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Everyone had been having the time of their lives. Even Tanaka and Noya had calmed down enough to focus on all of the cute girls so that Ennoshita didn't have to wrangle them every five minutes before they embarrassed themselves. There was loud music blaring, people dancing, and a lot of chatter, especially around his group of second years. It was nice of Takeda-sensei and Coach Ukai to host such a fun event, and more than ever, Ennoshita was so glad that he had decided not to quit volleyball after all.
As his friends began to venture out, feeling brave enough to ask girls for dances, Chikara Ennoshita was quietly observing the party from the background.
No. That wasn't quite true.
Chikara was quietly observing you.
The way you moved about the floor with Oikawa, the captain of the volleyball team you managed. The way your outfit seemed to suit you perfectly. The way that, even though you seemed to be having a good time dancing, with every spin your eyes searched the room before landing on Ennoshita. Again and again you spotted him.
When the song ended and Oikawa gave a little bow to thank you for the dance, you turned towards Ennoshita, and he pushed off the wall to ask for a turn himself. Almost instantly, the kid with the pinkish hair...Hanamaki, he recalled...Hanamaki stepped in front of you to ask for the next dance.
You pouted and looked over Hanamaki's shoulder to catch Chikara's gaze. You looked almost expectant and he suddenly felt like dashing for the door. Instead, he smiled disappointedly and motioned for you to go ahead and dance with Hanamaki, before leaning himself back against the wall.
It seemed almost like the members of Seijou were purposely dominating your time this evening, so boys from other schools wouldn't be able to talk to you. He huffed a short laugh through his nose, reminded of Tanaka and Noya spending the year "protecting" their own "precious manager," Kiyoko. He hadn't really thought anyone on Aoba Josai's team compared with his troublesome peers, so if that was really what they were doing, it was both amusing and surprising...
And frustrating.
He'd been waiting for a chance to spend time alone with you all evening-- all week-- even longer than that, if he were truly counting. Every game where Karasuno had faced off against Seijou, you seemed to watch him closely, like you were studying what he was studying, trying to predict the next move Karasuno would make. Sometimes you would whisper to the coach and the very next play Aoba Josai would just seem to know what Karasuno was up to. Sometimes, you would guess incorrectly, and Chikara's eyes would gleam defiantly at you after helping Karasuno with a play that scored.
But that little chess match of yours grew more and more difficult each time. You were quick witted and excellent at reading people. At least, you certainly seemed to be excellent at reading him. Even though he didn't get the chance to play often, for some reason you seemed to single him out, and something about that excited him. During Karasuno's match with Shiratorizawa, Ennoshita had caught a glimpse of you watching in the stands, even though your team had just been beaten the previous day.
He didn't get the opportunity to go in for that game, and your eyes seemed to watch with frustration at each missed chance for him. Every time he felt like he could go in and really help out the team, you seemed to think so, too. He even caught you scowl and say something to yourself when they made another sub that didn't involve him.
Even though the team didn't need him in the match that day, you rooting for him actually made that game slightly less stressful. Watching you was adorable, and he made a note to hurry out of the locker rooms at the end of the match and try to get your number. Of course, by the time Karasuno was done celebrating and bowing to the audience, he looked up to find your seat was already empty.
Chikara was certainly disappointed and thought he would probably have to wait an entire year until he got the chance to see you again. He thought you probably would have forgotten about him by them. People always seemed to forget he was there, standing on the sidelines, waiting for his chance. When he had learned about the party that Coach Ukai and Takeda-sensei were planning, he made the decision that if you were there, he wouldn't just wait things out on the sidelines...but now, that's exactly what he was doing.
He groaned at his cowardice. It wasn't that he didn't want to, but what if you weren't actually interested in him at all. Still, he didn't want to be the type that always ran from situations that looked too hard for him to deal with. He was done with that part of himself, so when the song ended and the tall guy with the thick eyebrows (Matsukawa, maybe?) replaced Hanamaki, Ennoshita steeled his nerves and made his way to the pair of you.
Tapping on Matsukawa's shoulder, Chikara interrupted, "Excuse me. May I have this dance?"
"Get lost, creep," Matsukawa said bluntly, though he didn't particularly look angry. He kind of just looked disinterested.
"Issei!" you scolded, throwing an apologetic look Chikara's way. "That's not your decision to make. You guys have been hoarding my attention all night."
Matsukawa shrugged, "Of course, we have. You're our manager. We can't let any of these weird creeps get their hands on you or whatever."
"Or whatever, huh?" you mused. Smirking, you said, "Come on. I know babysitting me isn't your idea of a good time. It's not like this guy can be any bigger a creep than you, Issei."
Snickering at your insult, Matsukawa admitted, "True. True. Alright, fine, but you have to put up with Yahaba and Watari whining about it later. If I end up dealing with it, I better get paid or something."
"Psht. Keep dreaming, Issei. Now get lost," you ordered and he did, but not before giving Ennoshita a curious once over. Matsukawa seemed to concede he wasn't too creepy to pass and headed back to hang with Hanamaki.
Chikara turned to you now and smiled, offering his hand nervously.
As you took it, you said, "Sorry about that. Watari especially is a little overprotective."
Chikara laughed softly, resting his free hand to the small of your back. "I know the type," he mused, picturing Kiyoko surrounded by her 'guard dogs.'
He tried not to feel too embarrassed as he spun you about the floor. You looked so pretty and felt so nice in his arms that it was difficult for him to concentrate on the tempo of the music. He wasn't even sure if the song was fast or slow anymore, but that didn't matter. You were both enjoying yourselves, and he was thrilled as you turned down offer after offer of other boys that wanted to cut in.
You allowed Chikara to completely monopolize the rest of your night at the party, and when it was over he didn't want it to end. He was so determined to keep the night going just a little longer, that he asked if he could accompany you to your train station, prepared for your polite refusal. It never came. You agreed and told your friends, while the team's libero looked most unhappy, before joining Ennoshita for the evening walk.
As the two of you walked along in the darkness, Chikara listened to you chatter on and felt an increasing nervousness in his stomach. There was something important he wanted to say to you...to ask.
~ ~ ~ ~
What an evening! Everything you were hoping for was really happening and you could feel the giddy butterflies as you walked so close to Ennoshita in the dark. You found yourself wishing almost desperately that he would hold your hand or confess or anything at all.
It was chilly and you thought you were hiding that fact well, but Ennoshita had a sharp eye for details and before you could decline, his suit jacket was being draped around your shoulders. It smelled like him...clean and simple and wonderful. You nuzzled against the shoulder of it, plunging your hands in the pockets.
You found Chikara Ennoshita so attractive on every level...his cleverness most of all, though his dark shaggy hair, double-lidded dark blue eyes and kissable lips certainly didn't hurt. It was even worse tonight. With him in his suit and dark blue dress shirt, you were actually kind of impressed that you hadn't yet fainted. He kept giving you these sideways glances that made your heart skip several beats at a time.
This had been building since the first time you had seen him at the scrimmage between his team and yours. Every time afterwards, your crush only continued growing until you felt like it might be a little out of control. The rest of the school year you couldn't even stop thinking about him, even though the only other times you saw him were for the Spring High Nationals on television.
After assuming it would be ages until you would get the chance to talk to him again, you were thrilled to hear about tonight's party and had been a bundle of nerves in the week leading up to it. So much so, that Oikawa had noticed something was off with you, though you never did give him the satisfaction to know over exactly what.
Now that you were here with him, he had managed to put your nerves at ease, besides the occasional butterfly fluttering furiously in your stomach over how cute he was.
Almost to the train station, you lingered a bit beside a dimly lit building, hoping maybe something more might happen. He said nothing, but watched you with that sexy gaze he always wore around you.
"That was really fun," you began.
"It was. Yeah," was his simple response.
You imagined you might be here all night if he kept things moving at this snail's pace.
"Well, um, here's your coat back. Thank you for letting me borrow it," you smiled, taking it off and handing it back to him.
Chikara smiled broadly as he slipped it back on. "No problem, at all," and then the two of you were back to awkward silence.
Deciding you would have to make the first move, you pulled out your phone, asking, "Would you maybe want to share phone numbers? You know, in case we have volleyball tips to talk about or something?"
Ennoshita looked taken aback, and then something like disappointment crossed his features. You weren't sure what was going through his head, but he exchanged numbers and pocketed his phone.
He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again with a sigh. Another few seconds and he said, "People always seem to be one step ahead of me and it gets frustrating, but..."
"I don't think anyone could really be a step ahead of you, Chikara. You're too clever, and you know it," you praised honestly. It was one of the reasons you had fallen for him. Now if only he had the confidence to match.
He looked embarrassed, but instead of trying to skirt the compliment, he smiled and said, "Thank you for saying so. I've really had a nice evening being with you. Maybe we could do something again sometime."
"Like a date?" you asked, surprised and hopeful.
Suddenly, he looked as if you had just crushed him somehow. "No. You're right. That was way too forward of me, wasn't it? I can't seem to control-- I guess I should go--" he muttered while turning to head back the direction the two of you had come. His low self-confidence was getting in the way again.
"I didn't say that at all. Chikara, wait! It's okay to lose a little control. I don't mind a little forwardness sometimes, especially if it comes from the one guy I haven't been able to stop thinking about all year. You're not going to run off now, are you?"
It looked like you had certainly struck a nerve. Ennoshita took a step closer towards you...and another. "You're right. I can't give up here. Everyone seems to forget about me, but not you, (f/n)." His voice was soft but steady, calmly illustrating his sincerity. "That's why, this time, I definitely won't lose."
With a look of pure determined resolve, Chikara pulled you to him with an arm looped around your waist and crushed your lips together. He was good. He was very good. He seemed to read exactly how you wanted him to kiss you before you yourself figured it out and after only a few seconds he had you breathless.
He pulled back to find your face completely startled that he had actually made a move, only to have him redden and jump backwards slightly. "Ah! Sorry! Sorry, (F/n). You're just so pretty tonight and perfect for me and I got carried away."
"That hardly counts as 'carried away,' Chikara," you said just above a whisper. You were a swirling mess of disappointment and desire.
"Should," he began, stepping close enough for the two of you to share the same breaths again, "-should I get more carried away?"
You didn't say anything, instead chewing on the corner of your bottom lip, hoping very much that he could see your answer on your face.
He could.
A smile briefly curled his mouth before his lips were on yours again, sending sparks of excitement to burst warm in your veins. His tongue slipped smoothly into your mouth and you sucked hard against it in a way that had Chikara gasp out a quiet moan.
It was too much. You were the one getting carried away now, smudging his face and neck with your plum lipstick. You gave him a quick peck under his eye before you settled firmly on his lips again, allowing things to get a little hot and heavy, encouraging his hands to run along your sides and hips, holding him in place with your fingers plunged through his dark hair.
Before the kiss broke again, the two of your tongues wrestled for dominance until Chikara lost himself to you sucking incredibly suggestively against his tongue, the same as before, pulling back slowly and watching with pleasure at the mess you had made of him.
He licked his lips, running the back of his hand just under them to collect the moisture that had slipped. His double-lidded eyes lifted back to you, just as his tongue darted out once more to taste the lipstick you'd left on him.
His expression was something you had only imagined happened in movies or magazines but Chikara was standing there directing it towards you. You felt an eager tightening in your stomach, thinking you should probably catch the train and get home before the two of you really did get too carried away. Besides, it wasn't like the two of you were even properly dating y--
"(F/n), please only kiss me that way. I can't stand the thought of anyone else being with you now. Won't you please go out with me?" he asked hopefully.
Smiling broadly and nodding, stepping back into his arms, you guessed you should stay a bit longer, after all.
.