I’ve actually never written a fight on this blog??? This should be interesting? Also, mdr, “the woman to go to for quality Tendou,” as if Tendou is a drug and I’m a dealer. Well… I mean… metaphorically… I suppose… witty…
Also Tendou has a roommate?? Can he be classified as an OC? He doesn’t have a name?
Also it takes place in the same universe as this thing everyone loves just to let you know ack I”M RAMBLING SORRY
__ was always patient. Perhaps, Tendou pondered, that was what made them so compatible. She had always been so unwaveringly tolerant of the way he ran his mouth, whether he was over-enthused or over-thinking, Tendou couldn’t think of one time where she hadn’t been calm. Although Tendou knew tempests arise out of the calmest tropical waters, and he swam out too far and got caught in one.
“__, how’s it feel?”
__ barely spared him a glance as her eyes darted between him and the textbook she was studying. Friday nights had become a ritual between them; him wanting to do anything that didn’t involve himself being alone, and her much rather utilizing her time with her nose in a book. She’d come over, study, or at least, try to with him occupying the space next to her on the bed. There had been an odd feeling in Tendou’s gut all day now, and watching her comb through pages made him even more uneasy.
“How does what feel?” She said, albeit absent. Tendou figured he could’ve said anything then and she wouldn’t really pick up on it.
“To be so anxious all the time?”
She had definitely heard him, though. She was used to questions like this, she had to have been, by now, at least. She furrowed her eyebrows and looked up at him, the softness of her face turning downwards.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” She pondered, rolling her eyes and directing her attention back on her book. Tendou didn’t fail to notice the way her grip tightened around the edges of the cover, though. Her knuckles were practically white.
“It means exactly what you think it means. Does it suck to be afraid of everything?” He waited for her standoffish, sarcastic remark to come, they usually came flying in seconds after he had insulted her, but there was nothing, silence. The only noise was the sudden dull ‘thump’ of heavy pages closing in on each other.
“I… I’m not really afraid of everything. It’s… it’s complex in the way that-”
“Oh? Are you stuttering?” Tendou laughed, which he shouldn’t have, because the already crooked expression on her face tensed up even more. “Am I making you anxious?”
“Why are you acting like this?” The tone of her voice was broken just above a whisper. She was looking straight at him a minute ago but now she didn’t even dare look up in his general direction. Her fingers slipped off the side of the bed and started feeling around for the straps of her bag. Her eyes never left their place on the floor.
“Acting like what?” Tendou scooted closer to her, only for her to stand up, immediately, and almost topple over. “Oh, __, don’t tell me your social anxiety is getting so bad that you can’t even talk to your own boyfriend, hm?”
The room was silent for a moment, her back turned to his and the only noise to be heard was the soft tick-ticks of his roommates clock. The noise to break the monotony was a sniffle, just loud enough to be heard, and Tendou wasn’t sure it was coming from her or him.
“__..?” Tendou muttered, pondering whether or not he should stand up and reach to her. “Listen, are you really that upset, ‘cause-”
That’s when she turned around to face him, her cheeks ruby red and not in the way he liked. There were tears rolling down her cheeks, not enough to be considered a cry, but enough to express the way her broken eyes glistened in the dim light of his desk lamp. There were very few instances he had ever seen __ cry, once over a hurt pigeon they saw hobbling around campus, and another over the likelihood of him. Although, the other time didn’t break her heart like this did.
“Y’know…” Her voice wasn’t broken like he’d expect it to be. It ran flat, stoic, like a recording of something that wasn’t human. “I think it’s really funny that I’ve put up with every single piece of your shit, but you can’t even accept a little bit of mine.”
“__…”
“Don’t” She stated, loud, clear. It echoed off the walls and Tendou was sure it was loud enough for the neighbors to hear. “I think it’s really funny how I’ve actually cried with you over your own mental problems but you can’t even accept the fact that I overthink. Don’t you? That I sometimes actually stress myself out over problems that aren’t even mine but I get made fun of because I can get exceptionally nervous?” Her voice wasn’t flat anymore, it was cracking. It was louder and tainted with the slightest hint of anger, but she wasn’t angry. Not yet.
“That’s petty, __. Don’t use the “I think it’s really funny how” line on me.” Tendou stood up from the bed, and she moved back. Her bag was still dangling from her hand.
“I have every right to be petty. What the fuck is wrong with you?”
“Well excu-use me for not realizing you wouldn’t take a joke!”
“My mental health isn’t a joke, Satori!”
“Well you treat it like one!”
The room fell silent once again, __’s bloodshot eyes widening. Another tear slipped down her cheeks. She was silent, the lips she had been gnawing on, agape.
“You…” She muttered, slinging her bag over her shoulder without breaking eye contact with him.
“__, I didn’t mean it like that.”
“Really? What did you mean then?” She cocked her head, taking a few steps away from him again. Tendou didn’t reply, he couldn’t. “You’re so selfish! I actually cannot believe this! Do you ever hear me making depression jokes? Have I ever once put you down for anything wrong with you?”
“No, but it’s not like it would be the end of the world if you did!”
“Really? Really? I was fine before Satori. I really would’ve been fine with a little “sorry” and I would’ve cut it. But I’m a joke? Am I just a joke to you?”
“You’re damn acting like one! What’s wrong with you today?”
“What’s wrong with me today?” She was all but screaming now, hands balled into fists and shoved in her pockets. “God, you know what, you really are a monster. Goodnight, Satori.”
She turned around on her heel and stormed towards the door. He wasn’t sure what the plunging feeling in his chest was, but he was honest it was the closest thing to heartbreak. When he saw her tugging at the doorknob with shaking hands, that’s when he knew he had seriously, horrendously, ultimately, fucked up. There was something else in him though, something other than sadness, that made him storm up to her and yank her away from the door.
“I’m a monster, huh?” He spat, his hand tight around her knuckles as he loomed over her, pushing her back into the living area.
“Yes.” She scrunched up her nose and licked her lips, watching him tentatively to make the next move. “You’re a monster.”
“I really don’t get why you have to be so over-fucking-dramatic about this! Why couldn’t you’ve just told me to shut the fuck up! I would’ve!”
“Really? Would you? You don’t work like that, Satori, I know you.” She hissed through her teeth and yanked her hand away from his, her nail accidentally cutting the side of his thumb. She didn’t notice, and neither did he.
“You don’t know shit about me.”
“I don’t? I really don’t? Satori, you’ve told your entire sob story a million times! “Oh I got bullied,” “oh everyone hates me.” I can see why!”
Tendou was at a loss for words at this point, the plunging, surging in his veins making him feel cold. He should’ve known it was a bad idea to pick at her, someone who really did know him better than he did himself. She could disassemble him and put him back together if she wanted, and most importantly, break him down. He didn’t even feel like shouting anymore, if he was being honest. He pushed himself to, anyways.
“You’re being a real bitch, __. Do you even know what you’re saying?”
“I’m well fucking aware of what I’m saying!”
“Then why are you saying it?”
__ paused for a moment, gnawing at her lips again. Tears were still running down her face yet she didn’t let her aggressive facade down.
“God, its because I love you!” She shouted, turning around and heading for the door. “I love you and it really fucking hurts when it seems like you don’t love me, okay?”
“It doesn’t seem like you love me.”
“Well I do. I care about your opinion more than your shitty little brain could ever articulate. That’s why I’m overreacting. That’s why I can’t just tell you to shut up.” She paused for a moment, looking at him from the doorstep, wanting to say more, Tendou knew because her lips were pursed together so tight he was afraid she’d split one.
“Goodnight, Satori.” She spared him one last glance before slamming the door behind her, and her hurried footsteps clambered down the hall.
Tendou felt empty in the void of his dorm. He sat down on the edge of his bed and rested his face in his hands, and much to his surprise, when he sat back up, his fingertips were wet. He had definitely messed up.
It had been three days since the argument. Tendou really didn’t realize how much he depended on another person until he found himself locked up in his dorm the entire weekend, along with the entire following Monday. He had missed all his classes for the day, but ultimately, he didn’t care. It had been a while since he had felt this disgusting, the last time he could recall was losing his last match of senior year. He couldn’t even classify this feeling as sadness, there were too many other feelings mixed in for him to just be sad. He felt guilty, disgusted, livid, his mood was a cesspool of negativity. His roommate had teasingly pointed out that he looked like shit, to which Tendou had wholeheartedly accepted. The lack of sarcasm made his roommate threaten to call the RA, which he didn’t, just tugged the bed sheet off of him and forced him out of the room to go take a shower.
“Call your girlfriend before you die in here.” His roommate had joked, “Or maybe I’ll just let you die, I’d get a 4.0 sympathy GPA from the board.”
It wasn’t until Tuesday night when Tendou mustered up the courage to send her a text. Usually she responded in seconds, but this response was delayed by hours. She ignored his message of “can we talk?” and jumped to, “I’m coming over.” Tendou didn’t mind, he worked well with confrontation. Though, he was definitely worried another argument would strike, that would be the last thing he’d want. His roommate was spending the night at his boyfriend’s dorm, but if he were to still drop by somehow, he’d hate for him to be caught up in an argument.
At six-thirty on the dot, there came a knock on his door. He figured he must look like a wreck, his last shower was Sunday morning, and he hadn’t slept much since then, either. He dragged himself over to answer her, though. Before he had the chance to open the door, she knocked again, which, for some reason, made his stomach lurch. There was the possibility that he was a bit nervous.
He swallowed thickly, swallowing his pride along with it, and cracked the door open, fumbling with the locks on the sides before he swung it open all the way. __ said nothing, just looked up at him, her eyes just as tired as his. Neither said anything but both could tell it wasn’t a very smart idea for both of them to be away from each other for so long.
“I’m sorry.” Is what broke their silence, and Tendou’s heart was racing too fast to tell whether it came from her or him.
“No, I’m sorry.” __ peeped next, so it was safe for Tendou to assume he had spoken without thinking. “I said some shit I shouldn’t have and I’m really, really, sorry.”
“You wouldn’t ‘ve had to say that if I didn’t start it.” Tendou tentatively placed his hand on her shoulder, pulling her inside and shutting the door behind her. As soon as the lock clicked, __’s weight collapsed underneath him, dragging him down to the floor and up against the wall with her.
“I forgive you…” She muttered into the crook of his neck, her arms tight around his waist. “And I never meant anything I said that night. You’re not a monster, I promise you, you’re not. It was so shallow of me to even mention all of that and I wasn’t even thinking about how you’d feel and… I’m so sorry…” She fumbled over her words, lifting her head up to reveal tears in her eyes.
“You’re forgiven.” He smiled, uncoiling one arm from around her neck to thumb away a fallen tear. “I’ve never seen you cry this much, y’know.”
“The shit I said wasn’t true, but everything else was.”
“That whole caring about me thing?”
She nodded, her eyes breaking away from his to look down at her lap. “It’s pathetic, huh?”
“I don’t think it’s pathetic.” Tendou tilted her chin up with his fingertips, and pressed a soft, forgiving kiss on her lips. “I could say the same about you.”
“We’re fucked, aren’t we? Is this what it feels like to be in love?”
“Mhm…” Tendou hummed, a smile on his face as he kissed __ again.
“Disgusting.” She muttered. “I love it.”
Tendou found himself laughing, pulling __ closer to his chest and holding her against him. The time rolled by, the ticks on his roommates clock filling a comfortable silence instead of an empty one. Maybe him and __ weren’t compatible because of her patience and his unwillingness to ever shut up. They were undeniably compatible, though, and he couldn’t waste his time thinking of why. All he knew was that she was right for him, right in his arms, and everything was alright.
My mom always told me when I was little, that if anyone ever did me wrong, I was to always say “You are forgiven” instead of “It’s alright” or “It’s okay.” Because if you tell them that what they did wrong was okay, they’ll believe it, and keeping thinking that hurting you is okay, and they’ll do it again. Always say “you’re forgiven”, because that shows that you won’t tolerate their mistake again.