It’s Sunday, and usually you would spend the whole day studying or watching your favorite shows. However, Asami decided to drag you somewhere, changing your plans for the day.
You and Asami walk inside the mall, her arms linked to yours as she pulls you to a boutique. You can practically see her grey eyes sparkling as she scans each rack, looking for the perfect dress that she can show off at school tomorrow.
You sat on one of the contemporary benches of the store as you wait for your friend to finish shopping. Realizing that she would probably take longer than expected, you pull your phone out of your pocket and your eyes widens at the amount of notifications you have on Instagram.
You check the notifications and your eyes squint into a thin line when you see the rude and nasty comments under your posts. Most of the accounts were dummy accounts and you’re pretty sure that these people are Sakusa’s fangirls and this is another one of their attempts to intimidate you. You let out a sigh and blocked the accounts, before making your account private.
“Yo, why are you scowling? Did something happen?” Asami approaches you with shopping bags in her hands. You immediately slip your phone back to your pocket before getting up from your seat. “Oh, done already?” You ask her, ignoring her question earlier.
Asami gives you a mischievous grin, “Girl, we’re just getting started! I’m buying shoes, too!” You chuckle at her statement before taking some of the shopping bags from her.
You enter the shoe store with Asami who’s practically vibrating with excitement like a child going to a field trip. She heads to an aisle and you follow her, worried that she might end up with an empty wallet later. “Are you gonna buy some shoes too, (Y/N)?” She asks you, her eyes focused on the sneakers in her hands. You shake your head. “Nah, I’m just going to buy some cleaning supplies. Oh, that looks cute.”
“Right?” She checks the price tag and her mouth curves into a frown. “Nevermind, this ain’t that cute.” She returns the shoe to its place before moving further into the aisle. “Oh, (Y/N), I’m going to buy your cousin a pair of shoes for our anniversary. What do you think he would like?” Asami questions before crouching down to check the shoes at the bottom of the rack.
“Hmm…let me see…” You bite your lip as your eyes inspect the pairs of shoes that were displayed in front of you. A pair catches your attention and you immediately reached for it to check the price but a hand beats you to it.
Your brows knit in annoyance as you shift your gaze towards the person. A pair of aquamarine eyes looks back at you, and your breath hitch when you realize who’s the person standing beside you.
It’s Sakusa’s beloved ex-girlfriend. Mizushima Aika.
The woman retracts her hand as her eyes flicker in surprise. She rubs the back of her neck in embarrassment, a sheepish smile playing on her lips.
“Oh, I’m sorry, do you want this shoe?” She asks you in a soft tone. You swear her dulcet voice gave you chills.
You shake your head as your reaching hand recoils back to your side. “Oh, no. It’s all yours. I-I’m just gonna look for another pair.” You curse yourself in your head for stuttering. You were about to leave but an arm suddenly wraps around your shoulders, immobilizing you. The familiar, pleasant scent of detergent invades your nostrils and your stomach sunk when you realize who’s this person holding you close to their chest.
“Have you found the shoes that you like, (Y/N)-chan?” A pair of obsidian eyes looks down on you, the fake-honeyed voice sounds muffled under the person’s mask.
Anxiety slowly creeps up your chest and you feel it tighten uncomfortably. You weren’t ready for this moment and you felt like punching Sakusa right then and there. But you managed to drive the violent thoughts out of your mind.
You exhale slowly before forcing yourself to smile. “Uh, no. I changed my mind.” You shake his arm off of you before facing Aika who’s still standing there motionless, shock evident on her face. You bow your head before walking past her, pulling a slightly annoyed Sakusa with you (who’s expecting you to prolong the act) towards the store entrance.
You spot Asami and Komori standing near the entrance, the two of them waves at you. You mouth the words “let’s leave” and Asami immediately complies, with Komori in tow. Once you’re out of the store, you turn to face Sakusa. “What the hell are you doing here?” Your eyebrows knit together, “you almost gave me a heart attack!”
His eyes widen a bit at the sudden raise of your voice, “W—”
“We were about to do some grocery shopping but then Sakusa spotted Aika-chan heading to the shoe store so he followed her there.” Komori answers for Sakusa. The latter whips his head towards his cousin to shoot him a glare. “She was talking to me.” Sakusa tells him.
Komori shrugs, “I doubt you’re going to tell her the truth, so I had to say it.”
Sakusa rolls his eyes before shifting his attention back to you. He lets out a sigh before speaking, “Sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I thought that was the perfect chance to make her jealous.”
You blink your eyes in surprise. Wow, did Sakusa really apologized to you? Dammit, how can you stay mad at him now?
“But still, that moment was perfect and you wasted it.” He continues, shattering your hopes up. You bite your lip to prevent yourself from saying anything that you might regret later on.
“Okaayyy” Asami gets in between the two of you, “Look, you don’t really want to argue here and garner some unnecessary attention, right?” She pulls you away from Sakusa. “(Y/N), let’s just buy the cleaning supplies you need and leave.”
Komori perks up at Asami’s statement, “Oh, we’re going to buy some cleaning supplies, too! Why don’t we just shop together?” He suggests, obviously enthusiastic with the idea.
Asami’s eyes lit up at the suggestion, “Well?” She turns to you, waiting for your permission. You shift your gaze to Komori and you can’t help but snort as he gives you the puppy eyes. There has to be a limit to how he can convince you to do things.
“Fine.” You give in. Komori pumps his fist in the air before pointing at a certain direction, “To the grocery store!”
--
“I thought we’re heading to the grocery store.” You tell Asami as she leads the four of you to another boutique. She snaps her head towards you and to give you a look, “They’re on sale, (Y/N)! And their clothes look cute too.” You step inside the boutique and the smell of expensive feminine perfume instantly overwhelmed your senses. You’re worried that Sakusa might not like it, but his expression remained neutral…you’re actually not sure because he’s wearing a mask, but he didn’t say anything.
You, him and Komori sit on one of the benches inside the store as Asami runs towards the fitting room, hands occupied with blouses and skirts that she picked from the racks.
“She really doesn’t know when to stop.” You mutter to yourself, placing a hand under your chin. Komori looks at you, “(L/N)-chan, aren’t you going to try something on? There are a bunch of pretty stuff over there.” He gestures towards the dresses displayed near the fitting room.
You shake your head, “Nope. I’m saving money.” You reason out. Asami suddenly emerges from the fitting room, startling the two of you.
“Nonsense! You should treat yourself sometimes, (Y/N)! Go! Pick a dress, I’ll pay for it!” She offers. You didn’t notice the subtle thumbs up that Komori gave her.
“How the hell did you even hear us from there? And no, you already bought a lot of stuff, you’ll go—”
“Dear, I have lots of money today. Stop making excuses and pick an outfit!” Asami cuts you off, before pulling you up from your seat. Your face contorts at her unexpected actions. Why is she being pushy right now? Realizing that she won’t accept no as an answer, you pluck a dress from one of the racks. “How about this?”
“Oh! That looks cute! Go, try it on!” She pushes you towards the fitting room, a little too harshly. Why is she so worked up about this? She didn’t even care when I’m not buying stuff earlier.
You look at the dress. It was a (f/c) floral-print vintage dress that goes just above your knees. You think it’s fine; it looks comfortable and simple. You didn’t really care about the style since you don’t wear dresses that much.
After putting the dress on, you open the curtains and step out of the fitting room. “Is this okay?” you question the people with you.
Asami clasps her hands in delight, eyes practically sparkling while Komori starts to shower you with compliments, a huge smile plastered on his face.
“(Y/N)! You look hot!”
“Woah! (L/N)-chan, you should definitely buy that!”
Their compliments start to overwhelm you and you can’t help but feel a little self-conscious. “Guys, you’re exaggerating.” You tell them as you try to hide the blush that crept on your face.
“What? It’s true! Right, Sakusa?” Komori nudges the man beside him, who’s quietly staring at you this whole time.
Sakusa blinks his eyes in surprise at Komori’s question. He looks away at you to feign disinterest before heaving a sigh. “It’s okay, I guess.” He mutters under his breath, his voice steady.
There’s that tightening feeling in your chest again, disappointed but not surprised with Sakusa’s reaction. You look down at your feet as you smile bitterly, “I don’t think this looks good on me.” You tell Asami.
“What? You’re so beautiful, (Y/N)! Just ignore him.” Asami responds, whispering the last part under her breath.
Unbeknownst to the two of you, Komori elbows Sakusa hard on his side. The latter hisses in pain before glaring at his cousin. “What the hell was that for?”
Komori looks at him in disapproval, “Kiyoomi, (L/N)-chan has been through a lot because of us. You could at least give her a proper compliment.” He whispers, irritation lacing his voice.
Sakusa straightens up, rubbing his side before avoiding Komori’s eyes. Sakusa was never afraid of voicing his thoughts out. People don’t call him as the “too-blunt jerk” for no reason, but now, it seems like receiving Ushijima’s killer spikes is much easier than complimenting you. And yeah, that sounds kinda mean.
He shifts his eyes back to your frame, and he didn’t fail to notice the sullen look on your face. What is wrong with him today?
--
After buying the cleaning supplies that both you and Sakusa needed, you guys headed to the parking lot. Asami still bought the dress that you had picked earlier despite your protests, saying that you should wear it to school tomorrow but you dismissed the idea.
After saying your goodbyes to Komori and Sakusa, you get in Asami’s car and the two of you drove off.
Sakusa stood there for a moment, eyes never leaving the place where your car had been, before heading back to the mall again. Komori stops loading their car with groceries to call out to his cousin. “Kiyoomi! Where are you going?”
Sakusa looks over his shoulder. “I forgot to buy something. Just wait for a minute.” He answers back.
--
Sakusa looks down at the box in his hand before stuffing it back in the paper bag. He silently hopes that you’ll like this simple gift of his and swears that he’ll be nicer to you from now on. Guilt trickles through him as he recalls the look on your face earlier. He groans inwardly at the memory.
The mall exit comes into view and he lets out a sigh of relief at the thought of finally getting out of the place that seems to get more crowded every minute. He walks past the small café shop near the exit and he stops on his tracks when he catches something from the corner of his eye.
He looks through the café window and saw Aika sitting on one of the tables. And she’s with someone. A man.
He watches as the man sitting across from her reaches for her hand and squeezes it gently, his thumb brushing over her knuckles. Aika looks up at the man to give him a small, endearing smile. She squeezes his hand back before placing her other palm on top of their intertwined hands.
Sakusa felt his heart break into a million pieces.
we are in the middle of a pandemic and the best thing u can do is arrest protesters and talk about the “oligarchy” (which u are a part of), china, drugs, and reviving death penalty ohmyfuckinggod
where’s the policy on academic freeze??? the mass testing??? press freedom?????
mr. duterte, your 2020 state of the nation address is a joke.
“(L/N)-chan!” Komori calls out to you after sliding your classroom door open with too much force, the scraping sound of it opening combined with his booming voice makes you flinch in surprise. Some students in the classroom snapped their head to his direction, their eyebrows furrowed either from annoyance or confusion.
Komori approaches your seat, breathing heavily, as if he ran in a marathon. “Sakusa…” He stops for a moment to catch his breath, he takes a deep breath then exhales slowly, “…He wants you at the courtyard.” He then leans his head closer to yours and you jerk your head back at the sudden proximity. He whispers, “…Aika-chan’s there with her friends.”
Hearing this, you immediately pull your bento box out of your bag before making a beeline for the door, while Komori follows you behind, muttering a complain under his breath.
It’s already been a week since you and Sakusa started to act like you’re really a couple. Well…how a couple should act like according to Sakusa. As expected, there are rules that you need to follow, for the “sake” of his well-being. Physical contacts shouldn’t last for more than a minute, and every time, your hands must be disinfected. A fixed distance must be observed between the two of you, and you’re only allowed to get close to him if he gives you permission. Other people might think he’s too demanding, but you actually don’t mind. As a former athlete, you understood that he’s only concerned about his health, although a bit much. You kind of wish that you were like him back then.
You slow down your pace when you arrived at the courtyard. It actually took you longer to get there since you have to buy yourself a drink. You hope you didn’t piss Sakusa off. Your (e/c) eyes scans the area, trying to look for a certain curly raven-haired man. The place wasn’t that crowded, so it didn’t take long for you to spot Sakusa sitting alone on one of the tables, eyes trained to a certain girl that was sitting four tables away from him. He looks like a sad puppy watching his owner play with other dogs.
“Yo, (L/N)-chan, what are you doing? Join your lonely man over there!” You flinched at Komori’s teasing tone. You chuckled at his statement before heading to where Sakusa is. Looks like Komori’s going to join the other players of the volleyball team again.
You try to call your fake boyfriend, “Saku—” No, we’re acting like a couple, why would you call him by his last name?
“Kiyo—” Wait, no. Calling him by his first name doesn’t feel right. Then what the heck are you gonna call him?
” Uh, hey!” Bruh.
At the sound of your voice, Sakusa shifts his eyes to your approaching figure, the doleful look on his unmasked face now replaced by a scowl. “What took you so long?” he inquires, voice laced with irritation. You resist the urge to roll your eyes. “Sorry, can’t run that much.” You sat across from him.
As you open your bento, you notice Sakusa looking over at his ex-girlfriend again. Your mouth curves into a frown. This dude’s too head over heels for his ex that you’re afraid that he’ll blow your cover. You expect him to snap out of it after a few more seconds but he didn’t. He continues to stare at her, as if you’re not there to accompany him. Your grip on your chopsticks tightens as you feel your blood boil.
Sakusa must’ve felt the intensity of your gaze so he turns his attention back to you. He cocks an eyebrow when he sees your expression. “Why are you glaring at me?” He tilts his head, a little too cutely and you quickly avert your eyes. “Aren’t you going to eat?” You tell him before popping a slice of tomato into your mouth.
Sakusa looks down at his bento, untouched, and probably cold by now, as if it would speak and make a decision for him. “Not hungry.” He mutters.
Now it’s your turn to cock an eyebrow at his statement. “You’re going to practice a lot later, so that’s probably not a good idea.” You point your chopsticks at him before continuing, “What if you faint because of hunger? I thought you care so much about your health?”
Sakusa squints his eyes, seemingly offended that you used the “health” card at him. You dare use my own spells against me, (L/N)?
“You don’t need to worry about me. I know what I’m doing.” He counters. You shake your head, completely unconvinced. “So, are you just going to watch your ex there and nothing else?” You deadpan. His eyebrows furrow as he decides that he doesn’t like your attitude today.
“You’re awfully talkative today, what happened?” Sakusa ignores your question and throws you his own. Taken aback, you avoid his scrutinizing gaze as you reach for your beverage that you bought earlier. Okay, maybe I shouldn’t be too sassy to him. Wait, why are you even acting like that?
“Sorry, just…worried about you.” You shrug as you take a gulp of your drink. Sakusa’s heart flutters a bit at your words but shakes the feeling off. Trying to change the subject, you press him again, “Are you really sure that you’re not gonna eat—"
“No.” he answers, without missing a beat. Then, he looks over at his ex-girlfriend again, ending your conversation right there. If he’s just going to daydream about his ex then why did he even call me here? This motherfu— You close your eyes as you try to soothe your nerves. Relax, let’s take his mind off her, shall we?
You reach for his bento box, opening it as his protests fall on deaf ears. Hinomaru bento, huh? You mentally take note of the bento as your eyes catches the umeboshi resting in the middle of the rice.
“What are you doing?” annoyed, Sakusa reaches for his bento box but you move it out of his reach. You smile at him, amused.
“If you’re not going to eat, then I’m just gonna make you.” You simply stated, as you adjust his chopsticks into your fingers. He scowls at your hand as if doing so would make it disappear. He’s now starting to think of leaving you in this table and head to your shared classroom.
“Don’t worry, my hands are clean.” You assure him. You pick the umeboshi with the chopsticks and bring it close to his mouth. You place your other hand underneath it, as your mouth curves into a grin.
“Sakusa, say ‘ah’!” Your honeyed voice reaches his ears and that alone makes him jerk his head back. Sakusa scrunches his face in disgust and you almost snorted at the sight.
“What the hell are you doing?” He shudders, “Stop that, it’s disgusting.” He continues to move his head away as you inch the chopsticks closer to his mouth.
“C’mon, just play along! People are looking, including Aika-san’s friends.” You reasoned, motioning your head to where the said people were sitting. Sakusa looks at them at the corner of his eyes to confirm if you’re saying the truth or not. They were whispering to one another as they steal glances at the two of you, but Aika is still not looking at your direction.
He sighs to himself, pausing for a second to regain his composure. Begrudgingly, he opens his mouth and you feel your cheeks heat up as you realize how romantic this situation could be if it not for Sakusa’s constipated face.
He chews the umeboshi slowly, and he can’t believe that he’s hating the taste of his favorite food right now.
“See, that wasn’t so hard, right?” You giggle at his expression. He just glares at you.
Sakusa suddenly stands up from his seat, snatching his chopsticks and bento box from your hands. “I’m going back to our room.” He mutters under his breath as he begins to walk away, not bothering to wait for you.
“Hey!” You quickly gather your things before catching up to him. “Don’t tell me you’re mad just because of that? It’s to make your ex jealous!”
He ignores you. You pursed your lips in a pout. Well, that didn’t go as planned.
Sakusa steps inside the infirmary as he holds the door open for you. You mutter a short thanks before entering the room, the smell of anti-septic and bleach overwhelming your senses. The nurse of the infirmary, Yozohara-san, perks up at the sound of the door opening, her eyes lighting up when her it lands on Sakusa. She approaches the two of you, her mouth curving into a smile. “Oh, Sakusa-kun! Are you here to refill your hand sanitizer bottle?” She asks him.
Sakusa shakes his head and gestures to you. “We need an ice pack. Her cheek’s swollen.” The nurse’s kind eyes shift to you, and you bow your head slightly after a greeting escapes her lips.
Yozohara-san gestures for you to sit in one of the vacant beds of the infirmary as she gets the ice pack, and you promptly did as what you’re told. After making yourself comfortable on the soft mattress, Sakusa sits in the stool near your bed, as he waits for Yozohara-san to return with an ice pack.
An awkward silence envelops the two of you and you steal a glance at Sakusa, whose dark eyes are trained to the door where Yozohara-san disappeared into. You drum your fingers against your thigh, mind racing as you think of what you should do in this uncomfortable situation. Realizing that you’re the only one that can break the silence, you decided to talk.
“Sa—”
“You—”
Both of you spoke at the same time. The two of you exchange looks before you avert your eyes. Dammit.
You can still feel Sakusa’s eyes on you, so with all your might, you look back at him. “What are you going to say, Sakusa-san?” You ask him quietly, as if trying not to wake someone up from their sleep.
“Are you planning to back out from the deal?” He asks you bluntly. You blink your eyes in surprise, definitely not expecting the sudden question. Your (e/c) eyes look down at your hands as you ponder your decision.
“I’ve already caused you a lot of trouble, so I would understand if you do so.” He continues as he stares at you for a second longer before shifting his eyes back to the door, expecting you to say yes.
You bite your lower lip. Backing out, huh? You’ve been thinking about it ever since you agreed to be his fake girlfriend. Moments with Sakusa has never been relaxing to you, far from it actually. He always makes you nervous, and you remember telling Komori that you would back out once you feel uncomfortable.
But despite the stress you’ve been through during these past few weeks, why can’t you find it in yourself to end this fake-relationship thing? What’s this nagging feeling that’s stopping you?
“No.” You tell him. He turns his gaze at you, eyes widening a bit at your unexpected answer. You give him a lopsided smile, “I’m kind of curious if this plan of Komori-kun will work if we start acting like a real couple.” You reasoned. But is that really the reason why?
“Huh.” Sakusa turns away from you. He realized that it’s already been weeks since the deal started. He can’t believe that during those weeks, he didn’t do any of Komori’s instructions to make the girl he loves jealous. He wants his ex-girlfriend back and for this deal to end right? Then why didn’t he do anything?
Sakusa’s thoughts were cut off when Yozohara-san comes back with an ice pack. He watches as the older woman hands it to you, and you take it from her hands with a smile playing on your lips. “Thanks.” You utter softly.
Sakusa averts his eyes when he catches himself staring at you. Stop that, it’s rude. The voice in his head tells him.
But despite his inner voice scolding him, he tries to sneak a glance at you again, as you press the ice pack against your cheek. You wince at the cold hitting your skin, unconscious to Sakusa’s pensive stare.
Guess he doesn’t mind it if you stay by his side a little longer.
The day ends with Komori bowing at your feet, hitting his head repeatedly on the wooden floor. He utters an apology every time his forehead comes in contact with the ground. His actions gained the other players’ attention, some sweatdropped and some cringed at the sight. Feeling embarrassed at what your friend’s been doing, you reassure him that you’re fine and that your face had been through worse when you’re still playing volleyball. Sakusa just shakes his head at his cousin’s idiotic behaviour.
Fortunately, your cheek shrinks back to its normal state before the practice ended. Now you don’t have to worry about explaining to Akio and Asami why your cheeks look asymmetrical and you’ve also saved yourself from being scolded by your cousin.
--
The next day, something unexpected happened.
After stepping out of the car, you proceeded to walk through the university entrance with Akio and Asami while listening to the latter’s rants about some girls from her class. You were so immersed in Asami’s babbling that you almost missed Sakusa standing by the entrance.
“(Y/N)-chan.” You immediately stopped on your tracks after hearing the familiar voice call out your first name. You turn your head to look at Sakusa who’s walking towards you, his hands were inside his pockets, his facemask on. His eyebrows weren’t furrowed unlike what he usually does, making him look more approachable to some people who doesn’t know him very well.
Did he just call me by…?
“Good morning, (Y/N)-chan.” His low, monotonous voice greets you, and you almost slap yourself right then and there to confirm if you’re hallucinating or not.
Sakusa leans towards you, and your heart skips a beat. “Aika is behind you, talking with her friends. This is the perfect opportunity to make her jealous.” He whispers at you. Oh, yes... Of course. This is all for his beloved ex-girlfriend. This is just an act. This doesn’t mean anything. Wait, why do I feel disappointed?
Mentally facepalming, you turn around a bit to peek at the said woman. She’s chatting with her friends, a big smile plastered on her face and completely ignoring the two of you. However, you notice some students watching you intently.
Asami halts when she notices that you disappeared by her side. She turns around and sees Sakusa who’s awfully close to you. She tugs aggressively on Akio’s sleeve, who’s busy talking to someone from his club. The man glares at her and was about to tell her to knock it off, but stops mid-sentence when he sees you and Sakusa.
“Disinfect your hands.” You hear Sakusa beside you. You remember that this fake boyfriend of yours is wary of germs so you didn’t have a choice but to fulfill his wishes. You apply some hand sanitizer on your hands, while Sakusa stood there watching you rub your hands together. You show him your open palms right after you finished.
“There. By the way, what’s your pla—” You didn’t have the chance to finish what you’re saying when Sakusa slips his fingers into your palm. (Y/N).exe has stopped responding.
The world seems to move in slow motion, and the things that you could only hear were someone’s squeal from behind Sakusa that you assume came from Asami and the rapid beating of your heart against your rib cage.
Wtf.
Sakusa pulls you towards the direction of your shared classroom, walking past her ex-girlfriend and her group of friends. He looks at Aika for a moment to see if he successfully elicited some kind of reaction from her, but she continues to chat with her friends, seemingly unaffected by his actions.
Sakusa clicks his tongue in annoyance, pulling you a little more forcefully to him, completely unaware of your burning face and dazed state.
A few weeks later after the deal, rumors about you and Sakusa dating were spreading like a wildfire. You told Akio and Asami about the deal you made with Sakusa and Komori. Asami almost cried when she found out, Akio however, is still not fine with it, but he didn’t do anything against it.
As for you, the past few weeks felt like hell. You couldn’t even eat, read or do anything without feeling overwhelmed of the stares that the students were giving you. A few girls tried to befriend you, but you know what they want, and that is to get close to your fake boyfriend. You feel like your every move was being watched…it’s excruciating. You wonder if this is the reason why Sakusa’s ex-girlfriend broke up with him.
Komori is trying his best to make sure you won’t back out of your deal. He’s treating you to lunch, he’s always trying to offer you help, he’s always trying to lift your spirits up—in other words, it feels like he’s the one you’re fake dating instead of Sakusa.
Komori tried to give the two of you some alone time during the past few days, but it always ends up with you and Sakusa staring awkwardly at each other or the two of you ignoring one another. You couldn’t count how many times Komori facepalmed seeing the two of you.
“Look, this fake relationship won’t work if the two of you won’t cooperate.” Komori tells the two of you as he crosses his arms, “Can you…I don’t know, do what a close-knit couple would do?” You avoid eye contact with him while Sakusa just stares at his cousin. Komori heaved a sigh. Why do I feel like I’m talking with children?
“I know that the two of you don’t want this, that’s why you have to make this look real! It’s already been 3 weeks since this started and it seems like it doesn’t have any effect on Aika-chan.” Komori says. “You’re going to be stuck with each other longer than you expect.” Yeah, he has a point.
You kept on trying to initiate something between you and Sakusa, but your shy ass is keeping you from making any move. You really don’t have any romantic experience because of your volleyball career, so you have no choice but to use those sappy romance movies that you have watched as reference. But you can’t imagine you and Sakusa being like that. Ugh.
Sakusa on the other hand, just doesn’t give a damn. Or so you thought.
--
You sing to yourself as you make your way to the water dispenser, hands full of empty water bottles. You didn’t notice a group of girls chatting at the end of the hallway, smiles were wiped off their faces when they notice you. Their eyes follow your figure as you walk right past them, like a predator watching their prey.
You place the first water bottle that you refilled to the side, but a foot knocks it off the ground, spilling the water everywhere.
“What the—” You didn’t have the chance to finish your words when someone pulled your hair, making you yelp out in pain.
“Look at this two-timing bitch!” A girl grabs your chin a little too harshly, forcing you to look at her. Her long-manicured nails pierce your skin, distracting you from the throbbing pain in your scalp. You breathe heavily, your vision disfigured, feeling like you’re about to pass out in a few seconds. No, I got to get out of here.
“Who do you think you are, huh? You think you’re pretty?” The girl pulling your hair laughs as the other girl slaps your face. “You’re just a stupid girl who doesn’t know her place!” You tried to undo the other girl’s grip from your hair but she just pulls it even more. You feel your chest tighten uncomfortably.
You tried to elbow her but their two other friends hold each of your arm, preventing you from fighting back. You receive another slap from the girl in front of you. Stop, you wanted to say, but your throat feels dry and you can’t help it but focus more on your breathing.
“Listen to me, whore. Stop being delusional and wake up!” She brings her face a little too close to yours. “Remember that you and Sakusa-kun are—”
“That we are what?”
The girl turns around, her face pales as she looks at the source of the voice. Sakusa stood there without his face mask, his usual glare on his face while in his right hand is his empty water bottle. “S-Sakusa-kun!” The girls that were holding you immediately takes their hand off you as Sakusa walks towards you. He takes your hand in his and gently pulls you behind him. The warmth from his hands feels like spreading throughout your frame, easing the tension in your body. Your breathing returns to its normal pace, helping you regain your composure.
“What? I dare you to continue what you’re about to say.” Sakusa urges the girl, his voice dripping with venom. The girls, including you, tremble in fear. You feel anxiety build up in your chest once again, but Sakusa squeezes your hand slightly, his thumb brushing over your knuckles when he senses your distress.
You squeeze his hand back.
The girl in front of you looks like she’s about to cry, seeing the two of you hold hands. She glares at you before looking at Sakusa, her features softening, as if to tell him that she didn’t do anything wrong.
“Why are you even defending that girl?” She points at you. “That bitch is fooling around with Komori-kun while dating you!”
Sakusa’s frown deepens. “Fooling around? And what’s your basis for saying that?”
“W-well,” Oh, she’s about to make a fool out of herself. “She’s always hanging out with K-Komori-kun and…” She stops, realizing that her reasoning sounds stupid.
You feel his grip on your hand tighten a bit. “Komori is my cousin and I trust him to look after my girlfriend when I’m not around.” Sakusa tells her. “If your brain can not understand what I had said, then I suggest you stop minding other people’s business and start educating yourself.”
Sakusa tugs on your hand as you walk away from the girls, their heads lowered in shame.
“I don’t want to see the four of you ever again.”
--
Sakusa finally lets go of your hand once you turned to a corner. His warmth lingered in your hands and you feel kind of disappointed that the physical contact didn’t last longer. He looks at you for a moment, his obsidian eyes landing on your swollen cheek.
“We need to get some ice packs.” He tells you.
He turns around, and starts to lead the way to the infirmary. You follow him, lagging behind as you debate with yourself if you should say something or not.
Finally finding the courage, you open your mouth to speak.
“S-Sakusa-san…” You trailed off. Sakusa stops in his tracks and looks at you over his shoulder, waiting for you to continue.
“Thanks for saving me.” You managed to say without stuttering. You want to pat yourself on the back for that.
“Hmm.” Sakusa responds with a hum and continues to walk towards the infirmary. You feel a surge of happiness course through you, despite his dry reply. You bite your lower lip to suppress your smile as you catch up to him. Somehow, you don’t feel scared of him anymore.
That’s a big step forward.
Next ↠
A/N: ASGJADGJAS I don’t feel satisfied with this chapter but I hope u guys liked it!
Morning classes went smoothly and before you know it, it’s already lunch time. Komori fell asleep in his seat once again and it took you longer to wake him up from his slumber. You’re surprised that the professors hadn’t caught him dozing off in class yet. You mentally note that whatever kind of skill he possesses to last this long, you need to learn it from him as soon as possible.
You feel shivers run down your spine as you feel Sakusa approaching the two of you. His hands were inside his jacket and his brows were furrowed as usual, his signature face mask on. He looks at you for a brief moment before turning his attention to Komori who’s stretching his limbs as he let out a yawn. “Get up. The cafeteria will get crowded in no time.” He tells his cousin, his voice gruff.
“Alright, alright.” He gets up and takes his bento out of his bag. Sakusa heads to the door, leaving the two of you behind. You let out a sigh of relief. You didn’t realize that you were holding your breath since the moment he approached you. Why does he make me so nervous?
Noticing your tense state, Komori looks at you with concern. “Are you okay, (L/N)-san?” You flinched slightly at his sudden question but gave him a forced smile. “Yeah, I’m alright.” You tell him, ignoring the anxiety building up in your chest.
---
Just like what you had expected, lunch with Sakusa and Komori is painful and awkward. Since last night, you kept on thinking about what the hell do they want to talk about, preparing yourself for the worst as you thought about the things that could possibly happen. You expected things to go a lot of ways but this?
“(L/N)-san, would you be Sakusa’s fake girlfriend?”
What. The. Fuck.
A piece of broccoli fell from your chop sticks as you look at Komori, mouth hanging open. “W-what?” you manage to let out despite the heavy feeling in your chest. This ain’t good for you.
“L-look, (L/N)-san, it would only be for a few weeks. Then you and Sakusa can drop the act.” Komori tries to convince you. You look at Sakusa and you could tell that he’s also not comfortable with the idea. You inhale deeply, trying to calm your nerves before answering, “No.” Komori’s face falls after hearing your answer.
“Please! Please, (L/N)-san! Sakusa’s love life is on the line!” He takes your hands in his and you almost had a mental breakdown. Sakusa frowns at Komori for wording the situation that way.
“Uh, no. I don’t want to be part of any drama or anything!” You pull your hands away from his grasp as you huff. You remember Komori’s words about Sakusa being popular with girls, and you shudder at the thought of crazy fangirls sending you death threats or making your life miserable. You watch too many movies or dramas to know where this is going.
“(L/N)-san, if you’re worried about girls going after you, please don’t! With Sakusa as your boy—Ahem, fake boyfriend, I’m sure no one will try anything to you!” Komori tries to convince you again. Can this dude read minds or something? Still, you’re against the idea.
You shake your head. “No! No! No!” You say as you close your bento box, ready to leave the volleyball players, and probably never talk to them again. A hand grips your wrist, preventing you from getting up from your seat. You assumed that it was Komori and tried to swat the hand away but as you look up, you feel your blood run cold.
“Can you listen to us first before making up your mind?” Sakusa tells you, voice cold with a matching glare. Komori wants you to fake date this guy for a few weeks? Hell no! You would die in just a few days!
Feeling intimidated like you have no other options, you begrudgingly sit back down.
“You’ll pretend to be my girlfriend to make Aika jealous.” Sakusa starts to explain. You notice his voice turning slightly soft as he states the name.
“Aika?”
“Sakusa’s ex-girlfriend.” Komori answers for his cousin.
“Oh.” You utter. Then a thought hit you. “Oh.” Your eyes widen in realization.
“What is it?” Komori tilts his head as he waits for your answer. You raise your brow as you turned your attention to him. “Is she… the volleyball club’s previous manager?”
The two of them look at each other before Komori nods. “Yup.” Now, you’re seeing some kind of pattern here. And if ever you agree to this fake relationship thing with Sakusa, people might think that Sakusa has a thing for managers. Or you’re using your managerial position to get close to him. People might believe the last one more.
“So Sakusa’s the player that Komori has talked to me about. Why am I not surprised?” You think to yourself. Whatever the reason of their break up was, you assume that it was Sakusa’s fault. “I mean with that attitude, I bet the girl got fed up and ended things with him.”
You drum your fingers against the table as you contemplate about the situation. “What makes you think that she’ll come back to you after this plan of yours?” You look at Sakusa, feeling a little less intimidated of him. I mean, he’s the one who needs your help so you have the upper hand in here.
Sakusa looks straight in your eyes and you almost melt at the intensity of his gaze. “I don’t know if it will work, but I’ll try if it means getting her back.” He tells you, without any hesitation in his voice. “He still loves her, huh?” Now you kind of feel bad for him and for thinking that the break up was his fault. An awkward silence lingered between the three of you before you let out a sigh.
“…Okay, I’ll be your fake girlfriend.” Komori smiles brightly at you and is about to thank you but you gesture at him to stop talking. “But if I start to feel uncomfortable, I’ll back out of the deal.” Komori nods his head quickly while Sakusa’s expression remains neutral…you can’t really tell because he has his face mask on.
You sigh, hoping that nothing bad will happen for involving yourself in this.
Your eyes caught Sakusa’s open hand that was resting on the table. It was the hand that he used to grip your wrist earlier. He didn’t stuff it in his pockets unlike his other hand and you remember how sensitive he was with germs.
You pull out your hand sanitizer from your pocket and place it on the table beside Sakusa’s hand. “Here, Sakusa-san. Sorry for contaminating your hand.” You tell him. The bell suddenly rings, signaling the students that lunch is over. You immediately head to the stairs, leaving the two boys behind. Komori looks at Sakusa as Sakusa looks at the hand sanitizer bottle that you left in front of him.
“But I have my own bottle of hand sanitizer.” Sakusa tells Komori as the latter chuckles at his reaction.
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