Akaashi's 18th (and the events that followed...)

25. Tanaka - Grown Up

Tanaka was the first to get changed, and decided to wait for the others outside the stadium, as the place was getting busier by the minute. That had been their only match that day, yet he was still exhausted. Ah, how good it would feel to sink into a hot bath right about now, and soothe his aching muscles.

He was perched on the wall surrounding the flowerbed, staring into the cafe opposite and wondering whether to buy a coffee, when a rustling sound made his head turn.

"Kiyoko-san?"

He looked up at the woman who had sat next to him, barely recognising her out of her Karasuno tracksuit. He hadn't seen her since the day he and Noya had cried for her to stay an extra year at high school, only to have her brush them off and walk away with a brief wave behind her as she strolled off with the other third years. Back then, Takaka had thought he caught a couple of tears in her eyes, but he decided it was best not to be too clingy and run after his senpai.

Now, he looked up into the eyes of an angel, whose hair was whipped up into a loose bun, two dark, wispy tendrils dangling loosely either side of her head and framing her eyes. Her new tracksuit was far more stylish, bright white with two black stripes running from the sides of her jacket and down the seam of her trousers, where they met a clean, new pair of black Nike Air Maxes.

"Woah... where did you get those?"

Tanaka gaped at her feet in awe.
Kiyoko laughed, and Tanaka lifted his eyes back up to her face to see her face, her mouth slightly parted in surprise. "I get a free item of gear every month at the sports shop I work at. I can choose anything that's about to go on sale or that customers didn't want."

Tanaka snapped to attention. "You still like sports?"

She laughed, her signature, tinkling laugh that seemed to make her cheeks glow. However, this time it felt so much more confident and free, now that they weren't bound to their senpai/kouhai dynamic. Moreover... it was him that had made her laugh like that. He, Tanaka, had just made Kiyoko - Ki-yo-ko - laugh. "Just because I'm now at college, doesn't mean I've completely changed."

Tanaka's heart stopped. For a moment, he couldn't think of anything to say, spellbound by her sudden openness towards him. But, this was Kiyoko. She wasn't scary - he had known her far too long to justify his sudden nervousness.

Kiyoko started to look around and opened her mouth, probably to ask about Daichi and the other ex-Karasuno members.

"Do you want to grab a coffee?" Tanaka blurted out, before could stop himself. He still had so much to say to her, and a five-minute conversation outside a sports arena wasn't going to cut it.

"Yeah, why not?"

'Really?!' Tanaka was about to say, when he stopped himself. He was seventeen now - he couldn't act like a maniac in front of Kiyoko. "Great!" He said instead, and headed towards the cafe he had seen opposite where they were sitting.

Whilst they were walking, he glanced down at her hands - they seemed so soft and delicate, her long fingers twirling around each other as she walked, but Tanaka knew they were as strong as anyone's. He found himself stuck debating in his head whether to take it, or to put his arm around her shoulder. Or something. Dammit. Why had Noya made it seem so easy to show Asahi affection? And Daichi? Suga? Even that shy setter from Fukurodani had smirked and kissed his hunk of a boyfriend on the lips after their match. It was only Tanaka who hadn't grown up.

"These trainers are brilliant, but I know another pair at the store which would be better for improving your jumping height," Kiyoko mentioned as they ordered at the counter and sat down, wiping away any thoughts besides her from Tanaka's mind - including any insecurities.

"You do?" Tanaka asked. Momentarily, he saw something in Kiyoko that he had never seen before. He would say that her eyes sparkled - but that would be impossible. However, he could have sworn they twinkled for a moment before she began, talking to him more earnestly than ever before. She told him about different jersey colours, and how to make training kit designs more eye-catching, and it only seemed like thirty seconds before their hot drinks arrived.

"Your cross-hits have really improved," she said. "I was watching them over the course of the match, and you seemed to get better with every set you played. You've gained more power, too."

"Really? Er- I mean, of course!" Tanaka grinned, and he realised that as the conversation progressed, he had begun to lean in closer. "I've been training a lot at the gym recently - my kouhais' rapid improvement keeps me on my toes! So, what's going on with you at the shop?"

"Eto..." Kiyoko smiled, eyes widened. Perhaps she hadn't been asked about herself recently. "Not that much really, I've been helping with the organisation of the store and display designs to help improve sales."

"You've always been great at managing and organising," Tanaka smiled.

"Arigatō, Ryu," she blushed gently, effortlessly taking Tanaka's breath away.

"You really are a goddess," he breathed, and Kiyoko giggled. "Wait- did I say that out loud?" Tanaka felt his heart begin to race. He couldn't believe he had messed up his second and possibly final chance with Kiyoko. He began to bow profusely, muttering a stuttered apology, but halted when he felt a hand press gently against his forearm.

He couldn't even fully raise his head before a pair of warm, soft lips brushed against his. It lasted only a second, but he felt his heart thud deeply, and he reached around to the back of Kiyoko's neck, pulling her close for just a second longer, before she pulled away, a slight rosey-pink colouring her cheeks. "You really have grown up a lot, Ryu-kun," Kiyoko said with a smile.

"Have I?!" Tanaka's mind began to race with a hundred possible suspicions on what that might mean.

"In a good way." Kiyoko stood up, and Tanaka followed, handing her jacket to her. "Perhaps we could do this again sometime soon."

"Sure!" Tanaka grinned, inside and out, as they strolled out of the cafe doors. As soon as they stepped into the open air, Tanaka's attention was caught by three waving hands, and Daichi, Sugawara and Asahi ran over to greet Kiyoko.

He listened for a while, but then something else took his eyes from the conversation. He struggled, but could just about make out two figures in Karasuno jackets. All he could see of the scene was a tall figure, hiding his expression with his long, black fringe and walking out of the stadium, away from the shorter, but most cheerful boy Tanaka knew, who - under his bowed, orange head - appeared to be wiping a tear from his eye.

(Word count: 1198)
(Total word count: 28,386)

Author's note:
Thank you so much for reading the Spring Nationals special - I hope you enjoyed it!

After this chapter is the finale of the Iwaoi storyline, which will resume the regular Tuesday and Friday uploading schedule!