beyond the net - RAN TAKAHASHI.

028. mint vero volley monza

₊˚ . 🌱 ₊˚ ⌗﹒ﾟ.

── .✦ YN GAZED OUT the window as the train sped toward monza, the midday sun casting a warm, golden light over the rolling hills and towns they passed. it had been three long months since she last saw ran, and the ache of missing him had become unbearable. she smiled to herself, knowing that in a few short hours, that ache would disappear.

when she bought the tickets to trento for alexis to surprise alessandro on their shared birthday, yn had also quietly booked herself a ticket to monza. the distance between her and ran had become too much to handle, and she couldn't wait any longer. she wanted to surprise him on the best possible day - match day. there was nothing she loved more than watching ran play, and tonight, she'd get to see him in his element without him knowing she was there.

yn took a deep breath and slipped her airpods into her ears. she scrolled through her contacts and tapped on her brother's name - gianluca, ran's teammate and her protective older sibling. the facetime call rang for a few seconds before gianluca's familiar face appeared on the screen, his smile bright as he leaned back in a chair.

"hey, little sis!" gianluca grinned at her through the screen, his brown eyes warm with affection. "hey, gian!" smiled back. "you busy?"
"never too busy for you. what's up?"

yn glanced around to make sure no one was listening before she leaned in a little closer to her phone. "so, i'm on the train to monza..."
gianluca raised an eyebrow. "to see ran?"
"yeah, but he doesn't know. i'm going to surprise him at your match tonight," yn explained, her excitement bubbling up as she shared the plan. "and i was wondering if you could help me out? i need someone to pick me up from the station and help me get a ticket for the game."

gianluca chuckled, shaking his head with amusement. "you're my sister. i'd help you even if you were pulling something illegal." he winked playfully. "but seriously, i've got you covered. i'll be at the station when you arrive, and we'll grab lunch before the match."
"thank you! i knew i could count on you." yn said, her heart feeling lighter now that everything was falling into place.

"of course. i've missed you, you know," gianluca admitted, his tone softening. "it's been way too long since we've seen each other."

yn's heart tightened at the sincerity in his voice. she hadn't seen gianluca in even longer than ran. at 27 years old, gianluca was settled in his own life, living with his long term girlfriend laura and fully committed to his volleyball career. their schedules rarely aligned, so moments like these - where they could see each other - were precious.

"i've missed you too," yn replied, her voice thick with emotion. "it's crazy how time flies. i've been so busy with my own season, and you with yours..."
"i know. it feels like i blink and another month has gone by." gianluca agreed. he paused for a moment, then added, "i'm really glad you're coming, though. it will be good to spend some time together. we'll catch up properly over lunch, okay?"