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Wind whistled in the trees as you made your way down the road from Karasuno. Ice slicked roads and pavements left the streets eerily quiet. Snow clung to your skin like a stain, constantly reminding you of the ever present flurry whirling around you. Your boots trudged onward through the mush of salt, ice, and mud, sloshing and crunching and occasionally making you lose balance, but never fall over. In the distance, lights of a nearby store acted like your salvation against the blinding snowfall. You walked past it, body halting for a second, daring yourself to go in and enjoy the warmth, but you shook your head. Screams and cheers were heard from afar, barely audible over the jittering of your cold jaw.
As you sauntered forward, the voices drew nearer, growing louder in volume and in excitement. You were only a couple yards away before you began to connect their faces to their voices. Their shadows bore down on you, backs turned away from you to look at the spectacle of a scene in front of them. White wind whisked your hair in front of your eyes as you saw their pale, flushed faces. Hinata’s flaming orange hair could be seen through the snowy haze, whirling around Tanaka. Cantaloupe sized orbs of snow were gathered in pyramids at their feet, and they were throwing them at one another the same way they would play volleyball. Tanaka spiked it, and you heard Hinata yell as his flames got doused in snow. Their little show had amassed a small crowd, consisting of Tsukishima, Sugawara, and Kageyama. Suga trembled in place, jaw clacking as he spoke.
“You g-guys need to go home.” His jaw clicked, and he barely got through his next sentence. “You’ll catch a cold in this weather! We’re already this close to nationals, and I d-don’t need either of you messing it up.” He called out. He made an attempt to wave his arms, shivering audibly, before stuffing his hands back in his pockets. Kageyama laughed, slapping his shoulder. You could’ve sworn Sugawara’s bones rattled under his skin just from the sheer force of it. Their dilly-dallying continued even as you walked past them, you had no idea how long they’d been out there, or how long they’d stay out there. But as you walked farther and farther away, you could still hear the chiming of their happy, shivering voices as it blended into the howling winds.
The following day, the snow hadn’t let up. It piled atop the campus ground, creating a cottony blanket that you observed from the cracked open window inside of Karasuno’s gym. Brisk air slowly cycled through the building, causing you and the other manager to shiver. You huddled close to her, seeking comfort in her warm embrace as you faced the rest of the men's volleyball team. Daichi and Sugawara mopped the floor, huffing as they jogged, sneakers squeaking on the maple hardwood. Kageyama and Hinata disassembled the net, and you watched as Nishinoya and Asahi locked it up. Tanaka tossed balls to Tsukkishima, making small conversation with little to no response from the tall blonde as he placed the practice balls in the basket. Your gaze met Tsukkishima’s, and you couldn’t tell if the blush on your face was from the cold or embarrassment. You decided upon the first choice, but just as soon as it happened, his gaze was gone, body facing away from you as their coach called them over.
“We should probably join them.” Shimizu said, pulling away from your mutual embrace. You nodded, following her to the farthest corner of the gym. Coach Ukkai stood in front of a combination chalk and whiteboard, plays on one, notes on the other. He talked to each player, discussing their strengths and weaknesses as well as ideal moves and combination plays they should practice. Takeda joined towards the end, apologizing for having his meeting run late. Ukkai brushed him off, giving a brief synopsis of the matches they had and the advice he’d given. When he finished, Takeda nodded, turning to the team and sparing a few words of wisdom. He dismissed you, and all at once, Hinata and Kageyama bolted from the gym. Nishinoya, Tanaka, and Daichi followed behind them at a slow pace. Ennoshita, Asahi, and Yamaguchi trailed behind them, discussing tempo combination plays. A majority of the team left, including the coaches and managers. You were left to lock up, which was customary, and you patrolled the gym once more making sure everything was secured. When you were fully satisfied, you locked the doors behind you, tugging your jacket to your chest as you were met with everyone's smiling faces standing outside of the gym. Asahi groaned silently about the weather. When everyone had settled down, you stood with Shimizu and groaned about the weather.
“I can’t wait,” Hinata looked at Tanaka, who gave him a questioning look. “Theres a new ice rink that just opened a few blocks away, Kageyama and I are stopping by to check it out if you guys wanna tag along!” The team collectively took turns glancing around at each other before shrugging.
“Sure, why not. It’d be a good laugh, wouldn’t it Nishinoya?” Tanaka slapped the shorter man's shoulder. Nishinoya let out an annoyed sound, slapping the back of Tanaka’s head with a resounding smack before darting off and running in a circle around the spaced out group. “Hey! Don’t hit me! This was Hinata’s idea!” He snapped, rubbing his head and chasing after him for a couple minutes.
“I’m down.” Asahi, Sugawara, and Yamaguchi said at once. The collective team and the managers turned to coach Ukai, who stood there with a disapproving look.
“Fine. Don’t be stupid and get yourself hurt.” He announced, tugging his jacket closer to his chest before turning away and walking to his store. You and the other players devised a plan, going home and dropping your things off, and then meeting back up in front of Ukai’s store and heading to the rink as a group. When you got home, you sighed, changing out of your school uniform and opting for some more comfortable winter clothes. The process as a whole didn’t take longer than an hour, and when you met back up with everyone, they all seemed to be in good spirits, covered in layers of warm fabrics. You popped your heads in, saying you were on your way, and he waved a cigarette at you, telling you to stay safe. The walk to the rink was long, but exciting, everyone speaking cheerfully about what they wanted to do.
Snow blanketed the surroundings, covering the players, as well as yourself, in light fluffy ice. You all walked in groups of two; Hinata and Kageyama, Nishinoya and Tanaka, Daichi and Sugawara, Ennoshita and Asahi, Tsukishima and Yamaguchi, Kinoshita and Narita, and you and Shimizu in the rear. A few patches on the sidewalk made you and the others slip, Hinata let out a high pitched scream as he made an attempt to gain his balance, which only made him stumble more. Tanaka made the same mistake, gripping Nishinoya by his coat pocket and making him fall, too. Almost an hour had passed, and an eggshell colored structure overshadowed you. Hinata pointed to the massive oblong structure in front of you, gawking. “See, looky! There it is, there it is! C’mon c’mon!” And he lurched, racing Kageyama to the entrance. The stadium that the rink was in was practically Olympic standard, your group gawked at its size.
“What’s the point of having this stupid building obstructing the view of the mountain, anyway?” You heard Tsukishima grumble, and Yamaguchi tisked him.
“You know,” he said, “you could’ve opted out.” When he finished speaking, Tsukki paused, turning his head, and you could’ve sworn he looked at you.
“No, it would’ve been uneven, then.” He turned his head and continued walking and you almost thought you’d hallucinated the scenario had you not heard the slight smirk in his voice. The rest of your group met up with a panting Hinata and Kageyama, as they opened the doors for all of you.
If you thought the outside was big, the inside was gargantuan. Cream colored walls towered over you, covered in medals and pictures. You felt like an ant, miniscule and unsuccessful compared to the massive success stories that painted the walls. There was an admission booth to the left, and as you all paid to enter, one of the staff opened a cell-like door, allowing access to the rest of the rink.
“The guy over there,” the girl pointed to an old man sitting behind a booth, “will help you find a pair of skates. If you need an intro to how to skate, just yell for help and one of us will be over shortly.” There was a cacophonous whoop from the group, and once more you were left to your own devices. Slowly and surely, everyone began putting on skates and going on the ice. Hinata over confidently stepped onto the ice and promptly face planted on contact, his foot slipping out from under him. Kageyama almost met the same fate, and soon everyone seemed to get the hang of it.
You were about to join them, but you hesitated from uncertainty. When you looked back, you saw Tsukishima’s towering blonde frame in the back of the mini locker room, sitting on a bench with the skates by his feet. You walked over to him, blade guards clunking on the floor, causing him to look up.
“Can I help you?” He asked, quirking his brow when you moved to sit next to him.
“No, I just don’t want to go out just yet.” You answered honestly. “Why aren't you going out? Too chicken?” You giggled, bumping his arm. A hint of a smile graced his features before he looked down at his phone.
“No. I don’t know. I just think it’s stupid. I tagged along just so it wouldn’t be odd.” He shrugged, eyeing the skates by his ankles.
“Well if you’re not out there, then technically it’ll still be odd.” Got him, you smirked inwardly. “Why don’t you join me, we can skate together.” A cherry blush crept up your cheeks at the thought, and he shook his head.
“No, no. Go on without me, I don’t want to hold you back. Plus it’s bad enough people already think you like me, I wouldn’t want them thinking we were dating or anything.” His words cut at your heart like a vicious spike, but you smiled through it.
“You wouldn’t hold me back. I’m quite alright on the ice as it is.” You swallowed in an attempt to process your words. “And so what if I like you. There’s nothing wrong with that.” He looked up at you, and in a panic, you looked away, glancing at Nishinoya racing Hinata across the rink. “They won’t assume we’re dating. And if they do, play along, it’ll be a good laugh later on.” You met his face again, and he shuffled.
You watched him put the skates on, standing up completely. You reached just under his collarbones. “What do we do now?” He asked. He walked forward a few steps, stumbling from the needle-thin blades on his feet.
“Easy, easy. Just take my hand. I can help you.” You held onto his waist and his hip, steadying him. “C’mon you lanky green bean, let’s get moving.” He tched you, and you mocked him. “Don’t you tch me, mister. Take my hand.” You stepped backwards onto the ice, holding your hand out to his.
“What if people think we’re dating because of this, though?” Hazel eyes met yours, and you swooned internally.
“Since when have you ever cared about what people thought? If they wanna speculate, let them. Hell, if you want,” you felt him grip your hand, “just pretend we’re dating and skate with me anyway.” You didn’t wait for the shock of him grabbing your hand to set in, wasting no time in yanking him onto the ice.
“Hey hey hey,” he yelled, fumbling for balance. “Don’t do that, jeez.” He stood upright again, and you gripped his hands. You skated backwards in front of him, and you helped him skate slowly away from the rails.
“Aw come on man, no fair!” Hinata said your name. “Do you already know how to skate?!” You nodded, sheepish smile pulling at your lips. “Damn it! I’m gonna get better than you, just you wait!” He skirted on the ice, falling on his ass which made you smile.
From above you, the roof opened up, and all at once a flurry of snow rained on you. You held out a hand, watching the snow melt into the fabric of your jacket with a smile. Tsukki mirrored you, and once more, you dragged him on the ice. He gripped your hand, and it swayed between your bodies while you skated. In the distance, unbeknownst to you or Tsukishima, Asahi covered his gaping mouth with his hand, whipping his phone out.
He tugged Sugawara close to them, pointing at your backs. “Look at Tsukki.” From his view, Tsukishima’s ears were tinged a light pink, their blush steadily creeping down his cheeks and causing a smile to erupt on his face.
“Holy shit, he’s smiling!” Sugawara enunciated the word as if he couldn’t believe it. “Holy shit, look at their hands, oh my god.” He pointed, and Asahi cooed. He and Sugawara snapped a couple pictures, sending it to the team group chat.
You phone dinged, and Tsukki’s too. You opened the message from Asahi in your team's group chat. You read the text aloud. “Look at the lovebirds! Out of the nest and flying on your own, I could cry.” You read the responses silently, still holding Tsukki’s hand as you both skated idley.
Nishinoya: you were already crying, dipshit
Suga: yeah man, you were already brought to tears
Hinata: AWW GET SOME TSUKKI. YOU GO MAN
Kageyama: Hinata… shut the fuck up.
Tanaka: WOO YEAH BOOYAH. HIGH FIVE BRUH!!
Shimizu: cute.
Ukai: All of you shut the fuck up.
Takeda: aww ur no fun ukkai-kun blehhh
“Takeda-san must be drinking again,” Tsukki laughed, and you nodded. You both put your phones in your pocket, and you spun in front to face him again. He twirled you in front of his tall frame, watching as the snowflakes twirled in the wind around you. When you met his gaze again, he was smiling broadly, thick brown lashes coated in water droplets, wet hair sticking to the side of his head. You shivered as a gust of wind went up your coat, and he pulled you to his chest. “Getting cold?” He asked sweetly. He took you by the arms, twirling you slowly in a circle around himself, pulling you back to his chest.
You shook your head, droplets of water falling off your frizzed locks. “No, just the wind, no biggie.” You felt the blush deepen on your cheeks when he bent down to face you.
“Are you sure?” The pad of his thumb melted across your cheekbone, and he pulled you closer into his body. Your noses brushed, and you gasped. His cold hand stretched over the expanse of your cheek, and in the distance, Asahi and the others were gathering behind the plexiglass barrier, staring at the two of you.
“They’re gonna kiss, I know it. I just know they’re gonna kiss!” Asahi whispered yelled to Suga, who shushed him, slapping his arm. From his perspective, despite Tsukishima practically on his knees in front of you, you still had to look up to meet his gaze. Hinata’s jaw clicked in the cold shadow of the ice rink, frantically rubbing his hands together and breathing into them to stay warm. The team was huddled like penguins, Daichi, Suga, and Asahi in the middle, surrounded by Tanaka, Nishinoya, Kageyama and Shimizu, and Hinata, Yamaguchi and the others were on the outer rim.
Snow battered gently against the dark material of Tsukki’s jacket, hazel eyes glittering as snow perched on his lashes. Your gaze flickered across his face nervously, from the crease in his quirked brow, to his eyes, his blushing nose, rosy lips and back up again. “Can I tell you a little secret?” He whispered to you. You felt alone in the world at this current moment. It was just you and him. You felt like you were floating. His nose brushed yours, and you nodded, hiding a gulp beyond the thick fleece of your scarf. “I’d be absolutely fine if people thought we were dating.”
Damn it, Tsukishima, pull yourself together, that was so lame, he thought to himself. Your eyes glittered like stars in the rain, ice melting on the contact of your skin, slowly dripping down the bridge of your nose. You were like a siren, pulling him deeper and deeper until he couldn’t keep himself afloat. He’d surpassed the point of no return as soon as you first spoke to him. He was brought back to that summer training week, remembered when Shimizu first introduced you, remembered the honey of your voice when you said your name. He secretly loved the way you blushed when he introduced himself, shyly holding out your hand for him to take.
Damn it, why was he so overcome right now, of all moments. Why were you so cute? Why did your snow slicked hair stick to your face the way that it did? Why did the water melting on your face have to cling so sweetly to your rosebud lips? And why was he subconsciously running his finger along your lip to remove it? Why was his thumb lingering against your soft mouth, why was he leaning closer?
Your eyes met with his, peering down at his lips, which he slowly brought closer. You wrapped your hands around his shoulders, breathing in the scent of the cold winter air, mixed with the afterthoughts of his cologne. Your eyes closed, lashes fluttering against his cheeks as you let instinct take over. Your lips brushed, and you gasped into the connection. Your arms settled, and you moaned into him. His arm wrapped around your waist, his other hand resting on your cheek as he stood to his full height. Your lips molded perfectly together, and he spun you around, pinning you to the plexiglass.
At the opposite end of the rink, the entire team had their phones out, they were internally screaming, crying, cheering and lord knows whatever else. Asahi was crying into Sugawara’s chest, moping “oh they’re so cute, Suga! It hurts, oh it hurts!” In an over dramatic fashion. Tanaka, Nishinoya, and Hinata were all aggressively shaking each other. And the others were just smiling dopily.
An influx of notifications spammed both of your phones, and you pulled away from the kiss. He set you down gently, holding your hand as you both circled the rink a final time. Tsukishima was smiling and laughing openly now, not bothering to hide his happiness. “Hey,” he spun you around, your name falling from his lips like nectar, and you kissed him before any could spill to the floor. “I don’t want to fake it. I want to be with you.”
You couldn’t tell if the pinpricks of water under your eyes were from tears or snow, but you paid no mind to it, pulling him by the neck and whispering back against him. “I don’t want to fake it either.” Before your lips met his once more.
When you got out of the rink, untying your skates and handing them back to the booth owner, you met up with the rest of the team, and they smiled from ear to ear. You moved next to Shimizu as Tsukki went to talk to the other players. He met your gaze, smiling at you, and Shimizu bumped your shoulder.
“You two were cute out there,” she gestured to the rink, a smile pulling at her winter paled face.
“Oh yeah, when we were skating.” You laughed. “With the pictures they took, I’m impressed they managed to make us look that good.” You shrugged, watching everyone tussle with Tsukishima.
“Not just skating. The kiss, too.” Your eyes widened, and you looked at her. “Yeah. Have you checked your phone recently?” You shook your head, immediately moving to your coat pocket to check your messages. Emojis spammed the chat, and it took you a while to scroll through to see the pictures.
“Oh my god,” you gasped, seeing the pictures Hinata had sent. He got one of when Tsukki was on his knees in front of you, when Tsukki leaned in to kiss you, and when he stood, fully sweeping you off your feet. You couldn’t lie. They were cute pictures. You’d be lying if you said you didn’t save them. You scrolled down to see Daichi’s, a picture of you and Tsukki kissing as he held your waist, your feet kicking behind you. And lastly there was Asahi’s, who had taken shaky selfies of him crying and doing peace signs while you kissed Tsukishima in the background.
“Come on, lets go head home, it’s getting late.” You nodded in agreement. When you met up with the others, you bapped Hinata’s hair with your scarf.
“Hey! What was that for?!” He griped, rubbing his scalp.
“Payback, Hinata. You ass!” You said it jokingly, and he smiled. Kageyama pushed him down, causing everyone to laugh. Tsukishima walked next to you, and you clasped his hand with your own. Your miniature crowd swooned, doing fake romantic sighs and fanning themselves. You upturned your middle finger to them, causing them to laugh and swoon harder, and when they all looked away, Tsukishima leaned in to kiss you. He spoke into the kiss, mumbling “here’s to not faking it,” against your lips, you said the phrase back to him, finishing the brief kiss and walking hand in hand until you had to go home.