𝐒𝐏𝐈𝐊𝐄!! ✧ o. shotaro

eleven

mutual blushing and butterflies.

WARNING!
manga spoilers are in this chapter.

"i like you."

immediately after those three words escaped nanako's lips, she averted her gaze to the opposite side, squeezing her eyes shut as she felt her face burn bright red.

another gulp. nanako didn't hear a response from the boy next to her, causing her heart to drop. was this what it was? a silent rejection?

another breeze passed by the two nekoma students, causing nanako's hair to whip in her face. suddenly, a gentle hand by her ear pulled the stray strands of hair behind.

the nekoma manager opened her nervous eyes, glancing at the boy next to her. he retracted his hand and mumbled, "sorry if that made you uncomfortable."

she could see a light shade of red on his cheeks as he looked down at the hand that touched her. nanako's breath hitched once the outside hitter's eyes met hers, revealing his dilated pupils highlighted by a bright sparkle.

"actually, i- i like you, too."

a sudden rush of color overcame both of their faces, forcing them to look away from each other. hearts beating at the same pace, they took deep breaths, trying to calm down their racing hearts.

a wave of relief filled nanako as she accomplished her fear of rejection. there was no reason to worry anymore, since she knew that the feelings she had were mutual.

the months of staring, the months of blushing, the months of friends teasing, they were all the same for shotaro.

the boy she liked ever since she laid her eyes upon him. now she knew, he felt the same way.

with those five words from his lips, all of her overwhelming fears and complicated feelings were eliminated from her head. a soft smile formed on her face as happiness rose to her cheeks.

a gentle hand tugged on her fingers, causing her to look over at the boy next to her--the boy who felt the same way about her.

a tingling feeling rushed through her hand as she stared at his fingers, shyly wrapping around hers. "c- can i...um-"

without letting him finish, nanako clasped her hand around his, feeling his touch enveloped around her. another rush of adrenaline caused her to cheekily grin at shotaro, who stared at the girl with widened eyes and a burning face.

"you have no idea how glad i am right now," the nekoma manager confessed, smiling at the warmth around her hand.

shotaro let a light chuckle escape his lips, causing nanako's smile to grow wider. "me too."

the pair found themselves meeting with their eyes once again, with equally wide smiles and tinted cheeks. they sighed simultaneously, content with their mutual feelings for one another.

"osaki, sugiyama, shouldn't you be inside the gym by now?"

the two nekoma high students faced coach naoi, who was leaning against the gym doors with a sly grin. with wide eyes, they stared at the coach like deer in headlights.

quickly, they scrambled to their feet and ran into the gym, ignoring their teammates' chuckles and teasing. kuroo walked up to the pair with a volleyball in his hand and a mischievous smile.

"you two gonna let go of each other anytime soon?" the captain questioned, eyeing their intertwined hands.

the two immediately separated, feeling their faces burn as their teammates teased them for holding hands. nanako sat down on the bench as shotaro jogged to his starting position. once more, the pair locked eyes with each other, sharing the blush on their faces and the butterflies in their stomachs.