Chapter 41:
"So, when's the date?" Mina asked heartily.
"Tomorrow night!" Mizuki grinned, plopping down on her bed face first.
"Where's the date going to be?" Rina pursed her lips together curiously.
"I don't know..." She laughed, unable to contain her excitement, "He wouldn't tell me anything! He said it was a surprise."
"What a dork." Rina rolled her eyes jokingly.
Mina threw a pillow at her twin, "I think it's romantic. Tadashi told me he was helping Tsukishima with it yesterday."
"Speaking of Yamaguchi," Mizuki crawled and laid down beside her friend, "What is going on with you two?"
Mina reddened, avoiding her friend's inquisitive looks, "What do you mean?"
"We're not stupid," Rina crossed her arms, smirking, "All the subtle looks, comments, and blushing... Explain yourself."
"I..." Mina sighed deeply, "I think he's very sweet and he makes me laugh."
"So you do like him! Why not go for it?!" Mizuki prompted enthusiastically.
"Because... I should focus on school and our volleyball club," She explained softly, "Besides, he might not like me like that."
"Aw, Mina..." Mizuki hugged her friend sympathetically.
"At least you didn't get rejected." Rina sighed, embracing the pillow that was thrown at her earlier.
"Kageyama didn't reject you," Mizuki pointed out, "He told you that he didn't know if he felt the same."
"He might as well have ripped my heart out." Rina mumbled faintly.
Suddenly, someone knocked on her bedroom door. She sauntered over to see who it was and found Kei smiling affectionately at her.
"Hi princess." He murmured gently.
"Hi!" Her eyes flickered with euphoria as she instinctively threw her arms around him.
Kei bent down to kiss her, then he froze, noticing Rina's smug expression and Mina shaking her head behind them.
"Oh... I forgot that they were going to be here tonight." Kei muttered disappointedly.
"Oh c'mon Tsukishima!" Rina snickered deviously, "We all saw you smooching after your match against Shiratorizawa."
Kei stared at Rina with an "I'm done with you" expression plastered on his face.
"What brings you here? I thought we were meeting tomorrow!" Mizuki jolted up, her mind malfunctioning, "Wait, were we supposed to meet today? Did I get the day wrong?!"
"No..." He reassured her, laughing softly, "I brought you something for tomorrow."
"Oh," She sighed, extremely relieved, "What is it?"
"Yeah, yeah, Tsukishima, what is it?" Rina inched herself in between Mizuki and Kei.
Kei rolled his eyes and grasped Mizuki's hand, tugging her outside of her room so that they could have some privacy.
"Be right back!" Mizuki smiled, shutting the door behind them.
As soon as they were out of her friends' sight, Kei leaned down and skimmed his lips briefly on hers. He pulled away instantly before Mizuki could even have the chance to process what had happened.
"What-" She pouted, wondering why he had stopped their kiss so abruptly, "Kei..."
"What? You want more?" He smirked playfully.
She grimaced and swiftly looked away, refusing to answer his provoking remarks.
"Hey..." He pouted, his eyebrows knitting in frustration, "Princess..."
She ignored him, amused by how his teasing backfired. As a response, Kei planted soft and lazy kisses all over her face, causing her to smile automatically. She giggled lightly, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"That didn't work the way you wanted, huh?" Mizuki grinned lightheartedly.
"Nope." He mumbled, embracing her dotingly.
"So, what did you bring me?" She inquired, peeking at the bag he brought with him.
"This."
Kei let go of her and carefully took out a delicate, fuchsia flower with an amber hue at the center. She gasped softly, making sure she didn't crumple the flower as she reached out for it.
"It's a hibiscus flower," Kei stated, observing her astonished reaction, "I thought that maybe you could wear it for our date tomorrow."
"It's stunning..." She smiled, gazing up at him, "Of course I'll wear it."
Mizuki tucked the short stem of the flower behind her left ear, displaying the smooth, colorful petals confidently.
"What do you think?" She asked cheerily.
"You look beautiful." He murmured, a soft smile forming from his lips.
"Thank you!" Mizuki grinned, her heart fluttering from his compliment, "How did you get this hibiscus anyway?"
"It's a secret," He revealed nonchalantly, "You'll have to find out some other time."
"Fine..." She sighed, tiptoeing up to quickly give him a peck on the lips, "See you tomorrow?"
"Kiss me properly first." Kei frowned, seemingly deprived of her kisses.
"Look who wants more now," She smiled slyly, "I guess I could give you one more kiss."
Mizuki pulled her boyfriend closer, and as their lips collided, their bodies sparked with desire and ecstasy. Kei deepened their kiss, his knees weakening, allowing himself to be consumed by her scorching touch.
"Toma-san! Sorry I'm late! I was-" Yachi scrambled up the stairs to find her and Kei fervidly kissing.
Mizuki jumped back suddenly, blushing, "Yachi! It's fine!"
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" She repeatedly exclaimed, "I didn't mean to interrupt! Forgive me!"
Rina slammed her bedroom door open and said, "What's with all the shouting?"
Mina peeked from behind her twin and noticed how pink Kei's ears, as well as Mizuki's face, had become. Ah.
"Ohoho!" Rina chortled, clearly amused, "You interrupted them kissing, didn't you Yachi?"
"By accident!" She explained frantically, "I'm sorry!"
"It's fine, Yachi." Mizuki laughed gently.
"I'll see you tomorrow, princess." Kei cleared his throat, giving her a hasty kiss on her cheek.
"Princess?!" Rina scoffed disapprovingly, "Princess?! Stop making me barf!"
Kei rolled his eyes, and jogged downstairs to leave her house.
"Mizuki! Why do you have a flower tucked behind your ear?" Rina demanded suspiciously.
"Oh, uh... Kei wanted-" Before she could finish her sentence, Rina interrupted her.
"I swear if the reason is cutesy and romantic..." Rina peered at Mizuki intensely.
Mizuki opened her mouth to explain and after a few seconds of contemplation, she closed it. Maybe she shouldn't say in case Rina erupts in tears.
"What's wrong Suzuki-san?" Yachi asked worriedly.
Mina sighed deeply, "We have a lot to catch you up on, Yachi."
~
Kei had been planning their first date ever since he had kissed her after the qualifier match against Shiratorizawa. He recalled that her perfect date was a picnic on the beach, but unfortunately, he couldn't arrange that because the weather had become brisk and chilly. Instead, he did the next best thing - he, Yamaguchi, and his brother set up a comfortable fort made out of a variety of blankets in his backyard. They decorated it with twinkling fairy lights and pillows while his brother installed a projector on top of a table so that a movie could be displayed against the wooden fence. Kei bought and made a few snacks which included sushi, popcorn, strawberry shortcake, and Mizuki's favorite drink, strawberry milk.
Kei took a deep breath and scanned his backyard - all this was too much. He bit his lip anxiously, his mind racing a million miles a second. He shouldn't have listened to Yamaguchi or his brother. This was too much for a first date and she was definitely going to freak out and run. He was even wearing a semi-formal maroon sweater that he had borrowed from his brother and black jeans to make sure he was presentable enough for their date. Suddenly, his phone buzzed, revealing a text message from Mizuki.
Mizuki: Hi Hi ~（っ＾▿＾）Can I go to your house now? Please?
Kei smiled softly, her adorable text message instantly comforting him.
Kei: You're too cute, you know that? I'm coming to pick you up now.
"Nii-san, I'm going to Mizuki's house to get her now," He called out to his brother who was in the kitchen, "Can you leave the house please?"
"No way!" Akiteru shook his head dismissively, "I trust you Kei but there still needs to be an adult in this house!"
Kei rolled his eyes as he sauntered into the house and said, "Just don't bother me or my girlfriend."
Akiteru nodded, his eyes gleaming with pride, "Your first girlfriend... You're so grown up now..."
It seemed to Kei that his brother was about to burst into tears.
"Nii-san, please stop crying." He sighed flatly as he opened the front door.
"I'm not crying!" Akiteru protested, wiping off something (which he claimed were not tears) from his face.
Kei shook his head and began jogging over to Mizuki's house. She lived near him which made it a thousand times easier to see her whenever he wanted to (which was pretty much every single day).
As soon as he arrived, he knocked on the door while trying to catch his breath. The door was opened by Mizuki's brother, Jun, who was peering at him suspiciously.
"Hey," Kei greeted cooly, entering her house, "Where's..."
He trailed off, his eyes traveling to Mizuki, who knocked the soul out of him. She was wearing a white, long-sleeved top which was tucked in a black, high-waisted skirt, and she also had on black, knee-high boots. Her hair was sleek and neatly straightened, and she wore her signature T-Rex and crescent moon necklace that he had gifted her. The hibiscus flower rested on her left ear, complimenting her outfit.
Kei was at a loss of words - he couldn't believe someone as breathtaking as she liked him.
"Hi." Mizuki grinned ecstatically as she walked towards him.
"Woah..." He held his breath, swallowing nervously, "You look..."
"Her curfew is at 11, Tsukishima, darling," Her mother interrupted, the tone in her voice simultaneously sweet and menacing, "I know where you live so don't be late!"
"Mom!" Mizuki blushed, embarrassed by her mother's threat, "C'mon Kei!"
"Oh... right," He cleared his throat and said, "I'll have her home by 11."
After Mizuki grabbed her bag, the two of them exited her house hastily. He held her hand affectionately which caused her to gaze up and smile at his reddened face.
"What were you going to say earlier?" She teased playfully.
"Oh you know," He stopped walking and pulled her into a loving embrace, "Just that the most stunning person I know happens to be my girlfriend."
"Oh yeah?" Mizuki giggled softly, "Who's that girlfriend of yours? I'd like to meet her."
Kei leaned down and brushed his lips softly against hers, earning a content sigh from Mizuki.
"You look radiant, princess."
She pulled away, still lightheaded from their brief kiss, "Thank you."
When they arrived at Kei's house, she wondered what he had planned for them. He motioned for her to follow him, and she noticed how concerned he appeared to be.
"Close your eyes." He murmured, stopping in front of the backyard door.
"Okay..." She smiled slowly.
She shut her eyes tightly, the excitement making her shiver with anticipation. He held her hand, guiding her carefully outside. She trusted him wholeheartedly.
"Okay, you can open your eyes now." He murmured, his breath quivering uneasily.
Mizuki opened her eyes and gasped - he had turned his backyard into a network of forts with bright lights and a movie projector. In the middle, there was a large fort that had enough room for the two of them, filled with pillows and more fluffy blankets. She scanned the area and noticed all her favorite foods, snacks, and drinks displayed there. It was the most amazing thing anyone had ever done for her.
"Kei..." She managed to say as she took it all in.
"I wanted to give you your perfect date at the beach..." Kei explained timidly, "But since it's cold right now, and there's a possibility that it might rain, I thought that maybe this would be alright..."
She was speechless - her mind couldn't comprehend how or why he had gone so above and beyond for her. She was just a girl.
"It's too much, isn't it?" He grimaced, his blood boiling with frustration, "I'm sorry-"
Mizuki threw her arms around him, startling Kei, as she teared up happily.
"I love it," She declared heartily, "Thank you for doing this."
Kei gazed at her, feeling his body buzz with warmth.
"Any time."
As the two explored the backyard ecstatically, Kei put on a romance movie that he thought she would enjoy.
"What is that?" She laughed, pointing at the movie.
"It's called The Notebook," He casually stated, "My brother recommended it."
"It's making me cringe!" She snickered, causing him to knit his eyebrows in concern.
"You don't like it?" Kei asked worriedly.
"I mean, don't get me wrong, I love romance movies and shows," Mizuki exclaimed, sipping from her strawberry milk drink, "But this one is not it."
"Oh."
She spun around and smiled at him, "Why don't we watch something you want to watch?"
"Me?" Kei cleared his throat, "But... You..."
"Kei," She kissed his cheek reassuringly, "This is our first date. I want both of us to have fun."
He stared at her, then sighed deeply, "I don't like romance movies."
Mizuki let out a small laugh, "Then let's watch something you want to watch!"
"I haven't seen Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom yet," Kei mumbled slowly, "Do you want to watch that?"
"Okay!" She beamed, "I haven't watched that either! I've only watched the first movie, Jurassic World."
Kei chuckled, changing the movie to Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. After they grabbed their food and drinks, the two crawled into the fort that Kei had established. The two were wrapped in a large, cozy blanket together. Mizuki snuggled up beside him as he squeezed her comfortingly. He gazed at her, leaning down to tenderly kiss her. She kissed him back, touching his cheek gently with her hand. As they continued watching the movie, she observed him increasingly becoming frustrated.
"These guys are stupid," Kei commented, displeased with the movie's plot, "Imagine keeping dinosaurs contained in an enclosed space. It's like they're asking to be eaten."
Mizuki giggled, gazing up at him, "I love it when you talk nerdy."
Eventually, the two were too caught up with their conversation (and each other) to pay attention to the movie in front of them.
"What was Brazil like?" Kei asked, curious about her experience in a foreign country.
"I actually liked it there," She laughed, reminiscing the year she spent in Brazil, "The food, the people, and the culture were really different at first but I got used to it."
"Do you know how to speak their language?" He inquired, wondering if she could speak another language fluently besides Japanese.
"I can," She admitted shyly, "I'm a little rusty though."
"Tell me something in Portugese." He smirked eagerly.
Mizuki pursed her lips in thought before facing him.
"Meu namorado é muito bonito." She stated proudly.
"What does that mean?" He raised an eyebrow, amused by her language skills.
"É um segredo." She grinned teasingly.
"It's something bad, isn't it?" Kei sighed exaggeratedly, "That's not very nice."
"It's not!" Mizuki laughed warmly.
"Come here."
Kei gently pulled her onto his lap and Mizuki couldn't help but smile affectionately. She embraced him tightly as he nuzzled his face against her neck. His lips grazed her neck softly, making her breath hitch and her heart flutter aggressively. He started nipping at her neck, causing her spine to tingle with sensitivity.
"Mm."
Kei gazed up at her, his face tinted and flushed pink, and mumbled, "Princess..."
"Yeah...?" She murmured breathlessly.
"You drive me crazy, you know that?" He confessed, his body shivering despite the warmth he felt being so close to her.
"Thank you... I think?" Mizuki smiled, tilting her head slightly.
Kei chuckled and squeezed her soothingly. His life was unbelievable.
"You know how you call me princess?" She brought up, making him intrigued.
"Yeah..."
"What should I call you?" Mizuki's eyebrows furrowed in uncertainty.
"Anything you want." He laughed charmingly.
"Baby? Honey? Cookie? Cutie? Sweetie?" She suggested aloud, making him wince with disgust and disapproval.
"I hate all of those." Kei admitted truthfully as he grimaced.
Mizuki stifled her laughter and said, "What then?"
"I don't know. My name is fine too." He shrugged indifferently.
He would rather be called by his name than any of those barf-worthy pet names.
"How about hot stuff?"
"No."
"Lover boy?"
"No. Where are you getting these nicknames?"
"I know!" Mizuki beamed enthusiastically, "How about my little pterodactyl?"
"As much as I love our adorable origin story... No." Kei shook his head disapprovingly.
"You really don't want one?" She pouted, disappointed that she couldn't call him anything special besides his name.
"My name is fine." He insisted dismissively.
"Okay..."
He inched his face up, brushing his lips against hers. Although she did kiss him back, the second he moved back to observe her subtle yet evidently disgruntled expression, he couldn't help but cave in.
"Maybe baby isn't so bad." He mumbled defeatedly.
Mizuki's expression changed slowly, her lips curving to form a smile, "Really?"
"I could get used to it." Kei sighed, knowing that he might regret letting her call him that nickname.
Mizuki cleared her throat and exaggeratedly said, "Baby, can you pass me that drink?"
He took a deep breath, "You're starting now?"
"Yes, baby, I am." She grinned playfully.
"You're not going to stop, are you?" He smirked, watching her amusement.
"No, baby, I'm not." She stated, her eyes shimmering with delight.
He sighed, clearly embarrassed, and yet, he couldn't help but smile whenever she called him baby.
The stupid pet name is worth it if he got to see her smile like this everyday.
Suddenly, Akiteru peeked and opened the backyard door loudly. They jolted up, surprised by the booming noise.
"Hey..." Akiteru sang cheerfully, "Do you guys need anything? Some snacks? Maybe an extra blanket?"
"Go away please." Kei rolled his eyes, causing Mizuki to laugh gently.
"Okay..." His brother grinned, "Love you both!"
Akiteru shut the door behind him, leaving the two of them alone once more.
"I told him to leave the house for the night but he said he couldn't let it be just the two of us alone here." He explained, shaking his head.
"He's sweet, and he cares about you. You have to be nicer to him." Mizuki kissed his cheek swiftly.
"I know... I've been trying." He nodded guiltily.
"Good. He's your brother... your family. Family is important." She smiled tenderly as Kei noticed her eyes flicker with sorrow.
As a response, Kei hugged her comfortingly, understanding what she was feeling inside at that moment.
"How about you and I visit your dad tomorrow?" He suggested warmly.
"... Really?" She asked slowly, "Are you sure?"
"Yeah. We have to break the news to him that we're dating somehow." He teased, wanting to alleviate the lingering grief that she felt.
Mizuki widened her eyes, wondering if Kei had read her mind somehow. Or maybe, more fittingly, he just knew her.
"You better be prepared, because he's very intimidating and very strict," She mentioned casually, "I don't know how he would feel knowing that I'm dating someone."
"I promise to be on my best behavior." Kei announced.
Mizuki smiled at her boyfriend - how did she get so lucky?
Before she could say anything else, she spotted a volleyball on the grass beside some chairs. It reminded her about how the Karasuno boys were going to have a practice game against Date Tech the following week.
"Are you excited about your practice game with Date Tech?" She brought up.
"Only if you're there to watch and cheer me on." Kei stated casually.
"I can't, remember? I have practice!" She chuckled softly.
"Oh, that's right," He pouted disappointedly, "Then, I'm not excited."
"Kei!"
"I thought I was baby to you." He pointed out smugly.
"Oh yeah," She blushed profusely, "This is going to take some time to get used to, baby."
"Besides, I'm not worried about the practice game. I have bigger problems to deal with." He sighed deeply.
"What?" Mizuki asked worriedly. Was something bothering him that much?
"When we go to Tokyo for the tournament, I'll have to tell Bokuto-san, Akaashi-san, all of Fukurodani, and Kuroo-san that we're together." Kei revealed, the thought of his upperclassmen making him feel mentally exhausted already.
"Oh."
"You do know how they'll react, right?" He mumbled, clearly distressed.
Mizuki laughed lightly, "Yes."
"They're never going to leave me alone and they're never going to stop teasing and asking me questions." He continued, his frustration increasing gradually.
"Just tell them that we're dating, end of story," She exclaimed optimistically, "No comments please!"
"Do you think that's going to work?" He sighed sluggishly.
"... No." She declared instantly.
He groaned in annoyance, feeling the inevitable nightmare of Bokuto's shouting and Kuroo's teasing slowly but gradually creeping in.
"It'll be fine, Kei!" Mizuki assured him.
"I need comforting kisses please." Kei requested as he pouted.
"You're so needy!" She grinned elatedly.
"You love it." He smirked arrogantly.
She leaned down, grazing her lips against his. He deepened their kiss, wanting to savour each electrifying touch. Without breaking their kiss, Kei gently laid her down on the soft blankets, his body heatedly burning with desire. He moved on top of her, feeling her body pressed up against him. Mizuki wrapped her arms around him, pulling him as close as possible to her. Just the sound of his ragged breathing was enough to make her crave him more.
Kei pulled back after a few seconds, panting slightly, in order for them to catch their breath.
Mizuki gazed up at Kei's flushed face, disheveled hair, and lopsided glasses. She wanted time to stop just so she could stare at him forever.
"Melhor primeiro encontro de todos os tempos." She murmured breathlessly.
"What does that mean?" Kei tilted his head inquisitively.
"Best first date ever."
・‥...━━━━━━━☆☆━━━━━━━...‥・
A/N: Usually, I tend not to put author's notes because I want people to be immersed in the story but... It's unreal that this fic of mine has 22.5k reads right now... To everyone commenting, voting, and just reading, I thank you from the bottom of my heart (ღ˘⌣˘ღ). The story is far from over, especially because I made a rule for myself that for every chapter of cutesy fluff I write, I would write 5 chapters of pure, excruciating angst... Just for my precious readers ♥‿♥
Thank you everyone!