Azumane adjusts the glasses on his nose, peering away from his laptop to check on Y/N. She's been quiet since they've arrived at his studio apartment. Her head rests on her folded arms on the table. A frown etching deep on her face.
Quietly exhaling under his breath, Azumane closes his laptop and pushes it to the side. Y/N seems to hear his shuffling in front of her.
Raising your head up, you look across the table at Azumane.
"Are you done already?" You reach for his laptop to look over his designs but he stops you. His large hand gently holds onto your wrist, setting it back down on the table.
"We have to talk." Azumane speaks softly. He gets up from his seat to grab something for you two to drink.
Pursing your lips, you sit up straight and watch the tall man walk away. You take your scrunchie out of your bun, letting your hair fall. With a sigh, you run your fingers through your hair. "Do we have to?"
Azumane beckons you to come sit on the sofa with two bottles of green tea in his hands. Not seeing that you have a choice, you slide out of the chair you're sitting in and slowly make your way over to him. Once he sees you settled in your spot, he extends the cool green tea bottle in your hand. You appreciate the cold sensation against your hot skin. Twisting the cap, you sip a bit of the tea.
"So...about Kuroo." Azumane shifts in his spot. He takes off his glasses and sets it down on the coffee table in front of you two. He turns to look at you with gentle eyes. "I know you don't like him very much."
"I don't like him at all." You correct Azumane.
"Okay, at all." Azumane chuckles lightly. "But, I hate seeing you act so coldly to someone. He is your childhood friend and I think he's the very person you need right now. He's probably the only person you can talk to your grandfather about."
You grimace at the thought. Your brows furrow together in annoyance.
Azumane carefully places a hand to your head. The knit brows on your face relaxes when you look over at the goatee long haired man who's trying his best to comfort you. "I don't want you to pent up your emotions about your grandfather. Share your memories of him with someone who's also been there. This is one thing your best friend can't do for you. Sorry, Y/N." He wears an apologetic smile.
You sigh in defeat. Knowing Azumane is right.
But.
You didn't know how to feel about Kuroo. It's been ten long years since you last spoke and saw one another. Your last conversation was full of shouting and tears. And he was the one that walked away from it all.
Why should you allow him to come back so easily?
Of course you wanted to put a front when you saw him. Kuroo shouldn't get everything he wants so easily. Even though it seems like he's pretty well off from what you saw him wear.
"Y/N? What are you thinking now? Your face is casting a dark gloom." Azumane raises an eyebrow when he looks at you.
"I don't want him to enter my life as easily as he left it." You speak childishly.
You're 28. You shouldn't act like a teenager when it came to situations like this. You're an adult that should take these kinds of situations more maturely.
Azumane relaxes his shoulders and slowly exhales under his breath. "Maybe he's changed, you know? Ten years is a long time for a boy to turn into a man."
Kuroo, changing?
You scoff at the idea. But your sour mood is erased when Azumane pinches your cheek. Your attention back on him.
"I saw the way he looked at you Y/N. He's hurting. Especially more so that you tried to keep him in the dark about your grandfather."
"Good. I was hurt for years."
"Y/N." Azumane speaks more sternly, his fingers releasing their pinching. "As adorable as I find this side of you, I don't want you to regret this encounter with Kuroo again. You don't hate him completely, right?"
You flinch when you hear Azumane's words. Your heart did ache when you heard your name slip from his lips. It felt like at that very moment you would fall apart and cry. You didn't even cry from the news of your grandfathers passing. Your parents worried that your heart had frozen over.
But the truth is, you swore to not cry in front of others after your break up with Kuroo. Showing others your tears just felt like a vulnerability in front of others. Even if they are your parents. You still haven't fully processed your grandfathers passing so there were no tears to fall from you. Maybe everything will hit you in two days at the funeral home.
"No...I guess not." You answer Azumane after being clouded in your thoughts. A relieved smile forms on Azumane's face and the conversation falls from there. Azumane glances over at his watch and realizes how late it's gotten.
"Did you want to spend the night here and leave early in the morning?" Azumane steadies himself up from the sofa. "I'll take the sofa and you can have the bed."
"I'll take the sofa." You look up at Azumane, not moving from your spot. He narrows his eyes on you, crossing his arms. "No you won't."
"Yes I will. This is your home. We've talked about this before Asahi." You mimic his narrowed eyes, a thin line to your lips.
"And how does it always turn out?" Azumane tilts his head with a smirk. You clench your teeth, quickly grabbing the arm of the sofa. But Azumane easily scoops you up into his arms. You groan in response, not finding the energy to fight him. With everything being in one room besides the bathroom, Azumane doesn't travel far to sit you on the bed.
"Alright, let's get some rest. We have some important clients in the morning and you have to drop by your parents house after, right?"
Without answering verbally, you nod your head. You set an alarm to wake up an hour before Azumane so you could drive home and change. While you set your alarm, Azumane walks over to his dresser to pull out one of his shirts. He drapes it over your head and tells you to change out of your dress before you head to bed.
A yawn escapes from Azumane and he doesn't bother changing out of his own clothes. He strides over to the sofa and plops himself down. You turn off all the lights as you make your way over to the bathroom to change.
Clicking the bathroom door closed, you stare at your reflection in the mirror. You could be a ghost from how colorless your face looks. Not a sign of a sparkle in your eyes can be found anywhere.
Seems like your strength has reached its max when you watch yourself frown and the tears trickle down your cheeks like a waterfall.
You missed you grandfather considerably. You regret not being there for him for his last breath. You were out of the country with Azumane on a business trip. There's so many regrets and 'I wish' in your mind.
Your grandfather would never be able to see you happily in a relationship. Possibly marriage. Or even at the peak of your career. Or having a family of your own.
Forcing your eyes closed, you softly whimper at the thought.
"Grandfather..." You cry out in the empty bathroom, slowly crouching down to your knees. You don't cry for long when you force yourself to stop your tears to change into Azumane's shirt.
Crying wouldn't bring your grandfather back.
Wiping the last few tears away, you unlock the door and startle when you see Azumane there, pacing the small hallway. He's relieved when he sees your face.
"I..." He wasn't sure if he should mention how he's heard Y/N crying. If he did that, she'll probably cry again or she'll feel more shitty than she wants. Instead, he silently pulls Y/N into an embrace. A smile tugs on his lips when he feel her arms wrap around his waist. She holds onto his tall frame tightly without uttering a word.
Azumane slowly rubs her back in circular motions. He was worried over Y/N's stone faced reaction over everything happening to her.
"Let's get you to bed." Azumane softly whispers by her ear. He feels her head nod against his chest.
To others, their close friendship may be questioned.
How is it possible for them to not like each other?
Sometimes, it's best for two opposite sex's to just remain as friends. Love added to the mix might ruin things.
This thought did cross their minds. More than once.
From accidental drunk kisses to sober accidental kisses. The two didn't feel a waver in their hearts for one another.
Azumane pulls away from the embrace and gently takes hold of Y/N's hand. He guides her through the dark apartment towards his bed. She sits on the edge of the bed with a distant look, her hand tightly holding onto Azumane's large one.
She voicelessly tells him she doesn't want to be alone and he understood that. Crouching in front of her, Azumane gives her a firm squeeze to her hand. The moonlight shines on his face while it casts a shadow on Y/N.
With his free hand, he reaches to stroke her cheek with his thumb. Y/N's shoulders slightly loosen up from his gentle touch. Her small hand pulls away from his clasp ones and she reaches with both hands to the one he's holding her face with.
She lowers that hand to her lap, her lips twitching.
"Asahi." She speaks so softly that Azumane barely heard her.
"Yeah?"
"Could..." You purse your lips. Unsure if what you're asking is something rational. You just wanted to feel the warmth of another person. But this would just make your friendship more unexplainable.
Azumane somehow understands your silence. Or maybe he also wants this. You watch him stand up and make his way over to the other side of the bed. You feel a weight press on the other side and he pats the empty space next to him.
A small smile forms on your face and you're thankful Azumane could read your thoughts without you having to verbally say them aloud. Lifting the blanket up, you make yourself comfortable next to Azumane. His fingers run through your hair and you whisper a thank you.
Azumane nods his head. "I hope whoever you date in the future would be able to baby you like this." He lightly teases you with a low chuckle. You roll your eyes playfully but you pause for a moment. "Why don't we date Asahi? Am I not your type?" You speak carefully, looking him in the eyes. Azumane stiffens and he awkwardly laughs.
"We've had this conversation before Y/N...We've even tried to kiss to see if we both felt anything. Which I must say, is pretty weird if we told someone about that." Azumane derails from the conversation a bit. His ears start to turn red and his voice grows nervous.
"Could we try again? Just to be sure?" You hesitantly ask. Azumane gulps, eyes wavering. "Let's just try to sleep Y/N. I think you're not thinking straight right now with the lack of sleep and constant stress."
Nibbling your bottom lip, you nod your head.
He's probably right. Why would you ask such a request from your best friend like that.
You didn't want to put him in more of an awkward situation. Especially if it's Azumane.
His heart is made of glass.
But to your surprise, Azumane goes back on his word. Something he does rarely.
"How could I reject you if you make those kinds of eyes..." Azumane grumbles to himself. He bites his inner cheek, giving into Y/N's sporadic request. The hand that strokes her hair lowers down to cup her face.
You flutter your lashes, taken aback to see Azumane nervously move his face close to yours. "W-Wait, Asahi. We don't have to do this. I'll just go to bed."
A determined look forms on Azumane's face when he shakes his head. "I want to confirm my emotions too Y/N." The deep tone of his voice sends goosebumps down your arm. Your eyes slowly close when you feel Azumane's lips on yours.
He kisses you hesitantly and his lips linger a bit. You nervously return his kiss and you feel his breath sharpen. Azumane then slowly pulls away with quivering lips. The two of you avoid each others gazes.
"Did you feel anything?" You're the one to speak up first.
He did. Asahi for the first time felt a waver to his heart and he wonders why.
This isn't their first shared kiss. And this time, there definitely was a reaction.
"No..." He lied.