Word Count: 1797
It's been a while. I missed you guys.
Sakusa's POV
Sakusa reread (l/n)'s text message for the third time as he walked across campus, blocking out the loud whispers that were obviously directed towards him.
Sakusa's so hot, said a girl he'd never seen before. Should I ask for his number?
He's the number one ace in the nation. Damn, wish I was a prodigy. A boy told his friend.
But haven't you heard? He has germaphobia or some shit.
Freak.
Freak.
FREAK.
Sakusa adjusted his mask and pretended not to hear, exiting the campus gate and simultaneously leaving his tormentors behind. Rather than feeling hurt, he turned his attention back to (l/n)'s cryptic text: 'Meet me at Dang Tea/ After classes! Bring paper/ and an appetite:)'.
Obviously it was a haiku, any Japanese person would have recognized that- but the context surrounding the situation threw him for a loop.
Yesterday hadn't exactly ended well. He and (l/n) had gone to sleep without speaking, but only after
(l/n) somehow managed to convince him to hang out with her one last time. Then I'll leave you alone, I swear. She had promised.
Sakusa bit his lip at the memory. He hadn't felt such sadness since... since.... Sakusa gritted his teeth and walked faster, using google maps to navigate.
"I don't need you." He said under his breath. "I don't need anyone." He hissed, trying to shake the feelings of anticipation creeping up on him like shadows. Because even though Sakusa knew it was better to put a stop to their relationship before the inevitable occurred, he still wanted to see her.
Even though he knew distance was necessary, he still wanted to be close to her.
When Sakusa told the 'hIt oR miSs 🤪✊🏻 I gUesS tHeY nEvER miSs 🏐 hUh 🥰' group chat that "(l/n) wasn't like other girls", Ushijima had responded with "oh, is she a man?" while Tendou had praised him for keeping up with teen slang. Sakusa had been utterly confused; he didn't see how the term was funny.
And why was Tendou in this group chat anyway? Oh, right... Ushijima was head over heels for him.
Choices.
But really, "not like other girls" was the best way he could describe (l/n) to his acquaintances (friends?) without revealing how much he cared for her. His thoughts on her were too personal and precious to give away.
Perhaps if Sakusa was back home with his beloved cat, Kurona, he would fondly recall the time (l/n) made him a mask sporting Itachiyama's colors 'just because', or how she actually listened to the playlists he recommended, going so far as to write detailed reviews for every song:
"Los Angeles, by The Midnight: I liked the mood of this song so much, I made a playlist for it! 'Night Drive' lol. I really like this one; it reminds me of memories I haven't experienced yet. Anyways, I would definitely listen to this again. (I like this dude's voice more than Lauv's ngl)" she once wrote.
When he read her first set of reviews, Sakusa had pressed a cold pillow over his head to stop his face from heating up. In that moment, it was made exceptionally clear that (l/n) genuinely valued his friendship. The argument they had on the first night they met had been pretty convincing as well, but those simple gestures of love increasingly altered Sakusa's perception of her until he could no longer ignore what he had known all along:
YOU ARE READING
And They Were Roommates (A Sakusa Story)
Fanfiction"Everyone's afraid of something, and yours just happens to be more interesting." Sakusa huffs. "Interesting?" "Yeah, like you. And it's not because you're one of the top aces in the nation," I tell him. A flicker of surprise flashes across his dar...
