Tsukishima kept his eyes focused on his girlfriend's father, even as he felt his mind beginning to race. Was that too much? Declaring that I want to be with Nakano forever? I mean, we just did talk about the fact that at some point, Nakano and I will be physically intimate with each other, he thought, so having me say I want to be with her forever ought to be a good thing. Right? Of course, I'm all of sixteen, and Nakano is still fifteen for a couple more weeks. What do we know about forever? He suddenly realized how this all must seem to this man, this grown adult with two teenage daughters, one of whom was almost an adult herself. I must look like such a lovestruck little boy, Kei realized, a teenaged fool prattling on about love and forever like I know what those words mean. He once again felt his cheeks growing hot with embarrassment, and he looked down into his lap. But I'm not, he chided himself, I'm not an idiot. I know we're young, but what Nakano and I feel for each other is not the dopey, puppy-dog kind of schoolyard crush that so many of our peers feel. That's not what we are. But will he believe me if I tell him that? How can I convince him?
Tanjiro watched the boy, trying hard to keep his face impassive. Ah, youth, Tanjiro thought. So full of pride and passion, so dramatic. He's a young man of strong emotions, but he tries to control them, to keep them inside. And now he's beginning to let them all out in front of me, and it's making him self-conscious. Right now, love is all strange feelings in your chest, and dramatic confessions, and deep meaningful declarations of undying devotion. And those do have their place, he acknowledged, remembering a few impassioned speeches of his own when he was young. But real love, love that goes on for a lifetime, is both much more and much less than that. It's compromises and arguments and tears in the middle of the night. It's going to the store for ice cream because you made her cry over something stupid. It's wondering if you're really ready to be a husband, really ready to be a father, but knowing you have to be because she's counting on you to make it all right. As Kei looked down, Tanjiro couldn't help the sympathetic smile that drew itself over his lips. But you're too young, you won't understand any of this yet. You're a good young man, and I believe you mean what you say Tsukishima Kei. But you've no idea where this leads yet.
When Kei looked up, his face was set. "Sir, I know you're probably thinking we're too young to understand what it means to really be in love." Tanjiro's eyes widened a little at the accuracy of that statement, and Kei plunged on. "I know that this whole thing sounds like...like we just love the drama of 'being in love.' But that's not it. At least, that's not all it is. I...I don't know how to explain this very well. I know that real love is about, well, small things. Dramatic over-the-top gestures are great, but I know that real life is not all about those. When my mom talks about my dad, she never says that she misses him bringing her flowers, or singing her love songs, or romantic things like that. She misses his snoring. She misses the way the house used to feel when he was still in it. She misses his love of putting wasabi on pretty much everything, even though she hates wasabi. I think that's what love really is, sir. It's feeling weird when I have to walk home from volleyball alone because Nakano has a doctor's appointment. It's when I find it hard to get to sleep because I don't feel her weight on the bed. It's missing her scent because she hasn't been in my room for a while and it's faded away. I know that at sixteen I really don't understand very much of what life is all about yet. But I want you to understand that what I feel for Nakano runs much deeper than just a typical high school crush, I think. I hope this makes some kind of sense, sir. I'm sorry if it doesn't." Kei sort of rambled his way to a stop, hoping that he'd not just made things worse.
Tanjiro stared at the boy across from him with an expression of mingled shock and happiness on his face. I'll be damned, he thought, he just might understand more than I gave him credit for. "Don't worry, young man, you made perfect sense. I think my daughter is very lucky to have found you, Kei. And before you say it, I know you feel the same way about her," the man said hastily as Kei opened his mouth to protest. "I'm glad I saved that last bit of sake," Tanjiro said with a chuckle, "because your relationship with Nakano is definitely worthy of a celebration." He chuckled again as he could see Kei's body visibly relax, and a relieved smile burst onto the boy's face. "I hope you don't feel that I was too hard on you. I promised my Little Warrior that I wouldn't overwhelm you."
Kei laughed. "Well, I'm not sure there was any way to do this and not have me a feel a little overwhelmed, sir. But no, you weren't hard on me at all. Thank you, sir, for talking about this with me. I'd talk with my older brother, but, well, he's not even got a girlfriend of his own right now."
"Really?" the gentleman's green eyes suddenly glowed with merriment. "Let's see, he must be about twenty two now, eh? And no girlfriend? Do you think he'd like to be Amalie's date in December?" Tanjiro leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially.
Kei blanched slightly, realizing his mistake. "Uh, I'm not sure he'd be the best choice, sir."
"Mmmm...well, what about that fellow in the picture that Amalie liked...the 'delicious slice of beefcake' as she put it so...terrifyingly," Tanjiro said, a wry grin taking over his features.
Kei chuckled. "Bokuto-san is a third-year, sir. He lives in Tokyo, where he attends Fukurodani Academy. But honestly, I'm not sure he'd be the best choice either. He's...uh...well...please understand me sir, he's my senpai and my very good friend - but he's a bit of a goofball. I'm not sure he'd be able to handle how...er...direct Amalie can be."
Tanjiro snorted. "Oh you needn't worry about that. Amalie is an entirely different person when she's interested in a gentleman. You'll hardly recognize her. I think that's why she went through so many boyfriends in high school. None of them were properly prepared when they started getting past the girly-girl side of Amalie and discovered what lies underneath," Tanjiro said, the wry grin still very much in place. "Actually, I'll be interested to see what you think, when you see Ama in December at the party. Since you've seen her more 'direct' side, as you put it, already, this ought to be rather amusing." Kei looked at the man skeptically and Tanjiro couldn't help but laugh aloud. "Well, there's still almost two months before the event, and who knows, maybe Amalie will take an interest in someone before then. Anyway, there's something happening a lot sooner that I'm curious about." Kei looked quizzically at the gentleman. "Nakano's birthday is in two weeks! Do you have any plans?" The look on Tanjiro's face strangely resembled the look that Nishinoya often got when anticipating a good spill of tea.
"Actually, sir, I'm grateful you brought that up. I'm hoping you can help me with something."
🏐🏐🏐
It had been more than an hour, and Nakano was beginning to get a little nervous. All three of the ladies were sitting in the kitchen, enjoying cups of tea and talking. About, well, boys. The conversation had started with Kei, and Nakano had endured her mother asking about romantic things that Kei did, and did the couple have any pet names for each other, and other such questions. Somehow Nakano managed to avoid sharing her nickname, but ended up telling them that she did sometimes call her boyfriend 'gorgeous.' This earned her a lot of teasing from both her mother and her sister, and also resulted in Nakano having to deal with the awkward feeling of hearing your mother agree that your boyfriend actually is gorgeous. Of course, leave it to Ogawa Amalie to push everything way too far.
"So is he 'gorgeous' all over, Naka-chan?" she'd asked, the leer very evident in her voice. "He's so tall and slender, with such long fingers...I'll bet other parts of him are also..."
"AMALIE!" Emiko had shouted, as Nakano turned absolutely beet red and folded in on herself.
Following that, and after a dressing down by her mother, Amalie had turned the conversation to herself, lamenting the fact that she was unable to find a boyfriend of her own at Tohoku University, gorgeous or otherwise. This led inevitably to more talk about Bokuto, and Nakano was obliged to find and show her sister pictures of the rest of her team, as well as Kuroo and the other boys from the Gym 3 Squad.
Amalie had unabashedly ogled the picture of Kuroo. "Wow, look who fell out of the sexy tree and hit every single branch on the way down," she purred under her breath.
Nakano was about to tell Amalie to quit being so graphic about her friends when her mother had chimed in with "Actually, Tetsuro-chan is both a looker and a charmer, Ama. Quite the dashing young fellow. Reminded me a little of your dad when I first met him." Nakano had buried her face in her hands, unable to deal with the sly look that had come over her mother's face, while her older sister complained that it was so wrong for an old woman to call such a young man sexy, which led to the two of them arguing while Nakano desperately prayed to any god that would listen that her boyfriend would return soon.
Finally the argument ended, Emiko tousling her older girl's hair fondly and excusing herself to the bathroom. As soon as their mother was gone, Amalie turned to her sister.
"Look, Naka-chan, all teasing aside...are you and Kei..."
"No, Ama, we're not. We've not even undressed in front of each other yet. And yes, when that time comes, we will be careful, and use protection. So please, don't worry."
Amalie suddenly blushed, surprising her sister. "I guess I deserved that. That wasn't what I wanted to ask, though I am glad to hear it. I was just going to ask if you and he were doing well as a couple. Are you happy?"
Nakano smiled apologetically at her. "Yeah, Ama-nee, I am. Really, really happy. Kei is amazing, and I really love him, so much."
"Oh my gosh, Naka-chan, have you said that to him?"
"Of course, we've said it to each other - lots of times."
"Well, you've gotten way farther in your first high school relationship than I ever got in any of mine, kiddo. Congratulations."
"What are we congratulating Nakano on?" Emiko asked, returning to the kitchen.
"Having one heck of an amazing boyfriend," Amalie said, smiling.
And so, the conversation had turned once again to Kei. Fortunately, it was not much longer before the young man's voice could be heard, coming down the stairs along with Ogawa-san. "You've got to be kidding me. Did he really do that? Three pints of beer, that fast?" Kei was asking the man as they came back into the kitchen.
Tanjiro was laughing. "Chiba-san was determined to be the ace of everything. Once the girls told him that they didn't think it was possible for anyone to drink that much beer that quickly, well, he was going to show them that he was the ace of drinking beer."
Kei snorted. "And how well did that go for him?"
"About like you might expect. Getting the beers down was the easy part. Keeping them down, well, that was a different story. It might have helped if he hadn't then decided to keep drinking with the rest of the team. Needless to say, he didn't impress any of those girls that evening. And on top of that, our captain decided that the best way to teach him not to be such an idiot again was to tie him to the volleyball net, passed out drunk, in just his underwear. Coach was not amused the next morning." Ogawa-san smiled broadly, caught up in his reminiscing.
Kei laughed. "Did Chiba-san ever drink like that again?"
"Nope." Kei gave the older man a look. "Well, at least, not until the next time someone dared him." Both men laughed.
"Oh my gosh, Dad, quit reliving the volleyball glory days and get in the car! I need to get back to school, and I'm going to miss my train if we don't hurry." Amalie mock-complained, smiling at her father.
"Sorry, honey, of course. Let's go, Pretty Lady." Tanjiro paused to kiss his wife. "I'll be back in little while, sweetheart."
Amalie made the rounds, hugging everyone, including Kei. "Congratulations again, Kei. And tell Bokuto and Kuroo I'll see them at Nationals." As she hugged him, she spoke softly in his ear. "Keep making my little sis so happy, okay?" The boy hummed his assent as she let him go, grabbing up her bag and following her father out the door.
Emiko turned to the blonde couple. "Well you two, I'm sure you'd like to spend a little time alone. But it is a school night, so Kei-chan needs to be headed home at ten o'clock sharp, okay?"
"Yes, ma'am," Kei said, "Thank you for a wonderful dinner. You really didn't have to go through so much trouble, just for me."
Emiko-san laughed. "Kei-chan, it was no trouble. And Tanjiro insisted that such an amazing win deserved a celebration." She gave the boy another peck on the cheek and headed upstairs.
"She is getting way too fond of doing that," Nakano complained.
"Jealous?" Kei asked, his most devastating smirk coming over his face.
Nakano snorted, reaching into the freezer and grabbing a bag of ice. "You should not be that drunk from two cups of sake, gorgeous, to say something like that. Come on, let's go ice your hand." She paused to get two bottles of water and followed the boy into her room.
The pair settled onto the bed, not speaking as Nakano gently cradled Kei's injured hand in both of her own, wrapping the ice around it. The boy gave voice to a small sigh, closing his eyes in relief - his hand was beginning to ache again, and the cold felt wonderful. When he opened them, he couldn't help but notice that his lovely girlfriend was staring at his lips. He licked them, letting his top teeth run slowly over his bottom lip. Nakano couldn't resist anymore, and she leaned forward and kissed him, running her tongue over his lips almost immediately, asking for permission. He parted his lips at once and she dove in, the kiss quickly becoming wet and sloppy. She made a small noise that sounded vaguely disappointed. He sucked on her tongue in response, getting a more eager-sounding moan for his trouble. He leaned in, pushing both with his tongue and his body, and suddenly the bag of ice was pressed between their chests, causing both of them to yelp and pull back, chuckling a bit. Kei felt his nipples pucker with the cold that had been applied to them - a feeling he found he enjoyed.
Nakano laughed a little, once again manipulating his hand gently, making sure the ice surrounded it. "Sorry about that, love," she said softly.
"Don't be, I liked it," he replied, voice low. "Why did you sound a little sad there, earlier?" Nakano gave him a confused look. "When we were kissing, you made a soft sort of...disappointed kind of sound."
"Oh that," she said, giggling. "I was hoping you might still taste of the sake, but you didn't, really. But that's okay. As you proved immediately thereafter, you are intoxicating enough for me, gorgeous."
The smirk that took over his face was downright seductive. "Lush," was all he said, the word carrying a wealth of meanings. He leaned in again to kiss her, and this time, in his eagerness the bag of ice slipped off his hand completely, landing in his lap. "Ah!" he gasped as the girl snatched it up again, taking his hand in hers for the third time.
She laughed. "Maybe we'd better just talk a bit until I've got your hand properly iced, hmmm?"
Kei pouted. "I'd rather be kissing you, Roses." She gave him a sassy look. "Alright, I guess I can be patient." He scooted back on the bed, Nakano following, until he had them settled together, her back resting against the pillows, and his head cradled on Nakano's chest. A contended sigh escaped the boy. "So, what did you ladies talk about?" he asked.
Nakano smiled. "You, mostly."
She felt, rather than saw, his eyebrows raise. "Oh really? And what exactly was said about me?"
"I got grilled about our relationship. What kind of romantic things do you do for me? Do we have any pet names for each other? What do I love most about you? Things of that nature. They were relentless. And of course, Amalie had to go much too far, as always."
"What did she say this time?" Kei wondered aloud, recalling her announcement of Nakano's birth control status over dinner the last time.
"Love, trust me, you do not want to know. But I will tell you what she said about Kuroo-bro."
"No, no, wait a minute, don't change the subject. I want to know what she said about me."
"Kei, seriously, I don't think you do. Suffice to say Mom scolded her for several minutes for being completely vulgar."
"Okay, now you absolutely have to tell me," he said, turning his head to look up at the girl, an amused look on his face.
"You're going to blush, Kei. Hard. Do you really want to know?" He nodded. She sighed, rolling her eyes. "Very well. They both pestered me until I confessed that I sometimes call you 'gorgeous'..."
Kei scoffed. "That's no big deal, Roses..."
"I'm not done. Well, Amalie asked me if you were 'gorgeous all over' and then said that you're so tall and slender, and have such long fingers, so surely other parts of your body must also..."
She'd gotten about halfway through that sentence when Kei's face began to burn. "Ah...yeah...maybe move that bag over this way a little so I can put my face on it..."
She chuckled. "I warned you, but you wouldn't listen."
Silence fell again as Kei tried to stop feeling quite so embarrassed, for what seemed like the hundredth time that evening. He was just getting settled again when Nakano spoke up. "So...are you?"
"What?" he whispered out.
"You know...are you...longer than average?"
Kei stifled a gasp and looked up at his girlfriend to find her cheeks as red as his were once again, but she was also giving him a very sassy smile. "Nakano...what...why..."
"I'm curious."
The body part in question on the boy was beginning to get eager to show off. He shifted a little on the bed, trying to hide the fact that the topic was turning him on a little, as well as making him a touch nervous. "Why on Earth would you ask me a question like that?" he said, trying to sound annoyed and utterly failing. Dammit, he thought, that sounded more eager than aggravated. Like I want to show her. Ugh, what the hell am I thinking!
"Because I'm quite certain you know. And now I can't help but think about it. So...are you?"
He nuzzled his head into her chest a little more, very deliberately not meeting her eyes. "Yeah. A little." Kei's voice was soft, but Nakano could also hear a little bit of pride, and a little bit of nerves in his tone.
"By how much?"
"Ah...about an inch or so, I guess. But, well, I'm also not as...uh...thick. As the average. So, yeah." He most definitely did not look at the girl as he continued. "Does that worry you?"
"Worry me? Why would it worry me?"
"Well, when we...I mean, I..." He huffed out an annoyed breath, clicking his tongue at himself. He took a deep breath and plunged in. "When we finally decide to do that, I want it to be pleasurable for you. I...I don't want to hurt you, or...or..." He found he'd lost his momentum as he approached the most worrisome part of the sentence. "...not be able to...satisfy you," he mumbled.
Nakano kissed the top of his head gently. "Kei, love, please, of all things...don't worry about that. If you've done your research, and I'd be shocked to find you haven't, then you'll know that satisfying a partner has much more to do with how you think and feel than the measurements of any particular part of either person's body. Whatever we do together in that regard, I know we will both enjoy, because we love each other, and want to care for and please the other. I'm sorry, love, I shouldn't have said anything."
He looked up at her with a sheepish smile. "No, don't be sorry, I shouldn't let it get to me. You're right, of course, I have done my research." He scoffed. "Maybe too much, as on this topic the internet has far more nonsense than real information available." He chuckled. "So in the end, I guess Amalie was right about me," he said a sassy note in his voice.
"Mmmm," the girl hummed, kissing his smirking lips. "Seems I've got a lot to look forward to in the future, eh, lover boy?" Her voice was a delicious mix of aroused and amused, and Kei couldn't help but start to laugh, the girl joining him.
"So," Kei began as they caught their breath, "you said Amalie had something to say about Kuroo? I gather you showed her a picture?"
"Oh yes. She insisted I show her pictures of all the boys on the team and on the Gym 3 Squad. Her reaction to Kuroo was 'look who fell out of the sexy tree and hit every single branch on the way down," Nakano recited from memory.
Kei did a spit-take without benefit of a drink, then cracked up laughing.
Nakano giggled. "Should I text the boys and tell them how my sister reacted to their pics? I wonder if they'd actually want to meet her? Should we set Ama up with Bokuto, or Kuroo?"
Kei shook his head, sighing. "Neither, I told you before, I have no desire to be everyone's relationship counselors. Just leave it alone, Naka-chan."
"I'm texting them. I think they'd both like to hear that my sister thinks they're good looking."
The boy rolled his eyes. "Do what you want."
"I shall," she replied pertly, taking his left hand and making him hold his own ice pack.
"Hey, wait a minute...it feels better when you hold it," the blonde boy pouted.
Nakano gave him a withering look and pulled out her phone. "Suck it up for five more minutes, gorgeous. I'll hold more than just your hand when I'm done with my texting," she replied, wiggling her eyebrows in a sort-of-Kuroo kind of way.
"Ugh, don't do that. I don't personally find Kuroo-bro that sexy."
Nakano just laughed as she created a new group chat.
Queen Setter created the group chat Three Bro-sketeers
Queen Setter invited Flirt to join
Queen Setter invited Boku-bro to join
Queen Setter invited Lover Boy to join
"Aw crap, Roses. Change my name, quick," Kei protested, "before they see it!"
"You'll have to accept the invitation first," she said, watching as Kei dropped the ice bag and scrambled to pull out his phone.
Queen Setter changed Queen Setter's name to Lady Benefactress
Flirt has joined Three Bro-sketeers
Flirt
Pretty Setter! What's all this?
Lover Boy has joined Three Bro-sketeers
Lady Benefactress changed Lover Boy's name to Tsukki-bro
Flirt
LOVER BOY!!??? 🤣😏😝😍
Lady Benefactress changed Flirt's name to Kuroo-bro
Tsukki-bro
Dammt
Boku-bro has joined Three Bro-sketeers
Boku-bro
NEW GROUP CHAT!!!! What's going on Bro-sketeers?
Tsukki-bro
Yoi neber saw that kurooo
Kuroo-bro
Damn, is Tsukki-bro drunk?
Lady Benefactress
No, just trying to text too fast with a busted up right hand.
Kuroo-bro
HA! Poor dude. Well, I assume there's a reason we've got our own group chat now?
Lady Benefactress
There is!
Boku-bro
Tell me little sis!
Lady Benefactress
Well, my older sister was home today, and insisted I show her pics of all the handsome volleyball boys I know.
Boku-bro
OOH! Did you show her my picture?
Lady Benefactress
Indeed I did, Boku-bro. Would you like to know what she had to say?
Boku-bro
Uh...was it something nice?
Tsukki-bro
Depemsa on your deinition of nice
Kuroo-bro
Tsukki-bro, just stop. I keep imagining you're completely wasted off your ass, and then wishing I was there in person to see it.
Tsukki-bro
Shut up kutoo
Kuroo-bro
Okay, LOVER BOY!
Boku-bro
Lover boy? Uhhh...something going on I should know about, bros?
Tsukki-bro
Dammit kuto
Lady Benefactress
Lover Boy happens to be Tsukki's name in my contacts, for reasons that ought to be obvious. But we are straying from the point. What Amalie said about your picture was nice, if a bit bold, Boku-bro.
Boku-bro
Who's Amalie?
Kei groaned. "That man is so Bokuto-y even when he isn't drunk," he said, making Nakano laugh.
Lady Benefactress
My sister.
Boku-bro
Oh. Well, you can tell me what she said, if you think it's not like mean or anything.
Lady Benefactress
Well, she was scrolling through my pics, and when she saw you, she asked me who is this delicious slice of beefcake?
Kuroo-bro
BEEFCAKE!? She called the Boku-bro beefcake? Damn, bro.
Boku-bro
Not just beefcake, bro, delicious beefcake. Yep, that's me.
Boku-bro changed Boku-bro's name to Delicious Beefcake
Tsukki-bro
Oj god shes created a monster
Delicious Beefcake
You're just jealous, Tsukki-bro. You're not beefcake. Cause that would be kinda weird if she called her sister's boyfriend beefcake.
Kuroo-bro
And what did she say when she saw my picture?
Lady Benefactress
I believe her exact words were well look who fell out of the sexy tree and hit every single branch on the way down.
Delicious Beefcake
Damn, bro. That's a good one.
Delicious Beefcake changed Kuroo-bro's name to Sexy Tree
Sexy Tree
Well, it's nice to know I'm being appreciated even when I'm not there. But, my dear Boku-bro, if the lady wants more than just a picture to drool over, I'm afraid this sexy tree is kinda spoken for at the moment.
Lady Benefactress
WHAT!?
Sexy Tree
Katsumi and I went on our third date today. It's going well, I think.
Lady Benefactress
The girl from the Play House?
Sexy Tree
Yep.
Delicious Beefcake
Nice, bro. Congratulations!
Tsukki-bro
Going out with an older woman bro
Sexy Tree
How did you know that she's older than me?
Tsukki-bro
She has to be at least 20 to serve alcihjol at the club kuroo
Sexy Tree
Ah, ever the smart one of the group, Tsukki-bro. Brilliant deduction, even if you can't spell.
Tsukki-bro
You try doingthis woth your right hanf taped all together
Boku-bro
Make him type more stuff Kuroo-bro, this is hilarious!
Lady Benefactress
Alright, boys, I just thought you might like to know that yes, there are ladies out there who think you're totally hot. And at least one girl who loves you both like brothers. Kuroo, I hope we get to meet Katsumi the next time we come to Tokyo. Now leave Tsukki alone so I can get him to ice his hand properly.
Sexy Tree changed Tsukki-bro's name to Lover Boy
Lover Boy
Dammit kurooo what the hell
Sexy Tree
I think Lover Boy matches better with Sexy Tree and Delicious Beefcake, don't you, Boku-bro?
Delicious Beefcake
Absolutely Kuroo-bro.
Lady Benefactress
Goodnight boys.
Sexy Tree
Yes, ma'am. 😼
"Roses," Kei whined, "they are never going to let me live that down."
She took the bag of ice, placing it off to the side and cuddling her slightly irritated boyfriend more properly, running her fingers through his delightfully soft blonde hair. "Hush, Kei. At least I didn't tell them it was Kageyama who first gave you that nickname."
"Fair point," he replied, snuggling into her further with a soft sigh.
"So," the girl began conversationally, "what did you and Dad talk about?"
"Oh, you know, the usual," Kei replied equally casually, "Stuff that guys care about. A few sake toasts, a little talk about the women in our lives, a little talk about our bros, things like that. Boring stuff."
Nakano chuckled. "And what did you tell him about the woman in your life?"
Kei rolled onto his side so he could look up at Nakano. "That I love her. That we're taking our relationship slow, and learning about each other. That we've dreamed a little about being together forever. That someday, I want to be as intimate with you as two people can be. But that we're in no rush to get to that future. And that I find it hard to believe that someone as amazing as you would choose someone like me."
"Oh, Kei," Nakano said, "Did you really say all of that to my dad?"
"I did, Roses. He asked me to be honest with him, and I was. Everything I said was true."
Kei scooted up, equalizing their heights and leaning in to connect his lips to his pretty girl's. They stayed just so for a while, kissing and tenderly touching one another. At last, Nakano pulled back from her megane boyfriend. "I love you, Tsukishima Kei."
"I love you, too, Roses." He maneuvered them around so that now she rested her head on his chest, as he lay back against the pillows, his right arm wrapped around her and his left hand playing with her hair. "We might also have talked about someone's birthday coming up in a couple of weeks..."
"Nope! Not approved, Kei. I want to be surprised. Don't tell me a thing. And don't you dare go too over the top."
He scoffed. "Look who's talking." His left hand trailed down from Nakano's hair, gently caressing her jawline and down along her neck, tracing out little shapes and patterns. "Roses? If you could have anything you wanted for your birthday, what would you want?"
"Time," she answered without hesitation, "just time for you and I to be together, alone. I wouldn't even care what we did, as long as we could spend a long time together doing it."
The boy hummed in response, silence falling between the two of them after that. He continued letting the fingers of his left hand trace lazy patterns on the girl snuggled under his right arm. Her eyes drifted shut. She occasionally giggled when he touched over a ticklish spot. "Hey, Coach?" he suddenly asked.
She opened her eyes, looking up at the boy. "What is it, love?"
"What am I gonna do about practice tomorrow?"
"What do you mean?"
"I can't practice with my hand like this. Am I really going to be out for three full weeks? That's almost half the time we've got before Nationals."
Nakano couldn't help but smile at him. And you want that time, she thought, you begrudge losing that time to practice, because you've finally discovered just how much you really do love this game. "Well, Tsukki, as your coach, I hope you will be going to see your family doctor tomorrow. So I expect you'll be missing practice for that." Kei nodded, he hadn't really thought about that. "After that, I expect you to be at practice every day. I'll have a training regimen for you that will keep your body moving while you rest your hand, and will slowly build in more activity as your hand recovers. Plus, there will be some exercises for your hand specifically, to help the fingers not be so stiff from lack of use." She kissed him gently. "Don't worry, Kei. Yes, you'll lose a bit of training time. But not much, I promise. The last thing we want is to prolong your recovery. So we'll be careful, but we won't let you fall behind."
"I knew you'd have a plan."
"Don't I always?" He chuckled at that. "Seriously, your pointer finger should be back to rights in about a week. The pinky will take longer, but once your pointer finger is okay, we can protect the pinky with a splint brace while you practice. Try to remember to ask for one when you go to the doctor, okay? It will give much better protection than just taping it."
"Got it. A splint brace. I'll be sure to ask about one." He snuggled his girl a little closer. "I can't believe we've made it to Nationals," he muttered under his breath, his voice carrying both awe and pride.
"You did, gorgeous. And now I get the feeling you want to prove yourself on the Orange Court."
"Yeah," he breathed, "I do. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I want to show that blocking Ushiwaka was not a fluke. It happened because I made it happen, and I can do it again. Even better than I did before."
Nakano's heart swelled with pride as she heard the determination, the fire in his voice. She'd known all along this had been inside him, and now, at last, he was letting his passion out. Letting it guide him, spur him onward to greater things. I wonder what this will mean for him, she wondered. He's got the talent to keep playing volleyball beyond high school. Would he want to pursue volleyball as a career? It's probably way too early to be worried about that. But it's exciting to see him start a new journey with his volleyball. I'm so grateful to be a part of that journey.
Kei noticed the girl's pensive look. "What are you thinking about?" he asked her softly.
"You," she replied, smiling, "Us. The future. All the exciting possibilities that lie ahead. How grateful I am to be here with you."
A wry little chuckle escaped the boy. "Yeah, it's been a good day for deep, heady topics, hasn't it?"
Her bright laughter in response made a tingle run down his spine. "Well, let's change it up then with something a little more lighthearted. I'm thinking maybe we need to do something fun again."
He looked down at her, lips pouting. "This isn't fun?"
She kissed him while giggling, and another thrill shot down along his back. "Yes, love, but I meant all of us - the whole team. We just qualified for the National tournament. I think that merits a celebration."
He rolled his eyes, but couldn't quite keep a little smile away from his lips. "Another team bonding thing?" he said, trying to make his voice sound as annoyed as possible.
She growled at him playfully and slapped his thigh firmly, sending tingles through him yet again, though this time they were focused lower on his body. Oh my god, he thought, why is everything she does so damn sexy? "Yes, Kei, team bonding," the girl was saying, "You had fun the last time, so quit trying to pretend like you won't enjoy it this time."
"Ow, Roses," he pouted, rubbing the spot on his leg where she'd slapped him. "You're so mean."
She eyed him playfully for a moment, then leaned over and kissed his leg where she'd slapped him, following that up with a fingertip massage over the area. Kei closed his eyes, trying to keep his breathing even as the girl let her hand linger on his leg. "I know am, lover boy, and I also know you love it. Now, seriously, what should we do? I've been trying to think of something fun we would all enjoy. We've already done the whole backyard volleyball thing."
"Mmmm. And backyard volleyball in November might not be the best idea. It's starting to get to be a little too chilly out there to make that really fun."
"I'd love to organize a trip to a beach house for all of us, but once again, we've got the same temperature problem."
"Save that for celebrating the third years' graduation," Kei suggested, making Nakano's heart drop a little, thinking about the team going on next year without Daichi, Suga, Asahi and Kiyoko. And probably me, she realized, at least, I hope I'll be playing for the girls' team next year. "What about a roller skating night?" Kei said.
"Oh yeah," Nakano said, a broad grin coming across her face. "We know Daichi and Suga will enjoy that for sure! And that was a lot of fun...our very first official date." The girl snuggled herself into her boyfriend's side. "I think that might just be perfect."
"Not to mention, the pizza at that place really is fantastic," Kei mused.
"How can you possibly be thinking about food, gorgeous," Nakano teased her boyfriend, "after that dinner we had tonight? I know most teenaged boys are bottomless pits, but you're not usually that type. Are you hungry again already?"
Kei slid down, allowing his head to rest against the pillows, pulling the girl closer to him, their lips not quite touching. "Mmmm...I think I am hungry...but not for food, Roses."
"Oh?" she queried seductively, tossing her leg over his body and sitting up to straddle him. "Would you like me to feed you, gorgeous?" She was sitting pretty across his lap, and as she spoke, she removed his glasses, and very slowly rolled her hips. Kei's eyes rolled back, a soft moan slipping from him. "Oh yes ma'am, please..."
"Ma'am? Now, now, pretty boy, we've already established, that's not what you call me." She leaned forward bringing their lips very nearly together again. "Say it," she commanded, suddenly taking his lower lip between her teeth and sucking on it.
"Yeth, mithreth," the boy lisped out, breaths already coming quicker. Her lip sucking morphed quickly into a deep kiss, sloppy and wet and passionate. She rolled her hips torturously slowly again, making the boy moan into her mouth, their kissing only becoming more intense. It was several minutes before Kei finally leaned back, gasping for air, Nakano beginning to kiss her way around his face and down his jawline. "Roses," he mumbled, "I'm the one who's had sake tonight, not you...wha...why are you so domin - aaaahh!" Kei left off with a gasp as Nakano suddenly took his Adam's apple in her mouth, sucking and licking around his most sensitive spot.
"Because as I already told you before, you intoxicate me, pretty boy," she whispered into his neck, continuing to kiss at the lump there until he moaned again, "and oh how I love to hear those noises you make, Kei." Her hands began to undo the buttons of his shirt. "Will you make different ones if I kiss down your chest, my pretty boy?"
"Uh-huh," came his reply, more a breathy moan than a word, "especially if you mark me. Please, please, beautiful mistress, leave your mark on me again."
She smiled against him, lips pressing against the skin of his chest, fingers coming to play with his nipples. "Well, since you asked so nicely..."
For the next little while, the only sounds in the room were Kei's soft gasps and pants as Nakano left marks all over his chest. She could feel him growing harder beneath her, and every time she rolled her hips, he would moan - a strangled sound he tried desperately to hold in, well aware that they were not alone in the house. Suddenly, the sound of the front door opening reached them. Kei whimpered. "Roses...that's your dad..."
"Shhh, I know love," she murmured against him, beginning to rebutton his shirt. "You okay?"
Soft pleading sounds were coming from the boy, little whiny noises he couldn't seem to control. "Aghn...mmm...I'm so...damn...I want...aahhh..." He was desperately trying to control his volume, straining his ears, listening to see if Ogawa-san would come and knock on the door.
Nakano finished rebuttoning his shirt, though it was still a disheveled mess hanging oddly from his body. We'd be fooling no one, she thought, but that's okay. After the talk Kei had with Dad today, I'm sure it's safe to say he knows we do some pretty heavy making out. She repositioned herself, lying down again next to her boyfriend, wringing a small groan of loss from him. He rolled over, turning his body towards her, burying his face in her chest, still mumbling and mewling. She softly stroked his hair, making quiet soothing noises of her own and listening carefully to her father's footsteps.
Once it became clear to them both that Ogawa-san was headed upstairs towards his own bedroom, Kei let out a frustrated, needy growl. "Roses, I need to touch you," he said into her chest, "please, please let me touch you." He lifted his head to look in her eyes, and Nakano gaped at him.
His eyes were blown wide and hazy with arousal, pupils gaping, only a slim ring of gold framing them. He truly did look hungry. She trembled a little at the raw need she saw in his eyes. "Kei, are you alright?"
"No," he said, "but please, Roses, let me under your sweater. Just the sweater, I promise. Just like you said that night, you can just say stop, and I will."
She'd barely begun to nod her head when Kei gave voice to another growl, this one an almost victorious sound, and dove head-first under the hem of her sweater, mouth moving at once to attack her clothed right nipple. She gasped, surprised by his intensity. He kissed, licked, sucked, and bit her everywhere - her chest, her stomach, her sides. His left hand eventually came under the sweater as well, nimble fingers teasing, touching and stroking. She closed her eyes and let herself just experience his touch, his almost mad need to have his mouth on her, his deft fingers tormenting and soothing her by turns. Her own hands wandered around his back, occasionally gripping hard as he left his own marks on her, wringing gasps and whines from the girl as well as soft, breathy noises of satisfaction.
Kei felt dizzy as he finally put his mouth on the girl, even through the lacy fabric of her bra. His mind was blank, all he knew was the heat of her skin and the sweet, fragrant scent of roses filling his nostrils as he burrowed into her clothing. He felt desperate, needy, overwhelmed. A distant part of him wondered why that was; the majority of him didn't care, as long as he could taste the salt-sweet of her body on his tongue. He mauled her, his spit soaking into her bra, his mouth leaving wet trails across her as he moved about underneath her loose sweater. He left marks here and there, each one making him feel more like an animal, a creature marking his territory. Each time, the girl groaned and writhed, working to keep her voice controlled. At last, he latched on to the delicate skin at the top of her right breast, just above the edge of her bra, worrying at it, tugging and licking and biting. "Ah - aaahh! Kei!" the girl cried out, desperately trying to muffle her voice with her own hand.
As if a spell had been broken, the boy suddenly came to his senses, kissing the place he'd just savaged, using his tongue to soothe it. He came out from under her sweater, sweaty and red-faced, his hair a wild mess, his breathing deep and labored. Her sweater slumped, stretched oddly from his intrusion, and he dropped his head on to her chest again, gasping, as she soothed his brow with her hand, using her fingers to rearrange his wet blonde locks.
"Ah...Roses, I'm sorry," he panted, "I love you...I don't know what happened..."
"I love you," she gasped out, and he realized that she was breathing nearly as hard as he was, "I love you so, so much, Kei. Gods, I love you."
The couple just lay there, catching their breath, each wondering why this had become so intense, so desperate. Both basking in the love they felt coming from the other, knowing that it didn't really matter why, all that really mattered was that they had each other, that the other would always be there to care for them.
Her phone began to chime, signaling that it was nearly ten o'clock. She silenced it, handing him his glasses and grabbing the two long-forgotten water bottles and handing one to Kei, urging him to drink. They both did, downing the water and getting their breathing back under control. After several minutes, Nakano began to chuckle.
"What?" Kei asked, merriment in his tone.
"I'm going to say too much tension from this week. That we needed to let that go somehow, and that's the way it chose to come out."
"Sounds reasonable to me," Kei agreed, draining the rest of his water. "I'm sorry, Roses..."
"No, you're not. There's absolutely nothing for you to be sorry about, Kei. I thoroughly enjoyed every single bit of that."
"Even the complete mangling of your sweater?" he asked wryly.
She laughed. "Worth it entirely, love. Besides, if you'll recall, I think I started it. So if anyone should be apologizing, it's me." He laughed lightly. She stretched, finishing her own water. "Six minutes. I want to sit here and snuggle with you for six more minutes, and then, you need to get home."
The couple used every single second of their six minutes, finally parting for the night with a kiss, and a promise to see one another in the morning.
🏐🏐🏐
Monday morning brought Nakano back to her regular routine. She awoke early, dressed in comfortable sweats, and headed outside for a morning run. She loved morning runs in the fall, particularly. The air was sweet and chill, and made her skin prickle as she began her workout. The sky was still a pearly gray as she headed out her door, the Sun not quite yet up. But as she ran, color began to slowly swirl across the sky, the pinks and golds of the coming dawn washing over the landscape and turning everything around her to a soft pastel fairy world that took her breath away. The joyous morning calls of birds the only soundtrack she needed for these moments. It was a calming, centering thing - it was like pressing a reset button on her mind. She wished she could convince Kei to join her for these runs. Maybe now that he had given in to his passion for volleyball, she might be able to change his mind. She wanted to share these early morning moments of peace with her beloved. Her usual path took her past his house twice, and both times she looked up to his window, wondering if he was awake. Picturing him nestled in his bed beneath his blankets, soft blonde hair scattered across his pillow, his face scrunched up a little as it often did when he was sleeping, making him look far younger than his sixteen years. A fond smile came across her face as she thought of him, and as she passed his house the second time headed back towards her own, she felt her heart skip a beat with the simple knowledge that she'd get to see him again very soon.
As she approached her front door, the Sun at last broke over the eastern horizon, bathing Nakano in a sudden, brilliant gold wash. The warmth of the sunlight was a different feeling from the inner warmth she felt from the run, and filled her with energy for the new day. She smiled as she opened her door, and was suddenly struck by the distinctive smell of grilled salmon. Dad is making breakfast again, she thought, I'd forgotten how much he likes to cook in the morning.
She made her way to the kitchen to find her mother sitting expectantly on a stool in front of the kitchen counters, watching her husband prepare a delightful traditional Japanese breakfast. Rice and eggs, as well sweet corn porridge - Nakano's favorite - would be joining the salmon, it seemed. Nakano hummed with pleasure at the delicious aromas. "Is there time for me to shower first?" she asked.
"Before what?" her dad asked in return.
"Don't tell me you're making all this good food and I'm not allowed to have any," she pouted as her mother laughed.
Tanjiro scoffed. "Do you think I'd make sweet corn porridge and not make enough for you?" he declared, "You'd probably kill one of us for a share."
"Well, only if I had no other choice," Nakano said, a cheeky smile on her face.
Her dad laughed. "Go get cleaned up, Little Warrior. Nobody wants to eat breakfast with a stinky girl."
Nakano laughed and made her way to her bedroom to get ready for the day.
Twenty minutes later, the Ogawas were seated around the table, enjoying breakfast and chatting.
"Thanks for making breakfast, Dad," Nakano said enthusiastically, "it's really nice to have you home again."
"Hmmm, I think I might be insulted," Emiko muttered.
Nakano scoffed at her mother, who chuckled at her. "Be nice, ladies," Tanjiro chided them. "And believe me, it's very, very nice to be home again. And it was really nice to meet that young man of yours yesterday, Naka-chan. I must say, you're a lucky lady to have found him."
Nakano blushed gently. "Don't I know it, Dad. And honestly, I consider myself lucky to have found a spot with the boys' volleyball team at all. I mean, not only was that how I got closer to Kei, those boys have helped me so much with my continued recovery. I could never have gotten this far without my team."
"Not just your physical recovery either, Naka-chan," her mother added, "I think you're happier now than I've seen you since the accident. I'm so grateful to Kei-chan and Tobio-chan and all the boys on your team for what they've done. It's like a miracle."
Nakano and Emiko smiled at one another. Not long ago, I wouldn't have known how to express that to her, for fear of making her think of things that caused her so much pain, Emiko thought. But I've seen and recognized her strength these past few months. And it was Kei and her team that made that so clear to me. I'm trying not to be afraid of talking to her anymore. She's stronger than I ever thought she could be.
"Hey Mom, remember when the team came here to play volleyball that afternoon after the Tokyo camp?" Nakano began around a mouthful of porridge.
"Of course I do, silly," her mother replied.
"Well, Daichi thought it was so great to get the team together apart from practice, you know, just to hang out, that he asked me if I would be in charge of planning team get togethers," Nakano said.
"Team bonding is important," Tanjiro intoned, almost reminding Nakano of Kuroo, "Those boys need to feel like a team in more ways than just on the court."
"Yes, and also I think we should celebrate clinching a spot at the National tournament," Nakano went on, "After all, almost no one thought we'd ever be able to do that."
"Really? Because it seemed like everyone on your team thought you could," her dad said with a smile, "But anyway, what's up, Little Warrior? You want to have the team over here again?"
"No, actually, Kei had a great idea - a team roller skating night..." Nakano began.
"Oh my gosh, that sounds like so much fun!" Emiko enthused. "Does the rink in town still have that great pizza?"
Nakano laughed. "It does. I'm hoping to arrange a party for this coming weekend."
"Perfect!" Tanjiro said, "So, how can we help?"
"Well, I'm sure there will be a cost to rent the party room, and I know all the guys will chip in, but I may need to pay in advance, so if Daichi okays the idea, would you be willing to pay for the room? I'll be able to pay you back after everyone contributes..."
"Nonsense. I'm happy to book the party room, Naka-chan. No repayment needed," Tanjiro said, giving his daughter a winning smile.
"And allow me to provide something sweet for all of you to enjoy, okay? We owe those boys a great deal, as we've already observed. I'd like to do a little something special to say thank you to all of them," Emiko chimed in.
"Are you sure? You already bought the pizza last time, Mom. I don't want to keep asking you to..."
"You're not asking, Little Warrior, we're telling. Now stop arguing and get to party planning." Tanjiro took his wife's hand and kissed it, and the couple smiled indulgently at their youngest daughter. "Let us know if you need anything else. Now, are you sure you're ready to deal with what's going to happen today?"
Nakano looked at her dad quizzically, her mouth full of rice and salmon. "What do you mean?" she asked after swallowing.
"You're headed on to the national stage, young lady, and Karasuno hasn't been for volleyball in quite a few years. I'm certain you and your team will be the talk of the school. Are you ready for the attention?"
Nakano's laughter was a mix of humor and sarcasm. "I don't think I'll be getting any extra attention, Dad. The boys will, and they totally deserve it." And if I do get any attention, it will be because I've unfairly stolen Kei's heart, I'm sure, she mused. Well, at least that's better than being called the team slut. She wondered if Kei might actually gain some admirers thanks to this. She didn't think he would necessarily welcome that kind of attention. But it was certainly merited. As the MVP of the final, he should get a lot of attention. Nakano hoped it would be from the right people. I know there were people from the Japan Volleyball Association watching our game, she thought, not to mention influential coaches and people involved with the Japan National Youth Team. How amazing would it be if someone like that took notice of Kei? That would open so many exciting doors for the future, so many possibilities. She smiled to herself as she finished breakfast with her family and prepared to go and see what the future held in store for her today.