always...

chapter 53 - tanakiyo

tanaka stood outside of the coffee shop that kiyoko worked at, still a few minutes early for their meeting time. they had agreed to meet there first so kiyoko could get tanaka the free coffee she promised, but afterward, it was up to tanaka to lead the way.

he noticed that the air was getting colder as he rubbed his arms, goosebumps forming even under his jacket. when he looked up, he saw kiyoko approaching him, waving.

she wore a beige peacoat over a white sweater with black leggings and brown knee-high boots. wrapped around her neck was a dark checkered scarf which contrasted with her pale skin. her glasses glinted slightly under the light of the street lamp and her lip gloss shimmered as she smiled at tanaka.

the two made small talk for a little while as they went inside to grab their drinks. soon enough, they were out the door, steaming hot cups in hand, as kiyoko waved goodbye to her coworker.

"okay, where to next?" kiyoko asked, taking a sip of her coffee.

tanaka walked beside her, watching as his breath curled up like whisps of smoke each time he exhaled.

"well...i wanted this date to be simple, if i'm honest. i realized that we don't really know each other that well, so i was thinking that we could just take a nice evening stroll under stars and talk," tanaka gestured at the park in front of them that they had just arrived at.

the grass was mown short with cement sidewalks crisscrossing throughout, several lamp posts standing along the path every few meters. a small stream snaked down the side of the park, the water glittering gently under the pale moonlight and the dim glow of the stars above.

there were a couple stone bridges that arched over the stream, about 10 feet (3m) above the water, spaced out along the brook.

"sounds good to me," kiyoko smiled up at tanaka, her cheeks rosy, from the slight chill in the air around them.

the couple walked closely together, making their way around the entire park, their chatter filling the nighttime quiet that surrounded them.

"hey, so i've always wondered..." tanaka started.

"wondered what?" kiyoko tilted her head.

"how come you joined the volleyball team as a manager?"

"i used to do track actually...i was a hurdler," kiyoko reminisced. "but i used to be even more quiet and shy than i am now, so i didn't have a lot of friends on the team. i quit when i got to high school and that's when daichi recruited me as manager," she explained.

"oh, that makes sense i guess. god...what even is up with daichi these days anyway?"

"it's not my place to say, but i know he's going through a lot right now. it hasn't helped either that so many people have come at his throat for messing up a lot too."

"i still feel kind of bad for him despite how much i want to hate him for hurting suga and causing drama on the team."

"i get that...but we're all human and we make mistakes," kiyoko shrugged.

"yeah, and he made some big ones," tanaka scoffed.

"alright, enough about team gossip. let's talk about something else," kiyoko suggested.

tanaka led her towards one of the small bridges that arched over the stream before jumping up onto wide stone parapet.

"okay, lemme show you something cool!" tanaka grinned widely. "noya taught me how to do this," he chuckled.

"just be careful please!"

tanaka stood on the stone wall before kicking his body up into a handstand. it took him a moment, but he was able to balance himself on his hands, his arms shaking ever so slightly.

"oh god, tanaka get down! you're going to hurt yourself!" kiyoko exclaimed, worry clear in her voice.

blood started rushing to tanaka's face, his cheeks getting redder by the second as his arms shook even more.

"don't...worry! i got this!" tanaka grunted. "check me out! isn't this coo-SHIT!" tanaka's arms suddenly gave out, causing him to collapse on the wall before tipping over and falling into the stream.

he landed with a loud splash, his body hitting the stream bed with a thump. kiyoko peered over the wall, staring down at her, now, drenched date, covering her mouth and trying not to laugh.

she rushed off the bridge to the edge of the stream to see tanaka sitting flat on his ass, his clothes soaked, as the water reached his waist.

"pfffttt...TANAKA I CAN'T!" kiyoko keeled over, almost cackling at the sight before her.

"ha ha, very funny," tanaka pouted, rolling his eyes. "help me up please?"

kiyoko giggled, reaching out to help tanaka up from the water. tanaka grabbed her hand and yanked her arm, kiyoko losing her balance and falling into the stream as well.

"you...are so goddamn evil," she gasped with a slight giggle, her hair sopping wet in front of her face. she tucked her soaked locks behind her ear and turned towards him, a mischievous grin in her expression.

she splashed tanaka viciously, to which he fought back, pushing a small wave of water in her direction. the two teenagers continued drenching each other in their water war, their uncontrollable laughs loud enough for anyone else in the park to hear.

finally, they grew tired and cold, their wet clothes sticking to their bodies like plastic cling wrap. this time, tanaka stood first and offered his hand to kiyoko.

she took his hand, hesitant at first, as they both got to their feet. kiyoko took her glasses off and tried to wipe them against her scarf before putting them back on.

kiyoko looked back up at tanaka, their faces now mere inches apart. her face instantly flushed a light shade of pink as tanaka placed his hand on her cheek.

before she knew it, his lips were pressed against hers, soft, sweet, and gentle. kiyoko closed her eyes, kissing him back as she wrapped her arms around his neck. tanaka smiled against her lips before pulling away slightly, his breath a bit shaky.

"i've been dying to do that since the coffee shop," he admitted quietly.

"took you long enough," she replied with a grin.

"let's get out of here, shall we?"