In Three Months' Time (Haikyuu)

IV: Hopeful

A week passes since Atsumu asked to have lunch with Sakusa in his office, their meals aren't as cheerful as when they first got married, but conversations were starting to flow better. Atsumu was starting to receive longer responses and even elicits a counted number of small smiles. So, with the development they have, Atsumu decides to brave himself and asks, "Is it okay if I pick you up after work?"

Sakusa stares at him, hand halfway through putting his tempura in his mouth. Atsumu starts to pull on his slacks when Sakusa doesn't respond, "it's fine if you don't want to. I was just offering to pick you up. I wasn't saying I'll pick you up and bring you home. I'll drop you off anywhere you want to. I just wanted to spend some extra time with you-"

Atsumu was cut off, "It's fine. You can pick me up," Sakusa says and proceeds to put the tempura in his mouth.

Atsumu nods and bites his bottom lip to hide the growing smile on his lips. Progress, that's nice.

"Thank you, Omi," Atsumu says and smiles at Sakusa. The latter gives him a small smile which stunned the former.

Atsumu didn't expect to receive a smile from Sakusa, it's been months since he received one, and now that his husband has smiled at him, he feels like crying from the overwhelming bliss he's feeling.

"It's nothing, Miya," Sakusa says and returns to his usual impassive expression. But because of the smile that he generously offered, being called Miya isn't as painful as it used to be.

Evening strikes, and Atsumu drives to Sakusa's company building. He parks in front of the entrance and stands outside, leaning on his car as he waits for Sakusa with a cup of fruit shake. Atsumu's eyes were locked on the entrance, his lips tugging into a friendly smile when some of Sakusa's co-workers pass by and smile at him. But his lips tug into a brighter and wider smile when he sees Kiyoomi walking out of their company building.

Their eyes meet the moment Sakusa walks out, and Atsumu couldn't help but feel shy when Sakusa approaches him, "I got you your fruit shake. A hundred percent fruit."

Sakusa gives him a faint smile and takes the drink, "thanks,"

Atsumu nods and bites on his bottom lip before opening the car door. Sakusa turns to him and raises a brow, "will you calm down? It's just me, Miya,"

"That's the reason why I'm anxious. It's because it's you," Atsumu says. Sakusa scoffs and rolls his eyes, but the small smile that appears on Sakusa's face when he enters the car doesn't escape Atsumu's notice.

Atsumu grins and closes the door before walking around the hood to enter his car. Atsumu takes a deep breath and wipes his palms on his slacks before entering the car. It's been months since they last shared a car home that makes this ride feel like their first time again.

"Is there anywhere you want to go to?" Atsumu asks, his eyes focused on the road as he starts to drive.

"Drop me over at Komori's house," Sakusa answers while looking out the window.

Atsumu throws him a side glance before returning his focus on the road, "okay," was his reply.

Atsumu couldn't tell if he hid the disappointment in his voice well. But a small part of him hoped he didn't. He hoped Kiyoomi would tell him he wants to go home, but Sakusa's answer reminded him that things weren't great between them. That after all those meals shared together, smiles elicited from each other, and this drive home is just Kiyoomi giving Atsumu what he wished for. That at the end of the day, Sakusa's waiting for Atsumu to sign the divorce papers waiting for him at home.

The ride to Komori's house was silent after that exchange. Atsumu was too disheartened to even try and start a conversation. In his assumption, Kiyoomi's not too interested in starting one either.

They remain in silence, and when they arrive in front of Komori's home, Sakusa immediately opens the car door and says, "Miya." Still, before he could even continue his sentence, Atsumu cuts him off.

"I know, I won't wait up for you," Atsumu says without turning his head to look at Sakusa. His hands were tightly gripping the steering wheel.

"Bye," Sakusa says and closes the door without letting Atsumu say a word.

Atsumu lets out a shaky breath and lets his forehead rest on his steering wheel. He lets his tears fall and bites his bottom lip to stop the sobs from escaping his lips. His heart hurts. It felt like someone grabbed it and squeezed it in their hands.

Atsumu moves his hand to his chest and hits it a few times as he cries, "fucking stupid," he whispers.

"How can you think things are going well when it's only been a few weeks?" Atsumu asks himself and hits his chest harder to distract himself from the pain in his chest by hurting himself physically.

Atsumu couldn't tell how many minutes he spent in his car crying, but when he raises his head, the sky was already a mix of pink, light purple, and indigo. He revved the engine and presses on the gas to drive to a convenience store.

He picks up some alcohol before heading towards their apartment. If the pain doesn't go away, then he might as well drink it away, but the moment he opens the door, the thoughts of drinking were thrown out of the window because of a phone call from work.

"Hey," Atsumu greets Adriah upon answering the call, "is there something wrong with the presentation I sent you,"

"No, nothing's wrong, but I need you to cover for Akihiro tomorrow. He caught a cold and couldn't make it," Adriah says on the other side of the line, his voice sounding exhausted.

Atsumu nods despite knowing Adriah wouldn't see it, "right, I can do that. Just send me the files and everything I need to read and know."

Atsumu hears a sigh of relief from the other end of the lines before he hears Adriah's response, "Thanks, Miya, you're a lifesaver. I'll send the files right away,"

"Yeah, no problem," Atsumu says and ends the call. He looks at the plastic of alcohol in his hand and sighs, "I guess I can drink you next time,"

Atsumu stacks them in the fridge and takes one beer before walking to the living room to work on the presentation.

"At least I have a distraction," Atsumu whispers and opens the can before starting his work.

Atsumu had always worked late in their living room, but this is the first time he's ever felt cold while working late. His mind starts to drift towards the nights he spent with Sakusa in their living room.

They would sit on the floor with coffee cups resting beside them, and a blanket draped over their shoulders as they type on their respective laptops. Comfortable silence was their company, and when one of them finishes earlier, he'd lean on the other and help.

Atsumu smiles and unconsciously leans to his side, thinking that Kiyoomi was there, but when he falls to his side, he is reminded of the bitter truth a second time that day, Kiyoomi isn't with him.

Atsumu laughs bitterly before chugging down half of his beer, "work, I need to work," he whispers to himself and shakes his head to clear it from any thoughts of Kiyoomi.

The moment Atsumu's hands were on the keyboard, he completely forgets about Kiyoomi. He was too submerged in his work to even think about Sakusa. He could feel his head starting to throb from all the things he needed to read and understand. If he knew this project was a complex one, then he probably wouldn't have accepted it.

He sat on their living room floor, eyes staring at the screen for hours until he starts to feel himself dozing off. He could remember reading something before his eyes finally give up on him, but before he could shut his eyes tight, a blurry silhouette appears. He could feel a blanket being draped on his shoulder, and he smiles as he whispers, "welcome home, Omi,"