Author's Note: Hello everyone! Hope you enjoy this chapter, thanks so much for the comments on the previous chapter. Sorry for any typos or grammar errors you may encounter while reading. Love ya!

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

-Maya Angelou

Hate You

Midorima was walking aimlessly down the street. He wasn't sure if he was looking for Takao or if he was just trying to clear his head. It might have even been both. When his green eyes fell upon Takao, Midorima felt his knees buckle and the air in his lungs seemed to have disappeared. Had it really been five years since he'd seen Takao Kazunari? Takao looked well, which made Midorima happy. Nothing seemed to change about the grey-eyed man's appearance aside from looking a little beefier than before. Maya had mentioned he was a coach now, so he probably kept up real well with his workouts. Unlike Midorima, who lived off of nasty hospital salads and ran up and down the hallways whenever he was paged. That was about the only fitness and nutrition he seemed to have in his life. He rarely cooked because when he went to his apartment all he really did was sleep and shower.

Midorima finally stopped walking after about half an hour of wandering. When he stopped he looked around and found himself in the middle of a shopping district. The green haired man sputtered and ran his fingers through his hair. He wasn't sure if he should go back to his parents' home or down an entire bottle of hard liquor. The more he thought about it, the better a bottle of vodka was beginning to sound. Midorima wasn't much of a drinker, however when he was in New York there was a bar just three blocks down from the hospital. He often went there with some of the other interns and occasionally the nurses after a long hard day.

Midorima found an empty bench outside of a supermarket and sat down on it. He rested his elbows on his knees and pulled off his glasses. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Midorima cursed himself inwardly for deciding to come back. It was important to his sister, he knew that and it was important to his family. Regardless of that though, Midorima just wasn't ready to face Takao. In fact, Midorima didn't think he could ever face him. Where would he even begin? It was bad enough he left without a word, but to have cheated on him before he left was a literal stab right in the heart. And even if he apologized profusely and swore up and down he never meant to hurt Takao, it wouldn't matter because he already had.

Midorima put his glasses back on and rubbed his temples. He didn't have the energy for this. A surgery was less stressful than this. Of course, Midorima was never good at expressing himself. That wouldn't excuse what he did though, even Takao drew the line somewhere. He felt lower than rock bottom, but if he wanted to look on the positive side the only direction he could go was up.

"Shintaro?"

The man on the bench stopped massaging his temples. His green eyes opened up and he slowly looked over to his left. Standing at the other end of the bench, looking as debonair as ever with a brown paper bag of groceries was none other than Akashi Seijuro. Midorima's mouth slowly fell open, but he quickly closed it and pushed his glasses up. The redhead chuckled lightly at the nervous tick that Midorima had even when they were in middle school together.

"Akashi Seijuro," Midorima greeted politely as he tried to keep his composure together. "How are you?" the doctor asked with a weak smile as he turned to face Akashi.

"Five years and that's the only reaction I get?" Akashi asked with a raised brow. Midorima was surprised by his tone of voice and his facial expression. It was very unlike him to seem so relaxed. The Akashi that Midorima knew was formal, prim, and proper. Of course, he had to remind himself a lot could change in five years. Unfortunately, his feelings for Takao hadn't seemed to change even a pinch in five years.

"I thought it was a standard greeting," Midorima mused as he looked Akashi up and down. He was in black slacks with a dark red long sleeve button down tucked in nice and neat. There was a black silk tied around his neck and his shoes were so shiny, Midorima swore he could see his reflection. When his green eyes lifted back up to Akashi's face, he smiled weakly and looked away from those heterochromatic eyes of his.

"Fair enough, you never were one to express your feelings," Akashi stated, hitting the nail right on the head. Midorima licked his lips and sat up a little straighter. "But running, you were always good at running." The redhead sat down on the other end of the bench and put his bag of groceries down in between them.

"You haven't changed much," Midorima muttered.

"It's only been a couple of minutes," Akashi said as he stared at Midorima, who was refusing to look at him. "Anyways," he paused for a moment and looked out into the parking lot, "you're back in Japan after five long years and you decide to begin your return by sitting in a supermarket parking lot?"

"Yes," Midorima deadpanned, but Akashi only snickered since he knew it was a blatant lie. "You look good, Akashi."

"Thank you," the redhead said with a single nod. "What's wrong? Were you expecting your return to Japan to be pleasant? Five years without a single word to any of your friends and your ex-lover, surely you knew it would blow up in your face."

Akashi was contemptuous him and it irked him.

"You and your sister were always close though, it would only make sense for you to return for her wedding," Akashi added in, which caused Midorima to look at him with intrigue. As far as he knew, Akashi and his family had only spoken a handful of times. And each of those times was at basketball games, nothing more than that.

"How do you know about that?" Midorima asked with a raised brow. This was Tokyo; it wasn't like a small town where everyone knew everyone's business. Thousands of people lived within the city, millions even.

"It's complicated," Akashi replied with a small half-hearted shrug.

"Then make it simple," Midorima said harshly, surprising the redhead a bit. The green haired man was never one to get snappy with anyone. He would be firm, but never snappy.

"You ran into Takao," Akashi assumed, and Midorima quickly looked away. "Did you say anything to him?"

"Like what?" Midorima asked, but Akashi only stared at him. "I'm actually asking you. What could I possibly say to him? He hates me."

"Is that why you're sitting here moping on this bench?" Akashi asked with a small chortle. He shook his head and rested one of his arms along the backrest of the bench. "I see becoming a doctor in America hasn't taught you how to deal with stressful situations."

"Surgery is straight forward," Midorima stated as he looked into Akashi's eyes. "Handling people's feelings is delicate and has no guide or textbook answer."

"You can start with why you left, because that's probably all he wants to know," Akashi said simply, but Midorima scoffed.

"Like it's that simple," Midorima snorted as he pushed his glasses up.

"It is that simple," Akashi retorted.

Midorima didn't respond. He was always a little awkward and shy when it came to expressing his feelings. It made him feel like he was on display or something whenever he opened that door of emotions. Akashi was probably right though. The simplest and easiest thing he could do, would be explaining to Takao why he left. That's what he intended to do too, but he didn't even know how or where to begin.

"Don't leave again without fixing what you left behind," Akashi said as he grabbed his grocery bag and stood up from the bench. "Actually it's pretty much fixed, but there are still a few parts missing that only you can amend."

"I don't know," Midorima mumbled as he looked down at the ground.

"My advice to you is to be honest with Takao," Akashi explained as he walked towards the edge of the sidewalk and looked back at Midorima. "I have to go now, but I'll see you at the wedding."

"You're attending?" Midorima inquired with wide eyes.

"Yes," Akashi replied with a single nod as he walked off before Midorima could bombard him with a slew of questions.

-###-

Midorima found himself standing in front of a club. He wasn't one to go drink his misery away, but right now it seemed like a good idea. When he opened up the door of the bar, he stepped inside and looked around. It was a modern looking bar, clean, spacious, and the music wasn't unbearably loud at all. There were several groups sitting on some black lounge couches and high tables with sleek looking stools. Across from the entrance was a wall to wall bar that was nicely lit up with glass shelves adorned with bottles of liquor and beer bottles. Fixed cushioned stools were lined along the bar that was being manned by three people. There were about ten people sitting at the bar, but there were still a dozen open seats.

"What can I get you?" the man asked. He wore a simple black t-shirt and dark washed jeans with a white dish rag tucked in his back pocket. Midorima took a seat and drummed his index finger on the counter as he looked at the wall of liquor.

"Whiskey Sour," Midorima replied as he pulled out his wallet, handing him both his ID and a credit card. "Open tab." The bar tender nodded as he took the card and glanced down at the ID. He stared at it for a second before pushing it back to him. Midorima watched as he walked down and leaned over to talk to another man. The other man straightened up and whipped around.

"Midorimacchi!"

"Oh no," Midorima groaned as he watched the blond from his middle school and high school years walk over. The green haired man took in a deep breath and looked up at the blond. "Hello Kise."

"Five years! Where the hell have you been?" Kise asked as he stood in front of Midorima and leaned against the counter. He hadn't changed much, still the pretty boy blond with an impeccable fashion sense. He wore ripped up jeans that hung on his hips and his black shirt was tight fitting, showing off all his muscles. Midorima had to admit the blond looked pretty good just a little older.

"I've been doing my residency in New York City," Midorima explained, cutting straight to the chase. "I'm a pediatric surgeon now."

"You work with kids?" Kise asked with a smile as he started making Midorima's drink. The young doctor nodded his head and pursed his lips slightly. Kise smiled happily and garnished Midorima's drink with a cherry and orange slice. He pushed it over to Midorima and rested his chin in his the palm of his hand. "That's really impressive, Midorimacchi. You look...well you look like shit."

"Thank you," Midorima replied sarcastically with a weak smile as he picked up his drink and took a sip. "I feel like it too."

"Do you?" Kise asked with a raised brow. "Imagine how Kazu must feel," Kise mused, causing Midorima to choke on his drink. He put it down on the counter and pushed his glasses up. "I think you should talk to him more than anyone else here, he's the one you hurt the most." Kise looked over to the right side of the club and Midorima followed his gaze. Standing over by the pool table with his back to him, talking to Kasamatsu Yukio was Takao.

"I would wander into a bar Takao would be at," Midorima grumbled to himself and picked his drink back up.

"This is my bar, well actually it's Yu-chan's, but I'm co-owner," Kise explained with a bright smile on his face. Midorima furrowed his brows before he realized Kise was talking about Kasamatsu. "We opened it two years ago, I still model and moonlight as a bar tender." The blond chuckled and sighed softly.

"You aren't gonna get up here and strip are you?" Midorima asked, trying to not visualize.

"I might if you don't talk to Kazu," Kise stated, causing Midorima to scrunch up his nose. The blond gave Midorima a sympathetic smile and waved for him to go. "We can catch up when you fix the damage you caused." The blond looked as if he was about ready to crawl over the bar and kick him across the club to Takao. Midorima sipped on his drink and Kise rolled his golden eyes, ripping it away from him. "Go! Now!" Kise snapped, pointing over to Takao.

"Let me have my liquid confidence at least," Midorima said as he tried to grab the glass, but Kise kept it away from him. "Kise."

"You really shouldn't be drunk for this," Kise pointed out with a small smile. "I'm saving you from yourself."

"Kise, don't take this the wrong way, but screw you," Midorima grumbled with narrowed eyes as he turned in his chair. He looked back over to Takao and took in a deep breath.

"I have a boyfriend, I'm sexually—"

"Shut-up!" Midorima interrupted before the blond hand the chance to finish his sentence. He got up from the chair and started walking towards Takao by the billiards. Kise nodded his head happily and hoped that Takao was in a listening mood. "Fuck, fuck, fuck," Midorima muttered under his breath as he got closer and closer to Takao and Kasamatsu.

Midorima was about to turn around and walk away, but Kasamatsu spotted him. The green haired man licked his lips and froze where he stood. The dark haired man who owned the club opened his mouth, but quickly closed it and looked back at Takao. Midorima closed his eyes and when he opened them again a few seconds later, Takao was looking at him. His stormy eyes were fixed on him and Midorima was about ready to run and hide.

Kasamatsu said something to Takao, who nodded slowly and handed him his pool stick. The dark haired man walked over to Midorima and stopped a few steps in front of him. Midorima took in a sharp breath and Takao looked down at the ground.

"Come on," Takao said, nodding towards some glass doors that lead out into a covered patio area. He started walking towards the doors and Midorima reluctantly followed him. It was too late to run away now, but it seemed to be a popular opinion that he was good at it. As he walked after Takao, he kept telling himself to stay calm and just take everything one-step at a time. "We can talk out here," Takao said when he pushed the door open.

Midorima glanced at Takao for a moment before walking past him and out onto the patio. It was a stone paved patio, not overly big, but enough for eight tables that seated for people. A wooden trellis that had string lights decorating it covered the patio. In the four corners there were also torches that were giving the area a nice warm glow. Midorima turned around when he heard the door close and the music became muffled. Perfectly enough, no one was on the patio, giving the two of them complete privacy.

"I—"

"No!" Takao interrupted quickly, staring right into Midorima' green eyes. "I get to talk first."

Midorima pressed his lips together firmly, but nodded in agreement. He gestured for Takao to unleash his fury and stood patiently. His green eyes watched Takao closely as he took in a sharp breath and closed his stormy grey eyes. The dark haired man cursed silently to himself and walked over to one of the wooden tables. He sat down on the top of it, his feet just barely touching the bottom as he did so. Midorima watched him, wondering if he was going to yell, throw things, curse his very existence, or worst of all just sit there in complete silence.

Takao looked at Midorima and licked his lips. "It's funny, you know?" Takao asked with a stifled laugh as he rubbed his face with his hands. "I dreamed of this moment, planned for it, literally practiced it in a mirror."

Midorima looked down at the ground, avoiding the sadness and anger that was glowing in Takao's eyes.

"I had all this hate and anger and grief just built up inside," Takao revealed as he placed an open hand on his chest and gripped his shirt tightly in a fist. "And I kept telling myself when I saw you again that I would destroy you," he paused and let go of his shirt, tears welling up in his eyes as he shook his head with a bitter look on his face, "I would make you feel so guilty, so fucking miserable for leaving me and not even telling me why. For five years all I have ever asked myself, every day, every minute was: why. And it was awful and horrible and I just...I just hated your guts." Takao stared at Midorima, who was looking back at him with disappointment written all over his face.

Takao moved off of the table and stood on the stone ground. He put his hands in the pockets of his coat and shook his head. For some reason, Takao couldn't bring himself to say what he'd wanted to say for five long years. Everything he wanted to scream and shout just seemed to vanish from his mind the moment Midorima had walked into the kitchen back at his parents house. In his mind, he imagined things to go so differently, in a way Takao felt robbed that how he met Midorima again didn't meet his expectations. The idea was that Takao would shove Midorima against the wall, yell every last ounce of pain he felt, and then leave. That's all he wanted to do, but when Midorima walked into that kitchen all those feelings of hate and anger just melted away.

"But for some damn reason," Takao muttered as he walked closer to Midorima, looking up at him and catching his green eyes. "When you walked into that kitchen, everything I have wanted to say to you for the last five years escaped me. And it was because of that look...that damn look on your face. For those short seconds, I could see it and it made me hate you, love you." Takao grabbed Midorima by the front of his shirt and yanked him forward. "Why did you leave me?" he sobbed as he let go of Midorima's shirt and just laid his head against the taller man's chest.

Midorima hesitated for a moment and wrapped his arms around Takao, holding him close, supporting him the way he should have the last five years. He closed his eyes and rested his chin on Takao's head, trying his best to calm the man. The green haired doctor was about to say something, but Takao pulled away quickly. Midorima was startled by Takao's actions and looked at his tear stained face.

"I don't want to love you, Shin-chan," Takao croaked out as he wiped his tears away. "I just want to be happy again."

"I never—"

"Never meant to hurt me?" Takao finished for him with a grimace. "But you did, and honestly nothing you say is going to change that." With those words Takao turned around and walked back inside the club, leaving Midorima alone and out in the cold.