This Side of Paradise - Tsukishima Kei x OC

Chapter 9: Crumble

Not long after that, Kei somberly ate dinner by himself and eventually fell asleep early on the couch.

Meanwhile, in their bedroom, Mizuki's stomach grumbled loudly. She hadn't eaten dinner yet but she was too stubborn to go to the kitchen and potentially face her husband. She sat on the edge of their bed, dejected by Kei's statement about her father. She knew, deep down, that he didn't mean to say those things. Still, it hurt her, especially because it came from the person she loves the most. Instead of celebrating her team's first win in the Olympics with her husband, she was hiding in their bedroom ignoring him.

She stared at the clock on the wall and noticed that it had been a few hours since their argument. Maybe he was asleep now and she could sneak out and grab an apple or something. Mizuki slowly and silently twisted the knob, careful not to make any sudden noises. She was well aware that she would crumble if she saw Kei staring at her with those stupidly cute, golden-brown eyes.

As she opened the door, she noticed a tray on the wooden floor in front of her.

A plate filled with fried rice, shrimp, a variety of vegetables, and a glass of water.

There was also a note beside the plate and the utensils. She bent down to pick it up.

I'm sorry. I love you.

Mizuki felt her heart swell with warmth, causing her to tear up.

Don't crumble, she thought to herself.

She sat on the floor and took a spoonful of the dish Kei had made her.

It was absolutely delicious.

~

Two days later

The Japanese national teams continued to win their matches during the qualification round. Mizuki's team had defeated Argentina and Korea but they were yet to face one of the toughest teams worldwide - Poland. Meanwhile, the men's team had defeated China and the USA, making them strong contenders as well.

After the matches, Hinata shared his story about bumping into Oikawa in the restroom with his teammates and Mizuki, causing them to laugh. Kageyama, on the other hand, was not amused. He wanted to challenge Oikawa into a one-on-one setting match, and Sakusa asked him how that would work seeing as there was no one to spike the ball. Bokuto and Hinata graciously volunteered to spike. Iwaizumi told them to get back to working out and stretching if they wanted to make it to the finals to defeat Oikawa.

At the same time, Kei continued to support Mizuki even though she had barely said anything to him since the day of their argument. She was too busy and focused on her matches and with good reason. The Olympics were extremely special and monumental for her career-wise.

Kei sat on the couch, stuffing a slice of strawberry shortcake in his mouth, clearly miserable. In the past two days, he had gotten her flowers, chocolates, and ice cream. He even asked his friend, Kuroo, on what he should do since he was so desperate for Mizuki's forgiveness.

Kuroo said to "face the wrath" and hope for the best.

He wasn't helpful at all.

The rain pitter-pattered loudly against the window of Kei and Mizuki's apartment. He stared at the cloudy and stormy weather outside as he reluctantly stood up and made his way to the kitchen to get a glass of water.

What else could he do but wait for Mizuki to be ready to forgive him?

All of a sudden, a thunderous crash roared, startling Kei. He nearly dropped his water at the booming noise.

Shit.

Kei hated thunder and everything related to it, including the noise. His fear probably started when he got lost in a forest as a kid. He and his older brother were exploring and he remembered how fascinated he was at the sight of bugs, plants, and other living organisms that he didn't even notice that he was separated from his brother. It was dark, and the forest made creepy noises that he couldn't get out of his head. Then, a thunderstorm appeared from seemingly out of nowhere, enhancing the stress that he experienced. Kei didn't know how to get home and he remembered feeling so alone and helpless at the time. Perhaps that was when his intense fear began.

Another deafening bang disrupted his thoughts, causing him to shiver in response. Kei stumbled back on the couch in an attempt to put on his headphones to drown out the thunderous sound with music. He grabbed them hastily and as he checked his phone, he realized that it was dead. His charger was in their bedroom.

A blaring boom bounced and echoed throughout the walls, causing Kei to shut his eyes tightly. He took several deep breaths as he tried to calm himself. His eyebrows knitted in frustration as he focused on keeping himself composed. According to him, it was absolutely pathetic that he was cowering in fear because of the weather.

Kei didn't even realize that Mizuki was standing in front of him worriedly. He was too preoccupied with forcing himself to relax. Without saying a word, she bent down and kneeled in front of him, cupping his face into her warm hands. He opened his eyes, surprised by her unexpected touch.

They gazed into each other's eyes without saying a word, the silence enough to convey what was on their minds and hearts at that very moment. Mizuki gazed at him, clearly concerned. Kei's eyes expressed sorrow, and she understood that he needed her now, especially when he was at his most vulnerable. He moved his body so that he was on the floor, kneeling with her.

Kei embraced her tightly, and at first, Mizuki hesitated. Then, when she felt his trembling body against hers, she crumbled into his touch. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him back, instantly soothing him.

No words were spoken that night but...

A tender caress on the arm, or an affectionate squeeze of the hand, or a light graze on the lips...

Sometimes, that was enough to express anything and everything, all at once.

・‥...━━━━━━━☆☆━━━━━━━...‥・

A/N: Hi everyone, I hope you're doing well! Just a quick update, since school has started again, I will try my best to update once/twice a week ʕ•́ᴥ•̀ʔっAlso, I'm very excited about the upcoming chapters I have planned as I think it's what some of you, the readers, have been waiting for too! (¬‿¬) Thank you for all the support ♥