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“And she’s done it again! Number 8 is unstoppable today!”
The voice of the sports commentator reverberated through the speakers, bouncing off the walls as the cheers of the audience boomed through the gymnasium. The sound of a volleyball hitting the ground three times in a row was heard, before everything stopped.
Silence engulfed the large hall as all eyes were focused on the outer edge of the court. The whistle went off, nerve-wrecking seconds passing as everyone waited with bated breaths.
You squared your shoulders and took a long, deep breath, filling the flutter of your lungs as you thrust the ball into the air ahead of you.
With calculated and nimble steps, you jumped up, arching your back to push your chest forward. Bracing your core and holding your breath, you snapped your arms from the back to the front like a whip, cutting through the air with a whoosh.
The blood rushed from your shoulders to the tip of your fingers, a tingle spreading through your joints when the volleyball fit snugly into your palm. You slammed it with all of the strength you could summon from your tensed core, a devious grin spreading across your face at the deliciously throbbing pain exploding in your palm.
It whizzed right through the opposing team and their libero, leaving a gust of whistling wind in its wake as your feet hit the ground at the same time – the earth-shattering sound of the ball slamming the court magnified by the squeaking of your sneakers.
You panted as a trickle of sweat rolled down your chin, faced with looks of pure shock and disbelief from in front of you.
The crowd went wild.
“A no-touch service ace!”
“Holy shit! They’re that far into the game and she still managed to pull one off like that?!”
“What is she??? A monster???”
“Schweiden Adlers is seriously on a whole new level… Whether male or female division… All of their players are insane!”
“As expected of (Surname) (Name). She’s not one of the Top 5 volleyball players in her age range of Japan for nothing!”
You smoothed down the fabric of your white jersey, letting your fingers linger over the figure. Another volleyball got thrown your way and you caught it effortlessly, the encouraging voices of your teammates refilling your engine.
“One more, (Name)!”
“Nice serve!”
The women on the other side of the net didn't falter, squatting with their arms spread out; their eagle-like eyes all fixed on you. Determined.
“Bring it!”
As you waited for the whistle to go off, you raked your eyes across the stands, your pulse accelerating in anticipation for the one person you wanted to see most.
The one that mattered most.
Just as the whistle rang through the court, you spotted a tuft of olive in the first row, piercing eyes of the same color meeting yours. Your heart skipped a beat when you saw the slight uplift of Wakatoshi’s pouty lips, his gaze translucent enough for you to know what message they held.
‘Give them hell.’
You snickered to yourself amused while shaking your head and gripped the ball tighter.
With another deep breath, you moved forward.
ღღღ
“To~shi!”
You jumped into the waiting arms of your boyfriend beaming, snuggling against his broad chest as his musky cologne overtook your senses. The vibrations of his low chuckle traveled through your spine and you practically melted into his touch when he brushed his fingers through your freshly washed hair.
“You did well on the court. It was a good game.” He commented with a small smile, pride lacing his voice. “I had fun watching it.”
You lit up even more, your eyes sparkling like city lights at night. Your grip around his waist tightened with a hopeful twinkle, “You did?”
“Of course. Watching you fired me up. I wanted to come down and join you.”
You laughed heartily at that.
“You’re still such a volleyball idiot, you know that? You’re probably never going to change.”
“Mh…” He merely hummed, pressing his thumbs into your lower back softly. “But I’m your volleyball idiot, am I not?”
Your breath caught in your throat when he leaned down to press a chaste kiss on your nose, cherry blossoms erupting from the tip of it to spread across your cheeks beautifully.
You closed your eyes and smiled into his chest, allowing the butterflies to run rampant in the growing forest that was your stomach.
He looked at you fondly, his eyes glimmering with a hint of something that still caused you to flush – even after all these years.
You leaned into his touch, settling in the home of your heart as you all but sighed softly,
“Yes. Yes, you are.”