•──────⋅☾ ☽⋅──────•

You stood staring at the picture of you, Tsukishima, and Yamaguchi standing in front of a bridge somewhere in Tokyo. You were standing in between Tsukishima and Yamaguchi. There was a huge smile on your face, a blush-y one on Yamaguchi's, and Tsukishima's was blank but you could tell he was having a good time if you looked really closely.

It was a few months before the incident happened.

A pair of arms snaked around your waist and a weight on your shoulder which made you lean on one side.

"You're looking at the picture again."

You nodded. "You're the one who wanted to keep it."

"It's the only way to make you smile sometimes. I like seeing you smile. I know you went through a tough time with Tsukki when we were in high school, but somethings you have to put behind you."

You shook your head but gave him a small smile anyways. "Somethings are better to remember than forget."

"(Y/N)?" Yamaguchi asked.

You turned around and faced him. His arms were still around your waist, but you hand to tilt your head up because of the height difference between you. "Yeah?"

"Are you happy?"

"Of course."

•──────⋅☾ ☽⋅──────•

"Mommy! Can Akira-chan come over today?" your daughter asked. When you looked down at her, and she gave you the brightest smile, one that you used to wear.

"Yeah, of course, you don't have to ask."

She smiled again and hugged your legs. You turned back to what you were doing, but then you felt another tug at your leg.

"Mommy?"

"Yes?" You took a bottle of water from the table, opened it, and took a sip.

"Who is the person standing beside you and dad in that picture you always stare at?"

You choked.

"I was just wondering," you daughter smiled. "He looked a lot like Akira's dad."

"He is —Akira's dad. We were, ummm, friends in high school."

"Okay." Your daughter grinned at you one more time, and skipped off into another room.

You sighed. Both you and Tsukishima had an unspoken agreement that neither of you would speak of the breaking of the string. Everyone, including your parents and mutual friends, knew to never speak of it when the two of you were around. The topic was avoided like a virus.

The only people who never knew was your daughter and Tsukishima's son. You hoped that she would never find out, not only for the selfish reason that you knew it was, but you were terrified that if she found out it might tear her apart from Akira, and that was the last thing you want.

You didn't want her to feel the same pain and sadness you felt when it happened.

You didn't want anyone to feel that way.

•──────⋅☾ ☽⋅──────•

You walked up to Tsukishima's door.

It was the same.

After his parents moved to a retirement home, they gave the house to him. The sprinklers were on, making the mist shine in the sun, creating a small rainbow in the front lawn.

Your daughter was in there. Probably playing where you had a long time ago.

Just as you were about to knock, the door swung opened, and Tsukishima stood there looking down on you.

This was too familiar.

•──────⋅☾ ☽⋅──────•

"I-I don't know what you want me to say," he said.

"I don't care what you say!" You said, you hands flying up as you did. "At least talk to me, say something, anything. Why are you so cold to me? What did I do? Give me a reason! Something! We are fated to have each other in our lives no matter what."

Tsukishima sighed and pushed his glasses up to rub his eyes. "Sometimes even fate isn't meant to be."

•──────⋅☾ ☽⋅──────•

"(Y/N)?" Your head snapped back to Tsukishima, who was giving you a concerned look. "Are you here to pick up (D/N). It's kind of early."

"Did you tell Akira about what happened?" you said quietly, disregarding what he said.

He raised his eyebrows then shook his head. "No. I thought that we had an unspoken thing that we wouldn't bring it up around them."

At least he was smart enough to know that.

"I'm thinking about telling her. Not today, but someday when she's older. I think you should too," you said.

He nodded. "(Y/N)—"

"I'll be back later," you cut him off, "I just wanted to tell you that."

You turned around, walking faster than normal, and walked towards your car.

"Wait!" Tsukishima yelled. He quickly caught up to you stop you just as you got to your car.

You turned around. "If this is going to go like all of the conversations that we've had in the past, where you don't say anything and I walked away, then I suggest we stop now. If we start yelling here the kids might hear us. How about you go over to the park, I go in my car, you call me, and we can yell at each other then?"

Though your tone a mix of amusement and sarcasm, it sounded harsher than you meant it to be. It was better that it was said now before one of you started yelling.

"Are you happy?" His voice was broken. You took a moment to look at him. Not just glance at him, but actually look at him. His shoulders were slumped forward, it looked as if he didn't carry himself highly anymore. His glasses were slightly too far down his nose than normal. His face was blank, but his eyes were sad.

"Of course."

He shook his head. "I'm not asking about (D/N) or Yamaguchi, because I know that you love them. It's written over your face every time you see them. Your face lights up like you've never known pressure or stress." His voice hesitated when his said Yamaguchi's name. "I'm talking about you. Are you happy?"

You had everything that you wanted. The mental list of 'all of the things I could possibly need' were check off, but the list of 'all of the things I could possibly want' still had blanks.

Could you ever need what you want?

Could you ever be happy when you feel sad?

Even though you never met his eyes, Tsukishima's eyes never left yours. He looked at you as if he could stare into your soul and know the answer to his question in a heartbeat. You couldn't lie to him when he already knew the answer.

"No. But I'm trying."

•──────⋅☾ ☽⋅──────•

You were at home starting at the picture that hung on your wall. You knew you were happy then, so why couldn't you be happy now?

Yamaguchi wasn't home again. He's been working late, and you understood that. All of the things he did was for your family, and that made you love him more.

"Mommy! You need to read me my story before I go to sleep!" your daughter yelled.

"Coming."

Your eyes teared away from the picture and you ran up stairs towards your daughter's room, taking them two at a time.

She was already lying in bed and chose a book from her shelf that she wanted you to read. You sat down on her bed and read her the story. Your daughter was the best listener, she would react to scary parts and laughed when it was funny.

As you read the last sentence, her eyes were already half closed and her head was snuck into her pillow. You moved so you were lying beside her. Your daughter curled up against your side.

"What did you do today with Akira?"

You realized that if she was half asleep, you should keep her talking until she was fully asleep.

"It was great," she said. Her voice was sleepy and her eyes were closed. "Akira said that we should get married. It's going to be the best wedding ever. There going to be huge cake..."

You smiled and carefully detangled yourself from your now sleeping daughter. You turned off the light and looked at her one more time.

"If you're happy," you whispered, "I'd make you the biggest cake in the world."

•──────⋅☾ ☽⋅──────•

You went to Tsukishima's house again.

This time, you got a chance to ring the doorbell before he opened the door. He opened the door and was dressed in a suit and tie.

"Hi."

"Are you happy?"

"What?"

You sighed. "Yesterday you asked if I was happy, but I want to know if you're happy."

Tsukishima looked down. "You know that I love them right? My wife, and Akira is basically my life. Putting them aside, no. No, I'm not happy, at least I don't think I am. I think I stop being happy when we walked out of each other's lives."

"Now," you continued, "for some reason, our kids are fated and we're back to where we were before, together. Yesterday, my daughter told me that she and Akira were going to get married."

Tsukishima smiled. Wrinkles formed around his eyes as his smiled grew. "Really?"

"Yeah, and when she told me that, a thought popped into my head."

He raised an eyebrow. "Which is?"

"If they can be happy, then why can't we?"

•──────⋅☾ ☽⋅──────•