You stood on the street corner, your hands wrapped tightly around Tooru's neck as you clung to each other.
You watched the pavement crack beneath your feet. The sound of rushing water roared against your eardrums as a chasm split the ground, giving way to flames that climbed out, licking the sky, and then suddenly Tooru was gone and you were sinking.
You screamed, but your voice got caught in your throat. As the air turned to sand that filled your lungs, your whole world turned black, like someone has reached into your head and flicked a switch.
And then there was nothing but your heart pummeling against your chest and the smell of cream cheese.
Guided by a distant hum, you hurtled back into reality.
"Y/n..."
The sunlight was bouncing off your eyelids.
"Earth to Y/n..."
You squinted and waited for the ceiling to shift into focus.
"Guess what day it is?"
You cleared the cobwebs from your throat in groggy squeaks and tried to blink away the memory of your dream.
You propped yourself onto your elbows.
"Good morning, Birthday Girl!"
Your mother was preached on the end of your bed with your dad standing behind.
There were small crinkles at the sides of their face, and their mouth was curved upwards in a grin that could have put the Cheshire Cat to shame.
You were glad that they were back. You missed them. Their smile made their eyes sparkle.
In her lap, she held a cream cheesecake, lavished with chocolate frosting.
"Good morning," you croaked.
"Happy Birthday, sweetheart." They both said at the same time.
Your father fished a zippo lighter from his pocket, flicked it open and lit the candle.
"Make a wish!" she said, shoving the cake so close to your face you could see tiny wisps of smoke rise above the flame.
You hesitated as it danced across your eye line, taunting you.
Clarity, you decided at last. I just want clarity. You blew purposefully across the flame, extinguishing it in one tiny puff of air.
Your mother produced a silver knife from her cardigan. She sliced the cake offering you the first bite.
She reached behind your father and fished out a present wrapped in glitzy blue paper.
"We bought for you something."
You smiled as you wiped the residual cake grease from your fingers onto your duvet. You wondered what it could be.
Carefully, you unstuck the tape around the edges and peeled away the paper so that the garment slipped out, perfectly folded, on the bed.
You unfurled it, brushing your fingers gently along the thin straps and felt the dress curve in around as you held it up.
"T-thank you it's beautiful!"
"We saw it on our way home," he said.
"We thought you might like it." She finished.
He clapped his hands together, "lunch later?" he asked, your mother bouncing up from your bed. "I want to treat my daughter anything she wants to eat today."
"I have school," you cried.
"After school of course. We don't want our daughter falling behind."
Your mother tapped your head, "go get dressed for school, then we all will go out and have dinner at a restaurant."
"So no special treats for lunch?" you cut in.
"Here." Your father gave you some money, it was enough for you to survive a month alone with it.
"Go get dressed," humming to herself your mother left the room with your father following behind.
----
You weren't sure if anyone knew your birthday, you were still a newcomer plus you didn't make a big deal out of it.
It was just a birthday, it comes every year. But it felt nice to feel special every once in a while.
When you entered the classroom Aika came running to you.
"Y/n you know what day it is today?" she asked anxiously.
Aww, she knows.
"What?" you asked sheepishly.
"It's the last day for all the clubs cause the exams are beginning next week!"
Oh. Your face fell. So she doesn't know.
The rest of the classes go as usual. Everything was the same as usual.
All that money your father gave you you wanted to spend with your friends at a fancy cafe but it felt weird if you did it out of the blue.
For the next class, a group activity was held. You, Sakura, Mai and Aika were grouped together for the literature assignment.
Emiko Sato was glaring at you from the other side of the classroom, she still couldn't believe that Oikawa would hang out with a foreign weirdo like you and not her.
You ignored her focusing on the task at hand.
Mai, Sakura and Aika, all three of them were talking and giggling among themselves completely ignoring you.
They later got up from their seats, without saying a word or where they are going they left the classroom.
They didn't even complete their assignment and left it all for you to do it alone!
After some time Iwaizumi comes in looking all serious, he hadn't wished you either but you don't let that thought bother you.
"Y/n San!" he glares at you.
You stand up in attention, "yes."
"- follow me."
You stand there for a second ultimately following him. He walks in front of you, his shoulders stiff as he marched.
You wondered why he looked so intimidating, you haven't done anything to make him angry so why was he behaving that way.
You walked in silence - you could feel the tension in the air - until he stopped walking. He walked you to the AV room and demanded, "get in."
"O-okay," you gulped.
He looked so intimidating at that moment you would do anything if he asked you to. He was just that scary.
He opened the door directing you to go in first, it was dark you could hardly see anything.
You slowly walked in, all nervous, your heart was beating so loudly you could almost feel it would come out any second.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!"
The lights went on, you recognised most of the friendly faces.
Starting from Aika and your teammates to Oikawa and his teammates. There was a medium-sized strawberry shortcake on the table with the exact amount of candles as same as your age.
"You guys remembered," you cried.
"Of course we did," said Iwaizumi resting his hand on your shoulder. "You really thought I of all people will forget?"
"Blow the candles I want to eat!" interrupted Sara.
You and Iwaizumi laughed at her, you caught Oikawa looking at you and smiling, you smiled back.
The rest of the day you spent it in the library alone, taking notes from reference books.
"Y/n..." someone breathed your name in your ear from behind.
You knew that voice too well to not know who it was.
"Oikawa," you said plainly without looking at him.
He was slightly leaning on you resting is one hand on the table and the other on your chair
"I have something to show you," he whispered in your ear.
"What?"
He gently grabbed your right hand, pulling you out from your chair and taking you to the far end of the library, away from the students who were busy studying.
He takes you behind the shelves of ancient history and edges closer.
"I have something for you," he whispers closing the gap between you. He smelled like milky yoghurt.
You studied his hand as he reached down his pockets. He soon fished out a small box wrapped in pastel blue paper.
"Here."
You took the box from him, "Thank you," and started unwrapping carefully.
You opened the lid to find a tape inside with a note written on it.
𝓜𝓪𝔂𝓫𝓮 𝓘'𝓶 𝓽𝓸𝓸 𝓫𝓾𝓼𝔂 𝓫𝓮𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻𝓼 𝓽𝓸 𝓯𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓼𝓸𝓶𝓮𝓫𝓸𝓭𝔂 𝓷𝓮𝔀.
Aww. Butterflies were summer saluting inside your stomach. You couldn't stop blushing.
"I made you a cassette recording. It's a compilation of songs I used to listen to during some of my early formative relationships. Plus a couple of things I thought you might dig," he said.
"I think music can make things seem a bit more real, sometimes." He paused and looked at you a little shyly, "I've also included some breakup songs towards the end, just in case things don't work out. Which, obviously, you know, that isn't the aim, though, I'm gonna tell you, it is likely. Passion rarely lasts, I'm afraid."
You were speechless you couldn't say anything.
The fact that he took the time out to make something so special made you blush.
"- do you like it?"
You looked at him.
"I love it," you said softly.
...........................................................................
A/N: I'm sorry for not being active lately, alot has been going on but I promise to complete the book as soon as possible.