chapter forty!
GAUCHE
LIFE THROWS A CURVEBALL during one's most unanticipated circumstances; and when it does, it sucks hard. Of course, Mina has had her fair share of them but none of them could ever compare to how stupefying this whole scenario is. The fact that she had just met her boyfriend's mother without even knowing it was her, and now sitting inside of their home while the said boyfriend stands there just as stunned as she was. It was like straight out of a sitcom and the brunette can vividly hear the generic audience laughter ringing inside her head. Heck, that could've been her ancestors high up there in the blue skies, laughing at the situation she's landed herself in!
Oh, her poor, poor fortune.
In a span of a mere sixty seconds, the girl has just gone through the five stages of grief. She'd like to state that it's a talent but given the situation she's in, it's quite inappropriate.
Could she think straight? Of course, she could— well, maybe not as much as she would like but she's still got some of her senses intact. There was really only one thing that keeps popping up in the girl's mind like an endless discord ping, and that was choice to unveil their whole status to Kageyama's mother. Of course, Mina's not opposed to the idea [ but given the circumstances, what else could she do ] though if the raven haired male was to be the one to oppose, then she'd understand.
For sure, a big chunk of her heart would be shredded into pieces but she understands if he's not ready. This was, after all, unplanned. Before any words could be exchanged between them, Mina quickly stands to her feet and scurries towards the boy before pulling him aside into the hall where several doors lined paralleled towards another.
"H-Hey, where do you think you're goingㅡ"
The raven haired male is immediately shushed by the girl, whose brows were furrowed out of serious contemplation. Mina didn't say anything after that, but she approached the closest door to them, turned the knob and sent him and herself inside. Kageyama was confused, bewildered and bit embarrassed by the events that seemed to have just breezed right past through him. He wasn't even done registering the fact that the girl was in his house, let alone this brand new situation where she's isolated them in the bathroom without context. How was he supposed to take it all in?
As soon as the door clacks shut, Mina turns around, only to be surprised by the small distance between them. Kageyama was too, as he immediately staggers backwards with faintly flushed cheeks. A sheepish smile forms on her lips and she utters out, "Sorry."
Neither of them said anything after that, but exchanged looks with one another. One that was filled with confusion and uncertainty while the other merely glanced back to gauge his reactions. And when their eyes meet, the first one to look away was the raven haired male himself whose cheeks turns a shade darker. And as if to alleviate this flustering silence, Kageyama sparks a conversation filled with his curiosity. After all, he had a lot of unanswered questions that bugged him to the core.
"... How'd you end up here?" He scratches his nape, giving her uncertain glances.
"Ah, I met your mother on accident," The brunette leans on the wooden door. "On way home, she drop vegetables so I help carry it, but I did not know Tobio-kun was... living here. Sorry."
Cautious, the way Mina spoke as she gauges his reactions. She knows there's a certain order to how these interactions work— well, as far as she's learned from her surrounding relatives. When in the dating phase, a partner isn't necessarily obliged to bring their significant other to their family's home under the span of a month while dating. It could be too early, and a mother would take it as a sign that this person could be the one. Hence, it should never be rushed. And of course, it could be a burden! The amount of pressure that meeting a significant other's carries— one must have nerves of steel to be able to push through it.
Now, imagine it being impromptu! The brunette is fairly surprised that she hasn't passed out when she realized what was going on.
"Thanks... for, you know, helping out my mom," She raises her gaze to him. "Means a lot for you to do that. You don't have to be sorry about it."
He means that. A smile blossoms on her lips and she says, "No problem at all. Your mother is very kind and sweet! Very pretty too, no surprise why Tobio-kun is so handsome."
She lightly teases, giving him such a smile that made him flustered all over again. There wasn't a day that passed where Kageyama would resemble a tomato, heating up from top to bottom merely from her jests and unexpected jabs. One would think that he would be used to it by now but it seemed like he was still so fairly susceptible to Mina's charms. And as per usual, the raven haired male would frown and grumble about it despite his crimson cheeks saying otherwise.
"You know what is going to happen, right?" His attention reverts back to her. "Your mom think I don't know you."
But when she sees stagnant frown, a breathy chuckle escapes her lips. Mina fiddles with her fingers and continues, "We are dating, but your mom don't know that, right?"
Reality starts to set in when she says it. It dawns to Kageyama that none of his family members know anything about Mina, let alone being his girlfriend. Well— it wasn't that he didn't want to but it was just the fact that he didn't really have the right time to bring it up. True, he may have been hesitant [as shy as he was] to bring it up, but never would he deny such a thing. But now that the opportunity arose, he may as well take it.
That sounded much easier in his mind but to actually take a step and do it— his hands were getting clammy now.
"No rush, okay? If Tobio-kun not ready to say it, we can lie," Mina smiles kindly and it soothes his nerves a fair bit, but also sends a twinge to his heart. "This was surprise, after all."
Before he could say anything else, both hears the sound of Kageyama's mother calling their names. The raven haired male froze almost instantaneously as it dawns to him once more where they were located. Both of them isolated in the bathroom, no context whatsoever and could easily be taken the wrong way. He pales at the thought of whatever consequence could befall unto them, while on the other hand, Mina seemed relatively fine. She even took the first step and tried to open the door until Kageyama stopped her from doing so.
"O-Oi, what do you think you're doing?! We're going to get caught, you knoㅡ" The girl cuts him off midway when she places a finger to her lips.
"I go out first and tell lie to your mom, say you upstairs or something," She states. "You come out after, okay? Make sure she does not see you."
By her reassuring expressions and words, it's inevitable for his tense muscles to slowly start to relax. That frown of his starts to soften out and she reaches out for his hand to give it a light squeeze, as if to dispel his concerns. She knows that he may be bothered about unveiling their relationship, but she wants to put his mind at rest; that it didn't matter when they would say it out in public, as long as they still remained together.
"I see you outside, okay?" Her hand leaves his as she turns the knob and exits out of the room, leaving him in his own sea of thoughts.
As she exits the bathroom, she sees Kageyama's mother pacing around in search for her and her son. It didn't take long for the woman to hear Mina scurrying towards her and she turns around with a small frown.
"Mina, is that you? You disappeared all of a sudden, I was getting concerned," The woman gives her a worried look. "I thought you may have left or something but your bag was still here. Where were you?"
"Ah, I was in bathroom," She sheepishly replies and the woman's expression softens by a notch. "Sorry, I will ask for permishun next time!"
"It's alright, you don't have to ask for permission," She pats the girl's back before her eyes starts to wander around the place again. "Have you seen my son? I was so sure that he came down earlier. Oh, and he didn't even take the vegetables! That little-! I ought to justㅡ!"
Once the woman starts rolling her sleeves up with that look on her face, it dawns to Mina where the raven haired male got his wild tendencies from. The way she easily blew a fuse, a glare she was so sure that mirrored her son's— the genes were far too strong in this family. The girl could only hope that his other family members would be... less intense but she could easily be proven wrong.
"I-I saw him! He said he is grabbing something," The brunette may have been poor with the way she alleviated the focus, but it still worked since his mother toned down by a notch. "It's okay! I can take vegetables for you, ma'am!"
"You don't have to do that, we'll let my son take all the responsibility," His mother shakes her head. "How about you just come with me? I prepared some juice in the kitchen, but if you prefer something warm, then I'll brew some green tea. You can snack on some Senbei as well while I'm preparing dinner— Oh, and do tell your folks that you're eating here alright? We wouldn't want them to worry."
"Yes— yes?"
"You'll be eating dinner with us! It's my way of showing gratitude to you since you've helped me a whole lot," The woman smiles. "You do have the time, I hope?"
Boy, oh boy. That hopeful look on his mother made this even harder for Mina to refuse. Well, she may have hoped that she'd be sent off right after the snacks but there's no possible way that she could ever deny someone's invitation, especially if it's Kageyama's mother. Even if she wasn't, it was still a common courtesy to accept offers and the likes.
"I-I have lots of time!" She states and a relieved smile breaks out from the woman's lips. "I will tell my family about it!"
"Great! I'll be sure to make tonight's feast extra delicious!" Kageyama's mother says excitedly.
Oh, boy.
"WOULD YOU LIKE SOME MORE STEW?"
There were a few things that Mina wanted to point out as she sits quite stiffly around the dinner table— one, Kageyama's father and sister weren't home due to some conflict in their schedules. Now, she wasn't complaining with that since it gave her much room to breathe but second of all, the raven haired male did too poor of a job with keeping his emotions at bay. If looks could kill, surely that grilled mackerel he was poking would die once more and wither away into ashes. He looked at it too intensely as to avoid contact with his mother that Mina was also getting a bit unnerved by the aura he was exuding.
But despite that, she feigns a hearty smile as she thanks Kageyama's mother before receiving the soup bowl once more.
"Have you guys seen each other at school before?" The woman eagerly pipes up, leaning onto the table while she props her chin onto her clasped hands.
Just that gesture alone told Mina that this conversation wasn't simply going to end on her answer. The male beside her coughs and apologizes under his breath, but still wouldn't dare to make eye contact with his mother in fear that his eyes would tell everything. The girl instead, lowers the utensils she has in hand and focuses her attention towards his mother.
"Their coach is my, uh, gward—oh, guardian! Yes, so we see each other many times." She responds. And as if she was seeking for confirmation on her part, she turns to the male and subtly nudges him by the foot which thankfully enough, made him turn to her. Mina gives him a smile with a tilt of her head.
"Right?"
"Y-Yeah, right." He simply nods along.
Nodding along was a technique that he absorbed from his father during his earlier years. Of course, he didn't put it to action before due to the fact that his family often babied him and so the attention was constantly focused towards his rambles about his volleyball games and such, but growing into his middle-school years till now, Kageyama finds himself drifting off from the dinner table's conversations and into his own world where replays of his games re-enter his mind.
And like him, his father hardly piped up during the conversations. He was either too tired from work or merely unable to give his input because he didn't watch the same TV drama that they're talking about.
"Oh! You're well acquainted with each other, then!" The woman's eyes gleams with excitement as she shifts in her seat. "How's my son doing at school, Mina? I'm hoping he's doing better. There's not a year that goes by where he doesn't take make-up exams, this brat."
"Y-You don't have to go around saying that!" Kageyama pipes up with a flustered look, lips curving downwards.
"As if telling people would change anything," His mother sighed. "Focus on your classes for once, don't just sleep through them! I keep telling you to slow down on sports and actually take some time to read books for a change. Goodness, you're all muscles, Tobio. All muscles, I tell you."
"I do read books.." He grumbles, poking at the fish.
"Not those comic books!" The woman frowns. "Or those volleyball books that you're hoarding under your bed! Why, I would rather find some other magazines under there when I cleanㅡ"
"Ma, please!"
Almost immediately does his face flare. This was why he couldn't bear the thought of having Mina over; because he knew his mother would bring something up that would completely turn his whole world upside down. And now, he couldn't even take a glimpse at the girl beside him. Whatever expression she might have on, the raven haired male knows he would be crushed by the embarrassment more than he could handle.
"Uh, he is doing good at school," Mina hesitantly chimes in. "We study together and— w-with other club members! We all help everyone so they can play games."
"My, does that mean you help tutor them as well?" She shifts her attention to the girl with a smile. It was quite ridiculous how one could tell whom she favoured more. "You're such a sweet soul, dear. I'm sure the boys in the club are crushing over you."
Kageyama's brows furrows at this.
Soft yet flustered chuckles escapes her lips as she refuses the claims, telling her that it was all due to their help. And it was true! Due to Mina's subpar skills in the language, she constantly turns to the seniors for help in terms of conveying what she was trying to say. She'd thank them and the cycle continues like an endless loop. If it wasn't for the seniors who could understand her choppy Japanese and their body reading skills, it would've been disastrous.
"Not crushing on me," Flustered, she shakes her head. "No, no."
"I'm sure they are, they're just bad at showing it," The woman giggles. "That's how boys are. Has anyone caught your eye?— oh, pardon me! You could have a boyfriend back home."
Here we go.
Kageyama didn't know if it was universally a motherly thing or it was just his mom, but she was quite the snoop. She doesn't show it at first but she'll gradually throw in questions regarding people's lives like romance, education, and all sorts of stuff that she'd like to hear about. Often times, she'd be running late for dinner because she was in the market chatting with the locals.
Clearly taken aback by the question, Mina coughs and pats her chest with a balled fist.
"Hey, slow down," He grumbles as he hands her a glass of water before giving her a rhythmic pat on the back— something that didn't go unnoticed by the mother. Of course it didn't, the action itself was so odd. "You don't have to answer that."
She takes the glass and downs it, thanking him once she's caught her breath.
"Gosh, I'm sorry for the sudden question, dear," The woman stands to her feet to take some tissues. "Here you are. And you don't have a say in this, Tobio, so shhh! This is girls talk."
Before he could say something, he feels a soft warmth encompassing his hand. He pauses to look down, only to see Mina was holding it. She didn't spare him a glance or anything but she looks straight forward, smiling and thanking his mother like she didn't just do something like that. So, was he the only one who was getting all red and flustered?
"Uh, no boyfriend back home and-," She pauses, pursing her lips for a short second. "-I like someone."
While Mrs. Kageyama squeals like a girl in love, the raven haired male stares at his girlfriend, eyes wide as saucers from her claim. Unlike him, the girl was much more open when speaking about her feelings. When she gives him a wave and mouths the words I like you before heading to class, he ends up looking like a tomato for the rest of the day. But to hear her proclaim it out loud to another person—he could feel his cheeks and ears flare up like the scorching sun.
Kageyama slips his hands out of her grasp and returns to interlock it with hers, making the girl blink and glance at him but he wasn't looking anymore. He was too busy with his meal, too red in the face to bother looking at her. Mina's lips curves and a small giggle bubbles in her throat.
"Aww, I just love it!" The woman claps her hands excitedly before leaning on the table again. Their meal was slowly being forgotten, too caught up with conversation. "And so, what made you like him? Is it because of his irresistible looks or his gentle personality? Or maybe he's good with humour?"
"I-Ireshistable?" Mina tries to repeat the word.
"Oh, it means that he's really handsome! Someone like Oda Yūji," When she sees the confused look on the girl's face, she carries on. "Maybe he's a little too old for you. Well, who do kids know these days... let's see, uh— oh! How about Oguri Shun?"
The confusion from her face ceases and it's replaced by some sort of enlightenment. "Oguri Shun— ah, yes!"
That got her thinking. Well, to her, Kageyama had his own charms. It wasn't essentially his looks that charmed her at first glance [ heck, he was good at scaring people away ] nor did he have such a gentle personality, or even gifted with a brilliant humour. She didn't know how to explain it but she was just comfortable around him. Their friendship started to show her his different sides and gradually, it just came to be. It felt like it just naturally bloomed on its own that she didn't even realize that there were changes to her heart— to his and to hers.
Mina hums, thinking of a way to word her feelings out. "I... not sure. Feelings just come to me and I didn't know. Took long time for me to see him like that and when happened, my heart justㅡ" She reaches for her heart, placing a hand there while a bashful smile grows on her lips. No words were needed anymore; everyone could sense her emotions from the way she speaks and acts.
Another burst of excited cheer and squeals comes from his mother, but the girl could hardly focus when she feels his grip tightening. Now he knows. As the seconds pass and it starts to sink into her mind, the words that she said, the brunette's cheeks starts to flush as well. The realization dawns hard that she starts to rethink her decisions and now wants to crawl up in a hole and hide. Mina just said that, in front of him and his mother, acting so cheesy and all. Imagine if his whole family was here— the girl would simply pass away, her whole body turning red from the blush rather than just her cheeks.
"Young love is so precious," The woman dabs the corner of her eyes with a tissue for the bits of tears that escaped. "I really wish you a happy ending, dear. If the boy doesn't end up liking you back, then it's a huge loss for him. I mean, who wouldn't like a girl like you who's kind, sweet, prettㅡ"
"I know that more than anyone else does!" Kageyama rises to his feet, surprising both ladies. They stared at him, the raven haired male who's blushing despite the huge frown plastered on his visage. His mother blinks owlishly before she comes to her senses again and smacks him right on the arm. "O-Ow!"
"Why would you just get up like that and scare us all? You could've given me a heart attack!" She nags, hands on her hips as she now stands as well. "And what are you suddenly talking about? Saying stuff like you know better. What do you know exactly?"
"I-I KNOW FAR BETTER THAN ANYONE ELSE THAT MINA'S THE KINDEST, SWEETEST, AND PRETTIEST BECAUSE I'M HIM!" He points to himself quite vehemently, like a frustrated child desperately trying to get his point across. "I'M THE GUY SHE LIKES— HER BOYFRIEND, THE GUY WHO ALSO LIKES HER BACK!"
It was hard to tell if the world stopped or not, but Mina believes it did. It was so silent— too unbelievably so that she could start to hear her own heartbeat thumping. It's loud, aggressive and filled with adrenaline from the words that fell from the raven haired male's lips just mere moments ago. He said it. He really said it. Quite passionately so that she's in a dilemma with her feelings. Was she supposed to feel jittery or was she supposed to feel scared for what's about to come? Maybe both; her emotions are a little lost right now.
She doesn't know if his mother registered that information or if she still couldn't believe her ears, but either way, Mina was too scared to look up. She's terrified [ very much so ] but if she didn't make a move now, this whole situation would be prolonged and the silence would become even more unbearable.
Deep breaths, deep breaths. Soft yet quick inhales and exhales. Mina licks her now parched lips and clasps onto her hands real firmly before she stands up to her feet as well, her eyes tight shut. She may have gotten the courage to speak up but that doesn't mean she would pry her eyes open and see what expression was on his mother's face.
She bows down to a ninety degree angle and says, "H-Hello! I'm Lee Mina, Tobio-kun's girlfriend! Nice to f-formuhlly meet you!"
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
bombs away
lmao
i apologize for disappearing for
so long but there's really only
one word i can give you that
easily sums up it all up:
college
yep, that's it. and while i was away,
i realized that this book hit
200k reads and 10k likes??¿
YALL—OMG I THOUGHT
I WAS TRIPPING
TYSM GUYS AHHH
WILDDD
hopefully this update turned out well
and that you guys enjoy this nearly
4k chapter bc i cant
assure anyone when the next one is coming
im sorry ackkk
but for now, pls enjoy this chapter
and stay tuned for the next one!