I won't make any promises 'cuz I'm 100% human trash and I take forever to update every time orz, but the end is surprisingly closer than you might expect (as in: very close). If you're a wonderful human still keeping up with this fic then god bless you 'cuz omg I hate me.

After her day of many random encounters, Haruka found it extremely mundane to have a normal shift of work. Yet, it was too early to say so as it was only the early morning. Her internal clock was so upside down that she couldn't even tell what month she was in, but she was doing better. At least, she liked to think so.

So, as her bowl of cereal stared up at her, she wondered if she was finally okay. It scared her to think that her mind could give in at any moment; that she's fall back into the crippling anxiety that had been eating at her for months; but it was unavoidable. Her doctor even told her it was normal… it had to be…

As she was getting lost in thought, she got startled by a vibration on the table. It only took a little freak-out for her to realize it was just her phone. Goodness, she needed to be more focused on reality.

Checking the caller ID, she quickly swiped to pick up. She could only hope that whatever reason he had for calling wouldn't emotionally affect her.

"Kotobuki-senpai?" She knew far too well by that point that saying anything beyond his name would go unanswered. Reiji was a little ecstatic when it came to greetings.

Perhaps he knew she thought that of him but regardless of it, what came out of his mouth next was so fast and incomprehensible that she stayed silent long enough for him to ask if she was there. "Yes, I'm sorry. What was it, again?"

The response to her newly formed question wasn't the best either, but at least this time she understood. He did nothing but complain about her lack of attention. Funny how she could tell by the way he spoke that he was pouting.

She knew he was only calling because he was worried, but the most she could do was smile at his attempts of cheering her up. It was a little counterproductive though, as she realized he couldn't actually see her. So, before silence made the conversation too awkward to continue, she thanked him for calling.

"It's the least I could do," He muttered. It was such a strange thing to hear for her that she couldn't help the words that escaped her in response.

"Why?" Not a single sound came through after her question, almost as if he'd never said anything in the first place. Had she misheard him? Was she imagining things? Perhaps her phone had intercepted someone else's signal… maybe even a radio; there was no way to tell. Still, as she was about to attempt to talk again, she heard him take an extremely deep breath.

"… Because, I… I know you've been struggling recently and I'm really sorry if I made anything worse." His tone of voice was so calm, so unlike the Reiji she normally dealt with that a chill ran down her spine. It was true that he'd been serious around her before but this whole conversation felt extremely different. It was almost as if he was confessing to some type of crime and she didn't understand why.

"Senpai… you've done nothing wrong, really. If anything, you've helped me." She spoke as clearly as she could, afraid he wouldn't believe her otherwise. And yet, after her voice vanished all that was left was static. Maybe he was pondering on her answer, but all she could feel was her sweaty palms and her increasing heart rate. Why was she so nervous? It was like she needed him to trust her.

After the insufferable silence, he seemed to relent, though his tone of voice showed he wasn't too sure about it. He'd asked her if he'd done the right thing only a day before too; it was really strange. That he'd feel so guilty that easily was beyond her.

Still, as the conversation went into small-talk town, she could still feel the curiosity nagging at the back of her mind. It was clear to her that she didn't know Kotobuki Reiji at all, but she couldn't allow herself to do so at the moment. She was still healing, still dreaming of a certain red haired boy; she couldn't try to heal someone else. As self-less as she was, she knew it'd only end up hurting everyone else.

So, with her mind made up, she finished her breakfast and packed up her things. She had a long day of meetings waiting for her.

At least, that was until she got to the building scheduled for most of said meetings. Not only was the place completely shut down, but it had a huge sign in the front that read: "under renovations". Haruka must've had the wrong address. Yet, after checking her email again, she found out that the meetings had not only been rescheduled but that she'd been informed of the renovations.

She felt like slapping herself for being so distracted, but what was done was done. All she could do was sigh and walk back out into the street, to look for a cab. She'd lost her ride, so she didn't have any better options.

As she walked down the empty, cold streets, she couldn't help but regret her shoe choices. But how was she to know she'd have to move so much? She wasn't wearing that high of heels, but it wasn't comfortable to try and stay standing while avoiding stepping on ice.

After what could only be described as thirty minutes or so, she (miraculously) reached a taxi stop unscathed. The fact that she'd even found it was a feat on its own, but that she hadn't fallen? She was clearly being watched over by angels.

Trying not to risk her luck by moving much more, she pressed her back against a nearby light pole to wait. The sign read that a taxi should come by every ten minutes, but when she'd called the company they said it'd take at least thirty to get where she was. It was good she was so patient.

Yet, so much time doing nothing would freeze her to death. At least, it felt that way. So, instead, she took out her phone and checked her messages. Surely it was a harmless choice. Wrong.

Staring back at her was a message from Otoya and, goodness, she could not get her heart to still. With trembling hands, she tapped on the screen, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them, she immediately read what he sent.

"I miss you."

It was enough to make her heart sink. So much so that she didn't realize she'd raised her hand to cover her mouth. Her face was starting to heat up and her vision was becoming more and more blurry, but she tried to fight back. She shook her head rapidly and, just like that, she shook the warmth away with the winter air. Just as she calmed down, the cab arrived.

She should've known, of course she should've. Considering her recent increase in distractedness, she should've expected something like that to happen. Yet, as the cab pulled her over at the Starish dormitories, she felt nothing but regret. The cloudy light of day made it even more apparent, but her mind was completely elsewhere, as usual. So when she heard the same three words she'd earlier read, she completely froze on the spot. She couldn't even look up, too afraid to face what she was about to.

"Please don't run away, I swear I won't do anything to hurt you" He said. His tone was as fragile as she felt. Something in his voice told her he was on the verge of tears; she remembered how that sounded like in him. So she did as he asked, afraid it'd be even worse to leave than to stay.

"I needed to talk to you, really really did," He started. "I know we've had some talks ever since we… you know… but nothing about us." His voice trailed off then, and she couldn't help but hope for him to say nothing more. So, acting on impulse, she made one last move to remain whole.

"Please don't. I won't change my mind." She could only hope it was enough to get her point across. Yet, she was afraid she'd spoken too harshly, too loudly. It was difficult for her to hear her own voice because her heart was beating too loud, so she could only hope for the best.

Instead of receiving some type of protest in response to her words, the result was much worse than she could've ever expected. As much as he didn't say anything back, his sobs were loud enough for her to look up. And just like that, finally seeing how bad he was doing, she felt her own tears roll down her face.

It was all so unfair, so painful, but they had to be strong. This time there was no Reiji to jump to her rescue, only her own determination. She knew what had to be done, she knew how to do it, but seeing him so broken shook her resolve in ways she hadn't expected. Was it possible that he'd been more affected by their breakup than her? That was the only explanation. She'd learned that needing to date someone in order to be happy wasn't healthy, but… maybe he hadn't. Or maybe it was bigger than that.

Even though they'd dated in the past, their relationship had only lasted a month, and she hadn't learned that much about him during that time. Perhaps this was the moment to change that.

So she took a deep breath, swallowing her pride along with her tears, and cut the space between them. Without hesitation, Haruka wrapped her arms around Otoya, holding on tightly until he eased onto her touch. Slowly but surely, he leaned down and shed every single tear he had left on her shoulder.

They could've stood there for hours, minutes or a whole life, but just like old times: in that moment they were all that mattered.

"It'll be okay." She whispered to him. And for the first time in a long while: she completely believed it.