#haijyuu request

[willowfolksong]

Um hello!!! Can I request Sakusa + enemies to lovers with fem or gn!reader??

finding home

- Sakusa Kiyoomi x Reader

- SFW

a/n: this is a request by the lovely @amarinthe , who's also a fellow writer, and you should totally check out her blog. I do hope that this fits your idea dear, and I apologize for the royal!AU and the almost arranged marriage I threw in the mix as well. If it's not what you had in mind tho, just let me know and I'll write something else. I still hope you enjoy it as much as I did writing it. Thank you again, you're very sweet ❤

Love,

Willow 🍂

Requests are open! 🍂

It's freezing in your cell. You hug yourself, rubbing your arms in chase of the heat you need to survive. There are no mirrors there, just walls and bars, and a window too high for you to reach, but you know your lips must be turning blue. You crack one eye open to look at your nails, digging hard on the flesh of your arms.

Purple, like the dress you wore on your last birthday.

There will be no more birthday's on the palace where you grew up. No more feasts. No more laughs. The land you used to call home it's nothing but ashes on top of ashes now, growing cold under the fall of snow.

You've lost the strength to cry.

By the time your the door of your cell opens and closes, and the shadow of a man washes over you, shivers are wreaking your body from head to toe. The stranger clicks his tongue, something like annoyance in the command he gives to the guard on the other side of the metal bars. You're too numb to think about what's happening when one of them picks you up in his arms and carries you out of the walls you've ben trapped since you were captured. The last thing you see before succumbing to sleep is a flash of brown hair on the corner of your eyes.

Grand Duke Kiyoomi has eyes as dark as his soul, and you hate him since the first time you saw your own reflection on them. He visits you on the chambers they've given you on the north wing of the palace, when you're already strong enough to walk around again. You still have bruises and cuts all over your legs, from when they dragged you through the streets of your own city to throw you in a separate wagon from the rest of the prisoners. A princess deserves special treatment.

He eyes your recovering wounds in silence, his gaze lingering over your uncovered shoulders. "I hope you're comfortable" he says at last, hands behind his back and a boring expresion on his face.

You try not to laugh out of spite, and end up huffing instead. "I would be more comfortable in my own room"

"This is your own room now" Kiyoomi explains, as if he was speaking to a toddler. His calm voice makes you want to throw up.

"I thought I was a prisoner" you reason. You didn't dream what happened to your kingdom. To your people and your family. You were there. You remember it. "Prisioners are not supposed to sleep in lavish rooms"

"You'll be sleeping here, and that's final"

When he leaves, you throw a pillow at the door and muffle your screams in your bedsheets until your throat burns like acid.

You're not sure what you're supposed to do. You've never had everything taken away from you until now. A maid that doesn't speaks to you brings you food and comes by to help you bath and dress, but you snap at her and yell until you don't have any air in your lungs, and she's gone in tears. The door is always locked, but you still try to open it everytime you wake up, and then once more before going to bed.

When you start to return your meals intact, Kiyoomi stops by your room again. All dressed in black, he looks like death.

"I won't let you starve to death" he tells you, and this time you do laugh, a bitter sound violently ripped out of your throat.

"You won't let me get out of the room either. Or explain to me what's happening or why am I here"

He nods after a few tense seconds, apparently conceding that you indeed don't have any idea of what's going on.

"Your kingdom is gone. You're the last survivor of the royal family..."

"All because of you" you whisper, tears welling up in your eyes against your will "Monster"

He pauses, squinting his eyes, just in time for the hilt of his sword to catch the light coming from the window. You couldn't be more glad for the large bed in between the two of you.

"I won't have you locked up in a cold cell like a criminal" he talks again after a second.

"You'll have me whither away in a room that's not my own instead" he turns around to leave, but the sound of your voice makes him stop "And that's it? Am I supposed to stay here, sleeping forever under the same roof of my family's murderer?"

You refuse to drown in the dark of his eyes when he looks back at you over his shoulder "Yes"

You wander around the same room day in and day out. The maid that used to come help you is replaced by a much younger one— a curious little thing with wide eyes and an easy smile for someone that's supposed to be her enemy. You scream at her, fend her off, but this one isn't afraid, and she always comes back. Soon, the loneliness makes you crack, and you find yourself answering her questions in quiet little whispers.

You can see the snow covering the gardens outside, from the window near your bed. There's nothing safe from the frosty white, except the eyes of your captor.

"I want to see him" you tell Lia, the new maid, one evening while she brushes your hair.

She pauses, hand frozen by the top of your head "You want to see the Grand Duke?"

"Yes"

"Oh" she resumes her movements with a stiffness that wasn't there before "I see"

"Could you tell someone?" you ask, searching for her eyes on the mirror "You're the only person around that I talk to"

"I'll do my best"

He comes to see you at dawn, and you gasp and cover yourself with the covers, retreating back into your bed. He's dressed as usual, the gold patterns on his black tunic mocking your disheveled hair and puffy eyes.

"Did you want to talk?"

You swallow the hate that rises from your belly, folding your hands on your lap and keeping your eyes on him "Yes"

"I'm listening"

"I want to be able to come out of this room" he doesn't moves, doesn't says a word, and so you continue "I'm going crazy in here. I need to breathe"

He walks to the window, gloved hands firmly held behind his back. He's imposively tall, a menacing dark shadow against the colors of winter. You bring the covers closer to your chest.

"If you try to escape, I'll search for you and lock you up again" he warns you, impassive "This time forever"

"Where would I escape to?" you ball your fists into he sheets and bite your bottom lip until it bleeds.

"Fair"

It's more freezing inside than out, with walls covered with the portraits of people you don't recognize, and the many closed doors you don't care that much to open.

And the empty stares of the guards, and the servants whispers that follow behind you as you move from one room to another.

So you decide to spend time outside instead, letting the snow cover the skirt of your dress and burying your hands in the white, smooth surface to feel something similar to what you did when Christmas time was around, and your only worry was not to fall sick.

You leave a trail of water and melted ice on your wake, back to your room. Kiyoomi regards you wearily when you reach the top of the stairs, his eyes disapproving the mess behind you.

"Be more careful" he says, tone clipped "There's water everywhere"

The next day, you bring as much snow as you can in your dress, soaking the entrance carpet and staining the stairs.

"The Grand Duke is a good person" Lia tells you out of nowhere one night while she pours water over your head. You lean your head back against the edge of the tub "He's much better than his uncle" you open one of your eyes to look at her when she comes closer to whisper conspiratorially in your ear "The king"

"Does the king has any children?" you ask, cupping water between your hands and watching it escape between your fingers.

Lia hums "No, he doesn't. So Lord Kiyoomi is technically his heir"

You want to plunge your head under water and hold your breath until you explode "I see"

You find the library by chance, during a stormy day when the entrance doors are firmly closed. It's huge, like the one from your home, and you spot a few familiar titles between the shelves. When the night arrives, you're surrounded by mountains of them, the skirt of your dress open around you. You notice Kiyoomi looming over you just when you start the second chapter of a novel that has caught your eye.

"It's late" he says, and you lift your eyes to watch the candles on each of his hands curiously "You should be in your room"

"I should be home" you spit at him, turning the page "But that place doesn't exist anymore. We're not always were we're supposed to be"

He leaves one candle near the stache of books on your right and disappears out of your sight.

You can still feel his presence lingering behind you, but you refuse to acknowledge it, only sparing him a glance when you decide to abandon your reading for the night. Over the flickering flames of the candle beside him, he watches you leave.

It becomes an habit of yours. The only way you can escape is through a book. Between their pages, you can be anything but a prisoner of war in the claws of your enemy. You devour book after book, plot after plot.

You talk with the characters in your sleep.

You start getting curious about topics you've never wanted to read before.

One day, at the top of your pile of to-read ones, you find a book that you don't recognize. A fairytale one, full of myths and legends from your land, with a hard red cover and gold intricate letters for the title. You read the stories with your mother's voice in your head, and cry yourself to sleep that night, with the book held tightly between your arms.

Kiyoomi is startled to see you appear in the dining room with the morning light. You can tell because both of his eyebrows go up, only for a fraction of a second, and he rests his knife perfectly angled with the plate in front him.

You chose a seat directly in front of him, on the other side of the long table. A servant rushes to you immediately, apologizing profusely, and calling more people to help him serve you and bring you the same of what Kiyoomi is having.

The Grand Duke blinks.

"Do you have any other books like that?" you ask, twirling around the milk on your cup, food still untouched.

"I do"

"Can you lend them to me?"

"I can gift them to you"

You hum.

You will not feel any gratitude for such a menial gesture.

He killed your family.

You close your eyes and try to remember your father's face without any blood on it.

The milk soothes your burning throat "I would appreciate that"

You eat in silence, Kiyoomi's eyes never abandoning you. When you're done and you stand up to leave, you realize he didn't touched the rest of his food.

"I don't believe in them, you know" you suddenly tell him one of those evening where he sits by the table behind your usual spot on the floor, quietly reading some stuff of his own. He lifts a single eyebrow at your words "It's not like I believe in fairytales. Not anymore"

"I see"

You huff, pursing your lips at his dismissal. You feel like talking. You feel like saying anything to fill the silence. "It's about familiarity"

"About finding a piece of what you lost in them" he provides, and you forget whatever you were going to say to watch him curiously.

He sounds like he understands.

"Do you do that too?"

His gaze is back to the pages in his hands "No"

You have a feeling he does.

"His parents died when he was little" Lia confides you, munching thoughtfully on the little biscuits you offered to share with her "A tragedy. No one really knows hat happened. Well, at least none of us common folks. Maybe someone on the royal family knows what really happened to them"

"He was raised by his uncle, then?" you ask, taking another sip of your tea. It's grown cold, and you leave it on the tray with a grimace.

"Yes, but not the king. The other one. On his mother side. Lord Motoya's father"

"Oh?"

"It was better that way, if you ask me" she keeps talking, asking permission with a glance to eat the rest of the treats. You nod, and she happily brings another other one to her mouth "The king is... well... a difficult person. I'm glad that the Grand Duke was raised by a good family. Only God knows how my life as maid would have been here if not"

"You should take your gloves off to do that" you casually suggest at Kiyoomi in the middle of your reading. There's a romance novel by your feet, and your favorite fairytale book open on your lap, but you're sudenly bored, and watching the flames dance on the fireplace it's only fun for a while.

"To read?" you peek from behind your shoulder to see if Kiyoomi is looking at his hands. He is, and when his gaze promptly snaps to you, you quickly go back to pay attention to the fire.

"To turn the pages" you explain "It's the best feeling in the world, to feel them. Their texture. On your fingers"

"I never take off my gloves"

"There is something that everyone knows, tho" adds Lia, voice hoarse and eyes trained on the ceiling, from where she is laying back on the bed. You changed the tea for a bottle of wine and now she seems to have suddenly forgotten that you're technically a princess.

A prisoner one, but still a princess.

"What's that?"

She thinks for a moment, maybe reconsidering if it's a good idea to tell you. Maybe just waiting for the alcohol to pass.

"He found them" she finally says "His family"

"Found them dead?"

"Yeah. The servants say that when his uncle arrived, he was kneeling down in front of their bodies, hands bathed in blood"

You hate that you're used to walk around the endless halls, and that you know the garden by memory now. You hate that one day you look out the window, and little dots of green seem to be fighting against the white. That the cold dies, and the warm light of the morning sun gets strong enough to make you cast your blankets aside.

Life is finding it's way. It's spring.

Kiyoomi's presence is not unwelcomed anymore, as much as you try and fail to make your body react in an uncomfortable way around him. You hate that you've started to look forward to see him at the library, and that his judging stare comforts you as you stroll through the melting snow that has piled around the garden fountain.

You hate that the black of his eyes has become an alluring trap, and that death is not the only thing you see in them anymore.

They shine in the light.

"I hate you" you say one day, during one of those breakfast that became a tradition without you realizing it.

He stops eating to look at you from behind his long eyelashes "I know"

"I hate what you did to my family and to my kingdom"

He stills, and one of his hands moves to fix the glove on the other one. It's a nervous habit. You've been observant "I wasn't there"

"What?"

"I wasn't there" he says again, louder this time "And I didn't gave the order either"

"They were your men" he nods, back to cutting his bread. "They were your men, and that's why it's your fault"

"I know"

"It's your fault" you repeat, frustrated, getting up and throwing your knife and fork on the table with a resounding clank that makes the boy standing near the door with the pitcher of water jump "You won't take that away from me"

"Isn't this marvelous?" Lia says, dancing around your room with your brush in one hand and a bottle of perfume in the other "You're being invited to have dinner with the Grand Duke. This is such a big occasion!"

You shrug, looking at your reflection in the vanity mirror "It's nothing big. I've had breakfast with him before"

"Breakfast is not the same as dinner" Lia finally comes to stand behind you, ready to make your hair shine "Having dinner with someone feels much more important"

The man that comes looking for you to escort you to the dining room it's dressed in full armor, a long white cape with a dark shield flowing behind him. He looks you up and down and bows, smiling teasingly, before falling into step besides you.

"A pleasure to finally meet you, princess" you're not sure if he's being serious or not, but you nod regardless. The twinkling of his silver armour makes your thoughts a bit jumpy.

"I don't think I've seen you before" you say, and it's true, because you would remember someone like him around, with golden hair and knowing brown eyes.

"That's because we The Twelve had businesses in the capital" he explains "But we might be staying around here for some time now"

You know about The Twelve. They're the most important knights of the kingdom, the ones trusted to ensure peace. The king most valuable and closest allies.

This man, walking beside you and looking at you as if he was your friend, could have been there, leading the attack on your land, at the head of the troops that stormed the city and betrayed the treaty of temporal peace between the two kingdoms.

"You can call me Atsumu" he offers you, opening the door for you and standing back while you enter the room "We'll probably be seeing each other around a lot now"

Kiyoomi's hair has been swept back, no longer falling in front of his eyes, and it's both terrifying and exciting to have such a clear view of him, from your place a chair of distance from him.

"I trust Atsumu didn't gave you any trouble"

You glare at your cup of wine in silence, before swallowing your feelings and shakily taking a long gulp "He's one of The Twelve"

"You know who they are" it's not a question. You nod once, then twice to be sure. "He was not there"

"I didn't ask"

"You didn't need to"

"Why are you doing this?" you snap, cup of wine already empty. "What am I supposed to do here? What do you want me to do? Endlessly roam this long halls? Forever be your forced guest? Are we supposed to be friends?"

"I don't want to be your friend"

"Then what do you want?" you scream, standing up and dragging your plate to the floor, where it smashes into little pieces.

He doesn't answers you, but follows you after you storm out of the room, leaving an apparently amused Atsumu standing guard by the doors. The pale light of the harvest moon glows around you as you skid to a stop, the red skirt of your dress whispering against the stones.

He's right behind you, catching your hand with one of his owns, and stopping you from hitting him with the other one by pining you against the glass of the window at your right, the recently awoken garden the only witness of your spat.

"Look at me" he commands, voice soft but stern, and you do so for only a moment, until the onyx of his eyes becomes unbearable once more, and your eyes have to fall to his shoes.

He pins both of your hands on top of your head with one of his owns, lifting your chin with the other one.

"Stop this" you plead, and you're not sure what you want to put a stop to.

"I didn't had any part in what happened to your kingdom" shaking your head it's impossible when his hold on your chin becomes hard enough to bruise.

You clench your teeth "You're lying"

"I'm not looking to convince you. Not with my words at least. But I'm speaking nothing but the truth"

You eye the hilt of the sword he never seems to leave behind —greedy eyes filled with rage. "I want to slither your throat and watch you bleed on the floor"

He releases your wrists, and your face, but doesn't moves an inch. His warm breath hits your check when he leans down, engulfing you with his presence, pressing one hand on the glass behind your head and letting the other fall loosely to his side.

"Do it" he whispers, black eyes challenging you "I won't stop you" you don't do anything but take a step forward as he retreats, chasing his warm and watching him leave with half lided eyes. He stops before rounding the corner "I hope the mess you made on the dining room tonight it's not something that happens again"

"There's something happening in the capital" Lia tells you one night. You've been busy assessing the new shy flowers that have started to grow— wild lilies and spring daisies— and you don't look at her until you're done counting the new blooms. When you do, you find her much more pale than usual "My mother wrote me to tell me that everyone seems to be on edge. Like something bad is going to happen"

"Something bad?" you ask, frowning. She brings her hands together and closes her eyes in a silent prayer.

"She's talking about moving to the countryside for a while, until the air clears. I just pray for this not to mean war. We've had enough with..."

"With my entire kingdom being conquered by your king" you provide, voice devoid of emotion.

Lia sniffles, hugging herself "I apologize if I sounded rude"

"Who would attack the capital anyway? Your king's feud was with my father alone, and I doubt any neighboring land would want to face the most powerful army there is"

"My mom is not sure but she thinks..." Lia wets her chapped lips and lets her gaze drift to the window "She thinks it's something internal"

Lord Motoya seems oddly familiar, although you can't pinpoint why. He's chatting animatedly with a knight when he spots you, and then calls you over immediately. You think you at least recognize the other man.

"Your hair is different" it's the first thing you say, and the knight seems to be taken aback only for a second, before chuckling amused.

"Was it gold before?"

"I believe so, yeah"

"Don't tell me you haven't heard the mighty tales of the Twin Knights?" Lord Motoya intervenes, chuckling as well. You shake your head, realization dawning upon you.

"You're Lord Atsumu's brother"

The man doesn't bows as his brother did, but still tilts his head down respectfully at you.

"Don't let their hair fool you" Lord Motoya shares with you later, sipping wine and eating cookies in one of the garden tables, now that is warm enough to sit outside "Atsumu and Osamu are more alike than what you think"

"They're twins, after all"

"I think is more than that" Lord Motoya says, scratching his brown hair in thought "But families can be complicated. Just look at my cousin's one, for instance" you say nothing at that, eyeing him curiously, and so he continues "His uncle is insane. I bet you've heard the rumours"

"Believe me, I know it in the flesh"

If he's taking aback by your obvious reference, he doesn't shows it "Luckily for all of us, Kiyoomi is different. And lucky for you too"

"I don't consider myself a lucky person, to be honest" you muse, but Lord Motoya dismisses your thoughts with a wave of his hand, leaning back in his chair and sighing peacefully.

"Spring is always a good time for everyone. It's probably why Kiyoomi choose to marry now"

You still, hands frozen in your lap and heart threatening to burst out of your chest. Lord Motoya regards you with an unreadable expresion, and you force yourself to smile at his words, even tho they have cutten into you like sharp glass.

"I didn't knew he was getting married"

You see the Grand Duke again a couple of weeks after your meeting in the garden. You're sitting by the window, in a simple white dress with short sleeves and no shoes. You won't be running anywhere. He doesn't knocks, as always, silently closing the door behind him and walking until he's standing next to you, his eyes trailing down the skirt of your dress that pools around your feet. The sun is painting the sky in shades of red.

"You haven't been around the library lately" he says, and keeps talking without waiting for an answer "And you haven't come down to have breakfast on the dining room either"

"I thought you said you didn't want me making a mess"

"I don't"

"Then you must be relieved"

He takes his time to answer this time "I'm not"

You turn your body to look at him, bathed in the golden light of the dying day. There's something akin to longing swimming in the dark pools of his eyes, and you can only hope that your own matching yearning it's not as evident in yours. You clear your throat, unsure about how to address what you want to say, but deciding for something simple at the end.

"Congratulations on the wedding"

He nods, his eyes never leaving you "Thank you"

"Are you excited?"

He doesn't stops to think about it too much "I suppose I am, yes"

"Good"

The sun has hidden behind a cluster of clouds when he speaks again, placing a warm hand on your shoulder. You close your eyes to just feel.

"I'll be leaving for a few days, but I'll see you as soon as I return"

"Of course"

Only when he's gone you notice he wasn't wearing any gloves.

The news about the coup d'etat travel fast, and the sudden chaos that erupts in the castle must be a smaller replica of what's happening in the capital. Everyone tells a different version. Some talk about The Twelve marching through the city gates and encountering no resistance whatsoever. Others whisper about a bloody battle, and the king's suspicious that had made him stand prepared.

There's something every story seems to have in common tho, and that's the Grand Duke's role.

"I can't believe he took the throne away from his uncle like that" Lia tells you, and she seems to be in a perpetual state of disbelief since the news arrived "And I also can't help but feel glad about it. I think everyone does"

"He'll be crowned king, right?" she stares at you for what it feels like an eternity before answering.

"I suppose he will"

Kiyoomi keeps his word. You're escorted to his chambers by Atsumu, the same day he comes back. The knight has a still open wound on his forehead and looks much more thinner than when you first saw him, but there's an air of victory that surrounds him, that makes anything else pale in comparison. You don't ask for details, and he purposely seems to avoid them, talking about the weather and the flowers in full bloom, and winking before opening the doors for you.

He's standing in front of what must be the desk he always works in, a surprisingly organized space despite the mountains of papers and piles of unopened letters. Your hands are shaking when you stop in front of it, and he slides a parch of paper towards you. You're too busy noticing the bags below his eyes and the cut near his lips, and accepting the fact that yes, you're relieved, and you might have missed him more than what you should— to be able to pay attention to what's written in font of you.

"I told you I would see you as soon as I came back" he says, and you bite your lip and push a lock of hair behind your ear "Now I need you to read this"

It's a signed document naming you the sole heir of the lands that once belonged to your family. They're not an independent kingdom anymore, but you retain the princess title, and they will be directly under your rule when you marry the king.

Kiyoomi is already by your side when you leave the paper on the desk again, staring at him with wide eyes.

"What is this?"

He smiles, and it's so rare and wonderful that the cut on his upper lip won't be able to spoil the moment "I believe you know what it is"

"Marrying the king?" you ask, even tho in your head the question was a much more longer one.

Kiyoomi looks down to start taking his white gloves, in front of your startled eyes.

"My uncle was a despicable human that never knew how to rule. Probably because the throne wasn't rightfully his, but my father's" he leaves both gloves on the desk, and before his hands can fall to the side, you take a step forward to grab one of them between yours. He lets you caress his fingers one by one, before you place them on your cheek. He draws a line on your skin with his thumb. "I'm taking what's rightfully mine now, and giving you back what he stole from you too"

"I..."

"You will still have to marry me, that is" he adds, and you can't see through the tears in your eyes if his smile is still in place or not "I hope that your hate of me doesn't gets in the way of that"

When you throw yourself in his arms and his lips claim yours in a desperate kiss, you think about maybe having found a new home.

[sickfic-with-kiko]

Hi! I'm new to this awesome fandom and I just found your blog. I read that many people are sort of pressuring you with requests but I just wanna say that what you're doing is amazing, you write extremely well and Haijyuu!! whump is rare (I checked everywhere and you're one of the very few Haikyuu!! whump writers) so please take your time and know that someone appreciates and loves what you do, a lot!!!

Hi, don’t worry about it! I’ve been working on some commissions and my fanfic lately, I wanted to focus on that because I’m quite behind on update schedule (almost 3 months lmao). I’m excited to continue writing for this blog, thank you all for being so patient with me!

[willowfolksong]

helloooo i just saw your post about accepting requests and can i have a daichi fic inspired from new years' day by taylor swift if that's okay? i have seen you like taylor too and she is my #1 fave artists out there. have a nice dayyy!

I will hold on to you

- Sawamura Daichi x Reader

- SFW

a/n: hey dear anon! I loved your request. Taylor is also my favorite artist ever, and I actually think this song fits our Daichi perfectly, since his birthday is the day before New Year's Day!! I hope you like this little thing, but if you don't, don't hesitate in contacting me and I'll write something else for you. I'm not sure how a request from an anon person works and if you'll see this with no problem, so let me know when you read it! Have a day as lovely as your beautiful request ❤

Love,

Willow 🍂

p.s: yes, I had fun linking this one shot with the one I wrote about Atsumu modeling for a magazine and falling in love at first sight with a very shy Reader, in a request for the lovely @julfdm . You can read it here!

Requests are open! 🍂

The party floor is a shiny beautiful mess, and like little twinkling stars, clouds of glitter cover the white marble all the way from the entrance to the huge stairs in the middle of the living room. Its looks like the stars that you can't see in the city sky, came to gather in one room.

Daichi would rather be watching them outside instead.

You turn around and smile apologetically at him, and he lifts the cup he's had glued to his hand since you arrived to assure you that he's fine. Really. He is.

He will always wait for you.

Lev comes barreling down towards him in that moment, champagne glass almost empty and hair a wild mess. He looks happy, and free, and totally in his own element. Everything that Daichi isn't.

"Hey! Did you had fun? Cool party, huh?" he asks, words a bit slurred.

Daichi chuckles, still keeping an eye on you "Maybe you should lay down on the alcohol already"

Lev snorts, loosening his tie a bit, and drinking what's left of his gkass "It was a party! I was just having fun!" he explains, maybe a bit louder than what he should, eyeing Daichi suspiciously "Did you?"

You laugh at something one of your coworkers is saying, and Daichi thinks that smile is enough to light up the already glittering room.

"It was fun, yeah"

"You don't seem like you had a good time tho"

Daichi sighs. Lev is looking at him with his eyebrows furrowed, and he remembers that this man that is now one of the most famous models in all Japan is also one of his high school friends, so it's not right lying to him.

At least not much.

"I did had a good time. It's just that this is not my kind of place"

"You still came tho"

"That I did, yes"

He looks back at you. He met you a long time ago, also in high school, and also around the time he met Lev. All his friends realized he had a crush on you sooner than him, who actually believed the 'we're just very good friends' lie until you went on a date with a guy from another school, and the possibility of you looking at someone that wasn't him became unbearable. From then on, you two had been inseparable, even while he went to become a Police Officer, and you decided to pursue your dream of modeling. It didn't matter. Your love was strong enough to endure any distance, any differences, any decision. It was enough. The laughs, the smiles, all the little moments when there was nothing else but the two of you.

Those were the important things.

"She'll probably be having a lot of this all the time" Lev says, snapping him out of his thoughts "She's getting more and more famous with each passing day. Parties and fancy reunions are important for this work too"

"I know that"

"And you won't care?"

"I won't "

Lev smiles drunkenly, patting Daichi's shoulder "You're a good boyfriend"

"I'm so sorry it took me so long to say goodbye to everyone" you apologize to Daichi in the car, burying your face in his chest, your arms loosely around him.

He holds you closer still, giving you a kiss on the top of your hair "It's okay, I understand"

"You would think that people would talk about something that's not work after a party like that, but no" you complain, playing with the buttons of his shirt while he gently rubs your bare arms "They all wanted to discuss the details of my next photoshoot. For that magazine... I don't remember the name, but one of your friends appeared in one of its last issues"

"One of my friends?"

"I think he plays for the MSBY Jackals" you say, yawning "I also think he has a twin or something, if I recall correctly"

"Oh, yeah. Atsumu Miya"

"That's the one"

The car turns around the corner, and Daichi takes one of your hand in his much bigger one, interlacing his fingers with yours. You hum against his chest.

"I have to tell you something else" you add, your voice a whisper, and he looks down at you, worried.

"What is it?"

You bite your bottom lip, looking up at him through your lashes "I have another party tomorrow"

"Tomorrow? But it's New Year's eve..."

And his birthday, he wants to say; but you already look miserable enough about it, and so he settles for kissing your left temple.

"I'm so sorry, Daichi. I know you don't particularly like this kind of things... not that I love them either" you wet your lips and look down to where he's holding your hand "You don't have to come if you don't want to"

"Please" he says, squeezing your hand "I would never leave you alone"

He wakes up with you gone, your side of the bed empty— and so he buries his face in your pillow and goes back to sleep, lulled by the smell you left behind. He wakes up again around noon, to a phone filled to the brim with texts from his friends and family, wishing him happy birthday and asking what are his plans for the day.

You, that's his plan. It has been since he can remember.

He tries to ignore the twinge of sadness that threteanes to fully bloom in his heart at the absence of any message from you, and instead decides to accept Sugawara's invitation to take a stroll around the park.

"You're getting old, Daichi" his friend teases him, and he rolls his eyes, smiling, and allows him to make fun of him, since they see each other so little lately.

"How's your work?"

Sugawara smiles brightly, bringing his hands together "It's actually so fulfilling! The kids and I made Christmas cards and New Year's Day ones too before they went home for the holidays. Some of them are really good"

"Well, they do have a good teacher"

Sugawara laughs, cheeks pink, and waves a hand at him "Let's not talk about work and all that boring stuff anyway. What are you and your girl doing today? Something special planned?"

Daichi thinks about party dresses and cocktails he wont drink, and about strange men talking in your ear and pictures being taken from every angle, and about that text he never got.

Smile tense, he shakes his head "Not really"

Sugawara frowns, coming to a stop "Don't tell me you're having trouble in paradise. You're my favorite couple ever! First place, even on top of Ryūnosuke and Kiyoko!"

"We're not, dont worry"

"Then what is it?"

Daichi shrugs, eyes on the bare cup of the trees around them, branches covered in snow "It's nothing"

"Daichi..."

He manages to distract Sugawara long enough to make him forget about what they were talking, and after checking his phone for the third time and still not finding any trace of you, he says yes to have a couple of drinks with his friend.

They laugh and catch up properly, and even call some of their old friends from high school— Nishinoya sings him happy birthday; Asahi promises to stop by soon to give him a present.

He goes back home when the sun is already setting on the horizon, eyes on his shoes and this thoughts filled with you and only you.

What he refused to tell Sugawara was that he was scared. How could he not? He's just a policeman, and you're a rising superstar. He's afraid, constantly— and he becomes that guy from high school that was terrified of losing the girl he had finally realized he liked all over again.

He's afraid of one day only being able to see you on the cover of some magazine.

The door opens to a bunch of black and red and gold— and he thinks he can even spot a blue one on the corner— balloons covering the floor. You're waiting for him the middle of the living room, dressed on the dress you wore on your first date together. It's nothing fancy, nothing made to wear in front of the most important people in town.

You bought it just for him.

"What's this?" he asks, already smiling, and you open your arms and he has to navigate the sea of balloons to reach you and hug you.

"Happy birthday!" you tell him, letting him spin you around, and peppering kisses all over his face "Are you surprised?"

"After not hearing anything from you the whole day, I think so yeah!" he confesses, and you lightly punch his arm and pout.

"Please tell me Suga didn't gave anything away"

"He knew that you were doing all this?"

"Yeah! He offered to keep you busy while I blowed up the balloons and bought the cake and the drinks"

"Someone is coming?"

You shake your head, this time kissing him on the lips. "It's just you and me. For your birthday, and to wait the new year together too. We can bundle up in front of the TV and watch those midnight shows with the loud music"

"But your party..."

You laugh, actually doing a little jump "Of course I never planned to go, silly! It's my boyfriend's birthday!"

That night, you dance around more balloons than Daichi has ever seen, eat cake on the floor and laugh when your friends call again— Sugawara anxiously wanting to know if everything worked out in the end.

Daichi would have spent the beginning of his New Year's Day with you in one of those big parties, smiling and watching you shine, and he would have been happy like that.

Because it's you, and he made the promise to stay by your side.

But he can't help but feel better like this, just you and him and all the love you have for each other, waiting for a new year to arrive.

Maybe this will be the one where he'll use the ring he has on one of his drawers, to make word of his promise.