Summary: It's never easy to come home and discover that the person you love has left like a ship in the night. It's like they suddenly just decided they don't love you anymore and fall off the face of the planet. Five years ago, Midorima Shintaro packed all of his things and left without a word. His boyfriend of four years, Takao Kazunari was left confused and heartbroken by the man he loved so dearly. Now, Midorima has come back for his little sister's wedding where he once again see's Takao and remembers everything he tried so desperately to forget.

Pairings: Midorima x Takao, Kise x Kasamatsu, Kagami x Kuroko (minor), Akashi x Furihata (minor), Himuro x Murasakibara (minor)

Genres: Romance, Angst, and Humor

Warnings: Some Foul Langauge. Mild Sexual Content. Boy x Boy.

Author's Note: Updates will be every Monday unless stated otherwise. Forgive my typos and grammar errors, if you point them out I will fix them. Thank you for reading sweethearts!

"You can love someone so much, but you can never love people as much as you can miss them."

-John Green

MIDORIMA SHINTARO

"Yes mother, I will be there," Midorima Shintaro sighed as he walked out of the hospital in New York City. It was a gloomy day with overcast skies and soupy snowy ground. As he walked across the terrace, he adjusted the scarf around his neck to block out the chilly weather. "Can I just say that it's ridiculous that she wants to get married on Valentines Day? That's already bad luck as it is," Midorima grumbled as he reached the sidewalk and waved his hand in the air to get a cab.

"Shintaro! It's her special day, be nice," his mother scolded from the other end of the line. She laughed lightly and he could just picture her shaking her head and rolling her pretty green eyes. "Have a safe flight, honey. I'll see you when you get in okay?" she said and he could just see her bright cheerful smile.

"See you soon, mom," Midorima said softly, knowing his mother was so excited he was coming home. It wasn't just cause she was glad he was coming for his little sister's wedding, this would be the first time he'd be back in Japan in nearly five years. When he graduated from medical school in Tokyo, he moved to America to do his residency. He was so busy and never had time to see his family anymore. Midorima didn't go home for holidays or birthdays or anything at all, but mostly it was because he didn't want too.

"Bye honey, I love you! I'll see you soon," his mother said lovingly before she hung up the phone.

Midorima sighed and slipped his phone back into his pocket. A cab pulled up in front of him moments later and he climbed inside. When he shut the door, he gave the driver the address of his apartment. The driver nodded and quickly sped off. It was nine in the morning, three days before his younger sister's wedding. His mother and father thought it would be a great surprise for him to come, meaning his sister had no idea. She was twenty-four years old and getting married to some photographer. It made sense; his little sister always loved the artsy and poetic types.

Midorima had never met the man she was marrying, but his parents seemed to really like him. The green haired doctor sighed softly and looked out the window. For some reason, he felt a little anxious about returning to Tokyo. When he left he pretty much fell off the face of the planet to all his old friends. They tried to reach out to him, but he shut them all out. He wanted a fresh start, and fresh starts didn't happen if you brought the past with you. Midorima felt bad, he really did, but it was all in the past now. He was only going to be in Japan for one week, how bad could it possibly get?

Midorima cursed himself for even thinking such a thing. It was like he was challenging the universe to make it suck as much as possible. He was a doctor; he learned very quickly that the universe tended to be against people most of the time. That's why he went to extreme lengths to ensure everything went right. Of course, sometimes it wasn't enough. As a doctor, Midorima's job was to save lives, but not every life could be saved. He always did everything he could, but everything wasn't enough sometimes. He left Japan for several reasons aside from a fresh start; he just really needed to get away after what he did. Five years since he had left and Midorima still couldn't seem to forgive himself. Although, he wasn't sure if it was because of what he did or for leaving without a word and then not returning any calls or emails to his friends and family.

It wasn't until three months later that Midorima called his mother after his arrival in New York City. He had emailed her once a week prior to that just to let her know he was still breathing. That was all though, he didn't really ask what was happening and he told her he didn't want to know. About a year after his move, Midorima finally started talking to his father again. His father never asked why he left, assuming his son would say why when he was ready. Midorima was grateful for that because he never wanted to say why. Of course, now he might not have a choice. He was going back to Japan; he'd probably see most of his friends from his childhood and teenage years. His real concern was if he'd see him again.

That adage that claimed time heals all wounds was complete bullshit in Midorima's opinion. He could only assume that if he felt like crap his ex-boyfriend probably felt even worse sprinkled with a bit of rage and hatred. Midorima wouldn't blame him if he were mad; he had every right to be.

"That'll be $13.50," the driver said when he pulled in front of Midorima's apartment building.

"Keep it running, I need to get to JFK," Midorima said as he handed the man some cash.

"Will do," the driver agreed with a nod as he took the money and got comfortable in his car.

Midorima climbed out of the cab and ran upstairs to his apartment on the third floor of the six-story brick building. As he jogged up the stairs, he could feel his legs burning from overuse. He had just worked a thirty-one hour shift at the hospital and wanted nothing more than to shower, eat, and then sleep. Unfortunately, his flight was leaving in two hours. He didn't have any time to eat or sleep. When he reached his door, he quickly unlocked it and walked inside. He shrugged off his coat and peeled off his scarf. Midorima threw both articles of clothing onto the coat rack nailed onto the wall. Dropping his keys on the kitchen counter, he ventured across the small living room and into his bedroom. Thankfully, he had packed before he went into work. Midorima sputtered, he really wanted to just lie down on his comfy bed.

He rubbed his tired eyes and shook his head. He grabbed hold of his suitcase and duffle bag. Dragging his stuff into the small kitchen, Midorima decided to make a quick cup of coffee before he departed. As he got the machine brewing, he walked back over to the door placing his stuff beside it. In one swift motion, Midorima slipped his black coat back on and wrapped his dark red scarf around his neck. It just so happened that today's lucky item was a red scarf, but the hospital staff didn't really like when he brought his lucky items with him. They would always complain it took up to much room, but he still brought them anyways if they could fit in his locker.

Running back into the kitchen, Midorima grabbed his forest green thermos and snapped the lid onto it. He did on final check to make sure he had everything he needed. His phone was in his pocket, his passport was in the duffle bag along with his plane ticket, and his coffee was in hand. Assuming he had everything, Midorima grabbed his keys and slipped out the door with his belongings. The sucky part about living on the third floor was when you had to carry heavy things down or up. Muttering a few curses under his breath, Midorima made a mental note to request to move onto the first floor once his lease ended in the summer.

When he reached the sidewalk, Midorima walked to the cab and popped the trunk open. He tossed his suitcase inside along with his duffle bag and slammed it closed. His green eyes drifted back to his apartment building before he sighed. The vapors of his breath fogged up his glasses and he quickly took them off. As he wiped them clean, he got into the cab and told the driver to get him to JFK Airport as fast as he could. The driver gave him a thumbs up and started driving down the road.

Midorima only started speaking to his sister again about a year ago. She was mad at him at first, calling him an idiot and saying that she hated him, but also missed him. They had always gotten along and were actually very close. His mother said that she cried for days after he left, and she was even more upset when he refused to talk to her. He told his mom to tell her how sorry he was, but that he just needed some time to get his life together. Two years ago, Midorima emailed his sister for the first time. He wrote her a long letter telling her how sorry he was, that he missed and loved her, and he told her all about his new life in New York. The only thing his sister said in response was: Are you happy?

Midorima replied with one simple answer: Not always.

From then on the two emailed each other once a day and rekindled their sibling relationship. About a year into it, his sister told him that she really needed to talk to him. She said she wanted to physically hear his voice and told him to call her. At first he was very hesitant about it all, but he called her. They talked for about an hour and before they hung up, his baby sister told him: "I'm engaged, Oniisan!"

He was happy for her, he really was and she told him that his wedding gift to her could be for him to come to Japan for the wedding. Midorima instantly told her no, which broke her heart and made her angry. She didn't talk to him for four months even when he tried to email and call her. He felt guilty for flat out denying her, so he finally swallowed his fear and pride and told his mom that he would try to get some vacation time from the hospital. That was when she devised the plan to make it a surprise. The Chief of Surgery allowed him to have one week off to visit his family in Japan, and for the past six months Midorima had kept it a secret along with his mother and father.

"Mind if I ask where you're heading?" the driver asked, trying to make some small talk.

The young green haired doctor looked into the rearview mirror and sighed softly. "I' going back to Japan for my little sister's wedding." He forced a smile and looked back out the window as they drove down the highway.

"Wow! Well congratulations," the driver said with a bright smile and a small laugh. "How long have you been in the States?"

"Five years," Midorima replied, looking at the driver through the small mirror.

"Have you been back since?" the driver inquired.

Midorima shook his head. "No, I have not."

"Well your English is really good," the driver complimented with a laugh.

"Thanks, I have been practicing since I entered college almost nine years ago," Midorima replied, and it was true when he entered college he took classes to improve his English. It worked out very well since he ended up coming to America, not that he had ever planned too. Of course, everything changes with time.

"That's very impressive, and you're a doctor too?" the driver, who was a stubby man with thinning hair, asked as he glanced up into the mirror.

"Yeah, I'm finishing my residency this summer," Midorima replied with a small smile. He couldn't really deny the fact that he was proud his one year internship and four years of crazy hours and barely able to afford rent was coming to an end.

"Good for you," the driver said. "What specialty are you in?"

"Pediatrics," Midorima replied.

"That's great, " the driver said as he took an exit and Midorima saw the air field with all the huge passenger planes. "Well, I hope you have a nice time in Japan."

"Yeah, I do too," Midorima replied as he pushed his glasses up a little bit.

The car rolled up to the drop off area, and Midorima sighed. There was no turning back now, he was at the airport and his flight was leaving in one hour. He pulled some cash out of his wallet and handed it to the driver, thanking him for the ride. As he got out of the taxi, he walked to the trunk and pulled out his belongings. The cold New York air rushed passed him and he shivered a bit as he slammed the trunk closed.

He stepped onto the sidewalk and stared at the doors of the huge airport. This was the very same airport he had come in through five years ago. Midorima licked his lips and walked inside, hoping and praying that the universe would be nice to him during his little trip to Japan.