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Yachi always thought first kisses were supposed to be romantic, like fireworks bursting in your skin, with your heart beating like the beat of the drum. That the surroundings would transform into something magical, bright and beautiful so that the memory would live on. As cliché as it was in shoujo mangas, Yachi couldn't stop the naïve part of her sixteen year old self from believing it.
She never expected her first kiss to be awkwardly embarrassing, teeth clacking against each other and- was that a sliver of a drool she felt on her chin? She could not help the wave of disappointment washing over her as she opened her eyes, red-faced, and felt the reality of them standing at the bus stop near her home slapping her in the face. She looked at Yamaguchi, who was equally red in the face, biting his lower lip, lowered eyes showing the disappointment she felt as his grip on her shoulders tightened.
The silence was awkward.
She let her gaze slip from his face down to her shoes, mind whirring, thinking of the best thing to say in this situation. Her hand was on her shirt, balled into a fist as she opened and closed her mouth several times, no words coming out. She hadn't realised that Yamaguchi had released his hold on her until he had stepped back, creating an obvious distance between them. Yachi startled, eyes now on the boy and before she could say anything, he mumbled a goodnight and left, never looking back. She watched him helplessly until he was out of sight and slumped, walking to her apartment with unshed tears in her eyes.
If someone were to tell Yachi a year ago that she would be dating, much less a volleyball player from one of Miyagi's best high school teams, she would have stuttered and flail animatedly, dismissing it without a second thought. It had been a shock that her crush on Yamaguchi had be reciprocated and they started going out three months ago. Shy as they both were, they only started holding hands a month ago after much prodding from the third-year seniors, mainly Tanaka and Nishinoya. She remembered how hot her face had felt when she saw their linked hands, willing herself not to implode. She remembered feeling a pleasant tingling that came from her fingers, warming her whole body and her heart swelled. Yamaguchi had been blushing hard, his freckles disappearing under the redness of his skin and she could not have helped but to smile at him, not minding the slight shin of sweat that had pooled in their linked hands.
Yachi sighed and shifted her focus to what was happening in the gym. The boys were practicing as always, and she watched from the side lines, her eyes landing on Yamaguchi more frequently.
She knew he had been avoiding her since their kiss the night before. He hadn't come to see her in between classes nor pick her up during lunch. Still, she tried to remain positive, telling herself but Yamaguchi must have been busy as she ate her lunch with her classmates instead. But when she saw him determinedly not meeting her eyes when she arrived in the gym earlier, her heart sank. She didn't have time to talk to him because the coach came in shortly after, yelling at them to start practice.
It was after the end of practice when Hinata went up to her.
"What's wrong, Yachi-san?" His question came out of the blue and Yachi stared into his inquisitive brown eyes, mouth open. She let out a shaky laughter.
"What do you mean, Hinata?"
Hinata didn't say anything else, and Yachi could only squirm in his presence. Her eyes caught sight of Yamaguchi's back as he left the gym with Tsukishima and she could not help the tears from gathering in her eyes. Hinata saw this though, and moved to pick up her bag. "I'll walk you home," he said and Yachi could only follow behind, her heart aching.
It was when they were reaching the bus stop near her apartment that Yachi broke the silence.
"It's my fault," she whispered and Hinata turned to give her his undivided attention. He didn't say anything for a while and Yachi didn't need him to as she thought about the night before, gripping her bag straps tightly.
"I'm sure Yamaguchi's thinking it's his fault, whatever it is." he finally spoke and Yachi looked at his thoughtful expression, eyes forward. He looked surprisingly mature, unlike his usual sunny self and Yachi looked down on her shuffling feet, thoughts on Yamaguchi.
She wanted to see him. She wanted to hold onto his hand and apologise for the night before. She dimly heard the sound of footsteps fast approaching her and Hinata from behind.
"Yachi-san!"
Eyes wide, she swivelled behind to find a panting Yamaguchi catching up to them with a determined look on his face.
"Yamaguchi-kun..," she whispered and felt a tear escape down her cheek. She felt Hinata pat her shoulder before he got on his bicycle, waving the couple goodbye. The two of them said nothing for a moment, eyes on each other, their surroundings forgotten. Then, Yamaguchi took a step forward, his face filled with the determination Yachi had only seen him have when on the court and it took her breath away. She stayed rooted in her spot until her boyfriend reached her, hands going over to wrap around her small ones.
Yachi felt a lump forming in her throat as she willed herself not to cry. She has always like the warmth of his callous hands on hers, his kind eyes directed at her and his soft smile reserved only for her. Her eyes remained fixed on Yamaguchi who brought their joint hands to his chest, before he locked gazes with her.
"Last night didn't count," he whispered, voice clear.
"Eh?"
He removed one of his hand to cradle her cheek softly, tilting her face up to his as he inched closer.
"I said," he whispered on her lips and Yachi could feel his hot breath on her skin. "Last night didn't count."
And he slowly pressed their lips together in a chaste kiss.
Yachi always thought first kisses were supposed to be romantic, like fireworks bursting in your skin, with your heart beating like the beat of the drum. That the surroundings would transform into something magical, bright and beautiful so that the memory would live on. As cliché as it was in shoujo mangas, Yachi couldn't stop the naïve part of her sixteen year old self from believing it.
And it felt exactly like that.
She felt her breath left her, fireworks within her skin and the tingle that ran up her spine. She let he eyes flutter shut and she saw stars behind her eyelids. She relaxed into the kiss and pressed harder against Yamaguchi, feeling his hand on hers gripping tighter. They broke apart and Yachi felt her breath stuttered. She opened her eyes slowly to look at Yamaguchi, face red, breath uneven as well but eyes resolute yet soft on her at the same time. Her heart ached at the sight of him and she could feel the heat pooling high on her cheeks. He must have seen her blush as well as he was caressing her face gently, taking in her whole features.
There were no words exchanged between them, no panicky apologies escaping them. In the darkened street, they stood facing each other, lost in their own world. Yachi let out a soft sigh as she leaned into Yamaguchi's touch, looking at him from under her eyelashes. His expression softened and slowly he leaned down to bring her in for another chaste kiss.
Yes, Yachi thought as she felt the spark deep within and saw the stars still behind her eyelids, this was exactly how she expected her first kiss to be.