chapter fourty-one!
GAUCHE
THERE WAS NOTHING HILARIOUS about the fall breeze tickling their bare skins, the flickering street lamp aiding their path, or the rhythmic sounds of their shoes scraping across the uneven pavement— such things shouldn't elicit a burst of chortles from a person but it did so anyways, the brunette holding a hand over her mouth to stifle the noise she allowed to escape. It catches her partner's attention whose eyes turned towards her with confusion swirling in them. Kageyama didn't find anything remotely funny at the moment, nor was there any silly things that surrounded them.
But Mina laughs, shoulders shaking and all. When Kageyama's expression remains stagnant, she shuffles towards him and bumps her shoulders to his side. An impish grin blooms from her lips and she says, "You think what happen earlier not funny?"
Oh, 'cause she does. She enjoyed every single bit of the rollercoaster of emotions which the cascade of events had to offer. What transpired about an hour ago, just as she attests to Kageyama's words, was something Mina would surely never forget until the day she dies. That suffocating silence, broken by the sobs of his mother was something they didn't expect. The older woman sat there with hands concealing the river of tears flowing down her cheeks. Of course, they panicked—it felt like anything but positive!
And just as the brunette hands over a tissue, she was engulfed in the arms of the woman, hearing her sniffles and teary thank you's. Mina was rendered speechless of course but as the words keep getting repeated, it didn't take long for her nerves to soothe out and she reciprocates the action as well.
It was warm, relieving and a tad bit emotional to say the least.
In a matter of minutes, the older woman recomposes herself, dabbing the tissue to the corner of her eyes while she sniffles away the rest of the emotions. In conclusion, she was happy— absolutely ecstatic to see her son flourish. She may have gotten a little mad due to him not introducing Mina during the earlier stages of their relationship [ his mother thinks Mina should've been introduced to the family the moment she said yes to him ] but she couldn't stay that way for too long, a blissful smile blooming from her lips as she stares at the two from across the dinner table.
No longer was there tension looming in the air as it was soon replaced by the joyous chatters that resounded in the room. They talked, dragged the poor boy into their girls gossip, and soon came up to the point where Kageyama's baby albums were being discussed. Once his mother offered, it was a cascade of events for him from that point on. The twinkle of excitement in Mina's eyes, the splayed out albums at the cleared dinner table, the embarrassment that the raven haired male handled— it was a joyous night.
Just the thought of it fuelled Mina's laughter that she thought simmered away.
The aftermath of that showcasing event ended with Mina's photo gallery having an additional album, one that was solely labelled Tobio's and a brand new wallpaper for her to see each time; it was Kageyama, baby him who was chewing on his sister's volleyball. The brunette was over the moon with the amount of precious photos she's obtained during that time, courtesy to his mother of course who happily explained and showcased all of them.
But while she may have had her fun, Kageyama on the other hand, was exhausted and embarrassed. Hence the reason why he wouldn't give out so much reactions to Mina right now, or the fact that he wasn't saying much to her as he walks her back home. The poor boy's sulking and of course she knew that. Mina's enjoying this all too much right now.
"Not saying anything," She hums, sneakily linking her arm with his. Kageyama starts to get conscious which elicited a grin from her. "You are still mad?"
"Nobody's mad, stupid.." He grumbles. Despite how dark it was, Mina could still spot the rosy hues on his cheeks and ears. It's enough to prompt another round of laughter from Mina's lips as she pokes his side to which he jolts from.
"You are mad," She shakes her head, amused.
Mina takes several large strides away from him and once there was enough space between them, she stops and turns, causing him to slow down to a halt. She stands there, illuminated by the street lamps and the moon's lustre as a soft smile blooms on her lips.
"Here," With cheeks a rosy hue, she spreads her arms out wide and weakly flaps them around, urging for him to approach. "Hug."
She watches the way his eyes widen by a fraction, the evident heat rushing back to his cheeks like clockwork and the way he's unsure of what to do or what to say. Kageyama rubs the nape of his neck then releases a sigh. Rather than putting up a fight like he usually would, getting all flustered and mumbling stuff about, his tensed muscles relax and he approaches her without a word to say.
Kageyama engulfs her in his arms and while he may have hesitated to fully wrap his arms around her, Mina reassures him by doing so, filled with warmth and affection. And so he reciprocates the action, though his embrace was stiff and diffident. She didn't mind it though. Her radiating smile was all it took to tell anyone how she felt right now. And so to hide that foolish looking smile, Mina buries her face into his chest, firm and broad, savouring each second of this moment.
"...I'm not mad," He grumbles. His exhaustion lulled him into leaning on her head while staring at nothing particular. His soft inhales and exhales, a rhythm that matched with hers in this quiet night. There were no signs of his usual jumpy self, just this calm and mellowed out Kageyama that's susceptible to warm hugs— reserved only for his girlfriend, of course.
But she chuckles, vibrations from the sound absorbed by his chest tickled him in the slightest. With a muffled voice, she questions, "Really?"
"Really."
THE DAYS WERE GOING BY much faster than Mina thought. September was just about done in two days time and the world was once again entering a brand new month. The chill in the air was relatively getting worse and worse that sniffling seems to be a norm for her now. Truth be told, she's quite susceptible to the cold and surely enough, her thick cardigans were already pulled out from the depths of her wardrobe and infused with her daily school fit, along with hot packs snuggled into her pockets for the betterment of her comfort.
Now that she thought about the hot packs, it reminds her of the many times she's stayed late at school— just when she'd lock up their club room and she heads to the gymnasium, peeking through the doors to see Kageyama and the few other members cleaning up. Before, she'd be hesitant to say anything but nowadays she could easily just walk in and help them in the process [ that is, of course if she brought an extra pair of indoor shoes ]. The raven haired male used to highly react when his teammates created a commotion out of them but he's more used to it now, only reacting when he's pitted against a new tease.
But as that's all over, the closure of the gymnasium and they were left to their own accord, Mina would thank him for his hard work and he would as well while she hands a hot pack to him. Not that he would really need it with all that sweat he's earned in the gym but it was just something she did out of care; something that gradually turned into a habit.
Though now— well, giving him hot packs is much more easier said than done. Mina rarely sees him since he's always training for next month's representative play-offs. During the weekdays he's training from morning, lunch and evenings and on the weekends, he leaves for Tokyo due to the training camp.
It's a little sad and lonely for sure, but it's only ever increased the bond they shared with each other. Mails were exchanged between them on the daily with additional photos to aide it. And if Kageyama had enough time, the two would call each other despite the late hours. He'd occasionally slip out of the room they were sleeping in just to make the excuse of being in the bathroom, but Ukai knows better than for him to be cooped up in there for a long time with that same lame reason for the umpteenth time. He could've honestly switched up his tactics around 'cause it was just plain as day at that point.
"Are you sure you're doing fine right now, Mina-chan? I can come to where you are andㅡ"
"I am fine, Oba-san," Mina chuckles, trying to disperse the older woman's concerns. "I have cheese tarts with me. On my way back home, okay?"
It's not often that Mina's strolling down the streets of Sendai. In fact, the last time she's really taken a good look around this place was when she first arrived. Ukai's family took her around the hotspots, the highlights of this city that would really captivate any first-time comers. But this situation was different from that. Now, Mina came here alone and for a different reason rather than for roaming around the place; hence the reason why the older woman's worried sick for her.
But the reason she braved it out to go alone was the fact that Ukai's father was having his birthday tomorrow. Of course, what better way to celebrate his big day than with his friends and family, a good feast and his very own favourite— the baked cheese tarts from Sendai station. One could not believe how much he just absolutely adores the store and most importantly, the food itself. Though he can't consume them regularly, the Ukai family does indulge him every special occasions or so [ for the sake of his health ].
Unfortunately, everyone else was busy and currently out of the house, so there was only one person who could purchase the dessert— Mina herself.
And so here she was, holding the phone with one hand and the other securing the store's trademark yellow paper-bag in hand.
"Well, alright. But if you ever run into any trouble, you call me straight away. No if's and but's on that."
"Yes," Mina says, weaving through a sea of people. Train stations were awfully more busy after work hours, paralleled to that during morning rush. She could only thank the Ukai family for having her attend a school nearby that didn't require her to ride transit every morning like she was fighting for her own life. "I'll see you soon!"
With the exchanged parting words, the brunette hangs up but just as she was about to put the device back into her pockets, a notification pops up on the sub-screen. It was a message from none other than Kageyama himself. Mina's expression lights up at the sight of it and she slows down on her tracks, distracted by the contents of the mail until someone bumps into her and sends the little device flying.
"Oh-!" She winces, stumbling a bit though she was steadied on her feet when someone clasps her shoulders firmly.
"M-My bad, are you alright?" The person questions. Mina quietly mumbles a few Korean words here and there [ not curses! ] but she looks up, a small reassuring smile on her lips.
"I am fine," She nods. Their eyes met for a few seconds but her attention was immediately diverted to her phone; there's supposed to be an item in each hand. Mina gasps, shocking the male out of his trance as well as he jolts. "Oh no, my phone! I don't know whereㅡ I drop it!"
The two pivots around to see if there was anything particular on the ground around them and thankfully enough, it's spotted by the boy's sharp eyes. He jogs to where the item is and picks it up, dusting the dirt away from it before returning back to her. The boy purses his lips, handing the item back to her as he rubs the nape of his neck.
"Think this might be what you're looking for."
"Thank you so much!" A relieved smile blooms on her lips and the latter flushes a little. "And sorry about what happen, uh..."
Now that the frantic part was out of the way, Mina had the chance to finally take a good look at him. There were two things that immediately caught her attention— one, the turnip-like hair. It really makes his features... pop. Second, he was basically towering over her, much like Tsukishima. But he didn't strike her in a bad way like the blonde did. Thankfully enough.
Then there was that jersey he was wearing. It's oddly familiar, the white and turquoise details on it— it's just prodding her brain to remember what it was but it's at the tip of her tongue. Mina couldn't really put a finger to it but she for sure knows where she had seen that design.
"It's my fault, I should've been more careful!" He shakes his head before resorting to a bow. "I'm sorry!"
"No, no, please!" A little flustered, she does the same. "My mistake! I should be more careful since station is busy. Ummㅡ"
The male could her hear rustling around in her pockets and it tempts him to take a glance. But as soon as he does, an item was nearly shoved right into his face. He backs away and straightens up, finally taking a good look at the item she has in hand— it was a hot pack. A fresh packet of it, instant and for single use only.
The two of them stand there in silence, one in anticipation and the other in sheer confusion. And although as much as she would like to casually wait away, Mina didn't have that sort of leisure so she takes a hold of his hand and places the item on his palm. He was flustered, cheeks flaring and unsure of how to react so he was left staring dazedly at the smiling girl.
"As compensation," She now fluently says the word, filled with unfounded sense of pride. "Stay warm, okay? I have to go."
It was the fact that she's leaving which snapped him back into his senses. This couldn't end like this, he thinks. It may sound dumb and childish but that falling in love at first sight saying, he's starting to think believe in it. The world was tuning out, no sound coming from anyone, not even her, but he hears the adrenaline pumping his heart even faster and before he even knows it, he already spoke out.
"I-I'm Kindaichi Yutaro!" He blurts out loud, halting the girl from walking away. He could only thank the loud subway for there was no random heads turning to his direction other than for the girl he was focused on. "If possible, I-I would like to know your name as well..."
Well, that caught her off guard. Mina didn't know why there's sudden self-introductions but she was too much in a hurry to mull over it. Refusing to say her name would be a bit mean since he already said his and he seems like a person with morals so she disregards the notion of refusal, considering introductions wouldn't be much of a bad thing. It would be nice to end off the quick Sendai trip in a pleasant way as well.
"I'm Lee Mina!" She bows to which he dazedly reciprocated as well. "Very nice to meet you, Kindaichi-san-!" The brunette hears the intercom announce the arrival of her train soon and her legs starts to move once again.
"Make sure you stay warm and sorry again!" She places her hands together in a prayer-like gesture and she tilts her head down slightly, sending him an apologetic look before rushing away and disappearing into the sea of people, much to his dismay.
"Lee Mina-san.." He mumbles to himself. It doesn't take long for a grin to grow on his lips as he finds himself discreetly fist-pumping with a spring in his step.
Well, something good came out of today at least.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
kindaichi??¿ lmao
uh oh
ooh and if you guys actually
refer back to the charac
introduction, i added faceclaims!
hope they're representing
the characters well ahhh
+
988 followers i'm actually
screamiNGG HUAAAA
ITS 4 AM AND IM HYPED UP
TYSM GUYS!!
much needed serotonin boost ;-;
╰(*'︶'*)╯♡
hope to see you all
soon!