The Aoba Johsai Chronicles

first date pt. 2

the assembly. that was when he first saw her. he didn't see her face since she stood at the front on the line. only her pin straight black hair, which was what caught his eye. his gaze traveled a bit lower, to her waist slightly concealed by her hair.

her eyes trailed a little bit lower, barely getting a look at her skirt before she turned her head to talk to a student on her right. and suddenly makki had no reason to look at her body.

she was the most beautiful fucking thing he ever saw.

he memorized the way her lips moved while she talked, the minuscule smile gracing her delicate features and her cute little button nose.

•

the second time he saw her had been during one of his volleyball matches. she was talking to oikawa by the stands, her face set into a deep, practiced scowl as she talked to the setter.

oikawa patted her head, barely missing her fist as it suddenly came flying towards his stomach. he laughed it off, waving at her before he made his way away from the stands and towards the bench. makki was tempted to ask what her name was but they'd already been called by the coach.

•

the third time he saw her was when he was walking towards iwaizumi's class. he was about to turn back and leave once he realized iwaizumi went ahead of him. he almost left, but not before he noticed the lone girl sleeping on her desk by the window. he recognized that hair.

he waited in the doorway for at least fifteen minutes before he finally walked in, slowly and silently making his way towards her sleeping form.

her face was concealed by her hair, the light breeze coming through the window messing up her hair a bit, just enough to make her look effortlessly irresistible. he shakily reached out and brushed some of the strands away, his breath hitching as he was finally able to get a closer look at her beautiful face.

her plump, pinkish lips were parted as she let out soft breaths, her brows still furrowed in a slight frown and her fingers twitching around the pen she held. she mumbled something in her sleep before she stilled again. and he suddenly had the urge to lean down and kiss her velvety lips. he ignored the overwhelming urge and took a step back, quickly leaving the classroom before he did something he regret. but not before he took a look at the book beneath her arms. 'so her name is yamashiro kamine... kamine... how pretty.'

•

suddenly, every single girl he took interest in started to look like her. pin straight black hair and pale skin, a mean attitude or someone from the student council. if any of the girls had any of those traits, he'd sleep with them. it was his way of trying to get close to the untouchable girl, in his own sick way.

he desperately wanted her to notice him. to talk to him. to like him.

he didn't know how to feel when mattsun told him that he hated her for her bitchy attitude. he was happy on one hand and angered on the other. happy, because that meant mattsun didn't like her the way he did. angered, because she was so much more than just her bitchy attitude.

•

the fourth time he saw her was in the library. she was studying at one of the tables and makki slid into one of the seats in front of her. she didn't notice him. only because he sat two tables away. but it was still in front of her. he could see her so clearly, the glasses- 'she wears glasses?' - she wore sitting low on the bridge of her nose, and he watches her bring one lithe finger up to push it a bit further up.

he'd only come into the library to cool off a bit before practice. he spent all four hours of her study time in front of her, watching her. as creepy as it was, he needed this closeness with her like he needed oxygen.

she suddenly stood up after the four hours were done, exactly as the clock struck 8. he watched her swipe something on her phone. 'must be her alarm... cute.'

she grabs the book she took, turning to the shelf behind her. he watched her stretch her body upwards to try and reach the higher shelf, her spine curved tantalizingly. 'she's quite flexible.'

she stood on the tips of her toes, nearly stumbling backwards after she finally manages to push the book into the shelf.

he didn't realize how her skirt had ridden up her body, just enough to reveal the strip of pale, milky skin between the hem of her skirt and her thigh high socks.

he quickly got up and left, forgetting all about practice and the 34 missed calls from mattsun, oikawa and iwaizumi.

•

the fifth time he laid eyes on her was right after her triumphant campaign for the student council presidency. oikawa, beaming with pride, practically dragged her over to the team after their hard-won match against date tech.

she was all grace and charm, politely fielding questions, even showing genuine interest in their game. as for him, he stayed quiet, afraid that if he spoke, he'd stutter or freeze up in front of her.

he took note of how mattsun talked to her more than anyone else, but he didn't bring it up. he could feel his breath hitch every time he made eye contact with her. 'fuck, i was staring. she must think im a creep.'

the small meeting ended and he was packing up when he suddenly felt a presence behind him. he turned around and-

"hanamaki takahiro, right? i liked that feint shot you did in the last set." she says softly, her expression neutral as if her words meant nothing.

he abruptly straightens up and slaps a smirk onto his face, trying to act nonchalant as if he wasn't about to melt into a puddle on the floor. "yeah?"

"hmm. though, i'm sure you wouldn't have felt the need to do that if you hadn't messed up that serve in the beginning of the last set. it felt as if you were trying too hard to make up for the lost point."

'damn, she's blunt... that's so hot.' he clears his throat and turns away from her, letting a snarky remark leave his lips.

that was how it started; their little love-hate relationship. he took every single opportunity to tease her after that. he noted that she'd get particularly riled up if anything involved oikawa. he didn't know what kind of relationship or history they both had but he was envious regardless.

he wanted that closeness with her. enough to make her drop that ever-present scowl of hers.

•

during this moment, this split second that passed after he father moved out of the way to reveal kamine—the skip in his heartbeat, that brief little pause and irregularity was all it took for his mind to replay all those moments in his head. within that infinitesimal sliver of memory, every cherished moment he spent with her, every heartache he felt whenever he saw her with someone else, every fleeting joy he felt after getting to see her, even for a second, it all surged to the forefront of his consciousness. amidst all those memories he replayed, he came to a sudden realization: none could rival this moment. it was as though his soul recognized the significance, pleading with him to acknowledge that no recollection, no matter how cherished, pales in comparison to the overwhelming emotion coursing through him in this sacred moment.

'god, if you can hear me now, please don't let me lose her. i promise i'll pray from now on. i'll try harder at everything. i just want you to keep her by my side.'

he quickly tries to regain his composure and slowly extends the bouqest of flowers—roses and peonies, towards her, still unable to take his eyes off of her face. he'd found that peonies were her favorite only recently. 'she looks this good in a simple dress. i can't wait to imagine what she'll look like in a wedding dress... walking towards me.'

he could hear kamine's mother snicker behind her husband at his reaction, not-too-silently asking him to take a video.

makki hastily bows to her parents, promising them that he'll return her before it got too late. he pulls her out of the house, unaware that his heart and mind had finally made up their mind after three whole years—he wanted to be with this girl for the rest of his life.

_

a/n: my favorite chapter so far. especially that particular paragraph i wrote about makki realizing his feelings for her.