The whole Haikyuu Stage play practically screamed High School Musical, like pls, the choreography, the dancing, and even that part where Shouyou literally breakdanced to get himself on his feet. Also I'm shorter than Noya and am being called "little bird" in class (due to my many bird keychains and my height lmao) anyway, last chapter is IN, YE M8.

And a few more epilogues to go 3

This chapter is filled with "bAM!", "ba-dump", and a lotta "muwah~" :D

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Okay, so he promised himself that once morning would come, he'd tell the truth right? But luck just wasn't cooperating with Onodera.

"Wh-what is this? Dammit, not today of all days, seriously!", he yelled, banging his head on his desk. His chest hurt, his stomach churned, his eyes unable to see straight. All of these were caused by none other than, who else?, Takano Masamune. Well at least that's what his mind thinks.

If his stomach, chest, and eyes were humans right now, he'd definitely want to punch them.

"Nee, Ricchan, are you okay? You've been shaking like a leaf since you got here, and you've been hitting your desk with your head every minute.", said Kisa, who worriedly checked the latter's cheeks and forehead for any sign of sickness. "I can't see straight, my chest keeps hurting, and my stomach keeps aching, but I'm fine, don't worry.", Onodera replied, a sort of reassuring smile appearing on his face.

"Seriously?! You call that fine?"

"Ah...well, I technically am fine, those things happen only randomly...and I honestly don't know why—"

"If it happens randomly, then you won't know when or where it will happen. What if you suddenly fainted and no one was there to help you?", Kisa was now shouting at the poor brunet, acting like a worried mother.

"But I really am fine, I can handle it!"

Finally, Kisa sighed in defeat. How could he convince the guy now when he knew how pouty and utterly hopeless Onodera can be when it comes to his own welfare? "Fine, but if you start feeling dizzy, don't blame me for not taking you to an infirmary or something, a'right?", he said, patting Onodera on the back lightly. "Okay...", the latter replied with a shy smile.

They both got back to work, avoiding the cold and harsh glares from one side of the desks.

A dark aura emitted from Takano, more like a jealous one though. Sure, Kisa and Onodera are friends, but this overly friendly relationship of theirs is straight out annoying., he thought. Glaring more and more daggers at the two.

Said people trembled while they worked.

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Tremble. Shiver. Tremble. Shiver.

Onodera had wished this wasn't just some stomach bug, a cold, or a fever, but this was way worse than any of those. He felt like dying, and puking. What could be worse?

Takano.

Yes, for some reason, Onodera's mind has been blaming Takano for whatever was happening to him, and he's sure enough that it's half true. Although that, he still can't get himself to believe it, but half of him says so otherwise.

"Ono—", just a single pat on the shoulder made Onodera jump nearly 2 meters high from his seat. "S-s-s-sorry, Takano-san!", he yelled, quickly dashing away to the hall.

In the split second that happened, the raven-haired man was left speechless and dazed. Until his eyes narrowed. "What's wrong with him?"

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"Have you seen Ricchan, Tori?"

"No, I haven't seen him since he last went to the bathroom."

"You don't think..?"

"What?"

"W-w-what if...what if something happened to him?! What if someone...or something had abducted hi—"

"And there's you and your stupid assumptions again. Will you stop that? Geez.", Takano barged in, smacking Kisa lightly with a rolled newspaper he stashed just in case. "Ow- But what if it was true? Come on, we all know you're just as worried as we are, Takano-san, probably even more than us.", said the baby-faced 31 year old, looking all smug right in front of his boss. "Well, you're not wrong. Onodera has been looking sick the whole day."

"He doesn't look sick, he is sick. Have you seen those blank, lifeless eyes of his the whole day? And might I not mention his very pale skin, much more pale than he already is everyday?", Hatori mentioned, an overly worried look forming on his face. "I think w—"

They were all cut off when a sudden appearance walked in, shyly saying "Um...I'm sorry..for skipping...work...", before slowly walking to his chair and sitting down. An eerie silence overcame the office. "Uh...where were you, Ricchan?", asked Kisa.

"We were really worried, we thought you were taken by someone, well, at least Kisa did.", Mino made a worried look.

"Ah, no, I-I'm fine. Really.", he shook his hands in front of him, telling the others that he's fine, really.

Suddenly, in a split second, a hand grabbed his own and dragged him to the bathroom.

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"There's something you're not telling me, Ritsu.", the seriousness of Takano made Onodera tremble. "W-wha...", he stuttered.

"I hoped and hoped...and yet...you're in love...with Kisa...you-", uncharacteristically, Takano made a pouty-crying face.

"WOAH WOAH WOAH, WHAT THE HELL!"

"-what?"

"Just how the hell did you come up with that idea, you ass!"

"You skipped almost half the day, kept yourself inside an office washroom, and you wouldn't even tell me, your boss, who is in fact extremely worried, why you did it! And you're calling me an ass?!", now this was just getting more and more uncharacteristic and stupid. "Can you stop shouting for a second, you tyrannical boss!"

A long range of silence filled the room, both workers staring at each other, nearly killing each other with death glares.

"Okay, first of all, I am definitely not in love with Kisa-san. So please stop with all the nonsense!"

Suddenly, a very loud bang on the wall was heard, as strong hands held Onodera against the wall. "If that's not why you seem so sick, then why? Tell me...please. I'm worried..really worried..about you. So tell me right now, so I can help you. If I can't, then I won't be able to sleep knowing I couldn't solve your problem...so please.", begged Takano, making a pained, more worried look than ever before. "I-I...I don't...even know..", the brunet answered, and then he paused.

And he continued, "my chest hurts, my stomach keeps hurting, and my eyes can't see straight, and it all happens so randomly that I don't know what to do anymore...I-I-I'm really sorry about my lousy performance today! Please don't send me home! I promise I'll get better!", he cried, tears dripping down his soft, blushing cheeks. At this, Takano was caught off guard, how could he send him home? He was crying, for goodness' sake!

"Oi..do you really think I'm going to send you home when that's obviously not what you want? Yes, if you weren't crying right now, I would definitely do it, why? Not because I'm your boss, it's because I love you and I worry about you. So stop crying, it hurts me when I see you cry, dammit.", he explained, giving those soft, red-tinged cheeks a light caress.

The second-to-the-last phrase echoed in the brunet's mind. It was all so clear to him now, very clear. How could he have not noticed until now? The sincerity in Takano's words, all the love he's been trying to chase away, and the sparkly yet also painful feeling of love, he should have noticed all these ages ago, but he didn't. All because of the past, and denial.

"Look, I know we're going to be in trouble right now because of skipping so many work hours today, but, I just want you to know this; no matter how painful your past was, which was honestly because of me, you've got to let go of it. It's not a matter of whether you forget it or not, it's a matter of whether you recover from it. Believe me, I have a more lonely past than you do. The past is the past, just like how the present is the present. You can't control life completely, life is a bitch, yes I know, but life being so can make us think back and realize how it changed us. If you're still scared of experiencing the same hurt you experienced back then, well I can't do any shit about that, but the least I can do is give you the happiness you deserved since 10 years ago.", Takano's sincerity made Onodera's heart beat like a loud drum. His whole body heated up, his face turned red.

How can this man so tyrannical? How can this man so much of a jerk? How could he be the whole embodiment of the word "demonic" and yet..be so sweet, gentle, and kind?

It was just so confusing.

Oh God, help him.

As he tripped on his words, Takano spoke up again, "I'll go back to the office, come with me if you want. If you want to stay here for a bit longer, I'll tell everyone you feel really sick. Just, please. Don't scare me anymore.", he said, with a reassuring small, but sweet, smile forming on his face.

"I-I'll stay here...for a bit..."

"Okay then, Ritsu."

With that said, he walked out and headed to the Emerald Editing Department.

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Ah, he was really dead now. Tears came dripping down from his eyes, to his cheeks, then to the floor. "I really am stupid..ugh..", he cried.

It wasn't a stomach bug, nor a cold, nor a fever that was causing the symptoms. It was...

Love?

Yes, love.

Now he knew why it all happened so randomly. His chest hurt when he got close to Takano earlier, his eyes couldn't see straight when he met eye-to-eye with Takano, his stomach churned when he was reminded of the man that made him feel so weak, and yet so in love at the same time. Now his world was sparkly, just like 10 years ago, but it's way more sparkly now than then. Takano was right, it was a matter of whether or not you recover from the past, and he was so damn happy that he fell in love with the same man he loved back then.

Because if it weren't him, he wouldn't feel as ecstatic as a child who received tons of candy.

And he was sure as hell that, instead of running away from it, he'd run with it.*

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"Well well well, look who decided to come back, you two were in there for quite a long time, heheh~", teased Kisa, who was wiggling his brows.

"Shut up, Kisa-san...", Onodera replied, giving Kisa a grimace.

Then everyone else laughed along with both of them. Even Takano.

When it was finally time to go home, Onodera was the very first one to get his things and the first who got out of the building. Takano excused himself and also got out, following his subordinate to the train station.

It was a long, awkward ride back to their apartment, but Onodera, unable to take the awkwardness any longer, dashed away the moment the doors of the train opened. Leaving an annoyed Takano behind.

From the train station to their own apartments, it was incredibly awkward. With Takano following the poor brunet, and the latter trying very hard to get him away, and also failing miserably at it.

Finally, he stopped on his tracks, turning around and meeting face-to-face with the raven haired man. He made a pouty face, making Takano look confused with the sudden action. "What?", and that was his cue.

He stepped forward and in 0.2 seconds, lips met lips, and hands held hands.

Takano was at a daze, like he was in his life-long dream.

Onodera was kissing him, and wow who knew he was a good kisser- ah, but that wasn't the case, he was KISSING him, and it's lips-to-lips for god's sake! Oh, help him, this wasn't good for his heart.

The moment their lips parted, Onodera looked as dazed as he was, but lesser. He looked so cute like that, his soft, soft lips slightly separated, and his eyes glossy.

"Well that turned me on.", Takano said, smirking, before kissing him back, a little less gentle though. Onodera blushed deeper than he did when he initiated the kiss.

"You may be a good kisser, but I'm still way better than you when it comes to things more than this~ ", "now come, come. There are more things we should do.", he teased, dragging his now-boyfriend, who was actually screaming, into his apartment.

[in Takano's apartment]

"Takano-san...um.."

"Hm?"

"I..I..."

"Don't push yourse—"

"I love you!", Onodera yelled, with his eyes closed, and a bright blush appearing on his cheeks.

"Oh..wow, I didn't expect that to come out so easily. You did well. I love you, so much, too."

Onodera could barely keep the smile off his face, and so did Takano, as they cuddled against each other's warmth. So this was how he felt back then, he had forgotten how special this kind of love was. The kind that gave brightness to your world, the kind that sparkled in your eyes, the kind that made your heart dance with joy.

Sure, neither of them knew what will happen in the future, but they were happy enough with the present, and of course, good things happen to those who wait, right?

Onodera smiled against Takano's lips for the second time this day, as he wrapped his arms around the latter's neck, thinking "this (half) the best day ever."

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*i honestly don't know if it makes sense or not but eh

WhOOHOOOOO, I FINALLY REACHED CHAPTER 7! WEEEEEEEE~ I'm so grateful to those who supported me, complimented me, thank you so mwuuuuchhh, I love you all 3

Also about what I said, about the "bAM!", "Ba-dump", and "muwah" stuff, yeah, I think you all got it XD anyway, epilogues, here i cOME! They will surely be short but also very sweet, (I hope) sorry for any mistakes- i'm also sorry that I didn't put a lemon on there, but I honestly wasn't planning to 'cause, well..it wasn't necessary (to me) so please, don't get mad if you thought there was gonna be a lemon and you instead got a cheesy ending lmao XD joking- (but, rlly, they did do it, in our minds it's very clear that they did.)

Good bye and see you all again next time!

-•Momoya An•-