didn't even ask her what happened, or why she did it. You just broke up with her."

"Yes, so?"

"Don't 'ya love her?" 

Ushijima shifted in his seat uncomfortably. "Of course, I do."

"Then you should've talked it out first."

"She doesn't listen to me. She knows I don't like how she spends time with that bastard but she still does."

“You don’t get mad when she hangs out with me and the others.”

“You guys are different.”

“How so?”

“You don’t like her like Kuroo does.”

“Does that matter, though? That rooster head doesn't seem to be making any moves on her. Are you regretting what you did?”

“...No. She hates me anyway."

“That's ridiculous. Mei-chan does not hate you."

“She does. She told me herself when we…”

“It's probably because you’re too stubborn.” Tendou interrupted.

“She’s the stubborn one.”

"Both of you are!” Tendou sighed angrily, “Look, there must be something else going on. There's just no way that she cheated on you. Maybe there's something she couldn't tell you?"

“And what could that be?”

Tendou shrugged. “Maybe she has a problem and needs an outside opinion. Remember that time I saw them on a Saturday? They didn’t look like they were gonna go on a date or something but Mei-chan was nervous about it.”

“And she couldn't just ask me? I’m her boyfriend.”

“You were her boyfriend but you ended it before you could even try to solve whatever problem you had with her. Now, you’ll never know because you’re an idiot.”

Ushijima glared at the redhead.

“Don’t give me that look. You know I’m right. You’ve liked her for years and yet you’ve let her go so easily.”

 

**

 

"I heard it’s true that they broke up! My friend saw it all happen. Ushijima punched this guy. Maybe she cheated on him?"

"I think it was the same guy she had a thing with like, two years ago."

"No way! Poor Ushijima."

"Hah, at least he has Nakamura Akari. Didn't they have a sports ad together? They look really good together.”

"My friend said it was Ushijima who initiated the break up. Maybe he got tired of her already."

"She probably deserves it if she cheated on him."

 

The two were passing by the lounge on their way out when they heard people gossip about Mei and Ushijima.

Bokuto frowned and was about to walk over to them but Akaashi grabbed his hand. 

"Stop, it's not worth it."

"But they're lying! We know that's not what really happened.."Bokuto looked at Akaashi with sad eyes and his boyfriend squeezed his hand and led him to a vacant table. 

"I know.. But they're not worth the trouble, okay? What's important is that we're here for Mei. It doesn't matter what they say."

"And Kuroo.. He's taking all the hits while Ushijima is just.."The owl boy said in frustration. 

Akaashi pulled him into a hug and whispered to him. 

"Kuroo will manage, but we're here for them like they are for us."

 

**

 

Ushijima had just gotten back to the university from his talk with Tendou. He knew his best friend had a point, maybe he did take it too far. He said so many things out of anger and jealousy that he wished he could take it all back. 

 

Maybe I should talk to her…

 

He ran a hand through his hair as he walked through the lounge. His last class was going to end at 7pm so he tried to think of grocery shopping for his dinner instead of thinking about his ex-girlfriend.

As fate seemed to be against him, he stopped in his tracks when he saw Mei at a table all by herself. She had her arms on the table with her head resting on top of them. She seemed to be asleep. 

“What is she still doing there? I know she doesn’t have class today…” He mumbled to himself, rummaging through his backpack as he walked over to her. He placed a packet of rice crackers beside her laptop. He reached his hand to her and gently patted her head. 

“You should be resting in your room.” He said quietly. Ushijima pulled his hand away and turned to leave. 

 

**

 

Mei was beyond stressed. With finals around the corner and the situation with Wakatoshi, her condition worsened. She had been getting attacks more often, had a hard time sleeping, stomach cramps and even vomiting. 

“So, this guy comes up to me and says 'Hey, bro. Wanna team up again for this project?’“ Kuroo said, mockingly imitating his classmate’s deeper voice.

Mei had waited for Kuroo to get out of class because Bokuto insisted they all have dinner together. She was getting tired of the constant nagging from Akaashi and at some point, she just gave in. Mei had trips to the bathroom, though, to hurl everything she ate. She could barely keep anything down, not even takoyaki.

She was beyond stressed. With finals around the corner and the situation with Wakatoshi, her condition only took a turn for the worse.. 

“But I really don’t like him because he is such a freeloader, ‘y know?  So I just told him I’ll get back to him and I went up to my professor — Oh god,  He looked so done with life, really,” He chuckled. “And then I asked if I could just work by myself. He just nodded and shooed me away.”

Mei kept walking, still in a daze as her breathing quickened a little bit. She heard Kuroo rambling on and on but she wasn't paying attention at all. She felt like something struck her brain with so much force that it smashed all of her thoughts into scattered bits of glass flying off in all directions, and what was left was a void. 

He grabbed her hand, making her stop in her tracks. Her head hung low as Kuroo started to speak again. “Hey, what's wrong?" 

 

"Nothing, I'm fine. I'm just—" Her breathing was ragged as she pulled her hand away.

 “You’re not fine. You know you can tell me anything — Mei-chan, hey, hey. Look at me.”

Kuroo said in slight panic when he saw her hyperventilate.

"Come on, just like what we always do. Breathe in and out, alright?" Kuroo said quietly and demonstrated. Mei couldn't look up as she felt her eyes sting. Every time took a breath in, she felt like a knife was pressing against her chest. 

 

"I’m so fucking tired.", she choked as she tried to take a deep breath. 

He put a hand on her back and gently rubbed in circles as he guided her to sit on the bench.

“Do you need some water? I’ll go buy some.”

He turned to walk over to the vending machine but Mei grabbed his hand. She was trembling so much that Kuroo couldn’t bear to leave her alone. 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I'm not going to leave, okay? What can I do?” He squeezed her hand a bit before taking out his phone.  “How about your meds, do you have them with you?”

Mei meekly shook her head.

Still standing, he quickly dialed Akaashi.

“Come on, pick up, pick up,pick up. Akaashi..! It’s Mei, she’s —Yeah, I'm with her. We were already on our way to meet you guys and she doesn’t have her meds with her. Can you go to her dorm and get them? I can’t leave her alone like this."

Mei still kept her hold on his hand as she cried. She remembered what her therapist taught her but somehow she couldn’t do it. 

She couldn’t stop no matter how much she tried and holding onto Kuroo was like a boulder hanging by a single thread. 

"We're just outside the liberal arts building. Please hurry.", he said but before he could hang up, his phone flew to the ground as he was harshly pushed on the shoulder.

"What the hell did you do to her?" A voice snarled. 

Kuroo looked up and was met by raging olive eyes.

Wakatoshi was on his way to his car when he saw the two. He immediately made his way over to them and anger instantly clouded his mind as he saw Kuroo holding his girlfriend's hand.

 

Ex-girlfriend.

 

Kuroo looked up and saw Ushijima's raging gaze, but that didn't stop him from taking a step closer and getting in front of Mei. Kuroo carefully moved to put distance between him and Mei because he knew something was about to happen. He didn't want her to get hurt even more. 

"Stop it. She is not okay right now.", Kuroo hissed.

"Back off and leave my girlfriend alone.", Wakatoshi raised his voice as he tried to get to Mei.

"As far as I know, you broke up with her. So you should back off. " the raven haired spat, standing his ground from the taller one. 

"You have no right touching her like that." he snarled, harshly pushing a hand to his shoulder, making Kuroo slightly stumble back. 

"And you do?" Kuroo scoffed, "I'm helping her because you're too dense to even notice she's been suffering all this time!" he shouted and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt.

"What are you talking about—"

 

"Mei!", Akaashi shouted as he ran over to her and immediately wrapped his arms around her. Mei cried as she hugged her best friend. 

The owl boy gently rubbed her back and whispered to her ear.

Kuroo pushed the taller man away and went over to Akaashi.  "I'm glad you got here right away. Got her meds?", the taller boy sighed in relief. 

Akaashi nodded and took out a small medicine bottle from his pocket. "Thank you for calling me. Can you go call Kou and tell him to pick us up?"

Kuroo nodded at him and picked up his phone from the ground. Akaashi then looked at Ushijima. 

"You." The owl boy said to him as she pulled away from Mei. Kuroo put a hand on her shoulder and quietly talked to her, asking her to try and breathe again.  

Wakatoshi finally saw how distraught Mei looked and instantly felt a pang in his heart.

 

Did I cause this?

 

Akaashi walked over to Wakatoshi and glared at him. "Stay away from her. You've done enough damage as it is."

Wakatoshi pursed his lips into a thin line while Akaashi turned away and went back to aid his best friend.

 

Notes:

Hi! omg
I think it's almost been a month agh lots of stuff happened and I had little to no inspiration to write )though I already wrote this one right after I posted ch30 but I hated it haha

Update: I eddited some typos here and there TT_TT hope y'all enjoyed the chapter
I've written half of ch32 so it might take a couple weeks again... Or a month AGH bye /)>_

Chapter 32: Yours

Summary:

Completely smitten

Notes:

Songs:
Loverboy -by A-Wall
Double take by dhruv

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

 

1st year

 

“Mei-chan!” 

 

Mei raised her head and was met by the redhead she met at volleyball practice earlier. She earned a few weird looks from her classmates due to his sudden appearance. 

 

“You’re Tendou, right?”

“Woah, you remembered my name.” He grinned. 

“Yeah, you made quite the impression earlier so it’s kinda hard not to.” She shrugged, though she had a smile on her lips. 

“Why’re you still studying here? Let’s go have lunch.”

She blinked a few times when Tendou practically dragged her from her seat. 

 

They already arrived at the cafeteria before she realized that she left her wallet in her bag. 

 

“Set A for me and green tea please.” The redhead said and paid the lunch lady. 

“Uh… I forgot to bring my wallet with me. I’ll just go back.” Mei turned to get out of the line but she bumped into a taller boy who stood behind her. 

“Ah, geez. Sorry.” She stepped back, scrunching her nose as she looked up and was met by a familiar face.

“Go ahead and order. I’ll take care of it.” 



**

 

“I’ll pay you back later for this. You’re Ushijima-san, right?” Mei gave him a smile.

The olive-haired nodded and only kept quiet as he ate. 

“I saw you guys play earlier. You’re both really good. I think you guys are gonna be regulars right away.”

“I hope the coach sees that. This guy right here though," The redhead patted his friend's shoulder,"is already a star player. He was the ace here during middle school."

 

"Wow, that's impressive." Mei said in awe.

 

Tendou grinned, “So, Mei-chan. How are you liking Shiratorizawa?”

“It's nice but the campus is way too big. I think I’m gonna have to sprint out of class to get to practice.” She chuckled.

“You’ll get used to it. Why’d you join, though? There are plenty of other clubs here, y’know.”

 

“It’s really fun to watch. I guess I like volleyball but not enough to want to play it like you guys. ”

 

Ushijima glanced at their new manager a few times as she and Tendou talked. Something about her intrigued him but he didn’t know what it was yet. 

 

It was probably nothing. 

 

**

 

Ushijima was on his way back from his night run when it started to rain. Luckily he was near the gym so he took shelter to dry off. 

It had been a couple months since classes started and he was still getting used to seeing their new manager every morning and after class. He couldn’t pinpoint why he thought of her at random times, sometimes even while studying.

He noticed that the lights were on when he reached the opened doors.  

Mei sighed when she put the last basket of clean towels near the bench. She was preparing stuff they were gonna use for the practice match the next day.

"Sugawara-san..?" He called out, still standing by the doors.

Mei turned and saw the tall captain, seemingly drenched from the pouring rain.

"Oh crap, did you run in this rain?", she picked up a couple of towels she just folded and jogged over to him. She put one around his shoulders and the other on his head, carefully ruffling his hair with it. 

Ushijima was frozen in his spot. 

"Do you have spare clothes in your locker?"

He nodded.

"You should go shower so you can get out of these clothes, alright?"

"Okay."

-

"Sugawara-san, you're still here."

 

It was more of a statement than a question.

 

Mei looked up from her phone. She gawked at the sight of the taller boy fresh from the shower for a few seconds before standing. "Um... Yeah, it's still pouring outside and I figured you didn't have an umbrella.", she said sheepishly. 

Ushijima flinched a little when she reached her hand to his hair but she quickly pulled back. "Ah. Sorry.. I just noticed your hair's still a little damp. You should dry that properly later. I can't have my ace catching a cold for tomorrow’s practice match. You guys gotta beat those college guys." She chuckled.

Ushijima wasn’t sure if he really felt his heart skip a beat.

 

My… ace?

 

"Let's go!", she chirped and headed to the gym doors. 

-

“I'll hold it.” Ushijima took the umbrella from her. He opened it and held it up as Mei stepped beside him.

“I like rainy days. It’s pretty calming, don't you think?” She smiled up at him.

 

Wakatoshi felt his cheeks warm up and he was thankful it was already dark out as they walked.

“Ah, Ushijima-san, your shoulder is getting wet. You should move the umbrella, here.” She reached for his hand and nudged it a bit.

“It's alright, I don’t mind.” he said and moved the umbrella back to where it was.

“Hey, you already got drenched earlier. Just keep it here.”  she warned and nudged his hand again, only this time, she kept her hand on his wrist to make sure he didn't move it again. 

 

Why is my heart racing?  



** 



“Ushijima-san, thanks for letting me borrow this.” Mei smiled as she handed him a green notebook.

“No problem.” He took it and put it in his bag before he sat on the bench.

“There was some stuff I didn’t get while the teacher explained but when I read your notes, I understood well. Oh, and your handwriting is so nice and neat.”

Ushijima didn’t know what to say. He was used to getting compliments about his spikes but never his handwriting. 

“Sugawara-san, can you help me with this?” the other manager called from the middle of the gym.

“I’ll be right there!” Mei said as she tied her hair up with an elastic before running over to pick up some scattered volleyballs. 

Ushijima couldn't help but gawk at the way she exposed her bare neck as she put her hair in a ponytail. He felt a lump in his throat that he had to swallow. 

"So, what do you think about Mei-chan?" Tendou suddenly said and sat beside his friend. 

The redhead saw the whole encounter and it amused him to see his stoic teammate getting so flustered.

Ushijima blinked a few times before he started to tie his shoelaces. “What about her?”

“Don’t you think she’s nice?”

“Yes.”

“Reliable, too?”

Ushijima nodded.

“And pretty?” Tendou teased.

Ushijima glanced at the redhead before getting up.

“...She is.”



**

 

 

"I hear someone's gonna confess to Mei-chan later in front of the gym."Tendou chirped as he put his gym shirt on. Everybody grew a bit closer as the days went by. Mei had even made rice balls for them one time and they felt their hearts flutter. Heck, even coach Washijo couldn't resist taking one and grumbling a 'thank you'.

Tendou, on the other hand, had kept Ushijima on his toes. He kept teasing him whenever the girl was around. In other people’s eyes, the big guy only looked as stoic and composed as ever but only Tendou could see how flustered his friend got. The way his ears turned red, his cheeks flushed, and sometimes he even slurred his words.

“Woah, really? Well, there goes my chance.” Semi joked.

“She’ll never like someone like you anyway. You’re too fussy.” Hayato said plainly.

“Hey!”

“Sugawara-san is pretty cute. I bet she’ll get tons of presents on White Day.” Tendou said, as if adding more fuel to the fire.

“Totally! Heck, maybe even I’ll give her something —”

Everyone flinched at the sound of Ushijima’s locker slamming shut. 

“Geez, what’s with him?” Hayato said after they all watched the stoic one rush out of the locker room. 

 

-

 

"Sugawara-san. I need your help." he said as he made his way over to her, sparing a quick glare at the nervous boy.

Intimidated and scared, the boy stuttered a quick goodbye before running off. 

Mei blinked a few times as she watched the boy in confusion. "I thought he had something to tell me.. Huh, weird.. Anyway, Ushijima-san, what’s up?", she smiled at him. 

"..."

"You okay? You looked a bit flushed.", she said and touched the back of her hand to his forehead for a few seconds and then to his cheek before pulling it away.

“Can you wrap my fingers?” He suddenly said, his gaze avoiding hers.

She raised a brow at him. “Okay. Sure. My tape’s at the bench so I’ll just meet you there after I fill these bottles.”

“Let me help.”

She tried to wave him off, “It’s fine. Go back inside.”

Wakatoshi took the bag of empty bottles from her. “I insist.”

 

2nd year

 

Ushijima stepped into the classroom and headed to his desk. He sat down and looked to his left. Mei had been rubbing a spot on her neck as she read her notes. She sighed and leaned back in her seat. 

“Good morning, Sugawara-san.” He said. 

Upon hearing his voice, she looked over to him with a smile. “Good morning.”

His eyes drifted to her desk. “Are you studying for the test later?”

“Yeah. I had a headache last night so I couldn’t really focus.” She sighed and rubbed her left temple.

“I can teach you, if you need me to.”

“It’s alright. I don’t wanna be a bother.” Mei tried to wave him off but she saw something in his eyes flicker. 

“You could never be a bother, Sugawara-san.”

 

** 

 

“Damn it!"

 

"Semi, I think you need to get some muscle in your arms." Mei chuckled as she watched the silver haired boy drop down from the pull-up bar. 

It was one of those festivals where each class would have their own booth. 

Mei's class sold some Takoyaki and drinks. Her shift was over so she dragged Tendou and the others to check out the other booths.

"That's because he always slacks off when the coach isn't looking." Hayato grinned.

"Oh, please. Like you can do any better?" Semi glared at his friend

"Yeah, I probably can." 

Hayato took Semi's place at the booth and handed some money to the student. 

"Really, guys? All for a keychain?" She chuckled as she shook her head. It was amusing to watch them compete for such a cheap prize.

"The record is 32 pull-ups, by some guy from the baseball team. If you want the keychain, you gotta beat that. Semi only did 19."

Tendou said, watching in amusement.

"I don't really want the prize but I think I can get at least twenty."

And he did. Semi was grumbling to himself and despite not getting a prize, Hayato grinned in triumph as he jumped down from the bar. He managed to do twenty-five pull-ups. Soekawa had a go,too. He only did twenty-one but it was still enough for everyone to tease Semi even more. 

After Tendou managed to do twenty-two pull-ups, everyone anticipated Ushijima who was the last to try.

The stoic one stepped to the booth and jumped, placing his hands firmly on the ! metal bar. His gaze drifted to the small table of prizes. He had been eyeing one particular keychain and he really wanted to win. 

 

He needed to.

He started pulling himself up, quite effortlessly, and the group started counting. 

"Twenty-nine, thirty, thirty-one…"

"Woah." Mei's eyes were focused on her classmate as he beat the record, setting an even higher one. 

The stoic one ended up doing forty-seven pull ups and he barely even broke a sweat. 

Ushijima went over to the student handling the prizes. His record was enough for a plush toy but he immediately pointed at the keychain he wanted.

"That was impressive. I don't think anyone will be able to beat that." Tendou praised his friend as he grinned. 

"He is our ace, isn't he? And future captain." Mei chuckled.

"Come on, let's go to class 3A. I heard they did a haunted house." The redhead dragged his other teammates in a hurry, purposely leaving two alone.



Mei smiled as he walked over to the tall boy. "Ushijima-san, you have a few beads of sweat here." She said quietly, only for him to hear, and lightly dabbed her handkerchief to his forehead.

Ushijima stared at her and couldn't take his eyes off her. Taking care of him was like second nature to her and he had no complaints. 

"Here." He lifted his hand, showing her the small Rillakuma keychain that rested on his palm. 

"Hm? It's your prize. Why are you giving it to me?"

"I won it for you."

 

 3rd year

 

Ushijima left practice like everybody else much to his dismay. When he saw Mei insist on cleaning by herself, even waving off the first years, he got confused. There was so much to clean up so he asked to stay and help her but she only ushered them all out of the gym. 

He had a gut feeling that something was wrong but he tried to shake it off by going on his nightly run. It didn't work and it only gave him more time to dwell on the thought. He stopped by the gym again when he saw the lights were still on. 

When Ushijima stepped into the gym, he saw Mei sitting on the floor, beads of sweat rolling down from her skin. He picked up a clean towel from one of the benches before walking over to her.

"Sugawara-san."

Mei looked up and saw him handing her the towel, "Thanks...But what are you doing here so late, Ushijima-san?"

"I went on my run but I saw the lights were still on.” He searched her face. Her eyes were a bit red and puffy. He took a step closer. “Are you alright?"

"I'm okay, don’t worry about it." She  waved him off and wiped her face with the towel before standing up. 

"I didn't realize I made such a mess,"she chuckled. 

Wakatoshi looked to the other side of the court and saw at least twenty balls scattered on the floor.

"You go ahead, Ushijima-san. I still have to clean up.", she flashed him a small smile before she jogged over to pick up the balls.

Wakatoshi let out a huff and trailed behind her, now helping her out.

My heart is racing again. 

 

"You've gotten taller."

Wakatoshi put the last ball into the basket before looking over to her.

"I have?"

"Compared to the first time I met you.", she chuckled, "You were just a bit taller than me then, only by this much ", she gestured her hand a couple of inches above her head.

"I grew a bit…"

" Now you're at least half a foot taller than me...Or more, I think. Your build is bigger, too. Your hard work really shows.", she held her thumb up at him and grinned.

Wakatoshi felt his cheeks heat up so he looked away and mumbled under his breath.

"What was that?"

"I said we should go.", he said quietly.

 

-

 

Mei put the set of keys in her bag after finally locking up and they started walking. She put a hand to her mouth and let out a yawn.

Cute.

Wakatoshi blinked a few times, a bit flustered by his own thoughts.

“Ushijima-san?”

“Y...Yes?”

“We're gonna have that test in P.E on Friday and I still kinda have trouble with jump serves — which is why I made such a mess earlier. Can you help me out?"

“Sure.”

“It's totally okay if you don't want to, I know the team has practice until late again tomorrow.”

“It's alright. I can —I want to help you." He corrected.

“Really?”

He nodded.

“I promise I’ll treat you to any snack you want after the test.”

“You don't have to do that,{“ he paused and looked up at the sky when he felt a droplet of water on his cheek. 

“It's raining again.” she said, almost in awe.

Ushijima took his jacket off and hurriedly held it above their heads.

“I like the rain.” 

“Because it’s calming?” he asked as they walked.

“Yeah… It’s comforting.”

Ushijima glanced at her. Something was wrong, he could feel it, but he didn’t know what he could say or do to make her better. 

He faced forward again as he let out a breath. “You seem a bit down today.. I hope you are okay.”

He said something so simple yet she felt a bit of weight off her shoulders. She was glad he didn't ask anything more. 

When they reached the girl’s dormitory, the rain had stopped. 

“Thank you, Ushijima-san. For helping me and for what you said. It really means a lot, so thank you.” She smiled a little. 

He felt his heart flutter at the sight of her smile again. And to think that she smiled because of him, that’s all he wanted to do for her.

 

**

 

“Mei-chan! Ushiwaka told me he's helping you with volleyball before practice! Why didn't you ask me?” Tendou grinned.

“Ushijima-san is the top 3 ace in the country. Of course, I'd ask him for help.” she teased.

“That hurts my feelings,” he said dramatically.

She chuckled a bit, Maybe you can teach me how to block, then?

“Of course!” Tendou beamed. 

 

“Stop slacking you brats!” Coach Washijo yelled as he arrived half an hour late to practice due to a teacher meeting. 

“Coach! Can we let Mei-chan join in on the next match with us?”

“Hah? Why would a manager play volleyball for the team? She won't be able to keep up.” He gave them a stern look.

Mei slapped Tendou’s arm, her brows furrowed while the redhead only grinned at her, “I don't have to play with you guys. I just needed help since we have that P.E test coming up. Don't drag me into this.” 

“Sugawara-san is very good. I helped her with jump serves earlier and she's already got the hang of it.", Wakatoshi interjected.

Coach Washijo gave them a glare before he spoke. "Alright, but if I see her lagging behind, she's out."

 

"Yeah!"Tendou cheered, "Mei-chan, you should be on my team."

**

What the hell

She panted a little as their match progressed. It was hard enough to play with the team, but she didn't want to disappoint Wakatoshi since he vouched for her.

She saw Semi glance at her before he was about to do a set so she rushed to the left side. 

"Sugawara-chan!"Semi shouted and tossed in her direction. 

Mei made a jump and swung her right arm, hitting the ball just in time. She stumbled a bit when she reached the ground but immediately panicked when she heard a pained shout.

"Oh my god, Shirabu-san!"She ran over to the other side of the court and went over to the younger setter. 

"Ow…", Shirabu groaned as he held his hand to his bleeding nose.

 

-



"I'm really sorry..", she said quietly and handed the ice pack to him.

Shirabu sat on one of the benches with some tissue to his nose. 

"It was an accident. I was supposed to receive it but I was too late.", He grumbled.

"Geez, the bleeding still won't stop.", She said nervously, "Maybe I should take you to the nurse—"

"Sugawara!", Coach Washijo exclaimed, "Get back on the court!"

"But—"

"Go ahead, senpai. They won't have enough players on your team if you don't play."

She gave him a guilty look before letting out a huff. "Alright."

 

-

 

"You serve just like Ushijima", Reon said before taking a sip of his water 

"Woah, don't say that so carelessly.", Mei said with a frown as she handed them clean towels.

"But it's true! You should've tried out for the girl's team, senpai!", Goshiki said, his eyes sparkling.

"I'm flattered.. but I'm not as good as you think I am.", She handed one to Ushijima and flinched when he suddenly spoke.

"You're a good player. You have great potential.", Wakatoshi said.

She blushed at the compliment and immediately walked off to start cleaning up.

"Ah, Mei-chan is so cute when she blushes,"Tendou teased.

Wakatoshi turned and glared at the redhead, which surprised the rest of the team.

 

Notes:

Hi, hello

omg it's been a while, huh? I'm still alive! XD
Did y'all like the fluff? I sure did. I enjoyed writing this one, I couldn't stop smiling while proof reading this LOL
XD and featuring Shirabu's bloody nose XD

Chapter 33: Stop

Notes:

Songs:
Feelings are Fatal by mxmtoon
Runaway by Sasha Alex Sloan
Serendipity (Full version) by BTS

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

 

 

I'm okay. 

 

Mei thought to herself as she sat in class, writing down her answers for their quiz. 

 

I'm okay. 

 

She tried her best to avoid everyone, forcing herself to be busy with studying and work to get her mind off what happened with Wakatoshi. She even tried to avoid Akaashi despite being in a few classes with him.

 

I'm okay.

 

It had been weeks since she had decent sleep, she barely ate, and lived off canned coffee and the occasional cup noodle. She had skipped on therapy for a few weeks now because it was exam season. She had no time for distractions.

 

I'm okay.

 

"Alright, time's up.", her professor said and started collecting the papers. Mei passed her paper and gathered her things. 

 

Ugh, stupid cramps...I feel like throwing up again. I need to go to the bathroom. 

 

She had a hand to her stomach as she made her way out. Suddenly, she coughed hard and felt something rising to her throat. 

 

Why is everything spinning? Why is it red?

 

She fell to the floor and coughed again. The people who saw what happened gathered around her in panic but she couldn't understand what they were saying. 

 

Then she blacked out.

 

**

 

11:47am

Akaashi:

Mei! Let's get lunch after your test.

 

Akaashi:

I just got out of class. I'll meet you at the lounge,okay?



12:15nn

Akaashi:

Hey, where are you? You’re done with your test, right? And why aren't you answering my calls?

 

Akaashi:

Mei? I’m already at the cafeteria and I already got us some food. I bought your favorite burger. Text me, alright? 

 

12:50nn

Akaashi:

I have an exam in ten minutes,and another after that.. Please tell me you've grabbed lunch already. I still have your burger in a to-go box. Tell me if you want me to bring it to you.



4:48pm

Tendou:

Mei-chan! I heard you got sent to the hospital? Were you admitted? 

Tendou: 

Are you alright? 

Tendou: 

They said you fainted. We're all worried.

Tendou:

Semi is asking if we can go visit. Can we do that?

 

 

5:17pm

Akaashi:

Tendou told me you were taken to the hospital. Mei, I swear to God, if you don't answer my calls!!

 

Akaashi:

or at least reply!



5:39pm

Goshiki:

Mei-senpai! Are you alright?? 

Goshiki: 

Tendou-senpai says you're at the hospital. D:

Goshiki: 

I hope you're doing well, senpai! 

 

6:27pm

Bokuto: 

Mei-chan! I heard from Tendou… ):

Bokuto:

Are you okay?? 

Bokuto: 

Keiji’s really worried.

 

6:43pm

Shirabu: 

Senpai.

Shirabu:

I heard you were in the hospital. I hope you're recovering well.

 

Shirabu:

Please let me know if you need anything. I can bring it to you.

 

7:25pm

Koushi:

Mei!! Rin told me you're at Tokyo General. What happened?

Koushi;

Are you okay?


**

 

"Is she awake?"

The sound of footsteps got a bit louder when another one, who was much closer, spoke.

"Not yet. It's been a couple of hours." 

"What exactly happened?"

"Stomach tear,” he sighed, “and looking at her blood results, she's not getting enough sleep." The sound of paper flipping through echoed in her ears. 

 

Ugh… Shut up already.

 

 "She's set up with fluids, right? Holy crap.. She needs food. She looks… horrible— no, she looks underweight and just.. Jesus, what the hell has her boyfriend been doing?" The other voice trembled in frustration.

Mei finally had enough energy to open her eyes and she saw her two older brothers standing near her.

"Where am I?", she managed to mumble as she tried to sit up, but winced at the pain she felt on her stomach. 

Rin looked over to her and immediately went by her side. "Mei, stop. Don't get up.", He helped her lie back down and adjusted her bed to an inclined position. "You're in the hospital. You got out of surgery just a while ago." 

She looked around and saw she was in a private room. "Surgery? Why?"

"You were brought here from your university. They said you coughed up blood before you passed out… They had to operate on you right away because you had a tear in your stomach." Rei said. 

"We figured getting you a room would be better so you can rest properly."Rin gave her a pat on the head. 

She stared at her brothers for a moment then let out a breath. She felt drained.

Rin sighed and put a hand on his brother's shoulder. "We'll leave you to rest and check on you again later, alright?"

Mei kept quiet as the two left the room. 



**

 

"Wakatoshi!" Tendou called out to the olive haired man. 

 

Wakatoshi turned his head and stopped in his tracks when he heard his best friend. He just got out of class and was on his way to his car. 

 

"Did you hear?"

"Hear what?"

"It's Mei-chan. She—"

"I don't want to hear anything about her.", he said and he started walking.

"God damn it, Wakatoshi, I said wait!", Tendou walked after him and stood in his way. Wakatoshi was a bit stunned at his best friend's seriousness.

"Mei-chan fainted after her class earlier."

Wakatoshi's eyes widened. "What?"

"Sugawara said she was taken to Tokyo General right away but he doesn't know why she passed out. He said she coughed up blood.", The redhead said carefully. 

 

Blood..?

 

Wakatoshi immediately turned and sprinted to his car.

Tendou watched his best friend go and sighed. "Could've at least brought me with you.", he shook his head and walked back inside. 

 

**

 

Wakatoshi parked his car and rushed inside the hospital. He quickly went to the nurses' station. "Good evening, I'm looking for Mei Sugawara." 

"I'm sorry but visiting hours are over. You can come back tomorrow."

"I'm her boyfriend. Please...", he pleaded.

"Sir, I can't allow you to do that—", the nurse argued.

"She's in Room 305. Third floor", a voice said behind him.

Wakatoshi turned and saw Mei's older brother Rei clad in his white coat. He looked a bit more tired than the last time Wakatoshi saw him. 

 

The nurse opened her mouth to say something but Rei raised his hand. "It's fine. He can go visit my sister." 

Rei turned to Wakatoshi and nodded at him.

Wakatoshi gave him a small bow and quickly went to the elevator. 

 

When he arrived at her door, his hand froze as he reached for the knob.  He didn't know what he was going to say once he went inside and he was sure he was the last person she wanted to see but he knocked anyway.

 

Mei was sitting on her bed looking out the window. She didn't bother turning her head to the door when she heard the knock, thinking it may be her brothers again. "Come in."

Wakatoshi opened the door and went inside. He felt his heart sink when he saw her frail state. It looked like a gust of wind could shatter her. Since when has she been like this? 

 

He walked over to her and sat on the chair beside her bed. She still hasn't noticed it was him. 

 

He reached for her hand. "Mei.."

Mei's eyes widened and quickly turned her head at the sound of his voice. 

 

What the hell? What is he doing here?

 

"How did you know I was here?"

"Tendou told me."

She stared at him for a moment. 

"Why are you here?"

"I was worried." He kept his gaze on her hand. The ring he gave her was nowhere to be found.

"Well, you shouldn't be. You don't have to be. I'm not your girlfriend anymore and you made that very clear." She said and pulled her hand away from his hold. "You should go." 

Wakatoshi balled his hand into a fist. “I'm not leaving, Mei.”

“You already did, remember?” 

Mei stared at him and let out a huff. He’s really not leaving. Stubborn as always.

 

“I was relieved when you broke up with me.” She said plainly and looked out the window. If you won't leave then I'll make you.

 

Wakatoshi looked at her, stunned. 

“Do you know why I didn't bother defending myself when we broke up? Because I needed it to happen.”

"So, you hurt me… on purpose?", He whispered.

"It was for your own good."She said as she ran a hand through her hair. 

Wakatoshi felt like everything came crashing down. Their breakup only filled him with regret. He couldn't even bear being apart from her let alone see a future without her. Why would she ever think that it was for his own good?

 

For a moment, no one said anything.

 

"How can I help?" He started, his tone soft.

"I don't want your help." She snapped.

"I'm here if you want to talk. You know you can talk to me."

"There are things I can't talk about, Wakatoshi. Not with Akaashi, not with my family, not even with my therapist and especially not with you . "

"Why? Is it difficult to talk to me? To love me..?"Wakatoshi whispered. He knew if he talked any louder, his voice would break.

She stared at him and let out a shaky breath. “No.”

He stared at her then gave her hand a squeeze. Moving closer, he brought it to his cheek. "Then please give me another chance.", he pleaded and looked right into her eyes. He was desperate.

Mei's eyes started to water. She pushed him away and wiped her cheeks with her hands. 

"Get out."

"Mei, please—"

"I said, get out.", she said coldly. "I want to be alone so please just leave."

"I love you so much. Why can't you see that? Why won't you let me love you?"

Wakatoshi’s heart felt heavy with bitterness and something he couldn’t quite name yet.

Mei’s eyes glistened as she glared at him.

"Because I really don't see a reason why you should. I'm not good for you. I'm not okay and I think you're only wasting your time. I don't need you, and you clearly don't need me."

"You’re the only one I need but you push me away. You always push me away. It hurts every time, and for what? For Kuroo to comfort you?" He raised his voice a bit as he felt anger rising in him. He hated being angry at her.

"And we're talking about Kuroo again. Great.", she scoffed.

"That's because you let him help you! You let Akaashi and Bokuto help you, even the family you've always hated, but not me. It's never me. And I want you to choose me."

"I can't." Mei said coldly and looked out the window again.

 

"What do you mean, Mei? I want to help you because I love you. I would give up anything— everything for you because I love you so much. And you always take care of me so why can't you just let me—"

 

He heard her scoff, "Did you expect me to be happy that you're here? That I would be ecstatic you’d be willing to turn your life around for me? Because I'm not. I don't need you to take care of me so leave me the hell alone"

Wakatoshi looked at her, his eyes brimmed with pain.

"Do you not love me anymore, Mei?"

"You deserve someone better."

"Mei, I don't understand. Why do you keep saying that? " His voice finally broke, his eyes starting to water as he held onto her hand.

"Just get out. I don't want to see you anymore." She swatted his hand away.

 

**

 

"Did she kick you out?"

Wakatoshi turned to his left and saw Rei. He nodded and looked down at the floor.

He stayed outside her room because he couldn't bring himself to leave, like he was anchored to his seat.

Rei sat on the bench, leaving a good amount of distance between them. 

“She's not okay. They had to operate on her."

"She had surgery?", Wakatoshi asked quietly, almost in a whisper, as he turned to the older man again. It hadn’t even occurred to him what had happened to her, how awful things got tht she had to be under the scalpel. Why wasn’t he there for her when she needed him most?

Rei nodded. "There was a tear in her stomach. It may have been caused by too much vomiting. Do you know anything about that?"

Wakatoshi let out a shaky breath, shaking his head. “She keeps shutting me out.”

Rei stayed quiet for a while. He let out a frustrated sigh. He glanced at the boy beside him. “I suggest you go home tonight.”

“I'm not leaving.”

“Go home and come back tomorrow”, said another voice. Wakatoshi looked up and saw Rin. “Rest then come back tomorrow and bring some clothes. We're not discharging her anytime soon."

Wakatoshi stared at the two. “Do your parents know she's here?”

Rin shook his head. “Not yet. They'll make a fuss.”

 

 

Notes:

Hello

I think this fic is close to its end. I don't wanna get emotional just yeat but holyyyy shiiitt it's been almost 7 months since I started this. omg and I never knew I could write this much XD Fret not, when this fic's done, I have another fic planned out. I'm writing it bit by bit... Though I think I'll post it here when it's really done because I don't wanna feel pressured LOL And so I can get my head together and not change plans midway (w/c is what happened to me with LMLY XD and look where that got me LOL) and I think I'll change my writing style a bit weeeeeeee

ANYWAY
BTS won all 3 awards they were nominated for at the AMAs.
I'm happily crying right now agh

bye
hehe

Chapter 34: Visitors

Summary:

Unreciprocated glances

Notes:

Song:
The Beach by The Neighborhood
Waves by Fiji Blue

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

 

For the first time, Wakatoshi wasn't able to sleep. The sun had already risen and he was laying on his bed, wide awake. Mei’s words kept replaying in his mind. 

 

"What? Did you expect me to be happy that you're here? Because I'm not."

"I don't need you, and you clearly don't need me."

 

The sound of his phone ringing brought him back to reality. He picked it up and answered the call. 

"Hello?" He said tiredly. 

"Ushijima-san, it's Bokuto. Tendou said you went to visit Mei at the hospital last night."

"Yes, I did..." 

"Is she alright?"

"..."

"I'll take that as a no then.."

Ushijima heard some shuffling over the call. 

 "If you're going to visit her today, is it alright if I come with you? Akaashi as well." 

Wakatoshi looked at the clock on his wall. 

 

10:25am

 

"Alright. I'll pick you up at 11."

"Thank you, Ushijima-san."

 

**

 

Akaashi slid the door open and finally saw his best friend.

"You idiot.", he snapped as he walked over angrily to her bedside.

Mei looked at him with wide eyes. "Keiji, Bo.. What are you guys doing here? Don't you have class?"

"Shut up." He hissed and climbed onto her bed, immediately wrapping an arm around her and burying his face into her neck.

"How are you feeling, Mei-chan?", Bokuto asked with a small smile, pulling up a chair and sitting by her bed.

Mei's eyes drifted to her ex-boyfriend, who looked distraught and tired. Wakatoshi sat on the couch, paying his attention on the floor.

"Better than yesterday. I had surgery. "She said quietly and then hugged her best friend, "I'm sorry, Keiji…", she mumbled, feeling the trickle of his tears on her skin. 

She absolutely hated seeing Akaashi cry because he only does when he's incredibly hurt. She hated herself for being the reason for his tears now. 

"We were really worried, Mei-chan… Keiji couldn't sleep a wink last night." Bokuto said, putting a hand on his boyfriend's arm.

"I'll get us something to eat.", Wakatoshi suddenly said and got out of the room. 

Bokuto looked over to the taller man as he left, then went back to Mei.

"You two are still not okay?", he asked her.

Mei didn't say anything and just kept rubbing her hand on Akaashi's back.

Bokuto's phone chimed and he checked to see his messages. "Tendou is asking if he can visit, too."

"I don't think I can handle more visitors today. I just… I'm still a bit tired."

"Okay.", Bokuto stood and patted her head gently. "I'll give him a call to fill him in." He kissed his boyfriend on the cheek before leaving the room.

 

“Keiji, you are squishing my boobs.”

“Shut up. They’re nice pillows.”

“Not as nice as Bo’s though, right?” Mei chuckled lightly, hoping to lighten the mood."

“That’s true.” Her best friend grumbled but snuggled into her chest even more.

“I’m sorry, Keiji. I should’ve called when I got out of surgery. I didn’t mean for you to worry like that.”

"You're an idiot.", Akaashi said quietly.

"I know, I'm sorry…"

"No, stop that. You don't need to apologize, Mei. You're hurt and sick… and they cut you open. You’ve been through enough." He pulled away and gently brushed the hair from her face. She sighed. “Still, I should’ve called— Ah fuck. I’m supposed to be at my internship today. I have to call them—”

“Already taken care of, don’t worry about it.”’

“God, what will I ever do without you?” She let out a relieved sigh.

“Not a lot, probably.” Akaashi gave her a small smile. “Have you eaten? I can ask Bo to get us some food if you like.”

“I’m fine. Rei—”

“Your brother?”

“Yup. For now I'm sticking to weird gooey stuff and … Soups. But he already pre-ordered all of my meals for when I can eat solid foods again. He told me I look like a twig since the last time he saw me."

“He’s right. You have been pretty stressed since…”

Mei cut him off, “Because I had my internship, my part time job. Not to mention a whole week of exams. I’m just glad graduation's around the corner.”

“And your breakup.” Akaashi finally said after waiting for  her to finish.

“Yeah, that…”

"Ushijima was here last night, right? Did you two talk?"

"…"

"He really loves you, you know that, right?"

"I'm tired, Keiji...", she whispered and pulled away from him. 

Akaashi got off the bed and moved to a chair. "Why do you keep running away from him?" 

She groaned and turned away from him. "Stop. Just stop. Please?"

Akaashi huffed.

Mei sensed his annoyance and sighed  "What's the point? Sometimes I think I'm okay and a minute later I feel a lot of things just suddenly rushing into my brain and I can't..." She swallowed the lump in her throat, “I can't let him deal with all of that.

Akaashi took her hand. "Well, you should've at least talked to me if you were having a hard time."

Mei let out a scoff, a sad smile on her lips. "I wanted to. God,therapy was really working for me, Keiji. And I was motivated, I was looking forward to what comes next and then I just… everything just fell apart." Akaashi squeezed her hand as he listened to her.

"Kuroo confessed that he's in love with me and I don't even know why and Wakatoshi broke up with me right when I was about to tell him about all of my shit…" She let out a frustrated breath, "I don't blame him for it because I love him so much. I just want what's best for him."

"The best thing for him is to be loved by you. He needs you more than you think and you need him, clearly."

"He doesn't need me."

"That's not just for you to decide, Mei. If he loves you and you love him then that's it. It's not that hard."

"Easy for you to say,” she scoffed, “You have Bokuto. You two are fucking soulmates. I know Ushijima’s already tired of dealing with me. He'll find someone better."

"Tired of you? Did he say that himself? And you just said that you love him, you idiot." Akaashi poked her side. "Love isn't something you can do alone." 

 

**

 

"What's that?"

Ushijima raised his head and looked up at the boy standing in front of him. 

Akaashi had gotten out of Mei's room when she fell asleep. He saw the stoic one sitting outside so he approached him. He tipped his chin to the side, gesturing to the bag that sat beside the taller boy.

"Clothes." He said plainly.

"What for?" Akaashi frowned, crossing his arms as he watched him intently.

"Her brothers asked me to stay with her today but I don't think she'll like that. I'm going home now." Ushijima stood and hung the sports bag on his shoulder. He turned to walk away but Akaashi grabbed his arm.

"You have to do something." Akaashi said, his tone firm, before he pulled his hand away.

"Do something about what?"

"Your relationship with Mei."

"There's nothing left of our relationship. She hates me."

Akaashi sighed angrily, "Oh god, aren't you two the most stubborn people in the world." He said under his breath. "She does not hate you, so try and win her back, yeah? You're good at that." He huffed and walked back into the room.

Ushijima looked down on the floor, clenching his jaw as he thought of his last conversation with the love of his life.  He felt lost and hopeless.

 

**

 

The door slid open with a bit of force as the rowdy group entered her room. Mei winced at the sudden interruption of the peace and quiet she was enjoying. 

It was her fourth day and she was back to eating solid food. She ate some cake that Rei brought her and cheese buns from Rin. It was all tasty but her lack of appetite didn't change. If only she wasn't confined to the bed, she might've hurled everything by now. There was still that overwhelming feeling in the pit of her sewed up stomach.

But she had to admit, being stuck in a room with nothing to do was relaxing. Until now.

"Mei-chan!", Tendou cheered as he jogged over, his arms already open, while Goshiki, Kuroo, Bokuto, Suga, Daichi, and Wakatoshi entered the room.

Wakatoshi didn't even plan on visiting so he stayed farthest from her, leaning by the door with his arms crossed and head ducked down. He knew Mei didn't want him in the room but Tendou had urged him to drive everybody over. He couldn't exactly resist his best friend.

She looked at them and tilted her head to the side a bit. "Uh...Who are you people?"

Everyone went quiet. 

"Huh?" Suga whispered, while Daichi immediately took his hand and gave it a squeeze. 

"You... you mentioned senpai had surgery, Akaashi-senpai.. Was it on her brain? Did she lose her memory? Oh my god..!", Goshiki said with a shaky voice, tears already filling his eyes.

Akaashi kept his gaze on Mei, a seemingly sad expression on his face. 

"Mei-chan, it's me, Tendou!", the redhead pleaded but he trailed off to a whisper, "You're favorite middle blocker…"

"and I'm your favorite ace…", Goshiki sobbed, his face buried into his hands.

"Mei? "Kuroo said quietly as he went to her side and held her hand, "You really don't remember us?"

"I'm sorry. I really have no idea...", she put her other hand to her mouth before bursting into a laugh "That you guys would fall for that!" 

They all stared at her with wide eyes and mouths gaped, except for Akaashi who just watched in amusement while he held his phone up, clearly having videotaped what just happened after sensing Mei's devious plan.

Kuroo pulled away and ran his hand through his hair in frustration. "Jesus, fuck."

Tendou and Goshiki, already in tears,  immediately went to her and gave her a hug.

"You're such a prick."Suga sighed as Daichi rubbed his arm for comfort. 

"I probably should've used that on Ushijima so that he'd leave me the hell alone already." She chuckled as the two pulled away from her.

Akaashi narrowed his eyes at her, pinching her arm. He tipped his chin over to Ushijima's direction and Mei only shrugged before paying her attention back to her other friends.

 

**

 

"I'll lift up your gown now,'' a female intern said.

"Okay."Mei mumbled.

She was getting her dressing changed again and it was annoying her. She should've been discharged a few days after surgery but Rei and Rin had refused. Mei also informed her internship and had no problem with it. 

But she had a problem with it.

Being cooped up in a hospital room for seven days, nothing to do except watch TV and go on her phone, and no one to talk to.

Akaashi did visit as often as he could, either with Bokuto or Tendou. They only stayed for a while until visiting hours were over. 

Unfortunately, Wakatoshi visited as well. She avoided talking to him and if they did, they only argued. It was tiring.

"Can you please have Rei— I mean, Doctor Rei, can you tell him to come here?" She asked the timid intern, who flinched at her sudden request.

"Um.. Doctor Sugawara is currently in surgery… But I'll make sure to tell him."

"Are you scared of him or something?"

"Huh..?! No, no. It's just that…"she trailed off as she finished changing her bandage.

"He must be very strict with interns like you, though I think Rin would be harder to handle. Thank god I didn't go to med school. I'd hate to deal with that."  Mei chuckled a bit.

"Actually, Dr. Rei is very hands on when teaching us. He's very nice but sometimes a bit scary."

"What about Doctor Rin?"

"He's very… Playful. He always lightens the mood in the OR. But when he's serious, he can be scary as well.

 

"Uh... Excuse me?" said a voice from the door.

Mei and the intern turned their heads immediately.

“I'm sorry to disturb you but I think I'm lost. I came from a checkup with Dr. Miyamura but I don't know how to get back to the lobby. Could you— Ah," he paused, "Sugawara, from the beach?”

"Yamazaki, right?" Mei said with a surprised look on her face, "Woah, I didn't think I'd ever see you again. Come in, come in." Mei laughed a little and gestured with her hand.

The intern quietly backed away and exited the room as the teal-eyed entered the room.

"Same here." Sousuke smiled a bit, "I  didn't think you'd remember me."

"How could I forget your pretty eyes?" She smiled.

"Just my eyes?" he joked.

"And the fact that you flirted with me."

 

He hummed, "Are you admitted here? Did you get hurt?" he said, now in a worried tone, and sat on the chair by her bed.

"I had abdominal surgery but it was nothing major." She waved off and tried to change the subject. "How about you? Why are you at this hospital?"

"I had surgery about two years ago on my shoulder." He said and tapped his left arm. I come back for a routine check up every six months."

"That must have been scary… Did you do it so you could swim? Sorry if I'm a bit forward." she said sheepishly, "I haven't had anyone to talk to that didn’t try to be my therapist.”

"It's alright, you're fun to talk to," he chuckled, "And yeah, I did it so I can swim again. I still can't push myself too much though."

"Mei, we picked up some snacks. Are you hungry now? Ah, who's this?" Akaashi said as he entered the room with Wakatoshi and Tendou right behind him.

"He looks familiar. Hmm…" Tendou said, trying to remember where he saw the taller man from while Wakatoshi narrowed his eyes when he saw Mei smile at the teal-eyed man.

"This is Yamazaki Sousuke. Tendou, Tetsurou, and I met him, and his friends at the beach last time. You didn't get to because you were too tired from your workout with Bo the night before." She teased while the unbothered Akaashi hummed as he set the food on the small table.

"What’cha doin here?" Tendou said with a raised brow and crossed arms.

"He had a check up on the same floor but he got lost and couldn't find his way back to the lobby." she giggled, finding Sousuke's situation adorable.

"I'm not very good with directions," he said sheepishly.

“Would you like a fruit cup?” Akaashi offered.

“No, I'm good. Thank you though.”  he said to the owl boy then turned to Mei, “I’ll leave you to your friends, Sugawara-san.” Sousuke smiled as he gently put his hand on her shoulder before he stood. “I hope you have a speedy recovery.” 

Mei picked up her phone and handed it to him. “Before I forget, you should put your number in so we can hang out once I'm out of here.”

Sousuke took the phone and typed in his details, ignoring the stares and a glare he earned by doing so. When he gave the phone back, Mei immediately sent a text to his number.

He took out his phone and showed his screen. “Got it. I'm already looking forward to seeing you again.”

“Me too. Oh, once you get out of this room, take a right and the elevator near the nurses station will lead you to the lobby.” Mei let out a laugh as she waved a hand. 

“Thanks,” he chuckled before turning to the other people in the room, “It was a nice meeting all of you. I’ll take my leave.” He said with a smile and finally left the room.

“You’re oddly flirty, today.” Tendou said, sparing his best friend a glance. 

“Flirty? I guess I was.” she shrugged. “I had a good time talking with him. He's nice, attractive too. And his eyes! Jesus, I could stare at them all day." She said before taking a spoonful of the fruit cup Akaashi handed to her.

“You shouldn't be giving your number away like that.” Wakatoshi huffed.

“Why do you care? You’re not my boyfriend.” she scoffed and rolled her eyes.

 

Notes:

Hi! It's been a while aaaaaaaahhhh
The return of Sousuke! XD I love that guy, too hehe

I'll proofread this when I get the chance but I just wanna post this before I change my mind HAHA

I hope y'ALL enjoy reading despite any typos y'all might see DX

Chapter 35: Querinous

Summary:

Push and Pull

Notes:

Song:

Easily by Bruno Major

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

 

Rin walked into the room yawning and stretching his arms upward before he laid on the couch. 

Mei paused her typing and looked up from her phone. "Are you gonna sleep here again?”

Rin only groaned as he snuggled his face onto the small couch pillow. "I'm not on call anymore and I just got out of a 12-hour surgery." He whined.

"When am I gonna be discharged? I'm sick of staying here."

"When you fully recover, a few more days at least."

She gave him a look. "You expect me to believe that? I've been here for more than a week. I've already recovered."

"Chill out, your exams are over and you only need to get your certification from your internship. You're in no rush to be out of this hospital." He yawned again, nuzzling his cheek on the poor pillow.

Mei glared at him. Keiji must have told him that. 

"I have stuff to do." She huffed

"Really? Is it that part-time job? Why bother when Rei and I fund your card. You should just quit that."

"I don't have to but I like to do it. Besides, I don't need money from you guys."

"Then use it to spend on your friends." He argued,though not as energetic as he usually was. 

"Can I at least borrow your laptop?"

"No, because I know you'll use it to work." 

"It's better than being stuck here with nothing else to do." She sighed.

 

And just like that, they heard the door slide open.

The two turned their heads when they saw Ushijima walk into the room, carrying a plastic bag in one hand and a black leather tote bag in the other. Her tote bag.

Mei frowned, earning a confused look from her brother. "Why are you here?" 

"Akaashi asked me to bring these. He said you might be bored." 

Ushijima set her stuff on the small desk just beside her bed. He took out a pink book, the one she got from Kuroo, and handed it to her. Their hands touched for a short while until Mei hastily pulled away, setting the book on her lap. She avoided his gaze completely as she felt her stomach flip.

Rin eyed the two but kept his curiosity to himself. For now.

"Have you had lunch?" Ushijima started, taking out the snacks he bought from the plastic bag and setting them on another table.

"Yeah."

"Okay, good." The olive haired mumbled then left the room.

When Rin heard the door close, he turned his attention to his sister, who was already reading. "Isn't he your boyfriend? Do you guys fight or something?"

"We broke up a while ago." Mei gave her brother a pointed look. " And don't ask. I'm not gonna tell you anything."

"Fine by me." Rin closed his eyes, slowly drifting off to sleep.

 

**

 

"So you haven't told him? At all?" Kenma said. 

"No." Mei shrugged and munched on her sandwich. 

"Haven't told him what?" Shirabu handed them drinks before sitting beside Kenma on the couch.

Her two unexpected guests arrived a few minutes ago, it was their first visit. They even brought her food and drinks. She was close with both of them: Kenma because of Keiji, Bo, and Kuroo; and Shirabu because of Shiratorizawa.

But she wasn't that close with them. They didn't spend time talking about deep shit like she did with Keiji.

“She goes to therapy for her anxiety." The blonde said plainly, not looking up from his game. "Why didn’t you just tell him?” Kenma sounded bored.

“I couldn’t.”

“Why not?”

“Because — “ She sighed “I just couldn't, okay?”

"Has it ever occurred to you that it was the anxiety talking?"

"Kenma, stop trying to be my therapist."

"But you're sad because he doesn't understand. And he doesn't understand because you still haven't told him anything. Isn’t that a bit condescending?”

"I agree." Shirabu said and opened a can of coffee for himself.

"I'm not sad." Mei frowned.

Kenma scoffed, his eyes still fixated on his game. "Wow. That's rich coming from you."

“Just drop it, Kenma." She rolled her eyes, "I'm fine so don't worry about it."

"And how did it turn out the last time you said you were fine? Oh, that's right. You started hyperventilating and Akaashi had to calm you down. Then, Kuroo had you convince you to go to therapy, which I'm glad he did. That rooster head doesn't always give the best advice." 

Mei glanced at Shirabu before she narrowed her eyes at the blonde. "Will you just quit it?" She hissed, "He doesn't deserve to be with someone messed up like me."

Shirabu didn't seem to be fazed by the new information he was learning about Mei. He continued to listen. 

"Aren't we all a little messed up? No one's perfect. Take a look at Kuroo. He's tall, 'handsome' — that's what he claims, but that hair? Deal-breaker if you ask me. " He shrugged.

Mei quietly took a bite of food. She chewed, avoiding their gazes, as if her nonresponse would make her guests leave already.

"I talked to Ushijima-senpai last week." Shirabu started, earning a quick look from Mei. "He said would even give up volleyball if it meant you two would be together again."

The colour drained from her face, panic quickly arising, "He can't do that."

"Obviously he shouldn't but he would. He will if you tell him to. That's how far he would go. He will put everything on hold if you ask him to come to you. It's happened before."

Her brows furrowed. "It's happened before? When?"

"High school. I think you were already sick the whole day and you passed out in the middle of practice. Senpai was the first to check on you. When it comes to you, he always was.” Shirabu said nonchalantly, “When you wouldn't wake up, he carried you and ran to the infirmary."

"I…" She was speechless to say the least, and she couldn't remember that even happening. She shook her head, as if to wake herself up. "That doesn't mean anything."

"Are you sure?"  Shirabu crossed his arms, his tone saying he already had an answer. 

Mei looked down to her half eaten sandwich. She didn't feel like eating anymore. 

"You should tell him. It doesn't have to be now but soon." Kenma shut his Switch off and stood. " He has to know that you're not deliberately doing this, but because you're sick."

Shirabu stood as well. "He deserves to know." 

 

**

 

"Wakatoshi, have I not told you enough that I don't want to see you here?" Mei looked up from her laptop and watched him.

Ushijima placed the snacks he bought on the table near her bed and turned to face her. "I'm just worried— Are you working? You shouldn't be doing that.” He frowned.

"I don't care.” She snapped, “And don't change the subject. We're not in a relationship anymore so you have no reason to be here."

"Then let me be here as a friend."

"We're not friends and I don't think we ever will be so just stop it already—"

The two turned their heads when they heard a slam on the table on the other side of the room. 

Rei let out a huff, visibly irritated, if not angry. He had just gotten out of surgery when he arrived witnessing the couple argue. Again.   

He was holding a bag of food he ordered online and slammed it on the table when he couldn't take it anymore. It was a ridiculous sight. He faced them, his eyes dead set on his sister.

“I'll give the two of you some privacy.” Wakatoshi said as he was about to make his way out of the room, but Rei held his hand up and glared at him. 

“No. I need you to hear this ,too.”

Despite being bigger and taller, Wakatoshi stopped in his place at the doctor’s authority.

“I had a patient, almost the same as you. He had a stomach tear. He vomited blood then passed out.”

Mei looked out the window, remaining uninterested in his lecture. “So?”

“The difference is that he passed out in the middle of the street then he got hit by a car. I had to operate on him because suffered a brain bleed and Rin had to do a repair in his heart.”

"Kinda wish it was me..", She scoffed

Wakatoshi’s eyes widened and took a step closer to her, panic in his eyes and his voice edged with fear. “Mei, how can you say that?"

Rei picked up some food from the table and walked over to her bed. He took her laptop from her and set up her dining area, putting  the take-out meal in front of her. “His name was Takeshi, 23 years old, a senior Art major. He was on his way to his internship last Tuesday when it happened. We spent 15 hours trying to get him back and we did. He was stable for a couple of days and then he wasn't." 

Wakatoshi sat on his chair, his arms crossed and his eyes kept on her. He felt uneasy at the story he's hearing. A story that had just happened in the same building they were in.

"When I checked on him forty-eight minutes ago, he was brain-dead. Do you know what made me sad?” Rei felt the need to sit down when he felt a heavy weight on his shoulders. He wasn’t even sure if his voice was loud enough as flashes of different surgeries came to mind. He clasped his trembling hands together.

Mei watched his brother warily. He was always the calm and collected one, so seeing him fall apart before her eyes made her stomach turn.

 “No one visited him. No friends or family. No one was there to support him. Believe me, I tried contacting them but I don’t think they even cared. And you have all these people around you Mei."

She looked at her brother with a hardened gaze. "Get out. Both of you."

 

**

 

Rei set two cups of coffee on the table and took a seat. “Here.”

“Thank you.” Ushijima said and let out a huff.

“So you guys broke up?”

“We did."

Rei arched a brow. “What happened?”

“I was jealous and I gave in to my temper. It’s all my fault.” Ushijima let out a breath, he couldn’t bring himself to look at the doctor in front of him. 

“I see...”Rei looked to his left and watched patients, doctors, and nurses walk by. The cafeteria was bustling with people yet the silence between them was deafening.

“I don’t think she wants me back in her life.” Ushijima said after a while. He held the coffee up in his hand but had yet to take a sip.

“What makes you say that?”

“She told me."

"And you believe her?"

Ushijima faced him and shook his head. "I don't want to." 

“She doesn't realize that whatever she keeps doing now is a cry for help. Pushing people away, detachment —I can see the signs because I’ve been there.” Rei sighed in frustration. “Our family was not exactly nurturing and I am very much to blame. I… should’ve looked out for her.”

"She got so used to handling everything by herself and being alone— that's how we all were but I had Rin because we're close to our age and my older sister was kind of a rebel and had her friends. I think Mei felt like she didn't have anyone on her side."

“I know you two aren’t on the best terms but I saw how happy she was with you. Give her some time.” Rei gave him a smile, yet Ushijima still felt helpless. “Every time she pulls away, take two steps forward.”

Rei stood picking up his cup from the table. “Because if you don't, you’ll lose her completely.”

 

 

Notes:

for the definition of this chapter's title:
https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSeyuVW5o/

 

HELLO

writing is hard

my mind is blocked

bye for now

hngggg

Chapter 36: Chance

Summary:

Let me in

Notes:

Songs:

Try Again by Dallas K. feat Lauv
Dynamite by Gallant

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

 

"Do you need help packing?"

Mei looked up from the shirt she was folding and saw her brother enter the room. "It's not a lot so I'm good." 

"Your discharge papers are still pending but it'll be done by lunch, if not after."

"Okay, thanks." Mei said, avoiding his brother's gaze. She hated how clean her room smelled. It was too clean, like they were trying to hide the amount of death that happened in the building. She just wanted to go back to her dorm already.

Rei walked over and sat on the other side of the bed, eyeing the small transparent pouch that laid beside her stack of folded shirts. "Are you taking your meds regularly?"

Mei snatched the pouch and stuffed it in her backpack hastily. "Yeah."

"You don't have to hide them from me. I know what anxiety meds look like."

"Yeah, yeah, because you're a doctor.", she mumbled as she folded a pair of sweatpants.

Rei shook his head. "I have them, too — panic attacks."

Mei shot a look at him with furrowed brows."What?"

"All throughout high school, and medical school, too. But now? Not so much, except for when I saw you in the emergency room a couple weeks ago." He let out a breath as he remembered the day he dreaded so much. 

Her mouth ran dry as she listened to her brother. It didn't make sense to her that someone as cool and successful as him had gone through the same things she did.

"I was pretty good at hiding it — You know how our parents are. and I never wanted you to see me like that.", he sighed and leaned back, now looking up at the ceiling. 

"But I realised I wasn't around enough to be a big brother to you because I was busy trying to help myself. I'm in a better place now, and you aren't. I can help you." 

"Is this your way of telling me to see a shrink? Because I already have one."

"I know that." He laughed lightly at her attempt to ease the situation, " Otherwise, you wouldn't even have those meds. And I'm proud of you for doing that. It takes a lot of courage to seek help. I certainly took a lot more time before I even considered a consultation."

"Kuroo was the one who convinced me."

"The one with the bedhead?"

" Yeah." She placed the last shirt she folded on top of the stack.

"I'm glad you have reliable friends." On his right hand he picked at the side of his thumb with his index finger as he talked, Mei noticed. They were siblings after all.

"I know we're not close, and that's my fault, but you can talk to me anytime. You can rely on Rin, too."

"Even if you're in the O-R poking on someone's brain?" Mei joked with a small smile on her lips.

Rei looked over to her and chuckled. "Maybe except for that."

**

"Her brother told me you're gonna drive her home."

Wakatoshi looked up from his phone and saw Kuroo walk over to him. Sitting up straight, he stared at him. “He did but I’m not sure she’ll let me.”

“But you’re here anyway.” Kuroo leaned back on the wall, his arms crossed. "Why haven't you gone inside?"

"I don't want to bother her."

Kuroo frowned. "Why aren't you trying to get back with her?"

"I have tried. She doesnt love me anymore. She probably likes you more now."

Kuroo looked up to the ceiling. "When I confessed to her, I knew she wouldn't return my feelings. I told her that I'm okay with that and I wanted to remain friends. 

"Even if she did agree to go out with me, it wouldn't feel right—" Kuroo glanced at him. 

"Why are you doing this?, Wakatoshi said. He knew Kuroo was in love with Mei so he didn't understand why he wasn't making a move on her now.

"For her. I'm trying to help you two get back together because I know she'll be happy with you."

"I doubt that."

Kuroo sighed. "Look,I may have done things that led to a shit ton of misunderstandings, and I apologise for that but I was only trying to help her.That time that Tendou saw us together? We were on our way to a psychiatrist. I convinced her to try it out because she was having anxiety attacks, panic attacks… or maybe both…”

Wakatoshi knew something was wrong but this was worse than he thought. How had he not noticed all this time? 

"I don’t think anyone knew Mei suffered like that. Until I saw her at a stairwell, desperately trying to calm herself down. She didn't want me to tell anyone, not even her best friend, and especially you, because she was scared. I had to convince her to let me call Akaashi."

The olive-haired clenched his jaw and faced forward. “I don't think she needs me anymore. She has you.”

“Did you not hear a word I just said? She loves you.” The ravenhead let out a huff as he finally walked over to him. “She loves you, Ushijima. And you need her, I know you do because you are a wreck.”

Wakatoshi stood, avoiding the ravenhead’s gaze. “I'm leaving. Make sure she gets back to the dorms safely.  I’ll book you guys a cab.”

“Tell her that yourself, you stubborn bastard.”  Catching him off guard, Kuroo grabbed his arm and dragged the bigger man into Mei's room. 



Mei heard the door vigorously slide open and saw the two men enter. Kuroo looked furious while dragging her ex-boyfriend, who seemed a bit stunned. She set her laptop down on the bed and stood. “What's going on?" She asked, visibly in panic. "Did you two fight?

“As much as I want to just punch him, Mei. This guy's here to talk so give him a chance, will you?” He sighed and stormed out of the room, closing the door behind him and finally walking away. For good.

 

"So I guess Kuroo told you about the attacks?" Mei turned away and went back to sit on her bed. 

"He did." Wakatoshi cautiously walked over and sat on the chair in front of her.

"He's a good friend. Anyone he loves is lucky to have him."

"He loves you." 

"I know."She sighed "But I told him I didn't feel the same and he knew that, too. It probably hurt him to hear it from me though, I wish I didn't have to say it."

"Do you wish you loved him instead of me?" He looked at her, his gaze piercing right through her.

Whenever he looked at her like that, she felt like melting. So she looked away, rummaging through her bag just to avoid looking at him. "No. I never loved Kuroo the way I loved you. He's like a brother to me." 

Loved.

Wakatoshi desperately wanted to reach for her hand, to reach for her and have her in his arms. He wanted to kiss her forehead and whisper all the things he loves about her. He wanted to tell her how his heart pounded and his stomach flipped every time she smiled at him.

But he couldn't.

"Why didn't you tell me? That you've been having those attacks.."

"I didn’t want you to know." Mae closed up her back pack and set it down on the floor. 

"Why? I could've helped." 

"You're too busy with volleyball, Wakatoshi. Not that I want you to stop because that sport is your life and you're very good at it, so good that you have a career. I just… I don't want to get in your way.”

Get in my way? Why would you get in my way when you're the one keeping me going?

Wakatoshi took her hand, gently swiping his thumb on her ring. "You're wearing this again." 

"Yeah… It was weird seeing my hand without it so I put it on.", She pulled away from his hold. "I'm going back to my dorm. I know Rei told you to drive me back but I can just call a cab. You don't have to be here.”

"I know." He stared at her, feeling his heart do that weird thing again. He felt happy to see her but devastated when she still wouldn't let him in. "But I want to."

"You're pretty stubborn,you know that?"

He nodded. "You are, too."

 

When Mei felt the silence was far too long, she spoke again. "Nakamura Akari." 

Wakatoshi looked at her, as if coming from a daze. "What?"

"You belong with someone like her."

Wakatoshi huffed, growing a bit angry at the thought of him being with someone other than her. "I belong with you."

She grimaced. “Wakatoshi—”

“You do not get to tell me to stop my feelings for you, Mei. It doesn't work like that. You can’t just flip it like a switch and shut it off.

"I've been in love with you since the day I first saw you, and even more so when we got to know each other. I.. I can't even imagine my life without you, Mei. I'm supposed to love you." 

Mei stood and picked up her bag. She needed to get out of the room, otherwise she might actually believe him. "It's not going to work, Wakatoshi. You should stop."

 

"No." He stood and blocked her path, looking at her with determination in his eyes. 

"You're an amazing person Wakatoshi. And I'm just...I'm not like you, okay? I don't win medals and trophies. I don't have anything I'm actually good at. I'm mediocre, a failure, ,and you're ...not. You win, you succeed, and you stand out."

She finally looked up at him. " You need someone to stand beside you when you're in the spotlight."

"That's bullshit, Mei, and you know it."

Mei barely heard him curse, his tone could pierce through ice, and the fire in his eyes showed anger and frustration. Whether it was all towards her, she wasn't exactly sure. 

"I'm only telling you the truth."

He shook his head. "I don't believe you, not one bit. The one I need is you." Wakatoshi stepped closer.

Mei took a step back, shaking her head. "Look, I think I'm going to be busy trying to piece myself back together because there's.. there's something wrong with me and I don't want you here to see all that." She slid the purple ring off her finger and held it out to him. "You'll be happier without me."

Ushijima reached over and held her hand, trapping thering inside their hold. "No, I won't."

“Wakatoshi, we’re still in college. You have plenty of time to find yourself the right person. You don’t need me.”

"Believe me, I do. You keep putting yourself down and keep thinking that my feelings for you are going to change. They're not and I don't think they ever will."

"And I know you can't help but think that. It's not your fault but if you let me in, " Wakatoshi brought her hand to his chest. "I'll do anything to help you."

Mei swallowed a lump in her throat as she looked at him. She knew if she fell, he'd be there to catch her but the voice in the back of her mind begged her not to jump.

"Can you feel that? This is how you always make me feel." He ran his thumb across her hand. 

She felt his heart beating against his chest— heck she might have been hearing it, too.

"And you don't have to change anything. You don't have to be like anybody else because I love you for who you are." Wakatoshi reached his other hand to her cheek.

"And I can be here for you, Mei, if you'll let me."

Notes:

hello

I have no idea how i wrote this yesterday when my mind has been mush for the past week LOL

and Idk,i think my writing style is kinda changing and when I read through of the older chapters, I keep cringing at myself LOL like EW xD

anyway, I hope you enjoy reading this??? XD i'll proof read this when I get some free time again AGGHH BYE

Chapter 37: Meant to be

Summary:

All for you

Notes:

Songs:
It Takes Two - Fiji Blue
Love Me Like That- Sam Kim

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

 

"Mei-chan, over here!" Tendou stood from his seat and waved her over.

When Mei got to the table, they both sat down. "Sorry I'm late. I had to pick some stuff from my internship."

"Don't worry about it. I got us some bagels," He slid the small plate closer to her side, "Passion fruit tea for me and Peppermint Mocha for you."  

"Thanks." She smiled at him and sipped her drink, sighing contently as the minty chocolatey drink met her taste buds.

"Your favorite, right?"

She nodded. "How did you know?" She picked up a bagel and took a bite.

"Well, who else knows everything about you?" He chuckled, a devious glint in his eyes.

Her shoulders tensed as she stared back at him. "Is this why you called to meet with me? Because of him?" She didn't even want to say his name after their last encounter at the hospital. The heartbroken look in Wakatoshi's eyes after she left him there with no definitive answer to his pleas. She felt like she failed him and wouldn't dare face him again.

Tendou rested his chin on his hand, looking outside the window and watching people pass by. It was getting a bit late when he called Mei to meet up closer to dinner time but he knew she wasn't much of an eater. A coffee shop was a better idea. 

"You know, he's been out of sorts ever since you got taken to the hospital, even until now."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"He wouldn't budge when I tried to pry and you've been avoiding him like the plague. I need to know what went wrong so I can help him."

Mei felt a pang of guilt hit her heart, she kept her gaze away from the redhead's. "I'm sorry, Tendou. It's just… It's been weird between Wakatoshi and I."

"Understatement of the year." He laughed bitterly. "So why haven't you taken him back?" Tendou finally faced her with a bit of a glare. He might not have been angry at her but he was frustrated. He hated seeing his best friend in the dumps and he hated seeing Mei, also his friend, being miserable as well. He didn't understand why they didn't just go back to the way things were— then again, he didn't know the whole story. 

But he didn't have to know everything to figure out the two, stubborn and hardheaded as they were, were made for eachother. 

"He’s not mine to take." Mei shifted in her seat as she fiddled with her half eaten bagel.

"I doubt that. Did he tell you how he felt about the situation with Kuroo?"

"No, but I think Kuroo talked to him and they…" She sighed and told the redhead what happened during her last day at the hospital. She told him everything, from seeing the two enter her room like they were about to kill each other to the part where she cowardly ran off from Wakatoshi just because she didn't know what to say. 

"So you got cold feet, so what? You can always just talk to him again."

"It's not that easy. What will I even say? I'm sure he hates me for not even trying to mend our… relationship."

"Then try . That's what he did, right? Wakatoshi isn't much of a talker but if he said all of that to you, then you can hope he doesn't hate you. In fact, he probably hates himself."

The last thing she wanted was Wakatoshi blaming himself when she was at fault. "What? Why would he even—”

Tendou stirred his drink with the straw, interrupting her. "He’s always so confident about his capabilities and his strengths, he works on his weaknesses— though I think he doesn't have any if we're talking about volleyball."

Mei nodded, a small smile crept to her lips unknowingly, though Tendou noticed.

"I think it was the first time I saw him falter back in highschool when he started to really have a crush on you. He didn't know how to deal with his feelings at first. It was funny seeing him all flustered just because you patted his arm. You should've seen how red his ears got." He chuckled lightly, though it didn’t last when he saw the grim look on Mei’s face and the way she glanced away when a waiter walked by their table.

Mei set the bagel down on the plate. "I think I should go. How much do I owe you?"She fumbled with her bag to take her wallet out, Tendou ignoring her question.

“With you, he's vulnerable. Not in a bad way. You make him a better person really. You make him smile and people know how stoic the guy is— he even scares off little children sometimes— heck, even Goshiki's still kinda scared on him, But I think his world just stopped when he saw you smile at him. And throughout high school, I watched him fall deeper and deeper for you."

Mei stared at the keychain that hung on the side of her wallet, the one Ushijima won for her years ago. She suddenly remembered how many pull ups he had to do for it, so determined he broke a record. For a cheap keychain of a character she mentioned she liked. He had won it for her.

"And by fall I mean freefall , like voluntarily jumping off a helicopter without a parachute. " Tendou continued. It was like stirring a pot of stew, slowly adding the right amount of spices to make the perfect dish. He needed to say the right thing otherwise Mei would run again.

"I know he's the one who broke it off with you, but can you blame him? I know Kuroo's your friend but he saw you alone with him multiple times. I told you he's so vulnerable when it comes to you. He's scared that he's not good enough for you. And him seeing you and Kuroo, laughing and smiling, I think that only proved how lowly he thought of himself."

Mei didn't know what else to say because everything she heard coming from Tendou made sense, but she still had that weird feeling breathing down her neck. 

"You know, I don't think he ever smiles anymore. Ever since you two broke up and even more when he thought you were dying.

"I went to his apartment a few days ago." He sighed, leaning back in his seat and looking up to the ceiling. "I asked him how he was because I know he got a few calls from scouts already and he's got a great shot at playing for the national team once his contract with the Adlers is over."

"That's great news. What did he say?" She asked quietly.

"He turned them all down."

Mei looked horrified by what she just heard, she was almost speechless. "Why the hell did he do that?"

"You were still at the hospital at that time. He could barely focus on training, let alone play for a new team."

"Shit." She put a hand to the back of her neck.

"Yeah. That's what I said, too,” She shook his head, laughing a bit, “But he just brushed me off. He said they weren't important, not as important as you."

"That's… Stupid." 

Tendou threw his head back and laughed. "You really shouldn't be surprised at the lengths he'd go for you."

 

Notes:

Hi!
Just a short chapter for now hehe
I'm working on the next one and I'm adding a bit of spice ;)

Chapter 38: Begin

Summary:

You make me begin

Notes:

Songs:
No song without you by HONNE
Begin by BTS
Constant by Jesse Barrera

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

 

"Ushijima-san, do you mind if I sit here?"

He looked up at her and stared for a moment before talking. Their bus was practically full and Tendou, who was sitting beside him just a minute ago, suddenly disappeared. Mei wore the same Shiratorizawa sports uniform as he did, but her jacket was nowhere to be found. The way her shirt hugged her body at the right places just… Ah, what was he thinking all of a sudden? 

He cleared his throat while facing forward. "Go ahead."

"Thanks." She grinned and sat down. Their knees touched and Ushijima felt a shot of electricity throughout his body. He almost gasped. Almost.

After a while, the bus finally started to move and chatter continued to fill the air. 

"So Ushijima-san…"

"Hmm?" He looked over to her. She was smiling at him again.

"Are you nervous?"

Ushijima clenched his jaw and looked out the window.

Yes

 "No."

Mei chuckled. She knew him well enough to not expect a different answer. "I'm sure you'll do great. We beat those crows and we'll beat them again."



Ushijima flinched when he felt a weight on his shoulder. Looking to the side, he saw Mei had fallen asleep. 

Half an hour after their short conversation, Mei started to feel drowsy despite the noisy group around them. She had to finish a project until late and had to get up really early because of the match they were going to.

She leaned back on her seat and closed her eyes, hugging her backpack to her chest. She remained still like that but as the bus  made a few turns and swerves, her head involuntarily tipped sideways, landing on the stoic one's shoulder.

Ushijima didn't know what else to do. He didn't want to wake her by moving her head back so he let her stay there ,despite the loud pounding in his chest.

He felt her nuzzle her cheek on him and noticed how she shivered a bit. He reached for the small button for the air-conditioning above him and shut it off. 

That didn't do anything. She still seemed cold so he carefully reached for his bag that sat on the floor, pulling out his jacket and carefully draping it over her body.

His hand lingered on her shoulder for a short while before he brushed her hair back and tucked it behind her ear.



"Hey, you okay?", she asked before sitting beside him on the bench. "The hundred serves were probably a bit too much, huh?" 

She saw how devastated he was at the end of the match. There was a flicker in his eyes before he went back to putting on a straight face. He kept the same look when he said goodbye to Goshiki and the others before their punishment. Mei could feel the anger and resentment through his serves. He didn't even seem to notice he had done more than a hundred. Not that she kept count or anything.

Ushijima was hunched over, his gaze kept on the floor. He heard her clear as day but didn't know what to say. Losing was not something he was used to and he was more than disappointed in himself.

"I'm sorry. That was a stupid question. I'm sure you'll get them next time."

Sitting up as he watched the rest of the team exit their school gym. "There is no next time." He said quite harshly, his knuckles already white from clenching his hands for so long. 

Mei reached her hand over his and Ushijima shot her a look,his hold almost instantly loosening at her touch. She only smiled at him and gave it a squeeze. "Of course there is. We're still in high school, that's why we still have a lot to look forward to. It hurts now but I know you'll achieve more than just nationals."

Everything she said somehow lifted some weight off his shoulders. It was that easy. His eyes darted back to his hand when Mei pulled hers away. She took a small towel from her gym bag and carefully dabbed it on his forehead.

"The Adlers are trying to scout you, right? And a bunch of other teams, too. We haven't even graduated yet and you already have a whole career waiting for you because you are an amazing player,"she said and moved it to his cheek, "So keep your head up, Ushijima-san, okay? I'll always be rooting for you."

He looked up at her in awe, though it wasn't obvious on his face. The things she did to his heart, he was sure he might suffer a heart attack before he even went off to college.

 

**

 

“Mei-chan! Did you apply to Tokyo Uni as well? "Tendou, who was in the seat next to her in their classroom,asked as he opened a bag of chips.

She nodded as she blankly stared at her notes. She was supposed to be studying for a quiz after free period but the longer she looked at her notes, the more it made no sense.

"Then let's all go to the entrance exam together if your schedule's also this Friday." He chirped. 

"Yeah, sure." She closed her notebook and stood from her seat."I'm gonna go buy a drink."

 

She picked her drink from the machine and stepped to the side. Mei opened her coffee and leaned back on the wall.

I really don't wanna go to med school… 

Her parents did all the college applications for her, submitting them to the same school her older brothers went to. Yeah, Tokyo University was an elite school and she wanted to get in but not in the College of Medicine. Her heart was in the liberal arts but if she said that to her parents, they would chew her out more than they already did. They might even disown her.

She looked up when there was a clunking noise from the vending machine. Ushijima crouched down to pick up his drink. 

Their eyes met and she smiled at him, before she took a swig of her drink.

Ushijima moved to stand beside her. Giving her a quick glance, he opened his tea. He sensed that something was wrong, just like that one time he caught her with puffy eyes at the gym well after practice. "Are you alright, Sugawara-san?"

She fiddled with her drink as she blankly tapped her foot.

His brows furrowed, "Sugawara-san..?" ,his tone riddled with concern.

"Huh? Oh, sorry. I was just thinking about something."

"How can I help?"

She looked over to him and then back to the floor. Mei contemplated if she should ask him. He was the most reliable person she knew.

"Well… I have this friend." She spared him another glance and saw he was listening attentively. "Her parents want her to go to med school but she doesn't want to. What do you think she should do?" She trailed off.

Ushijima watched her for a while before he finally spoke. "She wouldn't like it if she followed her parents."

"Yeah, that's how I —she feels about it. But taking a different course will make her parents angry." She let out a huff. "What if you were in her shoes? What would you do?"

Ushijima didn't hesitate with his immediate answer "I would pick what I want otherwise I'd be miserable. If they told me to stop playing volleyball to be a doctor, I don't think my life would have meaning."

 

**

 

"We've not spoken for over a year. Of course, I don't know where her room is."

"Then take her to yours. I think you two have had enough. Go sleep it off." Tendou shrugged and walked back to the party with a newly opened beer in his hand, leaving the tipsy Wakatoshi alone in the kitchen with the girl he's been crushing on for years.

When she had asked him to dance earlier, he was rigid. She had her hands all over him and he had been panicking mentally. 

It had been a year since they had said a word to each other, not that he avoided her but because he had been so busy playing for the Adlers.

He let out a sigh of relief when she was pulled away by another girl. And that's when he went to the kitchen to catch a breather, though it was short-lived when Tendou came in soon after, dragging the giggling Mei with him. 

 

When the redhead left, Mei stumbled on her way to the counter, probably to get another drink, and his instincts kicked in despite his intrusive thoughts. He caught just her in time with his arm around her waist, her body was now pressed against his and the flushed look on her face didn't not help calm the storm in his pants.

He let out a low groan when Mei put her hands on his shoulders. 

"Since when have you been so handsome, Ushijima?" She giggled and held onto him.

"I think that's enough drinking, Sugawara-san. Can I take you to your room? Just tell me where it is." He mumbled under his ragged breath. 

"Oh, please. I didn't even drink a lot and my room's too far." She whined and boy did that make Ushijima curse himself for having such dirty thoughts.



Mei stumbled and Ushijima held her hand to keep her steady, though his world was spinning as well, as they entered his room. It was larger than most dorm rooms, he was a famous athlete that brought more attention to the university after all. He led her to his couch and made her sit. 

He was about to get her some water when she grabbed his hand.

"Hey, Ushijima."

He turned his attention back to her. "Yes?"

"You're so handsome, you know that? How come you don't have a girlfriend?" 

"I'm not… handsome." He felt his ears burn, like they would fall off anytime soon.

"Yeah, you are!" She laughed, pulling him to sit beside her, not letting his hand go. "Don't deny it. I've seen you with very hot girls more than a few times."

"I wasn't in a relationship with any of them." He admitted. 

"Ah, one night stands? Can't blame you—I've had my fair share of those, too— college is soooo tiring." She sighed and gathered her hair over her shoulder.

It was true that he had been with other women but they never got his full attention. But Mei? She was always on his mind—even in his dreams, hence the cold showers he always needed the morning after.

His nostrils flared at the thought of another man with her but he soon calmed down when her giggles filled his ears.

"Why are you pouting? God, you can be so cute, too, huh?"

"I am not cute." He huffed.

"Yeah, you are." She sang and scooted closer. He was a bit caught off guard at the smaller distance between them but he didn't back away. "You are drunk, Sugawara-san. You can take my bed."

"Well, you're drunk, too. Aren't you?"

He nodded, almost on the brink of losing himself when she moved again, her knee nudging against his. When it came to her, he was always hesitant but with alcohol in his system, his desire was off the charts. He wouldn't be able to suppress it any longer, especially at the clear view he had of her neck. 

Her chest.

Her thighs.

Dear God. Her thighs.

He made a quiet gasp when Mei moved to his lap. 

Fuck.

He cursed himself. He could handle her sitting beside her but her sitting on him ? All hell would break loose. Specifically the hell in his pants.

"Ushijima, hello again." Mei looked right at him and smiled. "You seem lost in thought. Care to tell me what's the matter?"She put a hand to his cheek, allowing her fingers to slowly graze off his jaw.

"You're drunk." He said again, fighting a groan as he felt her grind her hips against him. 

"You said that already." She chuckled and threaded her other hand through his olive hair. Mei saw the lust, mixed with something else, in his eyes. It was fun teasing him and she wanted to see what he would do if she pushed him more.

"Stop. We can't." He put his hand to her waist and attempted to get her off him but he failed when Mei slid her hand to his chest.

"Why not?" She tilted her head to the side a bit. Okay, maybe he didn't find her attractive as his one night stands. Why didn't that cross her mind sooner?

"Am I not good enough for you?"

"Sugawara-san, I'm in love with you. You have no idea how much I want you,"He said breathily, his cheeks tinted pink, either from the tequila Tendou urged him to drink earlier or the bottled up feelings he had for years. "But you're drunk. I would rather you hear it when you're in the right mind."

Her brows lifted and she laughed. A full, genuine laugh. "Liar. You're too perfect to be interested in someone like me."

"I would never lie to you.", he said and brushed her hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear. 

"Then, prove it."She whispered, her confidence surging and her body temperature rising. She leaned in, hoping to tease him so he would give up, but Wakatoshi tilted her chin up and kissed her hungrily. 

Mei moaned against his lips. This wasn't what she expected. She didn't expect him to be so good , to taste so sweet that she felt like her body was on fire. He was a big guy, she knew that, but the hands that roamed her body were light and careful, like she was an expensive vase he didn't want to break. 

On the court, he was never like this. He was aggressive, ready to crush his opponents as soon as he saw them. Why was he different now? Why did it seem like he had been longing to have her when she was always within his reach? She thought she knew him well enough. Years with him in the same gym, she practically watched him grow.

Well, something else is definitely growing bigger.

She felt him against her arousal. Jesus, it was right there .

"We really shouldn't…" He said against her lips, his chest rising and falling with each kiss. She was taking his breath away and it made his mind fuzzy.

"I think we're way past that, Wakatoshi." She pulled away a little, just in time to see his wide eyes turn into a glare.

"Call me that one more time and I won't be able to hold back." He grumbled menacingly, moving a hand to the small of her back and the other to her thigh.

She loved it— seeing him break his composure and almost go feral. Flashing him a grin, she leaned in again and pecked his lips, mumbling each syllable of his name in between.

And that was enough for him to take her lips again, only this time he stood with her still in his arms. Mei easily wrapped her legs around his waist without breaking their kiss, while Wakatoshi made his way to his bed.

He carefully set her down on her back, pulling away from her delicious lips to stare into her eyes. He was panting like he had run a marathon. 

Mei stared right back. For some reason, she was so sure of everything she decided to do, alcohol induced mind or not. 

"Clothes. Off. Now."

He nodded; they both started to slip everything off, mindlessly throwing them somewhere in the room. She was about to take her bra off when he stopped her, shaking his head.

Mei eyed him in awe. Holy shit, this man is built like a god.

She knew that already but seeing him up close like this, towering over her while he looked at her like she was prey, the heat in her core only got hotter.

Her ogling was disrupted when she felt his lips on her neck. She moaned and moaned as he explored more of her body. He left lingering kisses everywhere he went and when he unclasped the front of her bra to lick one of her hardened buds, she cried out.

Hearing her like that was far better than the whining she did earlier and Wakatoshi couldn't help but feel like he won twenty-five points in a row. 

When he was done licking and sucking all over the plump breasts he’d only dreamed of before, he went back up to kiss her lips. Slowly and carefully. He was in no rush. Despite the drinks he had, he knew he would remember how he would savor each moment with her, how he would devour every nook and cranny of her body after years of longing.

At this point, they were both catching their breaths. She put her hands on his cheeks, pressing her forehead against his, and whispered his name.

She pleaded and Wakatoshi heard her clearly. Who was he to deny her what she wanted? He pulled away, moving downward and she frowned.

"What's wrong— oh my god ."

Mei drew in a heavy breath and gripped the sheets when she felt his sneaky tongue on her wetness. She hadn't even noticed he already slipped her panties off her. No one has ever done that to her before and it never even crossed her mind to try. It was always the other way around for her. Then again, her experience was limited.

Tingles ran through her body as he continued to lick, suck, and fucking slurp her juices. He even slipped two of his fingers as he licked her swollen tiny bud.

It was only a matter of time when she couldn't hold herself back anymore.

She put her hands to the back of his head and her legs locking around his shoulders. Hearing his content moans as he ate her up only made it worse—or better.

Wakatoshi trusted his fingers faster, already knuckle-deep in her and curling them a few times, while he dragged his other hand to her inner thigh. 

Mei was already quivering at the overwhelming pleasure she felt. Her orgasm climbed even more when he circled his tongue on her throbbing nub.

"Oh, fuck. Fuck!" She cried out, her hands trembling against the back of his head and her hips pressing more against his face as the rush of her wetness seeped on his mouth.

Wakatoshi happily gulped her sweet release down his throat, his own hardness waiting to escape his pants.

He licked her clean and when the waves slowly died down, Wakatoshi crawled back up to face her.

She saw him swipe his tongue on his lips, like he had just eaten the best meal he's ever had in his life. Wakatoshi saw the glint in her eyes and he knew

He knew there was no going back. She was all he could think about and it consumed him. Wakatoshi wanted her so badly that he was willing to let himself go— so badly that he would let her take him. 

Wakatoshi jumped, falling harder than he ever will, and before he knew it he was already hers. He could only hope she would be his, too.

 

Notes:

Hiiiiiiii

I really enjoyed writing the flashbacks XD made my heart all warm and fuzzy uwu
and yes! that last one was what really happened prior to chapter one uwu Wakatoshi has really fallen, huh?

And...was that enough spice? ;) LOL

BYE FOR NOW <3

Chapter 39: Nowhere Else

Summary:

back where you're supposed to be

Notes:

Songs:
No song without you by HONNE
Star by Suggi
It Takes Two by Fiji Blue
someone like u by Lullaboy
Free Love by HONNE

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

 

"Please pick up. God, please— Keiji..! Hey. Uh…" 

Mei leaned back on her seat at the bus stop, repeatedly tapping her foot against the damp pavement while a bunch of people rushed to get on the bus in front of her. The harsh wind from the rain made her shiver even more than she already was.

"Hey, Sorry If I took so long to answer your call, I was driving because I just picked up Bokuto from their practice match. What's up?"

She gulped down her worries for a second. She was already relieved just from hearing his voice but felt guilty for intruding on her best friend's time.

"I— um…"

"You okay? Do you need me to come over? Wait, where are you?”

"Oh, no! No, no, it's nothing. I’m actually out and I just couldn't remember that restaurant you mentioned the other day." That was the best excuse she could come up with and she hoped he'd fall for it. " You know, the one with the green tea puffs? Can you send me the address? I wanna buy some for dinner.”

"Oh," She heard him sigh in relief. "Yeah, sure." 

Akaashi seemed to pull the phone from his ear for a while to type in the address and send it to her. She heard the quiet message notification sound and then his voice again.

"Is that all? Do you need anything else? Want me to meet you there?"

Mei smiled a bit. "No. Stop. Go and spend time with Bo— Oh, did they win?”

She heard him sigh again but she could already imagine the smile on his lips as he talked. “Yup. We bought dinner on our way home. Maybe you should just come over.”

“Keiji, you gotta spend time with Bo and give him his , y’know, prize.” She teased.

Akaashi laughed and she heard Bo call him over. 

"Listen—"

"Keiji, go. I'm good."

"Are you absolutely sure?" Akaashi still sounded wary.

"Yes."

 There was pause and she furrowed her brows.

"Keiji?"

"Call me if you need anything else, okay?" He sounded a bit commanding but she knew he meant well.

"I will. Thanks, Keiji."

 

**

 

Wakatoshi placed another neatly folded shirt onto his pile. He let out a breath and picked up another one. Training had been tough for the past couple of weeks but now they were on break until the next season.

It didn't exactly go well with Mei, especially when she ran out of him at the hospital. He had a feeling that running after her would have only made it worse. 

He shot a look at the door when he heard the bell ring. He stood, checking his sports watch for the time, and made his way to the door. It was late and he had no recollection of Tendou saying he would visit again.

His agent said the new shoes he shot a print advertisement for last week weren't going to arrive until next week so it definitely was not a delivery man.

Wakatoshi turned the handle and pulled the door open. He wasn't expecting anyone and he definitely was not expecting to see her. 

"Um… Hi." Mei looked up at him, her arms crossed and her fingers nervously tapping against her skin. 

She seemed agitated and he just wanted to pull her into an embrace, give her forehead a kiss, and tell her everything is alright. 

But that would be out of line so he only nodded and mumbled a "Hey." 

She looked around a few times before paying her attention to the floor."Sorry… I just.. Um.. I called Keiji but Bo just got back from a practice match and I didn't want to intrude. And both my brothers are working and.. I didn't know where else to go…", she let out a shaky breath, "I'm sorry. This is stupid, I should go."

"It's late, come inside." He said and stepped aside to let her in.

Mei hesitated for a second but walked into his apartment. Relief instantly washed over her when took in the familiar place again, as if she was just there yesterday. 

"I'll get you something to drink. Go ahead and sit in the living room." He said quickly and jogged off to the kitchen.

 

It took him a while to make some tea because he needed to wait for the water to boil. He leaned back on the counter while various thoughts rushed to his mind. Why was she here? What made her feel anxious? Did someone hurt her? What can he do to help? Who does he need to beat up? 

The kettle beeped and it brought him back to reality. He poured the hot water into the mug, only up to half and cold water for the rest before putting in a peppermint tea bag: It was her favorite.

He stepped into the living room and handed her the warm drink.

 

She was about to thank him but he walked away. Her eyes darted to the direction he went off to and then back to the mug. She took a sip of her tea and put it on the table. Okay, shit. Okay, maybe he doesn't even want me here.

"Here."She looked up and Wakatoshi was holding out a bath towel to her. She blinked and only stared at it.

His brows furrowed so he put it on her head and carefully ruffled her hair with it. "Your hair and clothes are a bit damp. Did you walk in the rain?"

She nodded, only now realizing that there had been a drizzle the entire time she walked from the bus stop. Mei brought her hands up to her head, one taking hold of the towel and the other rested on top of his hand.

Wakatoshi froze when she touched him, a weird shiver running up his arm and spreading throughout his entire body.

"I can do it myself."

He pulled his hands away and moved to the opposite side of the couch, picking up another shirt from his basket.

"I'm sorry for coming over so late." She set the towel on the armrest of the couch on her left and tried to fix her hair by combing them down with her fingers.

"It's alright.'' he said and folded another shirt on his lap, "Can you tell me what happened? If not, it's fine."

She glanced at him, tracing her fingers on the couch pillow she put on her lap. "I went to check a few apartments that my brother suggested and I was about to go back to the dorms but I kinda um… felt anxious. I couldn't get on the bus and I really didn't want to be alone." Mei shifted in her seat, "I started walking. Your place was nearby and the next thing I know is that I'm at your door. I'm sorry for bothering you, I'll just take a cab later."

 "I'll only worry if you do that. You're free to stay here tonight."

"I don't need to stay. I've bothered you enough already. I'll leave in maybe uh...half an hour?"

He gave her a knowing look. "I can sleep here on the couch, then I'll drive you there tomorrow."

Mei watched him for a while, a wave of calm washing over her. She knew not to argue with him when he's already made up his mind so she picked up a shirt from his basket and started folding.

“Have you eaten dinner?” Wakatoshi said, putting away the last of his clothes on the pile.

Instinctively, she would have said ‘Yes’ but for some reason, she didn’t want to lie. “Not yet.”

“Are you hungry?” He looked over to her and she could feel his gaze. She shook her head. 

“No, but I probably should eat.”

“I still have some pizza in the fridge. I can heat up a few slices."

"Pizza? Are you even allowed to have that?"

"I can have something else delivered if you want.” He took out his phone and scrolled through a food app. 

Mei put her hand on his wrist, stopping him from actually ordering something. "Pizza would be good. Thank you.”

Their eyes met for a few seconds, though it felt like the world stopped, before Ushjima nodded and went off to the kitchen again. 

 

**

2am

Mei sat up abruptly gasping for air. She had frantically woken from a nightmare and felt her chest tighten a bit, "Shit…" she reached to the side table to grab her meds but they weren't there.

She looked around and finally remembered she wasn't in her dorm room. She looked at the clothes she was wearing, a shirt and shorts Wakatoshi let her borrow, and let out a huff.

 

Despite the time, Wakatoshi still sat on the couch and was reading a book under the dim light. He was tired, not even comprehending whatever he was reading, but couldn't sleep knowing that Mei wasn't well. He wanted to be awake if she needed anything.

He turned his head when he felt the couch sink.

"Mei," he said in worry, setting his book on the coffee table before he scooted closer to her, still leaving a bit of space between them, "Are you alright?"

Mei set the half empty bottle of water on the coffee table. She couldn't look at him. Or at least not yet. "I will be. It was just a bad dream."

Wakatoshi wanted to reach a hand to hers but decided against it. He wasn't sure if he was even allowed to do that. "Would you like to talk about it?"

Nightmares weren't a frequent occurrence but they did happen once in a while. It wasn't like she could control them, even with the meds she took. She glanced at the worried boy beside her. 

He didn't seem to have slept yet and his face was riddled with worry. She hated seeing him like that. Mei took a breath in.

"You and I were at the beach and walking along the shore. We went for a swim but I… I let go of your hand and I drifted so far away from everything —from you— And then something pulled me deeper into the water and I couldn't breathe." She shook her head as she felt a shiver down her spine at the vivid memory. It felt too real. "Why are you still up? Don't you have practice later?" Mei attempted to change the subject when she caught him just staring at her.

"The team's on break until after graduation. And I couldn't sleep." 

"It's because I took your bed, isn't it? It’s not like you to stay up so late so you must be uncomfortable here."

"It's not that. I was just worried about you." he mumbled, his eyes drifting to his lap.

Mei moved her arms to hug a couch pillow. "Is it true that you declined offers from Poland? Even the Japan national team?"

He nodded.

"Why did you do that? That could've been the highlight of your career." Mei sounded like she was reprimanding him, like that time when he picked her up from her dorm for a date despite being so tired from a death defying practice regimen.

"You were still at the hospital when they called."

Mei shot him a look. "So what if I was in the hospital? You shouldn't have said no."

"I couldn't bring myself to say yes." He shrugged like it was no big deal.

Mei scoffed. She couldn't believe these words were coming out of his mouth so she snapped."That's… That's the dumbest thing you've ever done!" She winced, immediately regretting having raised her voice at him, and her grip on the pillow tightened.

He was taken aback but his heart fluttered. He could care less if he missed the opportunity of a lifetime if it meant having her talk to him again. And she looked cute all riled up, he missed seeing her like that.

“This is your career we're talking about. You're good at what you do. Really good and playing for your country at the fucking Olympics at twenty-two years old does not happen to just anybody." Her voice broke by the end, clearly frustrated and she looked like she was about to cry.

Panic immediately set in and he said, "I'm sorry." The last thing he wanted was for her to cry because of him again.

"Why are you apologizing when it's all my fault? Damn it." She trailed off, her tears fighting to drop off the edges of her eyes.

"It's not. I made the choice to take a break. It is not something I could handle if my mind is elsewhere."

"Then it is my fault."

He shook his head. "Yes, I was thinking of you but please believe me when I say it's not your fault."

Mei finally looked at him. There was a small curl on the corners of his lips. He was smiling again. He was smiling at her and it was so comforting that her shoulders didn't feel as stiff anymore.

And like any sane person, she asked, "Wakatoshi... Can I hug you?"

His lips parted a bit in shock. It had been quite a while since she called him by his first name like that, like she needed him. Wakatoshi didn't answer as he moved closer and wrapped his arms around her. He put his chin on the top of her head, basking in her familiar scent. He had missed her too much.

"You're going to be okay. I'm right here," he whispered, gently rubbing his hand on her back.

 

 

"I've started going back to therapy."

"That's good. How is it?", he said quietly. The two had moved to his bed, much to his protest, because Mei didn't want him to sleep uncomfortably on the couch. It was his apartment after all.

They both lied on their sides under the covers, facing each other as they talked in hushed tones, though there was about a foot of distance between them.

"Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's...not. I question my sanity more often now."

Carefully tucking a bit of her hair behind her ear, he rested his hand on her cheek as he examined her face.

Even in the dark, he could tell she wasn't well yet she was so beautiful in his eyes. He just wanted to protect her from everything that could possibly hurt her, even himself.

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

Mei felt the warmth of his hand and she wanted more.

"You do give the best hugs..."

"Okay, come here.", he laid his arm on the pillow, "Put your head on my arm." 

Mei hesitantly did as she was told and put her arm around his torso. She looked up a little and met his soft gaze.

"You're like a bear."

"A… bear?"

She nodded. "A bit scary looking but you're warm and fuzzy."

He chuckled lightly and she felt his chest vibrate. She nuzzled more into his chest and she heard him sigh.

"I miss having you in my arms like this," Wakatoshi said sadly, "and I miss you…"

Mei pursed her lips. "Remember when I said I hated you?"

He nodded. All to well.

"I didn't mean it and I'm so sorry. Hating you is something I will never be able to do, at least not in this lifetime."

"That's good to know.", he said in relief and gave her forehead a soft kiss.

"I said it because I was scared."

"Of me?"

She tightened her hug on him. "No, not you. God, no." Something about being in his arms made her feel safe, like she didn’t have to worry about anything else as long as she was with him. "I don't know why I'm scared. I just am and I …I didn’t want you to deal with my problems because I thought you'd love me less if you found out."

“That's impossible,” he said as he gently ran his hand on her back, “I could never love you any less.”

She sighed, frustrated with herself, "You make me so happy but I feel like I don't have anything for you. I just don't want to drag you into my mess anymore.”

He understood why she would think that. He learned new things from conversations he had with Rei but it still left him restless. He wanted to be there for her but she still doesn't seem to be letting anyone else in. “You’ve done so much more for me than you think.”

Ushijima placed another kiss on her forehead, which lingered for a few seconds before he pulled away. "When Tendou told me you passed out that day, I… A lot of things went through my mind and I thought I lost you. And I couldn't stop thinking of what I had said when we broke up. I wanted to take it all back.

"And when I saw you at the hospital, I was so relieved. I thought everything was okay again but —"

"I pushed you away. "

He nodded.

"I'm sorry."

"No. It's alright. You were angry at me. "

"I wasn't. I was mad at myself."

"I think I have felt this way for so long that I don't know how to be okay. I mean, yeah, there were a lot of times where I was happy —mostly when I was with you— but there was always this weird voice in the back of my mind, screaming that something was wrong or something bad was gonna happen, and I believed it."

“I think I've had this since high school— or earlier. I'm not sure. I just… I had to figure things out on my own. The one time I asked for help, I think it was some kind of homework, my parents shamed me for not knowing any better. Plus, my siblings excelled in everything. Maybe that's why they wanted me to be the same.”

"You were just a kid." He said quietly, grazing his fingers on her back in an attempt to comfort her.

She nodded meekly,“When I ditched the exams to med school, they were…Disappointed to say the least but they looked like they expected it to happen. They looked at me like I wasn't good enough for their profession and I'm just… God. I’m a mess, aren’t I?"

Wakatoshi put his hand in hers, intertwining their fingers together before he brought them up to his lips. He kissed the back of her hand. "Your father and I talked once."

Her brows raised, "Huh? When?" 

"About three days after your surgery. I saw him and your mother leave your room. It was early and you were still asleep."

"What did you guys talk about?"

"He said he was worried about you and angry at your brothers because they didn't tell him sooner. He only found out because he overheard some people talking about you—interns, I think."

"Oh…"

"Your mother was crying."

"That's a first."

“I’m sure they care about you.”

“That’s debatable.” 

Wakatoshi pursed his lips and adjusted his place, burying his face into the space between her neck and shoulder. “I care about you.”

Mei looked down a bit. She basically became the big spoon now and had him in her arms. "I know, but I think you shouldn't. I'm really scared that I'll keep hurting you."

"Don't be. I don't care if you hurt me a thousand more times."

"Wakatoshi—" She said, clearly taken aback by his persistence, and pulled away from him. "This was a bad idea. I think I should go."

She sat up and was about to get off the bed when Wakatoshi grabbed her hand. "I don't want you to leave and I don't want you to push me away again."

He moved closer and placed his hand on her cheek."But if you tell me—truthfully— that you don't love me anymore, I will really… leave you alone, if that's what you want." 

She saw the sullen look on his face tore her heart apart. "Wakatoshi. I love you but I think you deserve so much more than me, someone who's better—"

"You love me," He interrupted and took her hand in his, keeping his gaze on her when he let out a breath of relief, "I was afraid I would never hear you say that again."

Mei squeezed his hand a bit, but she couldn't look at him anymore. "Wakatoshi, are you sure you want me back?"

He nodded immediately. "Yes. Of course I am sure but if you are not ready or if you need more time, I can wait. I will wait." Wakatoshi put his other hand to her face, tipping her chin up so he could melt in her gaze. "because all I want is to be yours again."

 

 

Notes:

Belated Happy holidays y'aaaaallllll

 

Some songs are ones I've put in previous chapters i knoooww but they really put me in the mood to write this after my slump the whole holidays lmao literally wrote all of this last night so the typos are probably still here KDWHDKQK
I know this fic is nearing it's end( bec I started another one) but I have barely written the ending chapters 👉👈 (holy shit this is at 100k words now, how tf did that happen)

For anyone still reading this or those who find Ushijima fascinating as I still do, I'm happy you're here despite my shit writing XD Leave comments! I like reading them <3

Chapter 40: Step

Summary:

Even as the words came out
As they fall I wanna take them back
I know I let you down
And it's all that I've been thinking about

Notes:

Songs:
urs by NIKI
If I Didn't Have You by BANNERS

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

 

“Congrats, little sister!” Rin squished her into a tight hug.

“Ugh, ew. Get off!I can’t breathe!” She laughed as she held her graduation cap steady on her head.

The last four years passed by fast and now they were all looking forward to what comes next, or dreading it.

Rei chuckled at the sight. “Let her go before you deflate her.”

Rin pulled away but kept an arm around her shoulder. “Let’s take another photo.”

“We already took like, a hundred earlier.” She groaned.

“Yeah, that was before the ceremony. Now that you’ve officially graduated, we gotta take more!”

She looked at her eldest brother for help but Rei only shrugged. “Okay, fine. Just a few more.” 

“Rei, you too!” Rin pulled his brother closer and raised his phone up. Mei stood  in the middle of her taller siblings, posing for another dozen photos. 

 

When Rin was about to take one last photo, his phone rang and a doctor’s name appeared on the screen. He frowned.

“Answer it. It might be an emergency.” Mei said.

“If it is, I’ll just tell them we’re on leave.” Rin swiped his screen and put his phone by his ear ,pulling away from them and walking off to a quieter area.

 

Since the two of them were left alone, Rei took the opportunity to hand something over to her. “Mom and dad sent their greetings. Mina, as well. They asked me to give you this.”

“Thanks.” She took it and stared at it for a while. Gifts were not exactly something she got often from her family. Her brothers have been showering her with them but only when they started getting along. 

He put a hand on her shoulder. “You don’t have to open it right away.”

She nodded and put it in her bag.

Rin finally came back, grumbling to himself, his cheery mood far gone. “There’s been a twenty car pile-up. They need all hands on the deck but I told them we can—.”

Mei shook her head. “I know you guys have to go. Duty calls.”

“But one of us can stay—” Rin protested.

“They'll need both of you. We can have dinner on another day.” She smiled at them before pulling them into a hug.

Mei sighed as she folded her graduation gown as neatly as she could before putting it in her bag. After seeing her brothers off at the event building’s entrance, she felt a bit bummed. She was looking forward to the dinner but she knew how important her brother’s jobs were to the people who were possibly on the brink of death. Frankly, Rin and Rei may be their best chance at survival.  She looked around for a bit, hoping to see someone familiar to talk to while she tried to book a cab on her phone. When she spotted Suga with the others, she jogged over to them.

 

"Mei!" Her cousin cheered and gave her a quick hug. "Where are your brothers?"

"Hospital emergency."

"Oh. Sucks."

"Yeah... So, what are you guys up to?" 

"Bo wants to get dinner at that old Yakiniku place later." Akaashi said.

"The one we always went to after playing volleyball?"

"Yup, and then we are drinking until we all pass out!" Bokuto grinned. 

"Sounds like a plan." She chuckled. 

 

Since the place was packed, waiting for the valet to bring Bokuto's car around took a bit more time.

"So… we're officially unemployed.” Suga said.

"Job hunting is such a pain." Kuroo sighed.

Mei raised a brow at him, a teasing smile on her lips, "At least for some of us, or did you not ace that interview at the JVA?"

"Yeah, didn't you say they'd call any time this week?" Bokuto put an arm around his best friend and ruffled his raven hair while he grinned widely at him.

"Who are you talking to? Of course, I aced it! I'm already starting in a couple of weeks."

Akaashi groaned, a slight pout emerging on his face. Bokuto immediately pulled away from Kuroo and went over to put his arms around his stunning boyfriend, showering him with kisses and whispering something to his ear. 

"Maybe I should just drop out." Kenma said with a huff, clearly annoyed by the surge of people passing by them. “Or will they let me graduate without going through 4 hours of … this.”

Mei chuckled and put an arm around his shoulders, "Damn, Kenma. I think I'm gonna miss hanging out with you the most."

"Hey!" Kuroo and Bokuto said collectively.

"I am good company." The blonde shrugged.

"Oh, Mei. You already moved into your apartment, right?" Bokuto chimed, as if his previous protest was blown away by the wind already.

"I did. I've been abusing my brother's card for some decor and other stuff." 

"Do you still need help moving stuff around?" Suga said.

"She doesn't. Ushijima has been helping her out with that." Tendou interrupted. "Isn't that right, Mei?"

"You guys are back together?" Daichi said, clearly interested.

"Uh… We’re friends." Mei rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly.

"So, you guys hang out?" Bokuto looked at her with anticipation.

"Yeah, I guess?"

"Oh, they are definitely just friends. Best friends, even." Akaashi teased. 

"Shut up." Mei slapped his arm playfully.

"Heh. Well, speaking of that big guy, there he is." Bokuto tipped his chin while he had a goofy smile on his face.

They all turned their heads and saw Ushijima talking to the valet who brought his car back.



"Wakatoshi over here!" Tendou waved his arm up in the air for his best friend to see and called him over.

"Congratulations, everyone." He said when he arrived and the group said their greetings back. 

"We're gonna get dinner and then drinks. Are you up for it?" Kuroo asked.

Ushijima nodded, glancing at Mei when he saw her. 

Oddly enough, Bokuto walked up to him, doing a fist bump with a stoic guy— which he received willingly, earning weird looks from the rest of the group.

"What just happened?" Mei raised her brows at them.

"What? I can't do a fist bump with my bro?" Bokuto cackled.

"Bros? You two?" Kuroo said in disbelief and then turned to Akaashi. "Did he bump his head or something?"

"We might as well be since we're gonna be in the national team together." The owl boy bragged.

"Wait, what?" Mei took a step forward to Ushijima, excitement clear in her tone.

Ushijima nodded. "They called me again yesterday and I… accepted."

"Oh my god!" Mei jumped, squealing as she put her arms around him because she couldn't contain her joy. "Congratulations! This is amazing— you're amazing!"

Ushijima wrapped his arms around her waist, nuzzling his face on her shoulder. "Thank you, Mei." He said quietly.

"Ahem."

The two pulled away when they heard someone clear their throat. They looked over to Akaashi, who chipped his chin to the rest of the group watching them in amusement.

"Sorry. Got a bit carried away." She said sheepishly.

"Oh, we don't mind. You two are practically soulmates. " Suga grinned."Oh, sorry. I meant friends." Almost everybody else nodded, even Kuroo.

"I mind. I wanna get out of here already." Kenma grumbled as he watched other people leaving.

"Well, here's my car! Just in time. " Bokuto beamed when a valet parked it right in front of Ushijima's car. "Mei-chan, you'll ride with Ushiwaka, right?" 

She nodded and Bokuto began to drag his boyfriend and Kenma with him.

Mei chuckled as she watched her friends start walking. When she saw Ushijima go toward his car, she jogged to catch up to him and put her hand on his arm. 

They halted by the passenger door and Ushijima looked at her, tilting his head a bit. It was true that they had spent time together after they talked, but at best they were friends. He knew setting boundaries was a way to not overwhelm each other. 

He didn't want to rush things anymore because he knew he had time, but when Mei held his hand, he felt a spark of hope inside him.

"So, um…" Mei quickly pulled her hand off him as she was suddenly at a loss for words.

"Yes?"

"If… you're not busy yet on Saturday…"

"I'm not."

"Oh, okay. That's good. Um..." Her eyes darted away from him. Damn it, why weren’t words coming out of her mouth?

Wakatoshi smiled fondly at her, patiently waiting for her to continue.

"Jesus, Mei. Just say you want to ask him to dinner already." Kuroo said dramatically and walked around the couple, rushing ahead so he didn't have to watch them act like high schoolers all over again.

She shot a glare at the ravenhead as blood rushed to her face.

Ushijima opened the door for her and she got in the car. Mei let out a huff just as he got into the driver's seat.

"So, you're asking me to dinner?" He started the car and finally drove out into the road.

She shifted in her seat and nodded. "Yeah, to celebrate… I mean,we have dinner all the time, right?"

"We do."

"So uh… only If you're not busy. " She watched his arms flex when he steered the wheel, making a right turn into another street.

"I always have time for you."

“God, you say the cheesiest things with such a straight face.” She looked away and put a hand to cover mouth, not that it made much of a difference to hide her flushed face.

He chuckled as he drove into the restaurant’s parking lot. “Is it cheesy if it’s the truth?”

“Yeah, it is. You can be so blunt sometimes, you know that?”

Ushijima had parked his car into a vacant spot. “Do you hate that I am?” 

Mei leaned back into her seat and mumbled a ‘No’. She still avoided his gaze but when she felt his elbow lightly nudged hers  as he got his seat belt off, she looked right at him. 

When he felt  her staring at him, he turned to her, seeing her eyes drift downward and then back up.

“I think it’s cute… that you’re so honest and sincere. I really like that about you.” She reached her hand to his face, catching him off guard, and carefully swiping a stray eyelash from his cheek.

She pulled away and took her seatbelt off, too. She could still feel the tension in the air so she pushed open her door and got out of the car. She took her phone out just to keep herself busy, as Ushijima followed suit and walked around to her side. "They're not here yet. Shall we order for them?"

 

He nodded and they started to head over to the entrance. Mei glanced at his hand as they walked. She slowly inched her hand closer to his but decided against it. She was uneasy. Would he even want to hold her hand? She was the one who wanted them to be friends because she wasn't 'ready'. 

It was a shock to her when Ushijima agreed and even smiled at her upon hearing her reply. They became friends. 

They hung out, had meals together, and talked like nothing bad ever happened between them. It was a change of pace, there was no image of being a couple to uphold, and she was grateful he never brought up anything about getting back together. Ushijima knew when to back off every time something might have happened.

She was grateful but deep down, she didn’t like it because she missed him. She missed having his arm around her whenever they watched a film, whether at his apartment or at a theater, and how she would snuggle into him because he was so warm. She missed going to places where they would take cute pictures together, where he would sometimes sneak a kiss on the cheek when her attention was elsewhere. She missed how he twirled his fingers into her hair when he thought she was already asleep and how he would sometimes whisper I love you's and praises just before he would drift off to sleep, too. She missed grazing her fingers on his stubbly chin right before he shaves and how he would laugh a little because he said it tickled. She missed the random hugs, the forehead kisses, the play fights, heck even the actual fights, She missed how he—

"Table for nine, please. We'll take two of each of the meat sets." Ushijima started talking to the restaurant employee as he held a laminated menu in his hand. He turned to her and  noticed she looked a bit off. He took one of her hands in his, swiping his thumb on it a few times before he continued to place orders for the group.

The two sat down next to each other after the employee took them to their table. Akaashi and the others still hadn't arrived for some reason so she texted them that they already started cooking some of the meat. 

Their hands were no longer locked together and she was a bit disappointed— no, she absolutely hated it. Her heart went into overdrive when Ushijima held it earlier and when he let go because they had to settle at their table, she wanted his warmth back more than anything. 

"You're worried about something. Do you want to talk about it?"

"It's nothing." She cleared her throat and picked up one of the metal tongs. 

"It's not nothing, Mei."

"Well, uh…" she put a few more pieces of meat on the grill. "My sister and my parents got me a gift. I'm not sure if I can open it, or if I even want to.”

Ushijima rested his chin on his other hand as he watched her. "Then, don’t."

"But it's a gift… "

"Well, there's no rush. You can always just set it aside for later." Ushijima raised his hand to her face, carefully tucking a bit of her fringe behind her ear, his full attention fixated on her.

Mei looked up at him through her lashes. It was so soothing that she just wanted to lean into his hand, but she tried her best not to react at all. "I know." 

"Now, will you tell me the real reason you were nervous about wanting to hold my hand earlier?"

Her shoulders tensed and her brows raised, a horrified look on her face.

He chuckled, amused at her flustered state. "It was very obvious."



Notes:

HI OH MY GOD

 

I know I said this was gonna end already but uh… I can't …seem…to.. Let go… just yet…

Q______Q

ANYWAY

To anyone still reading this, THANK YOU 🥺👉👈

Feel free to leave comments because I love reading them 💜

Chapter 41: Hope

Summary:

Stubbly chin

Notes:

Songs:
Urs by NIKI
This is how you fall in love byJeremy Zucker
No song without you by HONNE

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

 

“The fight was a bit childish. We didn’t talk for a week because he was being such an ass. Bokuto even tried to intervene.”

"Really?" Ushijima asked as they got in the apartment building’s elevator. “So that's why you barely talked to him at dinner. I didn’t think Kuroo was one to lie to you about something like that.”

“I know, right? It wasn’t a big deal to me until he started brushing me off like I was a stranger in front of the girl— God, she kept glaring at me like I was competition! Kuroo didn’t even notice. I get it, she’s pretty and you’re trying to impress her but at least give me a heads up so I can just avoid the situation.” Mei let out a frustrated huff, leaning back on the elevator wall.Ushijima grunted in agreement.

"We’re good now— I guess…We talked about it and he apologized, but it still pisses me off whenever I remember it. I'd rather he tell me the truth than not at all—which is ironic since I did the latter to you countless… times." She trailed off and hung her head low as she fidgeted with her bag’s strap.

Silence continued to fill the air until they reached their floor.Ushijima put his hand by the elevator door so Mei could step out first. He easily caught up to her as she walked down the hall.

“You already drove me home, you didn’t have to walk me all the way here.”

“I want to.”

She stopped at her door and turned to face him, feeling a bit nervous for what she was about to ask him. 

“Do you wanna have some tea before you go?” 

Ushijima nodded. “Sure.”

Mei hastily punched in her door code and let both of them inside. She told him to make himself at home while she set her things down and made some tea in the kitchen.

“Your place is really coming together.” He commented loud enough for her to hear as he looked around. Books and music albums almost filled the wall mounted shelf. A few small paintings decorated the once blank wall of the living room and a bunch of picture frames sat on a small wooden cabinet.

“Yeah. Thank you for helping me out by the way.” Mei walked into the living room, already changed into comfortable clothes, and put the two mugs of tea on her coffee table. “Moving around the furniture by myself would’ve taken me days.”

“It’s no problem.” He picked up a frame that had caught his attention and went over to sit on the couch. “I didn’t know there was a photo of us like this.”

Mei sat beside him and looked at the small frame he held in his hand. “Oh, that. Tendou gave it to me as a housewarming gift a few days ago.” 

“This was before the match with Karasuno.” Ushijima stared at it for a while more before he put it on the table. " The photo was of them sleeping in the bus, sitting beside each other. Mei was using his shoulder as a pillow while Ushijima rested his head on top of hers. His Shiratorizawa jacket draped on her while they snuggled.

“Yeah. We were pretty cute, weren’t we?" She chuckled. "You guys had to do a hundred serves after the loss but I specifically remember you doing fifty more. God, that was quite a while ago already, huh?” She turned and caught him staring at her with a curious look. “What?”

"You still are." He picked up his mug and took a sip of the warm tea.

"Hmm? Still what?"

"Pretty and cute."

 

 

 

 

 

“Holy fuck.” She said out loud and she slapped her hand to her mouth right away upon realizing it. “Sorry...” She leaned back in her seat and moved her hands to cover her blushing face.

“Did I say something wrong?” Ushijima set his mug down and shifted in his seat to fully face her. “I made you uncomfortable. Maybe I should leave…” He moved to get off the couch but Mei pulled on the sleeve of his shirt in panic.

“No! Uh…Please don’t leave.”

His eyes drifted from her shaky hand to her flushed face. “Okay.” He put his hand on hers and lifted it to his lips, giving it a light peck. “I won’t.”

There was something more behind what he said and thinking about it only made it worse for her heart. Her stomach turned when she felt his lips on her hand. Fuck.

Before she knew it, she scooted closer, moving her hands to his cheeks and reeling him in. Her breath was ragged and so was his. Uncertainty was on the top of her mind but desire tipped everything over. She was first to inch her face towards his, their noses already touching.

“Mei…” He whispered. “Are you sure about this—mmpf…” 

She cut him off by pressing her lips onto his, so desperate as if she needed him to breathe. The longing that had been so suppressed finally broke out of its cage and wreaked havoc. She needed him. All of him.

Ushijima almost had a hard time matching her pace but he snaked his hands to her waist as he kissed back. His mind went fuzzy when he heard her mumble his name against his lips. He didn't expect any of this to happen. Admittedly, he was only looking forward to talking more with her, but who was he to complain?

Her hands made their way to his chest, slowly unbuttoning his shirt.

He held her waist and pulled away a little, pressing his forehead onto hers as they both tried to catch their breath. "Is this really what you want?" He whispered.

"More than anything, my love.”

He inched backwards and stared at her in shock, not even noticing how his vision blurred when his eyes started to water. 

Mei hitched a breath and began to wipe his cheeks with her hands when the man's tears finally fell. "Wakatoshi…" 

He buried his face onto her shoulder,letting out a shaky breath as Mei began to run her hands on his back. He wasn’t sure if this was really happening, that she really called him that. He began to sob because he was so afraid he might wake up from a dream.

“Sshh..” Mei tried to soothe as much as she could. She had witnessed him crying before but never like this. He even trembled as he held onto her for dear life.

When he finally calmed down, he pulled away, his eyes a bit puffy as he sniffled. Mei reached for some tissue from the table and dabbed it on his face gently. 

"I'm sorry." He said quietly.

"Hey, don't…" She wiped his face dry. “I should be the one apologizing. I think I made you wait too long.”

“I would’ve waited longer if you wanted me to.”

“I know but there’s no point in doing that, right?” She reached for him once more. “Come here…”

Ushijima put an arm around her waist and reached his other hand to her cheek. He studied her face, as if trying to memorize it. The apartment was utterly quiet. Maybe that was why he could hear the thumping of his heart. He pressed his lips onto her, engulfing her like a flame to paper. He consumed her. Or maybe it was the other way around. The heat of their kiss made it seem like nothing else in the world mattered. 

The way her lips parted when he swiped his tongue on her lower lip, and how she whimpered at the way he slowly ran his hand down her back only increased the warmth that spread throughout his body. It was almost painful yet so exhilarating. It had been too long since they had held each other let alone share a heated kiss. 

She slowly pulled away, standing and taking his hand in hers. There was a look on her face that made him swallow the lump in his throat. 

Anticipation.

Desire.

There was so much of it as she started leading him to her bedroom. When she sat at the edge of her bed, he claimed her lips once again, slowly pushing her onto her back as he got on top. Heat rose to her cheeks as their tongues danced. It was hot and breathy, quick and electric, and so delicious. 

It wasn’t like they hadn’t kissed so passionately before, but the longing they both had for each other after being apart burst like water from a broken dam. There was too much of it, so hard to contain, and they were both willing to drown. 

Mei moved her hands to his shirt, happy to finally unbutton them. She roamed her hands on his bare chest, feeling so content to feel his skin on her hands.

He whimpered. "Fuck.” He couldn’t help it. Her lips were so delicate, so luscious, so sweet. He was so marveled by how they brushed over his own like a wave of warmth that spread throughout his body. He’d kiss her all day if he could. 

Her hand on his crotch definitely escalated the situation.

“Can I really have you?” Ushijima moaned.

Mei rubbed her hand against the fabric of his pants. “Yes.” She said breathily, sending even more shivers down Ushijima’s spine. She reached for his hand, guiding it to her chest. “Touch me.” She pleaded.

Ushijima dragged his hand lower and slipped it under her shirt, fondling her breasts that were still trapped in her bra. Having his hand on her made his skin crawl and his heart pound against his chest. He couldn’t take it anymore so he drew his hand back, earning a questioning look from Mei. 

Her eyes shut and back arched a little when she felt his hand slip in her shorts, rubbing against her underwear. “Fuck.” 

“You like that?” 

She nodded, whispering a ‘yes’ over and over. 

“I would have waited longer,” He brought his lips to her neck, the tip of his nose grazing down her jaw as he dragged his fingers up and down against the front of her wet panties, “but to be yours again is the most incredible thing I’ve ever felt.” 

Mei whimpered and managed to pull his hand off her. She let out a huff and hastily pulled her shorts and underwear off, Ushijima now following suit. In a blink of an eye, their lips were already crashing against each other yet again. It was rough and a little sloppy, but felt amazing nonetheless. His fingers met her wetness, one easily slipping into her, while her hand met his hard cock,sliding down and then up to rub the tip with her thumb. They both moaned as they continued to make out, satisfying their need for each other's touch. 

Ushijima thrusted his finger in and out her a bit more before slipping in another one. His pace was teasingly slow as he was knuckle deep in her, her juices dripping and coating his hand. Mei panted as she rubbed him faster, earning an almost pained groan. 

He pulled away from her lips and moved to her neck, dragging his tongue down and along her collarbone, his hand still busy below. “You drive me crazy, Mei.”

“You, too.” She mumbled. “You’re a tease.”

“Really?” He pulled his fingers out of her and moved them to her swollen clit. Mei hitched a breath as she felt a chill all over her body. 

Amused at her fragile state, he rubbed her little nub in a swirling motion a few times before he brought his hand up and to his lips. Mei froze and stared at him, specifically his tongue, as he licked his own drenched fingers. 

“I’ll never be able to get enough of you.” He said.

Mei put her hand on his chest and began to push him off her. She pushed him a bit more until he lied on his back. She straddled him and took her shirt off, feeling Ushijima’s eyes dead set on her every move. She unbuttoned his shirt and couldn't help lick her lips as she marveled over his toned body.

“I’ve missed you so much.” She murmured, leaning towards him before she placed kisses on his bare chest. Ushijima’s nerves were on fire when Mei began to grind her dripping cunt against his hardness. She dragged her lips to his neck, swirling her tongue on his skin as she reached her hand down to his dick, positioning it at her entrance. 

“Did you miss me or did you just miss my dick?”

Mei couldn’t help but chuckle as she moved her head to face him, pecking his lips a few times. “You make jokes, now? I’ve left you alone far too long.”

“Answer the question, Mei.” He moved his hands to her hips and pulled her down a little, his dick teasing to go inside her.

“Mm… Both..?” She slowly sank her hips down, feeling herself adjust to his size. “Oh, fuck.” She moaned right by his ear.

“You feel so good, swallowing me up like that little by little.” He ran his hands back and forth on the sides of her hips to her thighs. Mei sank lower, finally having all of him inside her. She paused, letting out a shaky breath as she felt her core heat up even more. 

“Are you alright? Tell me if it hurts.”

Mei leaned back, now in a sitting position as she looked down on him. She laughed, grinding against him. “Quite the opposite, really.” 

Ushijima could feel himself getting harder at the sight of Mei brushing her hair from her face and at the way her boobs bounced as she rode him. So he lifted her by the hips a little more and pulled her down, catching her off guard as he unintentionally hit her g-spot.

"I know you like having me fill you up like this."

“You… You are despicable, Wakatoshi.” She gasped, throwing her head back as she felt him so deep in her.

Ushijima propped himself up and grabbed her legs to wrap around his waist. “I am?” He trailed a few kisses on her neck and nibbled on a spot. 

“Yes, you are.” She moved up a little bit, her legs trembling as she did so. “You make me feel so fucking good.” She went down and they both groaned. 

“Does this mean we can do this again tomorrow?” Ushijima mumbled and captured her lips.

“Definitely. I want you to fuck me over and over again." She bit on his lower lip as she put her arms around his neck. “Oh god, did you just get bigger?”

“Your fault.” He grumbled and laid her on her back and thrusted harder into her. 

“Shit..! More, more…Fuuuck.” She pleaded, even rolling her hips to meet his frantic and unrelenting tempo. “I’m so close.”

“That’s it. I want you to come with me. Can you do that, my love?”

She nodded meekly as she panted, her mind was fuzzy from the insane amount of pleasure that she was seeing stars.

Ushijima gave her one last powerful thrust, groaning as he emptied himself in her. Mei arched her back as she felt her walls spasm and contract, clenching his cock while her own orgasm waved over the same time he did.

"Babe…" She moaned and pulled him in for a kiss. His lips were warm and soft, so inviting that she easily slipped her tongue in his mouth. They both breathed heavily as their bodies remained pressed against each other. He still thrusted into her, slowly this time to let their climaxes ease down.

"I love you." She said when they pulled away to breathe. 

His gaze softened, bringing his hand to her face and swiping his thumb on her cheek. "I love you, too." 

He was about to withdraw from her but Mei dragged her hand down to his torso,pulling his lower half closer to press against her even more. Ushijima groaned a little.

"Can we stay like this for a bit more..?" Mei said quietly and pecked his lips.

"Mhmm.." He hummed and adjusted himself to lie beside her. He took hold of her thigh and swung her leg over his waist. He tilted his pelvis towards her even more, feeling his cock reach deeper inside her.

"So good." Mei chuckled, tracing a finger on his lips as she basked in the soft afterglow. " God, I missed you."

"You said that already." He snaked his hand over her hips and pulled the blanket over them. He could still feel the throbbing warmth she emitted but it was more comforting than anything. He had craved to be within her reach and now that she was in his arms, his heart felt so full.

Mei always thought nothing would be able to fix the relationship they had before because it had taken too much of a toll on both of them. But now that she carefully moved her finger to his slightly stubbly chin, fascinated by the fact that he was right in front of her, the small spark of hope that lived within the depths of her heart, the hope she thought was lost forever, finally emerged. 

 

Notes:

HI OH MY GOD IT’S BEEN LIKE, 3 NO, 4WEEKS??? SINCE I LAST UPDATED HAHDLOOAWIHNCASLN because I’ve been rewriting this over andover and..like.. Writing 20 words at a time and then deleting them and writing again and then deleting them and writing— ANYWAY I HOPE Y'ALL ENJOYED (that smut HAHAHA YOU HORKNEE CUTIES) THANKS <3

Chapter 42: Home

Summary:

"You know the hardest part of what I do is saying goodbye to you"

Notes:

Song:

Coming Home by Honne ft Niki

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Mei groaned as she reached blindly for her noisy phone somewhere on the bed. Grumbling as she answered the call, she spoke with a hoarse voice. “Who is this and why are you calling me at 4am?”

The person on the other line chuckled. “It’s already 7:30, my love.”

“Huh…really?” She scrunched her eyes with her other hand as she forced herself up. She squinted her eyes when she looked at her screen, finally seeing the time. "Ah, you're right."

“Mhmm. Have you had breakfast?”

“Not yet. No work today so I think I’ll sleep some more and just get brunch. Wait, isn’t it…” She paused, calculating the time difference in her head. “It’s 11pm there. You should be sleeping.”

“I’m not tired yet.”

“You should be, with winning your latest match. I watched it last night. You did such a good job, babe. Congratulations.” she smiled, leaning back on the headboard.

“Thank you. It’s a good way to end my term here.”

“You're playing for Japan again for the World Cup, right?” 

“Mhmm.” 

“I can’t wait for you to get back.” She yawned. “You should really get some sleep— ah, someone’s at the door. Give me a sec.” She groggily stood from her bed, slipping on her fuzzy slippers. She dragged herself out of her bedroom and to the front door, still holding her phone to her ear.

“Maybe you have a package.” He said.

“I’m not sure. I do have some orders but it’s way too early for them to arrive." She turned the door handle downward and pulled the door open. “I mean, seriously, they could have just left it at the… lobby…” Her mouth parted at the sight of her boyfriend standing in front of her. 

“I told you it was a package.” He held up a paper bag, showing it to her while his phone was still pressed to his ear with his other hand. He ended the call and slipped his phone in his pocket.

She stepped aside to let him in, still staring in disbelief as the hand that held her phone fell to her side. “You’re back. Oh my god.” 

Wakatoshi set the paper bag on her kitchen counter and turned to face her, meeting her eyes widened eyes once again.

She moved towards him, her phone dropping to the floor when she put her hands to his cheeks. “You’re really back.”

Wakatoshi leaned in to her touch, closing his eyes as he let out a breath through his nose. He nodded then wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a hug, something he had been longing to do all the months he was away.

“You said you wouldn't be back until next week.” She mumbled, moving her arms around his torso as she nuzzled into his chest.

“Plans changed when we won. I knew I had to go home to you as soon as I could.”

“What time did you arrive? I could’ve picked you up. You must be tired from your flight and I could’ve gotten your apartment ready because I forgot to go there last week, and—” She felt a kiss on her forehead, stopping her from talking any further.

He shook his head. “I got here a couple of hours ago and I slept on the plane the whole way so I’m not tired.”

“Still…” She sighed. “I look like shit. You should’ve given me a heads up.”

“If I did, it wouldn’t be a surprise.” He leaned down to her and kissed her cheek before going to whisper into her ear. “And you look beautiful as ever.”

Mei backed away, flustered and taken aback. She watched him pick her phone from the floor and set out the food from the large paper bag he had with him, as if he didn’t just make her heart go into overdrive.  

“I’ll freshen up a little bit.” She jogged to the bathroom and slammed the door shut. Ushijima chuckled and went to the sink to wash his hands. 

**

“That’s a lot of bacon.”

“Mhmm.” Wakatoshi hummed as he ate. 

“Are you being lenient with your diet now that the season is over?”

He nodded, picking up another piece of the greasy fried pork and putting it in his mouth.

“Well, you definitely deserve it.” She took a bite of the rice and bacon she stacked on her spoon. “Mmm, that last spike you did blew me away. It was the winning point, too.” She picked up her iced coffee, one he bought for her as well, and took a sip. She let out a contented sigh at the familiar taste and even did a little dance in her seat.

She looked up and saw Wakatoshi’s eyes fixated on her, but there’s a soft curl to his lips, which almost only appears when they’re together. “What?”

“I missed you. I wish I didn’t go to Poland just to play.”

“Hey.” She got up from her seat and went around the table to him. “We’ve talked about this multiple times. You should never pass up a great opportunity because you always have my support no matter where you are.” She rubbed her hands on his shoulders and took a seat on his lap.

“I could’ve just spent six months with you.” His hands automatically moved to her waist.

“You were loaned there for a reason, babe. Plus you made a lot of money.” She laughed.

“I already have enough money. I’m not playing for another country again.” His brows furrowed a bit and he let out a huff. 

She dragged a hand up his neck and to the back of his head, gently running her fingers through his hair as she kissed his nose. "You really missed me, huh?" 

Wakatoshi took hold of her chin, gently rubbing his thumb on her skin. “So much. I wanted to bolt out of the gym and fly back to you all these months.”

“Well, aren’t you clingy?” Mei teased and pecked his lips.

“I couldn’t wait to hold you in my arms again, to kiss your lips while you roamed these,“He took her hands and guided them to his chest. “over here.”

She watched the way his hands held hers so carefully, making her core heat up. She gulped before speaking, “We called each other almost everyday but you never mentioned anything about your… needs. We could’ve figured something…out.” Oh god, he’s kissing the inside of my hand. Why does he look so… starved?

“Mhm… You were pretty busy as well. I didn’t want to be a bother so I dealt with it myself.” His gaze met hers when he left another kiss on her palm, this one seeming to linger a bit more. “What about you?”

“Wha- Huh?”

"Did you think about me whenever you felt…needy?”

“Wakatoshi, why are you …uh…” She moved a bit to get off his lap but he didn’t let her. 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.” He buried his face into her neck. She felt his warm breath as he sighed.

“Aw, babe…It’s not that at all. I just… um. I felt the same way. Some days were just frustrating and I just wanted to be engulfed by you. Heck, I even wanted to just dump my work and fly out to Poland.”

“Really?” He asked in a hopeful tone.

She nodded. “And… I met a friend.”

“... A friend?” Now his voice turned a bit dark.

“Ah, wait. More like I bought a friend.” She clarified, not that it helped her case.

He pulled away. “What do you mean? You paid someone?”

“What? No!” her widened at his tone growing angrier.

“Then tell me the truth.”

“It’s a toy!” She got off his lap and backed away with her hands on her face. She started pacing. “I bought a toy, okay? I found one online because I just couldn’t take it anymore and,” She stopped and peaked at him through her hands when she heard a snort. “Wakatoshi, did you just—”

Soon after he was laughing. 

A full belly laugh. Not that he had a belly but his hand was on his stomach as his shoulders shook vigorously while his luscious voice filled the room.

Good god, is the world gonna end? What good have I done to witness this?

"Not that a toy could ever replace you but it did help…And it's not the kind you think, I swear. It's this little duck and it just vibrates, okay? " She leaned back on the counter, sighing as she just waited for him to stop.

He stood, a small smile on his face, and approached her. He put his hands on the counter, each at her side, cornering her. "A little duck?"

"Yeah. It's water resistant, too." She fixed her eyes on his chest, only now noticing he was wearing a white button down shirt. He looked good. But then he always looked good.

"Mhmm… Do you use it when you're in the tub?" He leaned closer, leaving a peck just on the corner of her mouth before he went to her neck.

"Well…" She shifted in her place a little, her breathing getting ragged as the way he dragged his lips down her neck sent tingles all over her body. 

"I'm taking that's a yes." He chuckled. 

"Can you blame me? I barely had time to myself because work was so hectic last month." She let out a huff. 

Wakatoshi put his right hand on her waist, lightly drawing circles against the fabric of her shirt. "Well. It's a good thing I'm back. How does a trip to the beach sound, my love?" He planted a kiss on her collarbone and then went back to face her. "We can eat good food, do some sightseeing, and relax."

She nodded, still not looking at him. "I'll use all of my vacation days if I have to."

"Good. Don't worry, you can bring your little ducky along, he can swim with us, do a little splashing. Any friend of yours is a friend of mine, ah—" He winced a little then laughed after Mei just slapped his arm.

"God, you're so cheeky." She crossed her arms, a pout on her lips.

"I'm only teasing." He put his hands on her cheeks and kissed her lips a bunch of times. "Now, how about you introduce me to your friend so we can be a good team later, hmm?"

She felt a bit nervous when she saw the discernable heat in his eyes. "Right now?"

"Preferably. But if you don't want to, then—"

Mei brought her hands to his shirt and pulled him closer with it, fumbling to unbutton it. After popping the last one open, she slid her hands on his chest, pushing the shirt off his shoulders.

"How can I not ? With you looking at me like that…Ugh."

"Like what?" He asked, as if not knowing what she meant.

"Like you want to devour me whole." She roamed a hand downwards to the front of his pants. "And judging by this, I think you do."

He groaned. "There's no way for me to deny that." He moved his hands to the back of her thighs and lifted her up, making her wrap them around his waist. "Ducky and I will get along quite well, don't you think?"

"Shut up." She whined, wrapping her arms around his neck while he made their way to her bedroom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The end :) 

 

Notes:

Oh god
Oh my god
OH MY GOD IT'S DONE
Ahh I cried right after I typed "the end" andomxlmszosj oh my god it felt like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders. Thank you to everyone who has read this fic from the moment I posted the first chapter last year and to the new readers! I never had plans for this fic to be this long. Ngl, it started out pretty cringy , esp the first half of it is HAHAHAIDKSJXS HAHA BUT STILL THANK YOU FOR LOVING WAKATOSHI AND MEI AND MY WEIRD WRITING EJNWKXMECHEDJ
Catch more of them in my newly started fic "Tomorrow"! (Previous named "Through the Glass" but I changed it because it was just a filler title haha) It's lighter compared to this one and I'm trying to keep it fluffy without the smut but this is me we're talking about HAHAHA so maybeeeeee I'll limit myself to just one smutty chapter? I promise ..?? HAAHAHAHDJWSENSWOK