gravity | r. suna ✓

four

- Tuesday, 8:30pm -

I know what will happen before I even get home.

I try to push open the door quietly, hoping Ma wouldn't notice that I only just got home, but no such luck.

"Ayano, where have you been?!" she yells, her hand raised but not yet striking my cheek. "You better have been studying! Were you working an extra shift? If you were playing volleyball again-"

"I was studying, Ma. I was tutoring someone. Don't worry." I try to reply calmly, but her raised hand is freaking me out.

She sighs and lowers her hand, but the threat is not gone. I know this all too well.

She breathes in deeply, as if that's going to calm her. "Who were you studying with?"

I smile, remembering the study session. I let my guard down. "His name is Suna."

She slaps me so fast I don't even see it coming. "A BOY?! You should be ashamed of yourself!"

My hand reaches to touch my cheek where her hand struck me, and tears flood my eyes, my vision blurring.

My backpack suddenly feels heavy with the weight of Suna's clothes.

I think about how I'm going to have to wash his clothes when my parents are away from home, because if they find out I somehow obtained a boy's shirt...

"Go to your room, Ayano. I'm disappointed in you.

The good feelings about the study session are gone the instant she says this. I climb the stairs to my room, feeling shameful, sad, and heavy.

I cry myself to sleep, wishing I'd never agreed to tutor Suna Rintarou.

- Wednesday, 6:30am -

I always leave the house before my parents wake up after a fight. That way, I can avoid the awkward apologies that I know won't change their behavior. I've heard them too many times to believe that they'll change.

When I get to school, I do what I always do after a fight; I study, I work out, I play volleyball with the boys at their morning practice. I complete two sheets of math, not caring if I do it right. I summarize what we've learnt in science to keep it fresh in my brain. Then I head to the gym to practice volleyball, alone or with the boys team.

I set against the wall while the boys practice their receives. Atsumu calls me over and invites me to play with them in a 4v4 since some of the boys have to go study before class. I agree with a shrug and he tells me my team will be me, Suna, the third year captain whose name I can't remember, and an outside hitter who I don't really know.

The game is pretty uneventful. Of course, the teams are slightly unfair - Atsumu and I are reasonably even in terms of skill, but he has a twin, Osamu, who seems to understand his every move, and he also has their ace, Aran, and their libero to play defense. Not to mention, Atsumu has played with this team every week, and I don't even know half of them by name.

Still, my team keeps up, and although Atsumu's team inevitably wins, it's not by a massive point gap.

We pack up the gym and put all the equipment away, change into our normal school uniform, and head to class.

At lunchtime, I go to the library to finish my math worksheets. I see Suna sitting alone at a table, also studying math. I avoid him and go to a table across the room.