the stars would be so proud to know their
atoms created somebody like him
LIGHT, SOFT AND GOLDEN as sunlit honey, fell through a window and into a messy classroom. Multiple pillows and futons were discarded everywhere, evidence of last night's entertaining and disruptive activities.
"Should we wake her up?" asked Ennoshita, glancing over at the girl laying under multiple piles of discarded blankets.
"Let's leave her be." Sugawara looked over at their analyst, eyes softening. "She's done a lot for us. She deserves the extra sleep." The boys were aware, mostly the third years, of how much effort Mizuki was embedding into the team. She devoted herself to fixing them up, polishing their edges and sharpening their skills, getting them to play the best they could with multiple exercises.
Ennoshita nodded. The rest of the boys got ready for the day silently, cautiously moving around. Their eyes would drift over to the beauty, her lavender hair sprawled over the pillow, glistening like crystals under the sun's rays. Curled against another pillow, her expression was pleasant, with an inkling of wistfulness.
They were very grateful to have her by her side, to have that person guide them, help them grow, help them fly. They'd do anything for her.
"Hurry up," whisper-shouted Daichi, glaring at the slackers — Nishinoya, Tanaka and Hinata. "We're going to be late for breakfast!"
"Hai, hai," yawned Tanaka, scratching the top of his head. "We're coming."
•• ━━━━━ ••●•• ━━━━━ ••
"Oh, Sayeko-san?" The said girl turned to see the other managers walking into the kitchen, surprise washing over their faces. "What are you making?"
Mizuki glanced down at the pot in front of her, a hand grasped around a metal spoon and slowly stirring the liquid inside. "A Chicken Egg Tempura Don," she answered, adding in a few more drops of soy sauce.
"Chicken Egg Tempura Don?"
Mizuki nodded, grabbing another spoon and dipping it in the sauce, pleased with the consistency.
"Is there anything we can do to help?" asked Kiyoko, her face glistening with a light layer of sweat precipitating. "A side salad, perhaps?"
"That'll be wonderful." The girls all grinned, happy to be of some help to the girl.
They worked quickly, able to move freely, like waves of the ocean drifting up and down the shore, helping each other when needed, plating the dishes quickly, moving swiftly. Mizuki delegated the rice portion to Kiyoko and the sauce to Mako Ōtaki, Shinzen High's volleyball manager. She handled the eggs, glad that the other females weren't incompetent with their knife work.
"And that's the last of it," she said, taking a step back and wiping away the sweat on her forehead with the towel draped around her neck. Laughter and chatter resounded from the entrance of the cafeteria as the doors were pushed open, disrupting the calm working silence the girls fell into.
"Just in time, too."
The boys all came to the counter, famished.
"SUGOI!" exclaimed the younger ones upon seeing the bowls of food laid out for them.
Like an excited puppy, metaphorical tail wagging, Nekoma's baby middle blocker shuffled closer to the front. "What is this?"
"A Chicken Egg Tempura Don," answered Kaori as she handed out the balls to the lined up boys. "Mizuki made it. We helped with the side dishes."
Sō Inuoka turned to his senpai's soulmate with a broad grin, eyes sparkling. "It looks amazing!"
"Thank you." Mizuki smiled faintly, tugging off the apron she wore and putting it in the basket by the door. "Hey," she greeted her soulmates, moving to their table. Akaashi moved over a seat, welcoming her with a fond look. "How is it?"
"It's delicious!" Bokuto's words were muffled as he stuffed his mouth with food, chewing and swallowing expeditiously.
Kuroo broke the fried egg with his chopsticks, watching the yolk seep out like liquid gold. "How'd you get the egg so soft?"
"I froze them."
"H-Huh?"
Mizuki's lips quirked upwards. "The tempura's made by coating a frozen raw egg with batter. It's the star of the dish," she explained. "Peel a frozen egg, dip it in batter then fry it up nice and crisp. Drizzle a good amount of sauce on freshly-made piping-hot rice, pair the egg tempura with fried perilla, pour more sauce on top, and it's done."
"Why'd you freeze the egg?"
"Freezing the egg intensifies the flavour of the yolk and causes the proteins to coalesce into a gel-like state. That results in a creamy gelatinous mouthfeel and a much richer yolk flavour."
Kuroo hummed, chewing on the rice. "It's really good."
"Thank you."
"How'd you come up with that?" Akaashi asked, holding out the bowl for her to have some. She rose her hand, declining the offer with a thankful smile.
"I was experimenting," she answered. "I honestly didn't know if they would turn out well."
He laughed.
"Never knew you to be adventurous," commented Kuroo, though he held no cynicism behind his words. He was surprised, 'is all. He didn't expect that from her.
"When it comes to food, I like to try new things. One of the many joys of cooking. Though I do prefer to bake."
"Well, I'll be more than happy to be one of your test subjects," he said cheekily, giving her a broad grin.
Mizuki exhaled in amusement.
"I'll make a note of that."
•• ━━━━━ ••●•• ━━━━━ ••
A loud sneeze echoed throughout the gymnasium. "The night's are cold, even in Toyko," whined Hinata, clutching two volleyballs in his arms. Kenma turned to his friend.
"That's because you didn't put on a jacket after sweating."
"I can't wait for the match!"
"Yeah." Kenma looked at Hinata weirdly, wondering why he was so excited to play another match right after playing multiple sets today and how he even had the energy. He certainly did not. "I've been thinking lately..."
"What?"
"You're entertaining, Shoyo, so I'd like to play a game with you that's not a practice game." Mizuki, who was helping collect the various balls off the floor, overheard their conversation. Surprise washed over her, and she continued to listen to her soulmate and the little crow.
"Huh?"
"A game where it's immediately game over if you lose."
"Let's do it," grinned Hinata. "A match where there is no rematch."
Mizuki watched the two fondly. She walked over, ruffling both their hairs. "Come on, you two. Let's hurry and pack up." Kenma nodded, gazing at her dark eyes, losing himself within them. They were— no. She was enigmatic and beautiful.
A light blush tinted his cheeks, and he shied away, heading over to the closest trolley. Mizuki watched him go fondly before turning her attention to Hinata. She shrugged off her black Karasuno jacket, given to her when she officially signed as their analyst. "Here." She handed the article of clothing to the younger boy. "We don't need you getting sick any time soon."
Hinata brightened. "Thank you, Mizuki-senpai!" He slipped it on, the jacket a size bigger than him. He snuggled into it, feeling his body warm up. It smells just like her, he thought, catching a whiff of her tranquil scent.
Fast forward an hour, the people from Karasuno were all ready to go.
"See you later, Sayeko!" called Nishinoya, waving crazily from the gymnasium door. The others followed his movements, bidding her a tired goodbye.
The said girl smiled, waving back.
"Are you not leaving?" Mizuki turned around, seeing her soulmates walk towards her with confused expressions.
"Huh? Oh, no. I'm staying in Tokyo for the weekend."
"How come?" Akaashi asked, tilting his head to the side.
Realisation hit her like a truck.
I forgot to ask them, she cursed mentally.
Her cheeks warmed and a blush crawled up her neck. "Oh, um, well...you see..." Astonishment took the older two, their eyes widening at her sudden shyness. Kenma and Akaashi merely rose a brow, curiosity shining in their eyes. Since they met her, the four never knew Mizuki to be anything but blunt and confident. She carried herself in a certain way that told everyone she was fierce, brave and evermore stunning. Never was she timid, taking control of most situations, and they adored that about her. Yet, seeing her like this, the four couldn't help but awe over the way Mizuki pulled her lips between her teeth, fiddled with her fingers while staring at them with hope and worry. Her shoulders tensed up and they noticed how the fingers of her right hand drummed over the knuckles on her left hand, clasping them in front of her. Finally, after a long pause, she exhaled her worries. "I was wondering if you'd like to spend tomorrow together...with me."
Silence lingered over them, waiting patiently to see their reactions. She, Mizuki, was cold and flame, they realised. The crimson of amaryllis, the silver of moon-touched magnolias.
"Of course!" answered Bokuto gleefully.
"We'd love to," Akaashi said, bliss filling both himself and his shared soulmates. "Where will you be staying tonight?"
"Most probably at the nearest hotel."
Bokuto interjected, shaking his hands wildly, "you can stay with me!"
"Oh, it's alright." Mizuki offered him a smile. "I don't want to bother you or your family."
He waved her off. "Daijoub! My sisters won't mind at all!" he reassured with his usual bright, toothy grin. "They'd love to meet you!"
"Are you sure?"
"Mhm! We can have a sleepover!"
She stared at him in surprise until she softened, shoulders relaxing, her heartbeat returning to normal, comforted and touched by his ebullience. "That would be nice."
"We'll drop our stuff at home and then come over. Sounds good?" asked Kuroo, his arm wrapped around Kenma's waist, holding the blonde close to him.
The four were hoping to ask her out, but they didn't know when or how to, especially since they lived in different areas. So they were ecstatic to see Mizuki take the first step and the lead.
"Perfect!"
•• ━━━━━ ••●•• ━━━━━ ••
"I'm so excited you're spending the day with us!" chirped Bokuto, walking down the street with his soulmate beside him. Finally! he thought.
Mizuki exhaled lightly, lips curling into a faint smile. "It's not soon, is it?" she asked, ricocheting between certainties and doubts.
Bokuto whipped his head in her direction, faintly offended. "Too soon?!" he screeched. He shook his head widely. "This is absolutely perfect!" He grinned, his smile shining like the stars in the sky, with no bright city lights to dim them. It was like the sun, hiding on the other side of the world, opened its eager light to illuminate him, brightening his perfectly aligned teeth.
"I'm glad," she muttered softly.
They continued on, a blissful silence encompassing them. Wisps of her hair swept along her cheeks, ruffled by the calm breeze.
"Can I?" spoke Bokuto after a while.
"Hm?"
He motioned to their hands swinging idly beside them.
"Can I hold your hand?"
His request made butterflies in Mizuki rise and escape the pits of her stomach. She inhaled sharply but nodded nonetheless. Bokuto couldn't help the widening of his grin, one of happiness growing, much like a spring flower opening. Mizuki could see how it came from deep inside to light his eyes and spread into every part of him.
He took her hand gently, intertwining their fingers, moving as if he was holding glass — a rare gem in his eyes.
Bokuto tugged her closer.
His fingers are softer than I imagined.
As they walked, Mizuki felt, inside of her, a heart so full that life could have left her then. You see, many things interested the lavender-haired girl, and nothing satisfied her entirely. Yet, as they walked side by side, his presence beside her, their intertwining warmth, their closeness and their understanding, it all made her feel at peace.
In her heart, he roused terror. A terror which nothing could explain — a dark, paradisical delight. Her fear of abandonment still lingered, but he, who was the remnants of the sunlight embracing the other side of the world, thawed the various walls around her heart, one by one.
"This is my home," he announced as they came upon an average-size house, about two stories high. Still holding onto her, Bokuto entered the house, pushing the door open absent-mindedly. "Nee-sans! Tadaima!"
"Okairi." A sweet calming voice flew to the entryway where the two proceeded to remove their shoes, placing them to the side.
"Here," said Bokuto. "Take these." He handed her a pair of grey slippers ten sizes too big for her (an exaggeration on her part).
"Oh," came the same voice. "Hello." They looked up, spotting a woman with grey coloured hair, strands of black peeking through.
This must be one of Bokuto's sisters, deduced Mizuki.
"Hello," she greeted.
Bokuto noticed she was a bit shier, seeing her clasp her hands together behind her back, fingers rubbing over her knuckles.
"Koyari-nee. This is Mizuki Sayeko, my soulmate."
"Ara, ara? This is the Sayeko-chan?" Another dual-haired woman popped out, looking slightly older than the other one. A flush tumbled onto Mizuki's cheeks, realising that Bokuto had been talking about her to his older sisters.
"Mizuki, this is Koyari and Kokomi," he introduced, motioning to them respectively. "My older sisters."
"It's nice to meet you, Sayeko," said Koyari, seemingly the calmer one between the three.
"Just Mizuki is fine."
The two sisters grinned, a trait they shared with their younger brother. Are all Bokuto's this good looking?
"Will you be staying the night?"
Bokuto nodded, answering for her. "Yup! Tetsu and the others are coming as well!"
His sisters noticed the spike in his attitude. The presence of his final soulmate both pacified him but also intensified his cheeriness.
"That's wonderful. We'll be going out tonight, so do take care."
"We've left money on the counter," said Kokomi, leaning against the wall.
"Thank you!" After a final goodbye, seeing as they caught the two right as they were about to leave, Bokuto directed her to his room, walking past multiple living areas, up the wooden stairs and to the first door on the right. "Excuse the mess," he said bashfully, rubbing the back of his neck as they stepped inside. "I didn't think anyone would come over."
"I apologise for not asking beforehand."
"Ah! Don't worry about it!"
Mizuki turned towards him, carefully picking up one of his fallen books. "How about you go shower, and I clean up?"
"I couldn't ask you to do that!"
"It's okay," she reassured softly. "Leave everything to me. Go relax."
"But—"
Mizuki practically shooed him into the bathroom, sending him off with a few more reassurances that she wasn't troubled by this at all. She collected the fallen articles of clothing, placing them in a pile by his bathroom door since she assumed the laundry basket was in there. After that, she placed all his books on his desk, noting how he barely used them.
A brown corkboard drew her attention, just above his desk. Pinned to it were various pictures of himself and his sisters, his friends, his teammates and even his soulmate. However, there was one in the centre that had her heart swelling.
It was a selfie of the five of them, taken at the end of the first training camp. Bokuto was holding the phone, Kuroo standing beside him with an arm thrown over his shoulder, his infamous conniving grin present (though it was much softer than usual). Akaashi sat on the hill with Kenma beside him, his gaze on another person's phone for once. Mizuki sat between Akaashi's legs, his arms loosely wrapped around her waist. She was super embarrassed in that foreign position, never had she been that close to someone — not even her own aunt or best friend.
The door to the bathroom opened, the running water stopping ages ago. Bokuto came out with his clothes on thankfully (Mizuki would probably faint if she saw her soulmate shirtless) and a towel draped around his shoulder.
"I didn't know you would keep this."
"Why wouldn't I?" he asked. "It's the only picture I have of all of us now."
Mizuki turned to him, her heart skipping a beat at his appearance, mainly his flat hair, water dripping from the various strands. His beauty was astonishing. Not in just his looks; no, that was too evident. It was in his passion for everything he put himself into. It was the crinkle in his brow when he was concerned or the way he smiled when everything came together. His laugh was so infectious that it was absolutely exhilarating just being around him. All of these small things added up to make Bokuto irresistible.
"I'm glad you came." His voice lowered as he spoke his honest thoughts.
A warmth blossomed in her chest, feeling him step close behind her.
Mizuki wanted him. She wanted him in the bluntest ways. She wanted his lips, his hands, his arms. She wanted him the way the ocean wants the shore, constantly reaching and running back. She wanted him the way rain wants to fall, the way words want to be read. She wanted him to infinity, to the millionth degree.
No amount of ice could freeze the fire she had in her for him.
Oh. Could this be love?