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Pep rallies were never something Nobara liked doing the setting up for. That part was far from something that got one in the whole "school spirit" said rallies were meant for. But she was also the star player on her college's basketball team, so when her teammates asked, she wasn't really in a position to refuse. Thus how she ended up being assigned the task of asking one of their school's music majors for some audio file.
Although Nobara knew that there was a ballet studio on campus for a multitude of students, she never had a reason to go before. Moving among the crowds of people that had a similar air of focus that she herself had out on the court was unnerving. She would much rather be spending her free time out doing something fun, but at least this task would be simple enough.
The ballet studio was much larger than the orange haired girl had expected. Her focus shifted as the music major student- her name's Miwa if she remembered correctly- was quick to take notice of her, and scurried to her bag. Previously doing some excercise, Nobara couldn't help but look around the studio.
That was when she saw her.
Nobara remembered many faces, and not particularly on purpose. Most of her teammates and friends chalked it up to her being outgoing and stubborn at being left in the dark, and she couldn't say she disagreed with that explanation.
So the face she saw was not new, but there's a difference between acknowledging a girl who sits in one of your lectures and at your games, and gawking at the same girl doing scarily flexible exercises in black leggings and a white croptop.
"Maki?" Nobara didn't know why she called the other's name.
The other startled, her eyes going wide. Her movements faltered and she went back to standing on the floor normally to catch herself. Nobara felt bad for interrupting her focus. It was a pretty sight.
"Yes?" Maki said, looking up at the orange haired girl, her eyebrows furrowing.
"Oh sorry- I didn't mean to interrupt you. I just didn't know you did ballet," She explained, and inexplicably, felt her face heat up as the green haired girl gave her full attention to her.
"I should be finished up now anyway. That was just after practice stretching," She said, and Nobara was trying to figure out what it was that had her so hooked on this conversation.
"Um, here you go Nobara," Nobara whipped her head around to see Miwa handing her some drive.
'Right, I came here for the music.'
Somehow her main reason of being here had slipped her mind since the few minutes she had seen Maki.
"Oh, thanks! That's one task done," Nobara said, turning back to where Maki had been only to see the girl had gone. Probably to change. The orange haired girl sighed, Miwa looking on at her in confusion.
"Something wrong?" The other asked her, to which Nobara started at.
"Nah, it's nothing. Thanks again, Miwa!"
Leaving the studio, Nobara felt her face heat up. She'd never imagined her stoic classmate to have a hobby like ballet. In fact, she knows that one of her teammates tried to recruit Maki to the basketball team a few semesters ago.
Her surprise carried on to the next day. When her class with Maki rolled around, she couldn't focus all that clearly on her work. Yuuji was going on about something and Nobara was sure the professor would yell at him soon.
"At least try to pay attention," Megumi shot the two of them a halfhearted glare.
"But reading your notes is easier," Yuuji insisted, pressing himself to his boyfriend's side. Nobara fake gagged and the pink haired boy merely stuck his tongue out at her.
"That's why I write them, dummy," The raven haired boy rolled his eyes playfully.
"If Yuuji gets the notes I get them too. He may be your boyfriend but I'm cuter," Nobara added on teasingly, yelping slightly as Yuuji poked her with an uncapped pen.
"Are you both serio-" Megumi started, only to be hushed by the professor's purposely louder change in tone that meant he'd expect them to quiet down. At least it wasn't yelling this time.
Nobara did really try focusing on the lecture, but her eyes wandered back to Maki easily. She seemed to be diligently at work, and the orange haired girl couldn't even find it in her to be jealous of that. Instead, there was this feeling all too different from what she was used to. Not just admiration, not just resepct, not just anything she'd felt much before.
Eventually, Maki glanced her way, and the other was quick to try to look busy at taking notes. As it was going, she realized she would indeed need to borrow the notes from Megumi later, as he's the only one who seems to be having no distractions from taking them today. How he tuned out Yuuji was beyond her. Maybe it was just a couple thing.
Nobara felt her heart do a strange flutter when she looked back at Maki, the word 'couple' ringing in her thoughts.
Oh.
Oh.
Nobara found herself standing in front of the ballet studio once again. She had told her teammates she needed to ask Miwa about the music, because the file was half corrupted. So maybe that wasn't the truth, but she felt like she absolutely had to see Maki again. It'd still be nice if her teammates didn't know that part yet. They'd make her do double the warm-ups, and Coach Ieiri was scary when upset.
Brushing off those thoughts, Nobara entered and noticed the people in the hall were lesser. She supposes most are actually in the middle of practice right now, like she should be.
It's not hard to find the studio Maki was using, but Nobara's still stunned to find her going through the movements of some dance to the classical music playing. Before she had just seen her stretching afterwards, but seeing her dance was something else.
She was taller and her build sturdier than the ballerinas that came to Nobara's mind at first, but she was unimaginably light on her feet. Was she floating or something? That kinda thing would be useful in a game, though she supposes mixing her strength training with something like that would be stressful as hell. It seemed to all come naturally to the green haired girl. Such a talent must require things Nobara can't imagine, though she would love to hear all about it.
Maki seemed blissfully unaware of the few others in the room. Four of which were practicing quietly among themselves, one of which who sat reading by the radio playing music, and the last being Nobara, who felt like a lovestruck idiot. The green haired girl's dancing was just so pleasing to look at, and impressive in general.
'How'd she do that?'
'She looks so pretty.'
'Can you actually jump like that? Well I guess she just did.
'I want her to pick me up with those arms.'
'How does she have that much control?'
'I'm in love.'
"Fuck," She muttered the word low under her breath.
Nobara had been one to deny the whole love at first sight thing. Nothing about it made sense. How do you fall for someone who you don't know, or hardly know?
She still doesn't know the answer to that, but these feelings for Maki are enough to prove her former idea wrong.
Could Nobara possibly be testing her luck by coming back to the ballet studio next day? Yes, without a doubt. There'd been an emergency involving the pep rally planning, and she'd been sent out on an errand, but that could wait.
The day before, Nobara had left before Maki could spot her. It would be too embarrassing to try to come up with an excuse that wasn't a truthful love confession.
She watched as the green haired girl danced again. Maki had looked tired in class today, though Nobara was still too flustered to do anything but stare at her. Megumi was definitely going to be pissed should both her and Yuuji not write their own notes again.
Finally, the music came to an end, and Nobara sighed and started out. How would she even confess to a woman who she barely talked to?
The universe must really want Nobara to answer that, because just as the thought crossed her mind, she tripped over someone's bag. She landed with a grunt, barely managing to catch herself with her forearms.
"Nobara?"
Fuck.
A hand held to Nobara, and she knew who it was without even looking. As she was helped upright again, she was face to face with Maki.
"Thanks! Dunno how I missed that, something's just off today. Anyway, I'll be off now-" Nobara rushed to excuse herself only to realize the hand that had helped her up hadn't let go. Nope- it was pretty much interlocked with her own hand.
"Did you need Miwa?" The green haired girl questioned.
"Ah, no I don't. The music drive is all approved," Nobara assured her, her face flushing. She wanted to look away, but how could she?
"Then-" Maki started, but something came over Nobara.
"I love your dancing," The orange haired girl said. The words came before she could think them over, but if she had, she doubted she would've been able to say anything.
"Why?" The question came as a surprise to her, though the green haired girl seemed more flustered than actually confused.
"Your dancing's pretty. I don't know how I came to love it so quickly though."
Was she referring solely to the other's dancing anymore?
Others in the studio paid no mind to Nobara now that Maki had helped her up. In another situation, she may have wondered where their instructor was, or remember her errand for the team, but the only thing she could even half process was Maki's equally flustered expression.
"We can talk more after practice. Do you have any suggestions?" Maki was the first to speak.
Nobara knew that neither of them knew exactly what the other was feeling, but given the other's face, she doubted her own feelings hadn't crossed Maki's mind for a moment at least.
"Mhm! One of my friend's family's restaurants. Is that okay?" Nobara felt her heart racing. In disbelief? In hope? In a tangled mess of them both?
"More than okay."
Her response sent a blossom of warmth in Nobara's chest, and even as Maki let go of her hand and went back to practice, the feeling didn't leave. This warm feeling she'd come to realize not all that long ago. The one that a mix of classical music, half-assed notes, and pep rally errands had manifested.
Nobara really loved Maki's dancing- and as it turns out, she really loved Maki.