Tsukishima Kei slammed his hand down on his alarm clock, turning it completely off. He groaned, rubbing his face and sitting up. He stretched out his arms and yawned, rubbing his right eye again and glancing at the clock.

6:02 AM

He looked out his window. He could see only the various other buildings that surrounded his apartment in Tokyo. Though he could not see them, the familiar humming rising from down below confirmed the multitude of cars that were rushing by, numerous other people starting the day long before him. He rolled his neck around, yawning again, waking his body up. He swung his long legs around the edge of the bed, his left leg getting caught up in the sheets, bringing part of them down with him. Inhaling deeply, he didn't bother with his house slippers and instead made his way into the bathroom. He turned on the shower, letting the hot water run so that it could warm up.

After a quick shower, he tousled his hair with the towel, drying it off a bit. He stared at his reflection in the mirror. The bags under his eyes seemed to be getting worse, despite the fact that he got the recommended eight hours of sleep a night. He wasn't sure what more to do about it. Even in college, he hadn't been this way. And he had worked quickly enough to finish a year early, gaining enough recognition to secure a steady job immediately after. Being an editor wasn't exactly hard work. Not for him, anyway. Frustrating, perhaps. Definitely frustrating. It was as though these writers were a bunch of incompetent elementary school students, the way they composed their sentences. Their lack of vocabulary was also quite astonishing. The sparsity of their words was enough to make him cringe. He didn't know how so many had achieved their status with knowing only a handful of words.

He tossed his white shirt over his shoulders, doing the buttons up. He exited the bathroom, and put on his glasses before glancing at the clock again.

6:23 AM

Grabbing the tie that was hanging over his arm chair, he wrapped it around his neck, and stood in front of the mirror to tie it. Once finished, he reached over to his night stand to put on his watch and grab his phone. No notifications other than a few news updates and the weather report for the day. Of course, he had already checked the weather the night before. He glanced over to his bed, telling himself he would start making it beginning tomorrow; but right now he didn't have time. He made it to his front door and slipped on his shoes. Another day in the life of Kei, he thought grimly.

It seemed to him that the only variation to his daily routine was what he chose to eat for dinner. Or rather, what he chose to buy for dinner. He had never been a very good cook, and now that he lived alone, he quickly realized how limited his options truly were. As he walked down to catch the train, he wondered if perhaps his tiredness was due to his eating habits. He almost never had breakfast, after all. Although he did have rather large lunches, courtesy of the restaurant down the street from his work. He went so often that the owner now knew him by name, and gave him the occasional discount.

There was a sudden rush of wind as he descended down into the metro station. He grimaced, propping up the collar of his coat. He reached into his pocket, where his pass rested from the day before, and pulled it out to get through the gates. He had to tap it three times against the sensor before it let him through. Joining the mass migration of moving people, he held on tightly to his satchel, which carried a variety of papers and his laptop. He took a quick look at his watch.

6:27 AM

His train left promptly at 6:31. He didn't know why it was such an obscure time, but it granted him an extra minute every morning. In any case, at this distance, he'd surely make it in time. He continued down on his way, trying to reach the appropriate platform. In the dizzying rush of people trying to get to work, a young woman stood in front of one of the many maps that lined the underground, staring at it as though she had all the time in the world. Her fingertips rested just above her chin as her eyes darted across the illuminated guide. Kei couldn't help but find it slightly amusing, the fact that someone couldn't figure out how the trains worked. From the expression she held, she didn't even know where she stood currently. If he were anyone else, perhaps he would have offered assistance.

The young woman cocked her head to the side, and as Kei got closer, he realized that he knew who she was. His heart pounded irregularly, and he unknowingly stopped his even pace. People pushed past him, some muttering rude comments, and yet, he didn't move. He couldn't. His mouth had gone completely dry, his legs feeling like lead.

From down below, Kei could hear his train departing.

A/N: Hi everyone! If you read/are reading my Oikawa x OC fic, then you probably already know the deal. If you haven't, definitely go check it out! Chapters for this story will be relatively short by nature, and I'll try to keep the updates as regular as possible ^^