Hereafter | Haikyuu!! Oneshots | Hiatus!

IV: Vanilla Melody

Taking one last look at myself in the mirror, I flattened down the front and back of my outfit and fixed my hair. Looking presentable was the best way to go, though I didn't know if being dressed up was the best move. I hummed, profiling what I was wearing and tried to think of other opinions in case I came up with just one bad thing about the outfit. So far, the only thing I noticed was that it brought out my best features, which I thought was nice.

I stuck with it.

On my way down to my apartment's lobby, I still had second-thoughts about the context of this meeting with Tendou. Though I still wasn't sure whether this counted as a date or not, I played it safe by wearing a semi-formal outfit, but I was reluctant in showing up in this attire.

"We should have talked about it more," I groaned quietly, pressing a hand to my head in worry, "What if he had a completely different idea than I did?" In the midst of my troubled thinking, I felt a buzz come from my phone. Taking it out, I found that Tendou had messaged me:

 I'm here!

I was now hurrying down the stairs, hoping to meet him as soon as possible without ruining my appearance too badly. A slight breeze blew against my skin as I neared the entrance, already feeling the coldness of the evening start to seep into the room. The balls of my feet tapped against the floor as I finally pushed myself to fling open the door and find Tendou, standing there, dressed in black dress pants and a white dress shirt, holding a bouquet of lavender and gypsophilia. 

Turns out I wasn't overdressed after all.

After we just stared at each other for a couple of moments, I found the courage to speak, though the words came out in stammers.

"You look-" I cleared my throat and started again after an inconsistency came up, embarrassedly chuckling all the way through. "You look amazing, Tendou." The chocolatier gave a shy laugh and extended his hand with the bouquet in it out to me. My cheeks flared, their beet-red coloration standing out against the delicate backdrop of the cold-colored building.

"You're stunning." There he went, gracing my ears with only two words that took every last letter from my mind and turned them into mush. Flustered and breathless, I could only laugh and thank the redhead for such kind compliments. As I made my way to his side, I found that Tendou had crooked his arm for mine to loop around. Though I didn't expect the sudden gesture, I took it anyway as a means to not disappoint.

When he leaned in closer, I could get whiffs of Madagascar vanilla from his collar. It was a pleasant but not overpoweringly sweet scent that reminded me of the very chocolate shop that we first met at. The scent refreshed my olfactory, bringing a clarity and sharpness to the sense. 

But in being more than "humble," I noticed how much I was enjoying myself, as compared to Tendou, who this dinner was for. I couldn't help but just say my mind, realizing too late that I thought this was a bit much, considering that I wasn't showing the proper manners as a host. 

"I thought I was the one who was repaying you," I said, fretfully accepting the bunches of sweet-smelling flowers Tedou offered, "You didn't have to do all of this, you know." The redhead set his opposite on my forearm and patted it two times, reassuring me that there was nothing to worry about.

"It's the first time I've ever done something like this, so I wanted to make it special." His eyes were creased and radiating warmth as they floated to settle upon me. I noticed how he kept his hand resting on my arm as we continued to walk. 

"That's so sweet," I then replied, tightening my grip on the chocolatier's arm, "Pun intended."

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