And They Were Roommates (A Sakusa Story)

18. Slow Dancing on a Cliff's Edge (ft. Komori uwu, Lady Gaga, etc.)

Word Count: 2929 WHOOPS
A/N: this is the 'bonus' I promised, but it's relevant to the story line so treat it like a chapter! :) It's basically the intermission before part 2 haha. I had a lot of fun with this one and I'm proud of how it turned out. 💞

So there I was, finishing off my chicken katsu curry after a grueling day of classes, when Komori leaned across the table and started wiggling his eyebrows so violently it looked like he was training them to run a triathlon.

Right in front of my curry?

"Uh... is there something on my face...?" Several grains of rice had already found their way into my hair, so I wouldn't have been surprised if I had one stuck on me now. Sakusa left the dining hall ten minutes ago, but before he left he was the unofficial rice police. He even took it upon himself to pull a grain of rice from my forehead at one point, leading to an awkward locking of the eyes and quick glances away.

I'm not sure if I miss him, or if I'm grateful for the separation. I don't know. My feelings for him only continue to grow, like summer flowers in the rain, but the last few days have brought storm clouds and violent downpours.

"Riiiiight there." Komori confirms. "You have a grain of rice-" He reaches for my cheek, but then- "sike!" He playfully slaps me instead.

"Hey! What was that for?" I grumble, despite having felt no pain. Komori apologizes to ants when he steps on them for goodness sake, and I know for a fact that he hides Sakusa's Raid roach killer on the daily.

Komori grins at me. "You have some explaining to dooo!" He singsongs. "It's the day before qualifiers and I've been stressing like crazy, but Sakusa seems pretty composed. I thought he'd be more upset about the virus, yknow? Plus, he was acting weird a few days ago, but then you guys went to Dang Tea and he came back a changed man. Did you guys go to couple's therapy?" He says in one breath.

My cheeks flame and I stand up so fast my chair falls over. "HE KNOWS??"

"W-what do you mean, he knows?" Komori squeaks, shrinking away from me.

"Well, who else could have told you about my crush on Sakusa?" I groan, picking up my chair and slumping into it with defeat. Great. It's only been a day since the argument, and now I have to deal with this?

But Komori gives me a strange look. "Ummm... Sakusa didn't tell me anything. I was making a joke." He explains slowly.

I don't know what particular emotion strikes me- maybe a blend of relief, embarrassment, and depression- but I let my head fall onto the table with a resounding thunk.

"I did have my suspicions." Komori confesses. With noticeable softness, he reaches out to gently stroke my hair. "I'm sorry if I wasn't supposed to know. I won't tell anyone, especially not him. But in my honest opinion, I think you have a good shot at winning his heart (l/n). That is, if you haven't already."

A spark of hope lights up.

It flares to life, bright against a formerly dark sky, burning through Komori's words like paper. I lift my head up. "Do you really think so?"

Komori holds up finger guns. "I know so. Sakusa talks about you a lot, and when he does, his demeanor noticeably changes. We'll be in the locker room after practice and he'll say something like 'I don't have time to alphabetize my socks. (l/n) is waiting for me.'." Komori says in Sakusa's trademark monotone. "I swear dude, his eyes- they melt like butter. You can almost smell the butter in the air."

For a moment, I let myself fantasize.

How long has it been since I've allowed myself to dream big? To reach for the stars and grasp them in my hands, letting them melt into my palms like liquid gold? Believe it or not, I try not to idealize aspects of my life; because it puts people into boxes boarded with expectation, and because of the tragedy that forced me to uproot my whole life and move to Tokyo. Nothing, nobody, is perfect.