It was the fourth month of Akashi's absence, and the very day the couple had first met. Kuroko was drowning in his thoughts, not to mention his beer as he sat in the local bar, slumped onto the counter.
His mind was already hazy, his cheeks flushed and eyes glazed. He wasn't quite drunk, just insanely buzzed. And not the good kind of buzzed either. His heart hurt more than ever, and no matter how much burning liquid he shot down his throat, none of it could replace that pain.
The bluenette sighed heavily as he heard footsteps approaching him. He had already turned down two offers for a 'good time,' and he turned to the mystery person to do just that, hoping to end the conversation before it began. But his jaw went slack as he stared up at an all too familiar face. When he finally managed to snap himself out of his own stupor, he grimaced.
"What are you doing here, Akashi?"
The redhead frowned. "You haven't called me Akashi since our first date, Tetsuya."
He rolled his eyes, taking another large gulp of his drink before slamming it back onto the bar top. "And you haven't spoken to me since your engagement."
"… Tetsuya, I know I was foolish. You have to believe me, I never meant to hurt you."
The bluenette scoffed, laughing humorlessly. "Believe you? After that? You lied to me during the entirety of our relationship."
Akashi frowned deeply, looking to the floor. "I know. I'm sorry. I just… I wanted to enjoy the time I had with you."
"Did you? Playing pretend with dear Tetsuya~?"
A small growl bubbled from his throat. "Will you stop that? I'm trying to apologize here, at least give me the chance!"
"Why, Akashi? So you can feed me pretty words, build up my trust, and snatch my heart out of my chest once more?" He laughed softly at the dumbfounded, horrified look on his ex-lover's face. "Fuck off."
"…. I don't want to marry her."
"Then why are you?"
"It's a business transaction."
Kuroko snorted, taking another large gulp. "Arranged marriages still occur here, Akashi?"
"Yes, dammit. In my family, they do. Listen, Tetsuya, I w-"
"I'm done listening." Kuroko's eyes were suddenly very aware, sharp and narrowed dangerously as he glared at the redhead before him.
Akashi held his hands up in surrender, realizing then that there was no negotiating with the bluenette. Not now, anyway. And by the look in his eyes, he feared not ever.
"Fine, okay. But, I love you, Tetsuya."
The bluenette suddenly flung his drink off the table, aimed directly for Akashi himself. The redhead barely dodged the glass before it smashed into pieces on the dirty floor below.
"How can you say that?" Kuroko exclaimed, his sudden outburst bringing him the attention of every occupant in the room. "How can you dare say that you love me? You ruined my life! You lied to my face every day, you made me lose my job! Do you know how hard I worked for that job? Of course not, you've never worked a day in your life! And you want to say you love me? Fuck off, Seijuro!"
Akashi stood in silence, appalled by the scene he'd just witnessed. In all the days he'd been with Kuroko, he'd never seen the bluenette so angry. He'd never even heard him speak above his normal tone in the privacy of their home, and here he was, yelling at him in public. This was the moment Akashi realized how badly he'd fucked up, and he felt his heart snap in half within his chest, his eyes burning as if he was about to cry. Yet, no tears would come. Even his body knew he didn't deserve to cry over the situation. He'd lost any right to feeling sorry for himself the moment he hurt the one man he'd loved.
Swallowing the lump that had grown in his throat, the redhead nodded slowly. "You're right," he whispered softly, and he couldn't even bring himself to flinch when Kuroko's glare didn't soften in the slightest. "I'm sorry," was all he could manage to choke out, and he quickly spun on his heels, and briskly walked away.
He could feel all eyes on his back as he passed through the darkened room, judging him the way he deserved to be. His chest constricted, his lungs seemingly refusing to work properly. The edges of his vision were blurring quickly, and panic rose in his veins as he fully realized what he'd done.
He had to get out of there, he had to forget Kuroko. But his heart ached, knowing that if anything, that was impossible, to say the least.