A Reason for Being

23. Anything for you, Darlin'

Her heartbeat rings through her ears, the thumping drowns out the sounds of her footsteps as she steps closer to the door.

In front of the neighboring door, she knocks just once and holds her breath.

"What do I do about my neighbor, Yachi?" That was the first thing she asked as soon as she woke up. "Well, I say don't overthink it. Just go and apologize for leaving without explanation." Yachi assured Y/N a simple apology would go a long way. Saying she was sorry for running away was simple. Y/n did not have to admit her feelings or anything so complicated just yet.

Y/N plan was going great, making it to the front door. Just say sorry and be done with it.

She knocked and waited. And waited. And waited.

She stared at the grey-colored door, waiting for the door to open. And nothing.

"I don't think anyone is home Y/N...." Yachi whispers. It was time to leave for work, and Y/N was still standing on her neighbor's door.

It was not like she was expecting anything. All she wanted was to apologize. Maybe that would make her feel a bit at ease. But now, somehow, everything feels much worse.

"Very well. Let's go." She replies.

"Aren't we going to get coffee, Y/N?" Yachi asked as she noticed Y/N walk straight to the parking garage instead of the coffee shop. "I'll just grab one in the cafeteria." Y/N replies.

It's been almost two months since Y/N has had a coffee from the shop next door. What's another day? Even though she longed for the icy beverage, the one perfectly crafted by young Mateo, she decided against it.

It's not like she was avoiding anything or anyone. She was just eager to get work.

"So, Asahi, I hear you have had some troubles with sponsorship, is that right?" As far as the fashions side of things, everything was going according to plan. Yachi coordinated with the design class at her university. The final graded project for their class, making the masquerade masks for each guest.

"Yeah, I have reached out to a couple of businesses, only one has agreed though...some sports team. I'm sorry, Y/N, I tried..." The guest list was long, and their donations were substantial. However, Asahi's network doesn't reach as many sizable donators as Y/N's.

"Don't apologize. You have done a wonderful job, okay? Don't burden yourself with such tasks. I will take care of it." Y/N smiles at a stressed out Asahi. A person trying their best is a Y/N could ask.

"A-are you sure? It's less than two months away, where are you going to find someone this late?"

"Oh, don't you worry, Asahi. Lucky for you, I know a rich man who loves fashion." She winks.

"Once again, Atsumu to the rescue." He laughs over the phone. "What would you do without me, doll?"

"Will you do it or not Tsumu," Y/N responds. The Miya's are not the only wealthy members she could have asked. Business people, especially the wealthy ones, are the same, favor for a favor. And Y/N knew Atsumu's request would probably be something sexual, which honestly is a win in Y/N's eyes.

Other times, when she asked another business person for a favor, it would be something ridiculous like being a guest speaker at a conference in the middle of nowhere. Or designing a simple t-shirt for their company party, which a child could do. Never again.

"Of course I will, anything for you darlin'. I'll even ask Rin to donate. You know he loves that charity bullshit. But as far as making an appearance, it'll be tough, but I'll try my best."

"Seriously, Tsumu. I owe you one." Y/N smiles at her phone screen, receiving a smile back from Atsumu.

"Oh, you do. Owe me big time." He winks.

Rolling her eyes, Y/N tries to imagine all the possibilities of the favor she will have to do for him. "What is it going to be? Mile high club? Or wait, I saw the way your eyes sparkled when I said threesome, is that it? You nasty." She perks her eyebrow upwards. "I'm down for anything, Tsumu. Just let me know if I have to stretch first."

"While I would most definitely want to test out your flexibility, what I have in mind is much different." He smiles at her with no underlying perverted thoughts. His smile was genuine. "It's something I've asked for in the past. Do this for me, and I'll sponsor your event, all of it. No need to ask anyone else for a favor." He laughs.

"Wait, so Mr. Miya is sponsoring the entire thing?" Yachi gasps. "And all he is asking for is a custom suit?"

"Yep," Y/N responds, busy sketching the suit she promised Atsumu.

His request was not a surprise to Y/N. He has asked multiple times for Y/N to make him a unique piece. She always declined, not that she didn't want to, but if she was going to do it, it needed to be perfect, and her knowledge of men's fashion wasn't as much as it is now. Plus, she has learned a lot from Asahi in the short time of working with him.

"Don't you need to like, measure him? How will you know it fits?" Yachi curiously asks. Y/N's rough draft was finished quickly, almost like she has been planning what to design for him for years now.

"Normally, yes. But I know Atsumu's measurements without needing measuring tape."

"So, can you tell everyone's measurements by just looking at them?" A curious Asahi asks.

"Not everyone. But it helps that I've seen Atsumu naked." She says with a straight face. "I know his measurements, down to the decimal point. Would you like to know?" Y/N looks over to a flustered Asahi. "Ten and—"

"Y/N!" Yachi yells, interrupting her from finishing off her measurements.

"I was talking about his shoe size, Yachi. What were you thinking about?" She laughs.

It wasn't just Atsumu. It's a skill Y/N secretly has, making an educated guess to a person's measurements. But, it helps that she has had her fingers on Atsumu's naked body.

————————————————————————————-

It happened so suddenly, catching Y/N off guard.

After spending the entire day in the design studio, Y/N thought of nothing but going home straight to sleep. Yachi and Asahi made dinner plans, which Y/N didn't want to third wheel. "Are you sure, Y/N? You don't want me to stay over again?" Yachi whispered as she was leaving.

"Don't be ridiculous, Yachi. I'll be just fine alone."

Y/N has been in work mode all day. In her exhausted state, she momentarily forgot the reason why Yachi asked her such a question.

That was until she was waiting for her elevator doors to open to her floor.

The elevator doors slowly open and he appeared before her.

"Tooru." Y/N manages to say, almost stumbling upon seeing him standing there.

As usual, their interaction in the same hallway always starts with awkward, dead silence. Catching Tooru off guard, he was speechless. It was like he didn't know what to say or how to react.

"So you're back now." He responds bluntly.

"I had business overseas." She responds, cursing at herself for having to deal with this situation alone, without Yachi.

Just apologize

"I apologize for—"

"Don't." He sighs. "Whatever your reasoning was, I don't need an explanation." There was anger in his tone, even if he tried not to show it.

Walking past a frozen Y/N, he enters the elevator. "But you didn't have to go to the extremes of leaving the country, you know. If I meant nothing to you, you could have just said so."

"Wait, no—"

"I won't chase someone who doesn't want me, Y/N," Tooru says before the elevator doors close on her, leaving her alone in the empty hallway.