Game of the Insane (Yandere Haikyuu!! x F!Reader Oneshots)

BELATED (Tanaka Ryuunosuke)

A request from my Tumblr!

Title: Belated

Pairings: Cheater! Tanaka x Reader

WARNINGS: Yandere themes, infidelity, Tanaka has a lot of bad excuses

Summary: The grass is always greener on the other side. Tanaka's discovered that too late.

belated

/adjective/

coming or happening later than should have been the case.

You only really start to appreciate someone when they're gone.

Tanaka found this out the hard way.

You were a loving girlfriend, celebrating every anniversary like it was the happiest day of your life, always making time for him, and doing your best to put him first. You made him feel like the king of the world and the luckiest man alive.

You did nothing wrong, nothing to "drive him to cheat" or anything like that. No, you were perfect.

It was Tanaka who was flawed.

As much as he loved you, there was another woman who plagued his mind with her beauty. He didn't exactly "settle" with you, but there was always the temptation, if only Kyoko were to turn her attention his way...

And the moment she decided to, he was too weak to say "no". Too eager to deny the temptation he was faced with.

The grass is always greener on the other side. Maybe that's why Tanaka suddenly longed to be with Kyoko and not you. He was a curious man and...

That's really no excuse, is it?

It wasn't a good excuse when he heartlessly broke up with you, shamelessly declaring his love for Kyoko as you stared at him, broken-hearted and shell-shocked.

It wasn't a good excuse when he started to miss you. Started to realize that Kyoko was stringing him along for her own amusement. Started to realize that she couldn't hold a candle to you.

It wasn't a good excuse now, as you stood, peeking through the crack in your apartment door, blankly listening to all he has to say, now that he's learned the grass isn't greener.

And then he sees him. Tanaka wants to believe that he's a family member he hasn't met yet or a friend, but he knows that isn't the case.

The world seems to spin when that man puts an arm around your waist, asking if "this guy" is bothering you. He swears he can hear his heart breaking when you giggle in response.

Is four months really enough time to move on?

You sure seem to think so.

Tanaka can't bring himself to ruin your happiness, so he watches from the sidelines. Stalks you like his life depends on it. And maybe it does.

He watches as your relationship grows more serious. As months turn to years. As he proposes and you happily accept. As you both get married. As you have your first child.

You've never once noticed him watching from the shadows. He's sure that's his punishment- to watch but never touch.

You're happier now, he thinks. Those same things you did for him, you do with your new partner. And more.

He'll watch you until the day he dies, hoping, wanting, and punishing himself for ruining what he once had.

Desperately wishing he hadn't been too late.