The Perfect Pair | seven. — Sakusa is a meticulous mastermind
BEING ALONE HAS NEVER REALLY bothered you. In fact, you found great solace in that notion – a quiet kind of peace that didn’t ask anything from you. And early on you’ve learned to accept the idea that someday you’d be living your life with no one else beside you.
And instead of resisting that thought, you embraced it. You fill your time by doing the things you love, and trying out hobbies you once only thought of doing or wandering through places you’d always wanted to see. You made solitude something gentle. Something you can live by. And at first, it was alright, you were enjoying your own company.
But coping isn’t always easy. And life still comes with its own ups and downs.
Lately, whenever you find yourself alone, there’s this strange feeling in your chest. Not quite like pain… but something quieter. Like a space that shouldn’t be empty, but is. Longing for something you can’t quite name. You don’t dwell on it. Telling yourself that it's probably nothing. A passing mood, maybe. Or some weird hormonal imbalance in your system. Something easy to ignore.
Except… it doesn’t go away.
Because the little things that once made you happy were now replaced by moments of you staring blankly into nothingness. Replaced by something unfamiliar. And now, it’s happening more often than you’d like. Enough to make you question yourself, and wonder about your morals on being lonely.
Were you ever really okay with being alone as you thought you were?
That’s how you end up at the museum. Your classes were canceled, and your shift at the cafe ended early, so you figured you might as well spend the extra time somewhere quiet and take a look around.
It’s 2:34 in the afternoon when you arrive, and the place is far from empty. Families drift from exhibit to exhibit, children trailing behind them. Students linger near certain pieces, whispering to each other. Couples stand a little too close, their conversations soft and shared.
You notice it immediately. Or maybe… you just notice it more now. Because suddenly, it feels like you’re the only one here on your own. You started to grow anxious about yourself.
You let out a quiet breath, pushing the thought aside. People come here for all sorts of reasons – to appreciate art, to pass time, to take pictures. It doesn’t have to mean anything.
Being alone is fine. You’ve managed to be alone for a while now.
So why should today be any different?
You move through the museum slowly. Choosing to stay quiet as your eyes focus on the paintings rather than the people around you. It’s easier that way. You drift from one piece to another, until something makes you stop in your tracks.
At first glance, the painting looked simple. Calm waves melted into a dark horizon, the ocean painted in deep shades of blue beneath the moon. Near the shore stood a lone figure, their silhouette stretching across the sand, rendered in soft, delicate brushstrokes.
Compared to the other paintings that had more details and obvious extravagance, this one was different. And it seems you were the only one to notice its difference. The people around you pass by without a second glance, choosing to look over the more elaborate pieces. But not you.
You choose to stay. There’s something about the art piece that keeps you rooted in place, your eyes zeroing in on every detail as if you were examining each stroke under a microscope.
The figure stands alone, facing the vast water ahead. Not reaching for it. Not moving forward. Just… there. And for a moment, a soft tug pulled at your heart. It feels familiar. Too familiar. The realization settles in slowly, like a quiet weight.
A flicker of frustration crosses your face before you can stop it, the calm you carried with you earlier beginning to crack. It’s ridiculous, really — how something as simple as a painting can evoke such an emotion out of you. An emotion you’ve kept tucked away.
You tear your gaze away from it, shaking your head as if that alone might clear your mind. Looking at your watch, you notice that you’ve been roaming around for an hour. With one final look at the painting, you turned to leave—
“It’s quite beautiful, isn’t it?”
Flinching, you looked to where the voice came from behind you, and your eyes widened a fraction before softening as you recognized the familiar face.
“Are you…” You narrow your eyes slightly, pointing an accusing finger at him. “Are you stalking me, Sakusa?”
The man in question raised a brow, his lips twitching into the faintest hint of a smile — it was subtle enough that no one would've taken note of it if. But you do.
One part of Sakusa was suppressing his amusement while the other seemed outright offended by your accusation. “Me?” he asks, gesturing to himself.
“Well, it’s just the two of us here.” You said matter-of-factly, glancing around the nearly empty corner of the exhibit. It seems everyone has gone to the next displays of paintings, and to be fair the side you were in only had a few pieces in it.
Sakusa’s smile widened a little, and he shook his head. You took note of how he seems to do that quite often now, especially during the times you’d say something ridiculous or when you’d sass at him. “I see that. I just so happen to stop by here.”
You hum, unconvinced by his answer, before asking with a knowing smile, “Just so happen to? Like that time your classes just so happened to get canceled, so you went to the library? Or when I just so happened to see you wandering around on campus—”
“Okay, I get it,” he cuts you off with a quiet sigh, one hand gripping the strap of his bag.
You can't help the small laugh that escaped your lips, teasing him further, “So those were all coincidences?” Because surely it wasn’t, right? But he showed up at such specific times for it to be just a coincidence.
“Yes,” he says flatly. “You don’t think coincidences like those happen?”
You tilt your head, watching him carefully. Sakusa was one of many things, he excelled at almost everything he does it was actually insane. But from the few weeks that you shared with him, you’ve come to learn that if there was one thing Sakusa was bad at, it was lying.
So you smile, knowing. “Sure. And you’re also five feet tall.”
A smirk graced his lips, looking away as he scoffed. “They were coincidences.” He insists, like he’s trying to prove that what he’s saying is true. Prove to him or you? Perhaps both.
You don't press any further, choosing to accept defeat because Sakusa Kiyoomi, despite his old age, was stubborn as a mule. His smile softened, and a soft thump in your chest made you freeze in place.
You’re not even sure why you’re teasing him in the first place — or what you expected him to admit. If he says they were coincidences, then they must be true. Right? Though deep inside you knew Sakusa was bluffing for reasons you weren't sure of. Maybe he was embarrassed about something? Or maybe he just didn’t want to admit the truth.
But… What even is the truth? You only teased Sakusa since seeing his bashful expression brought you great joy. But what were you even expecting out of it? Surely you’re not thinking of that, right? Because it can’t be. You’ve only known him for a couple of weeks. Sure, maybe during those times you spent together he acted in ways that you can’t explain.
Because… Why did he walk you home when it got dark that one time? Why does he insist on paying whenever you study together at a cafe? Why does he go out of his way to explain and fix things about your project even if you were the one who made the mistakes? Why did he give you that handmade gift just because you passed? Why—
“So, where are you off to now?” Sakusa’s calm voice brought you out of your thoughts.
You blink, caught off guard. Faking a cough as you looked around. “Oh—uh… I was thinking of grabbing something to eat, then heading home.”
Would it be weird to ask him to come along? It isn’t, right? You ate out a lot when you worked on your project together. This wasn't any different than that. This was just another coincidence. Nothing more, and nothing less. Sakusa said so himself.
You gulped, suddenly feeling too self-conscious of how you looked, hands clasping together in front of you as it suddenly felt too warm and clammy.
You took a deep breath and asked in a soft murmur, “Do you… want to come with me?” You tried not to look at his expression, your eyes wandering around the pieces behind him. The last thing you'd wanted was for him to laugh at you.
There was a beat of silence, and you were starting to regret your decisions as you came up with different reasons to take back your words. But then—
“I thought you’d never ask.” Sakusa replied, and it was only then that you had gathered enough courage to look at him and see that smile — his soft smile that made you swallow in nervousness.
After choosing on a place you'd both wanted to go to, you made your way out of the exhibit together. Falling into a step beside the curly haired man whose smile you can't compare to anything else.
And that's when you realized that Sakusa Kiyoomi was a good friend. Because surely that's what it all meant.
[ masterlist. | prev. — next. ]
✧ Komori likes to think he and Sakusa have a telepathic wavelength to each other where he just knows him so well... Like twin telepathy. Except they're cousins. Cousin telepathy.
✧ Kageyama is confused on why is his friends are teasing [First Name] about ykw when she already claimed to not liking him....
✧ Shoyo is scared of [First Name] when she's angry.
✧ Author couldn't decide what to title this chapter since there's so many good lines....
✯ mssg. ⟩ hey y'all...! longer chapter since this came out late :> I tried my best OKAY 😔 if there are typos please ignore it... or if the pov suddenly changes from "you" to "I" PLEASE LET ME KNOW 😭🙏
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