𝐒𝐏𝐈𝐊𝐄!! ✧ o. shotaro

fifteen

it's only the beginning.

they were finally here, at the tokyo metropolitan gymnasium.

after months of practicing and competing in the spring high tokyo representative playoffs, nekoma high earned the spot as tokyo's third representative for nationals.

days of preparation and strategizing against the other tokyo schools wore the team out. nanako could remember the countless nights of repetitive practice as stress built up over time.

but they were here after defeating nohebi academy in the representative playoffs, proving that nekoma high was a force to be reckoned with.

nanako took a deep breath, taking in the cold winter air. it was already january, half a year since the tokyo training camp. although so much time passed by, everything felt too short.

many birthdays were celebrated, including shotaro's. the third-years were preparing for their university admissions exams for after the spring tournament. practice matches with fukurodani academy happened so often to the point where they seemed like a weekly thing.

shotaro took her out on many dates, spoiling her with gifts and her favorite pastries. they spent winter nights cuddling in each other's beds, yearning for the other's body heat during the coldest season.

the fuzzy feeling shotaro gave nanako never went away, even during times of great stress. they always relied on each other for mental and emotional support no matter the situation and could always find some way to help each other out.

the rest of the team frequently teased them for the skinship they publicly showed during the school day or practice sessions. kuroo kept his word and always eyed the couple when they were together during practice, making sure they weren't making out for the rest of the team to see.

throughout that time, their previously inexperienced relationship blossomed into a six-month long one, still loving each other like the first day they confessed on a hill in shinzen high.

as the nekoma high's boys' volleyball club entered the tokyo metropolitan gymnasium, nanako found her hand interlocking with shotaro's. she knew how nervous he was to go to nationals and his absolute favorite thing to do with her was hold her hand.

as a way of comforting him, she decided to be the one to hold his shaky hand. she heard shotaro deeply exhale before meeting her encouraging eyes, smiling at his girlfriend.

hundreds of volleyball teams filled the gymnasium, all sporting their individual team's uniform. as they passed through the crowd, nanako couldn't help but feel a judgmental presence from her side.

quickly, she averted her gaze to find sakusa in a corner, burning holes into everyone that passed by. his eyes landed on nanako before following her arm to her hand, which was gripping shotaro's tightly.

nanako sent a curt nod towards him and he did the same. following her team, she soon recognized karasuno high's orange-and-black uniforms from afar.

kuroo approached karasuno's team captain, sawamura daichi. "yo!"

"did you finally see the real skytree?" the nekoma captain teased, placing his hands on his hips. "you country bumpkin crows."

nanako could see bokuto and akaashi talking to hinata a couple meters away. she turned her head back to face the karasuno third-years, who held the same slightly irritated expression.

daichi scoffed nervously as kuroo walked closer towards him. "oh, dear me! are you actually nervous, sawamura-san?" he questioned.

"pretty sure talking too much is a sign of nervousness, kuroo-san," the karasuno captain responded, also placing his hands on his own hips.