Heartstrings (Ushijima x Reader)

Chapter fourteen

She opened the door to her house slowly, it was past the hour she was allowed to be out, but she hoped her family still thought she was locked in her room. She took her shoes off and tried to sneak into her room as silently as possible just in case.

As she entered her room, she let out a sigh of relief, thinking she had made it without being seen. But just as she was about to close the door, her brother, Oikawa, appeared in the hallway.

"What's the rush?" he asked innocently, crossing his arms against his chest and eyeing her suspiciously.

She froze, not knowing what to say. She could feel her heart racing in her chest.

"Um, nothing," she stammered, trying to act nonchalant.

"I thought you were too depressed to leave the house for so long?"

"Yeah, I feel better now." She spoke, looking everywhere else but into his eyes. "Actually, I feel quite tired. Goodni-"

"You know," He interrupted her, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "When you suddenly disappeared my phone was bombarded with a hundred messages about you leaving school with Ushijima."

Her face grew pale, "Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat? What a crazy rumorr..."

"You were with him, weren't you?" he said, his voice laced with anger.

Her eyes watered, and she bit her lower lip to dismiss that knot in her throat. "I...I just ran into him after school," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"____! He is not good for you." Oikawa stepped closer and grabbed her by her shoulders, his touch so firm that she could feel his fingertips deepen hard onto her skin. "He is the reason why you've been acting all weird last week, huh!? Look at all the pain he has caused you and still you sneak up to meet him behind my back?!!"

"What's wrong with you?" He laughed bitterly, "After everything I've told you, after everything I've done to protect you from that kind of guys. Are you really that dumb?" He shook her, his eyes wide with anger.

"NI-CHAN! NO!" She lifted her arms, freeing herself from his grasp. "I've been sad because I've been avoiding him because of you! I like him! But I care about your feelings more than I do about mine. He didn't do anything to me, it's me who is making him suffer. I've caused him pain because I can't live up to your expectations! He cares about me, that's why he went to look for me!

"He cares about you?! More than what I care about you?" He shouted. "Does he love you as I do? Don't be ridiculous ___. The only thing he cares about is volleyball! Don't you think he would leave you if he had to for the sake of his career?"

"That's not true." She stood still. Tears falling against her will. "He is not like that, I know him!"

"You know nothing about him." He yelled. "I've known him for six years; I know who he is, and I know what he is capable of. You met him two months ago, please!"

"And what if I met him two months ago! I'll see what I'll do." He screamed back. "I'm not a child anymore. I stopped being one years ago. You cannot control my whole life."

As she wiped away her tears, she looked up at Oikawa with determination in her eyes. "You cannot control my whole life," she repeated firmly. "I understand that you want to protect me, but I'm not a child anymore. I can make my own decisions and live with the consequences."

Oikawa's eyes widened in disbelief. "You're making a huge mistake," he said, shaking his head. "You have no idea what you're getting into."

"I do," she replied, her voice growing stronger. "I know that Ushijima cares about volleyball, but that doesn't mean he doesn't care about me. And even if he does prioritize his career, that's his choice to make. It's not your decision, and it's not mine."

"You know why I can't stand Ushijima, ___?" Oikawa's voice was low and filled with bitterness. "It's because he seems to get everything so easily. He's never had to struggle like the rest of us, and it's not fair. I've worked hard my entire life to get to where I am, and he just shows up and takes everything away without even trying. And now, he's trying to take you away from me too."

"What do you mean, Toruu?! Why do you have to do this because of jealousy?!"

"Jealousy? Why can't you see that I'm trying to protect you! I know what he's capable of, and I don't want you to get hurt. You're my sister, and I love you. You're the most important thing in the world to me, and I can't just sit back and watch as you throw your life away for some guy who doesn't even care about you."

"You can't control everything," she said, taking a step back. "You can't control me, and you can't control Ushijima. You need to let go and trust that I know what's best for me."

"You're being selfish," Oikawa said, grabbing her by the arms. "You're not thinking about anyone but yourself."

"No Toruu, you are," She shook his hands off her. "You think you're not doing this for me, you're doing this for you."

The two siblings glared at each other, both refusing to back down. The tension in the room was palpable, and neither of them seemed willing to give an inch. Suddenly, Oikawa pushed her away from him, his eyes blazing with anger.

"Fine," he said, his voice cold and distant. "Do what you want. But don't expect me to be there to pick up the pieces when it all falls apart."

And with that, he turned and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him. She stood there for a moment, staring at the closed door, before collapsing onto her bed in tears. 

*** 

so sad lul.

We are already halfway through the story! I was planning to do 20 chapters at first, but because i have divided some chapters into parts, it is going to seem longer. But if we are following things correctly, this must be chapter 11. 

Also, i am entering uni noooooooo. but I choose an easy career so i should be able to post.