A cold empty apartment, a lone window pushed open looking out on the courtyard below, a key rattled in the lock and the front door was slowly pushed open. As if the person opening it were afraid to enter the apartment.

The lights were off but the curtains pushed aside let in enough of the moonlight that the room lit up. Revealing the destruction, glass and ceramic shattered on the floor, wood splintered, books destroyed, a small vase normally filled with flowers lay crumbled in a million pieces across the room from its place.

Footsteps echoed down the short hallway and stop short in the doorway of the main room. Tsukishima looked around at the chaos they'd created, the absolute fucking mess they'd made and felt a sardonic smirk pull at his lips as his heart jumped into his throat. The mess they'd made of their life, at this point, he felt was reflected in the destruction below him.

He dropped his keys and a small plastic bag on the counter next to him and stepped over to their couch, glass crunching under his feet. He dropped onto the couch like all energy had been stolen from him and kicked off his shoes before he drew his feet up onto the couch with him and crossed his arms over his knees. He reached up, tore off his glasses and flung them across the room. He heard them shatter against the wall and he lowered his head onto his arms.

"Fuck."

He's not here.

#

The rhythmic pounding of his fists on the gym's punching bag was soothing. All his pent up energy, frustration, anger and fear were pounded into the bag as if it were the one who had called him king one too many times, as if it were the one that had told him he hated him, as if it were the one he'd told to 'get the fuck out and don't come back'.

Once again he felt tears prick in his eyes and a ball form in his throat as they had multiple times that night. He stopped and rested his head against the bag, breathing in through his nose and out through his mouth. Trying to hold back the tears as he had done so many times since he'd gotten there. A hand resting on his shoulder made him jump and spin quickly as the hand retracted and its owner held them up in surrender, presenting an unthreatening image despite his size.

"Hey kid. Are you alright?"

Kageyama looked at the floor and shook his head. No point lying if a stranger had noticed he wasn't ok.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Kageyama shook his head again. "It's none of your business, don't worry about it."

The stranger frowned down at him and huffed through his nose before he grabbed Kageyama's arm and dragged him over to the benches.

"I'm making it my business then. It's ok to unload on me, despite how I may look I am a wonderful giver of advice." He pushed Kageyama down onto the bench, sat down beside him and watched the other late night gym goer's spread out around the gym. This wasn't the first time some kid had come in here late at night to beat out his frustrations.

"What happened kid?" The stranger nudged Kageyama, he stayed silent and the stranger sighed.

"Relationship difficulties? Did you have a fight with your partner?" Kageyama looked away and the stranger whistled.

"Right on the money huh. First fight?" Kageyama clenched his fist.

"It's none of your business." Kageyama muttered. The stranger's hand was laid across his shoulders.

"Kid, you have no idea how often people like you come in here. Vent a little if you want to, I'm listening."

Kageyama froze up and pulled in a little gasp of air. "-We don't usually fight but…"

The stranger waited for him.

"Our families are causing problems for us. They call or show up and abuse us and it's stressing us both out along with finals and end of year assignments and we just snapped tonight. I can't even remember what started it but it got really out of hand. I told him not to come back." Kageyama held his head in hands, fighting the tears no longer worked. Slowly, they trickled down his face.

The stranger ruffled his hair, a warm gesture that shook Kageyama enough for him to stop crying for the moment. "How long have you two been together?" He asked.

Kageyama looked up at him for the first time that night. "Four years."

"Long time for someone so young kid. Do you really think he will leave now if he's lived with you through everything for the past four years?"

Kageyama was dumbstruck. He shot to his feet and quickly said goodbye before he ran out of the gym to the yell of the stranger telling him to wear gloves next time he was working the bag.

#

The door to their apartment was open when he arrived. No light shined from the inside and he felt despair rear its head to swallow him whole. Was he there? Did he just clear out his belongings and go? He never left the door unlocked let alone open.

Kageyama stepped inside and closed the door behind him quietly. He shuffled down the hall in silence and stopped in the doorway of the main room. Staring at him from the couch with wide sad eyes was Tsukishima, as if he couldn't believe Tobio had come back.

"Kei." Tobio choked out. Kei got to his feet as Tobio rushed him and wrapped his arms around him, pressing his forehead onto Kei's shoulder as he muttered apologies over and over again. He stopped when Kei's arms circled him and one of his hands dragged through his hair to calm him.

"It's alright Toby. I'm sorry to. I didn't mean what I said."

Tobio shook his head against Kei's shoulder. "It's my fault…" The ball was back, but this time there was no shoving it down. His voice cracked with his next words, gaining a high watery, weak tone. "I thought you weren't coming back."

Kei pulled him onto the couch and they shuffled into a comfortable cuddling position.

"I will never leave you Tobio. No matter what anyone says."

(End Note: Day 1 of 2015's Tsukkikage week)