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Call it pure fate, or just the idiocy of Hinata and Tsukasa, for the two making it official.
Tsukasa, the libero for her high school team, had an obsession with volleyball. She was doing club ever since first grade, topping it off with her ballet classes. With that being said, her coach decided she would not jump, despite being one of the highest jumpers (right behind Kohaku, the outside hitter), and made Tsukasa dig and dive for the rest of her life. It wasn’t that Tsukasa could complain about this though, especially since she couldn’t set. The best she could do was pass the ball into the air and let one of the outside hitters take care of it, but that came with intense concentration, and shouting “I GOT IT, I GOT IT” until everyone in the damn gymnasium knew that Tsukasa, #1, was in control of the ball.
At least Kohaku could hit a ball. And everytime Kohaku was the one to spike, she would kill. It’s hard to imagine how a 5’2 sweet obsessed athlete like Kohaku would be the one to spike a ball 101 mph into another opponent’s face, but the death stare she gave after is always what sets the record straight: she can kill an opponent.
Hinata, the main flyer in the high school cheer team, was often at Tsukasa’s mercy when she got to attend her games. To see Hinata in this half squat, her shorts slightly pulled up from the intense game, her kneepads close to sliding against her skin? The sight alone made Hinata forget why she was even there on the court. Until Yuuta has to almost pull her leg to tell her she was about to be flipped, that Hinata could sigh and focus on hitting her stunts.
Hinata’s story was less fortunate than Tsukasa’s. She was always interested in cheer, but never got to start until late middle school, when she finally found enough funds to afford it. And even then, more coaches were focused on Hinata’s weight than her actual moveset. “She had the skills,” she heard one of her coaches mutter to her father, “but she’s a burger away from not making the cut.”
But where there were bad coaches, there were good ones. Ones that, while encouraging their flyers to eat healthy, also focused on their movesets. Ones that gave accurate advice. Hinata was always able to advance, compete, and even win nationals with those cheer teams. Her and Yuuta, who always stayed in the same team, found themselves with more trophies than tears; and more friends than enemies.
The two meeting wasn’t as romance-y as stories. They met in one of Kasa’s games, when Hinata was just a freshman like Tsukasa. Now, Yuuta had known of the rising for a while, and was always appreciative of her knowledge. But, Hinata found that Yuuta had her eyes set on cheer. Which, will change the next year when a freshman outside killer joins the varsity ranks. But for now, the base was planning on focusing as the base. Meanwhile, Hinata found herself staring at bit too hard at the red-haired libero, who was known for using random words from the English lexicon when complimenting her teammates. “Marvelous!” is used many times, but Hinata found that words like “Amazing!” and “Perfect!” had also made their debut. Hinata also noted how after each.. Rally? The players would gather and congratulate each other, no matter if they won the point or not. They would pat their butts, and Tsukasa would, many times, dodge the player who was known for smacking her teammates on the butt. Perhaps, Hinata’s favorite part was when she didn’t need to stunt, and could just watch the game. The way Tsukasa would dive.. Or even spike. But all of her spikes came from just behind a line, and would still be too quick to capture from the other team. Once, she actually ran up, jumped up from the setter, and crossed the line when making a spike. But she timed it perfectly enough so she jumped over the line and not crossed. The ball made a loud sound as it smacked the ground, and Hinata made a loud “OOOO” sound with the student section, before turning around to stunt.
That was probably more entertaining than the times Hinata and Yuuta switched and messed up entire routines. Because as it would turn out, Hinata sucked at being a base. And Yuuta didn’t trust the other cheerleaders enough to even lock her knees.
After that game, Hinata found herself the courage to meet Tsukasa for the first time.
In the locker room.
In the middle of a huddle-up.
Hinata had heard of those occurring in locker rooms, but didn’t ever see one. The way the coach explained things so technical- like who pays attention to inches? And the way Tsukasa nodded along while downing her water. Though, the other players congratulated Tsukasa’s perfect kill. And Hinata watches as Tsukasa just nods along, probably paying more attention to her flaws.
“You did so good, Suou~!” Hinata says happily, dragging herself to the circle. And with that, all sorts of faces looked up at her. She recognized some of the older players- like that Itsuki girl with her girlfriend, Kagehira, who had another year ahead of her. Tsukasa’s cheeks flush a deep, deep pink as she is taken out of her thoughts to gaze at the new face.
“Um.. thank you.. You must be Hinata, right?”
Hinata could die from the people who recognize her apart from her twin for a first meeting.
She looks up at the coach, waiting for some sort of approval to congratulate the very vital team player. The coach sighs, gazing at the other players, and then at a very blushing Tsukasa. “Next time, text your girlfriend to wait outside when we’re huddled. But I guess it can be excused this time.. You are all dismissed. Make sure to get yourselves a cold bath, okay?”
Tsukasa’s ears were now turning a bright pink, and she was about to object that the random cheerleader who complimented her was definitely not her girlfriend, but she instead turned to face her new fan.
“Outside. You and me.”
She walks away, and Hinata turns back to see Kagehira grabbing Itsuki’s hand, linking them together.
“Ya did so good out there, Oshi-san!!”
“Because I had you to set the ball to me.. Which, you should give to the opposite sometimes. That’s how we lost some points.”
“But, ya deserve the ball! ‘Specially ‘cause I put my love into it..”
Hinata rolls her eyes and walks away, just before the two could kiss.
Outside, Tsukasa could let go of some of her embarrassment, giving a nod to Hinata.
“Thank you for your thanks.. Wait, does that even sound right? Thanks for your thanks..”
Hinata laughs, rolling her eyes.
“So you can give these accurate measurements to your teammates, but can’t even talk to a cheerleader? If you want to, you don’t have to say anything. I could just shower you in compliments~”
Tsukasa’s nose turns a bright pink, choosing to instead shut up and take the compliments. Which, made her fall for Hinata right in playoff season.
How fortunate.
Playoffs, with a team like Tsukasa’s, was an easy sweep for most of the games. Until they got to regional quarterfinals, when they won in four. But, Tsukasa had Hinata right next to her to cheer her on, and stare at her sweaty skin.
Which, she had lots of lotion for. Luckily.
But then came the championship. Yes, their team actually making it to the championship.. Tsukasa was extremely nervous the night before.
“I’m just a freshman.. And there’s already colleges interested in me,” Tsukasa says to Hinata. Despite the two not dating, Tsukasa was already cuddling with Hinata, their faces rather close to each other tonight.
“Well, you can win! I’ll be doing lots, and LOTS of flips for you! So make sure you win, got it? Win for me!!”
Tsukasa gives a nod, and goes to take an ice-cold bath.
The day of the championship was a breeze. Minus the one time Tsukasa turns back to see Hinata’s bright smile, comparing to the sun, and getting smacked in the face with a ball.
At least her teammate was there to forward it!
When they won, Tsukasa had the honor of carrying the trophy into the locker room, Itsuki carrying their winning ball. She shivers as she took a picture with the graduating woman, but Shu gave a warm smile to her and ruffled her hair, like she did all those times during practice.
“You’re so sweaty, mon enfant.” Shu says. She had that tendency to randomly use French. Even screaming “Apporte ça à ta mère!” when spiking a ball Mika had set for her, as it made a loud slam on the ground.
The student section went crazy. The next day, Shu got an offer to a rather expensive D1 college. Tsukasa then determined that she will somehow play the back court well enough to become a D1 athlete herself.
When the team made it to the locker room, Hinata was waiting for her girlfriend, who she grabbed and pulled into a kiss, grabbing the trophy as she gently pulled her hair back and pulled her close. The other teammates, even Shu and Mika, applauded. The coach hadn’t made it yet to kick out Hinata.. Having to deal with the other coach yelling at the team.
Tsukasa only pulls away when she feels the grip on her waist tighten and the hand brushing her hair move to slightly grip it, as Tsukasa slaps her wrist gently.
“Save that for graduating year,” she mumbles as she takes the trophy back and shoots her a warm smile, and then a wink.
They are not waiting for graduating year. Because when the others changed and left the locker room to wait for their coach, Hinata got a chance to finish what she started.
So Tsukasa left five minutes later, holding up her girlfriend.
“Here,” Tsukasa says, taking a small crown from the trophy. The crown was supposed to be put on the trophy figure’s head, but Tsukasa instead straightened the girl’s head and placed it onto her head. Hinata quickly shakes her head, trying to find her breath.
“No.. no, you’re the queen… of the back court..”
Tsukasa has to laugh at that, tapping her girlfriend’s shoulders to direct her attention to her. She places a little kiss on her cheek, as the parents and whoever start to cheer for them.
Obviously, none of their parents show up. Hinata would excuse the fact that her father never showed up to anything Hinata had, even if it caused Yuuta to curse under her breath.
But the Suou head doesn’t show up? Tsukasa wasn’t even slightly wavered by it as they walked through the crowds of families that surrounded the other players. A mother gets a picture with Kagehira and Itsuki, who seemed to look like Kuro’s mother. Or with the pink haired freshman, who had a blonde haired angel holding the little kid. It made Tsukasa roll her eyes, as she continued to walk through the crowds of parents with Hinata.
Everyone looks happy. Everyone still cheered for Tsukasa, perhaps for that special dive she did that sent the ball flying into the other team’s meatball zone. Or her spike. But never were they going to be happy for her, Tsukasa knows. For a while, she only hoped someone could replace that failed family in her heart. But to ask for that would be especially selfish. It’ll be like asking for a whole new family. And did Tsukasa deserve that, when she couldn’t even congratulate herself for a single thing she manages to do on the court?
And what about Hinata? Who Tsukasa learned from Yuuta was facing severe denial about her father being an ass? Would him not showing up be the final straw for her? Tsukasa doubts it. Maybe Hinata would excuse it again.
Truth be told, Hinata was just as confused. Where was her father, who promised over a quick text conversation he’ll show up? But he didn’t even send her a text, didn’t bother to call. He’s gone, gone from her and the entire room for the next few hours. Tsukasa grabs onto Hinata’s hand, protecting her queen from the applause directed at Tsukasa alone. She grips her hand as tightly as possible, as if to not lose her to the large crowd. She shoots a wave to her fans, to the families who were never here for her anyways. She’ll brave this storm, like she braved every storm at home, just to feel the warm relief of cold air hitting her face.
And she does, as soon as she steps outside. The cold, autumn air touching her cheeks in a frozen embrace as the two make it outside. Hinata’s duffle bag felt tighter around her than earlier, letting the panic leave her body as she turns back to face Hinata, who held a distant stare.
“..Hinata?”
Tsukasa releases her hand, only to cup her face. Hinata shrugs, almost pushing passed her, before she stops herself. That’s her girlfriend she was about to ignore. And she allows for Tsukasa to lower her gym bag, going into her arms and letting out angry tears.
The two promised to not speak of the championship game’s aftermath. Especially Tsukasa, who had to deal with harassment from the other team for a weak.
The next season opened with another pink haired individual to replace Shu: Kohaku.
Kohaku started around the same time as Tsukasa, and the two made it a competition to see who would get a scholarship first. So, Tsukasa learned how to counter every one of Kohaku’s deadly spikes- the only ones she couldn’t counter were the ones that held the worst amount of anger in them. Which were rare, unless something happened to someone she cared about. Then, it’s a competition of not getting hit in the goddamn face. Yuuta, surprisingly, took notice, and almost broke Hinata’s leg on multiple instances as she would forget to let go.
“You’re holding me tighter than you’d hold that newbie,” Hinata says after a practice, stretching her leg. Yuuta’s face turned bright pink, and she almost guts her sister. Hinata just laughs, going to practice some more of her stunting with the coach.
It wouldn’t be surprising to anyone that Tsukasa showed up to Hinata’s competitions. How she saw Hinata laughing proudly as she would be hoisted into the air, waving to the audience. She then sees Tsukasa, and blows her a kiss, complimented with a wink.
One day, after a competition, Hinata rushes over to Tsukasa and pulls her into a kiss.
“I’m making nationals!” She shouts excitedly, grabbing the red haired and hoisting her into the air. Tsukasa shouts in protest, before being dropped onto the blue matting of the floor. Luckily, it was cushioned enough for her to not break her arm. Unfortunately for her, her girlfriend took this initiative to kneel beside her and ruffle with her hair.
“And~ I got two tickets to the competition~ I was gonna give one to my father, but Aniki doen’t want him going with us~ why not you join?”
Tsukasa was a bit upset to feel second to some horribly abusive man, but gives a happy nod, and pulls Hinata into a happy kiss.
They didn’t see Yuuta’s successful attempt at getting a seat for Kohaku on the plane.
And on the plane? They sat next to their dates. Hinata at one point, held up a little earbud to Tsukasa’s ear, which the other took happily. Then, their hands got too comfy, and Tsukasa’s head got too droopy as she fell asleep on Hinata’s shoulder. She held a laugh to not wake the other cheerleaders, and rested her head onto hers. And they also didn’t see Kohaku and Yuuta holding hands while watching a movie from the screen.
Going to practice an hour later was not what Hinata wanted, who just wanted to spend the entire evening and night with her girlfriend. Which she got the next day to do, as their competition wasn’t until Monday. Still, Hinata spent that entire practice horrified. Against 25 bigger, more advanced schools? Ones that probably paid money to get good rankings.. After all, that’s all that cheer competitions come down to; who can pay the most money in a blind gamble.
The next day, Hinata woke up sore and achy from last night’s practice. Even her sneaking off to give her girlfriend millions of kisses wasn’t enough to shale off her nerves. So, she spent half of the night ranting to her girlfriend about the nightmare of her situation, and how even if her team was flawless, they wouldn’t have spent enough money to secure a spot in the final ten.
“How much to they normally bribe?” Tsukasa asks, resting a hand on her cheek. Hinata loves this about her girlfriend; how she can just listen to her rants, and pay attention to them. Because damn, Hinata had a lot to rant about.
“Normally? Close to a thousand,” Hinata sighs. She’s never seen a thousand dollars, but if she did, she’d imagine it higher than the eiffel tower.
“That’s nothing.” Tsukasa sighs, rolling over. Hinata had heard rumors that the other was rich- like, rich rich. But that would never be a reason for why she would pursue Tsukasa. Was it a benefit? Yes. But Tsukasa had more benefits than just money.
“Really? How much do you have?” Hinata asks, now facing her girlfriend. She reaches over and wraps her arms around her waist, feeling over her abs. Her tense abs, as evidence that she was not stretching after working out.
“Mm.. you’d have to ask my family. If I had to make a guess though.. Maybe close to three million? Not as much as Tenshouin-oniisama, no. But close to that amount!”
Hinata’s jaw drops. She burrows her head into the other girl’s neck.
“No way!! No way is my girlfriend that rich!”
Tsukasa rolls her eyes and nods, probably too tired to continue her conversation. And before Hinata could get on to her for not stretching enough, she falls asleep.
She’s so adorable when she sleeps- Hinata realizes, just taking a few minutes to watch her sleeping expressions. How she slightly sneaks further into her warmth when she feels a hand grace over her cheeks, how she shivers when Hinata’s hand snakes up her waist to gently feel her ribs. She chuckles, and then returns her arm to her waist. After a few minutes of this, she herself falls asleep.
Hinata had to be up at 4:30 AM for practice. So, she woke up two hours early.
Which, she should’ve NOT gone to bed at 11 for. She gazes at her girlfriend one last time, before taking her first shower of the day.
She was about to leave her hotel room at 3:30, when tired arms sling around her waist. Her face contorts into a blush as she feels hot breath tickle her neck. She turns and gives her girlfriend a few kisses, gently leading her back to her bed.
“Go back to sleep, my queen~” she mumbles. Tsukasa raises her voice slightly in protest, before her eyes drop yet again. And soon, she’s asleep.
Hinata ends up leaving at 3:45 AM. Which, gave her a bit of time, approximately thirty minutes, to stretch and warm up.
And then came a grueling, difficult practice. One that left both Hinata and Yuuta craving their dates. Kohaku was waiting for Yuuta after practice, but Hinata was left to walk thirty minutes back to the hotel, at 6:30 in the morning, before collapsing into her girlfriend’s arms at the main lobby. When she woke up, it was around the time the sun would actually rise, and her girlfriend was gently playing with her hair. Hinata turns to see her beaming girlfriend, already dressed for the day. She rolls her eyes, sitting up and giving her multiple kisses.
“You’re my queen, Hinata.” Tsukasa mumbles, yawning in the middle of her sentence. Hinata stretches her arms, grabbing her girlfriend’s face. Tsukasa, who currently couldn’t speak due to her face being squished, shook her head in protest, making Hinata giggle and give her multiple, multiple kisses. She even manages to push her down for a few minutes, until Tsukasa rolls over and pokes her nose. “You’d ought to get ready if you still plan on taking me out.” Tsukasa says, rising out of the bed. Hinata notices her outfit, which may show a bit of her abs when she stretches far enough, and was about to die and go to Heaven right then and there. But she quickly moves off of the bed, admiring how such a brown top complimented Tsukasa so well, and presses more kisses to her cheeks while circling her arms around the tip of the blue jeans Kasa wore.
Today was going to be a long day, huh?
It started out with the two of them getting something to eat. While Tsukasa was used to eating as much protein as possible to obtain some energy, Hinata found herself still clinging to methods of the past. Her “lunch” was a mere avocado toast with an egg. And she could see the concerned glance her girlfriend gave. And the moment she lowered her food, she felt a fork poke at her mouth.
“Hey. Bite into this.”
Blackened chicken with some noodles. Of course she chooses something with enough protein.
Hinata happily took a bite, watching the corners of her girlfriend’s face flush as she even gives the fork a little lick after. It tasted.. So good.
But she finished her food anyways, and the two paid. With Kasa’s card.
She has a fucking card?
The next part of their day consisted of watching the other teams compete. Their performances were wobbly, and Kasa was about to criticize everyone when she saw the judges give them an S+ rating, but then she felt Hinata’s hand on her shoulder.
Hinata had to wait for her girlfriend to return from the bathroom, before the two did some looking around at local stores.
And Hinata felt her wardrobe expand twice the size when Tsukasa went up to Hinata with all sorts of different colors, that she swore could match Hinata’s style. And when Hinata tried them on, she found herself amazed. All of the purples suited her well, and all of the blues did as well. A few greens stood out amazingly, and she was so prepared to give her girlfriend a thousand kisses, when she saw the price.
Close to a thousand.
Like how much the teams were bribing. But despite this, she felt herself sneakily grab a yellow crop top, that showed perhaps more of Tsukasa’s waist. And then a nice, perfect black corset.
She was going to have fun with this.
Tsukasa, surprisingly, didn’t even blink when she read the price, and just swiped her card easily. Hinata’s jaw was about to drop again, but then she felt a hand tug on hers as Tsukasa points to a nearby sweets shop.
And the third part of their day was spent trying some treats. Hinata didn’t try too many, sugar being her opponent, but she happily watched Tsukasa down every sweet she was given. It’s like she doesn’t even gain a pound, Hinata thought as her eyes focus on Tsukasa’s expressions.
And soon, the two were returning to the hotel room, where Hinata took a quick shower and changed into her practice outfit. Tsukasa accompanied her this time. But instead of practicing, their coach had the girls sit in a circle.
“This is going to sound rude, but we will not be winning a spot in the top ten tonight.” The coach announces. The girls don’t respond, already used to this.
“Let’s work as hard to get within the top twenty, even if this doesn’t earn us a single trophy. You’re deserving of every reward we do not earn in this competition.”
Hinata goes to Tsukasa after practice and collapses into her arms. Her eyes close as she feels the other pick her up- so strong- and carries her thirty minutes back to the hotel. She lays her down and doesn’t say anything as she climbs into the bed after changing the both of them, and holds her tightly against her body. Hinata was grateful, for both the comfort and the other’s body. And she fell asleep immediately.
A miracle must’ve occurred, because she did not expect what happened at the competition.
The day started again at 4:30 AM, when she had gotten a shower- this time with Tsukasa- and saw the other change. A yellow crop top, the same she got for her yesterday, and the shorts she found at another store. Her hair was also done nicely, and Hinata caught herself multiple times against a wall. And when Tsukasa gave her a little kiss, leaving some lipstick on her cheek, oh my God did Hinata not want to leave her. But she forces herself to practice anyways, seeing her girlfriend making her excel more than usual at the practice. Even when they practiced until the first group came in four hours later, did she happily join her girlfriend’s side to see yet another group that bribed to victory. There was no coordination between the players, and the flyer was practically thrown around, the only one who took anything half-seriously. Another S rating though, before they were called backstage. Tsukasa shoots her girlfriend a wink, before going backstage with the other girls. Their outfit was simple, yet flashy: white cropped tops, sticking to the skin with yellow embeddings. Their school’s name was on the front in pastel pink colors, their skirts especially short with a yellow belt, that held their school mascot. White socks, and simple cheer shoes. Hinata helped the other girls get their makeup on, before focusing on herself.
Those curves, which Tsukasa seemed to love. She hates them.
They’re too skinny. She knew this was just the result of her poorer coaches, yet she still felt their habits against her. That if she ate one more meatball, she was going to collapse. She saw how fatshamed the other girls were that competed with her in the past. And how none of them survived the cruel, cruel summer.
Hinata should be with them, yet she was here. And even if her team doesn’t win, even if she doesn’t win, she’ll dedicate every move to her former teammates.
Every tuck to the girl who was forced to fast for three months.
Every stretch to the girl who couldn’t make her coach’s demands and “went missing” for months, until her body was “randomly found” at the edge of a river.
Every twist to the girl who was bullied until she could lift her leg up- and reveal nothing but bone, a walking skeleton.
Every. Little. Move. And perhaps, this way, they will still survive with her.
Hinata applies her makeup quickly, and then shoots the mirror a kiss.
It’s showtime.
“S+.”
The words left Hinata’s mouth as she moved down from her teammate’s pyramid.
“S fucking plus.”
Tsukasa was the first to rush from the crowd and suffocate her girlfriend in multiple, multiple kisses. The coach gasped, amazed. How did they make it into the top three? They and two other teams made an S+, who paid an immense amount of money for it to happen. And here they are, rejoicing in their own ranking. One of the girls from the other team muttered to her friend while pointing at Tsukasa. And then her blood went cold as she felt a death gaze from a pink-haired violet-eyed individual. One that threatened, “Say something about my sister. Fuckin’ do it.”
She sighs, closing her eyes and pulling Tsukasa closer to her sweat-filled body. And she presses a kiss to her cheek, before Tsukasa and Kohaku joined their girlfriends in the giant circle to announce the winners. There’s no way they made first, but they prayed for at least second. If at all possible.
“Third place.. #### Academy.”
Everyone’s jaw dropped.
That’s not them. They are now one of the final two.
The Academy rises, their faces full of shock.
“You guys did good. However, your form was off, and you couldn’t manage a twist at all. You were uncoordinated, and failed to communicate when anything was happening.”
The girls’ faces betrayed their words as they shakily accepted third place.
By now, Hinata noticed a gentle smile resting on Tsukasa’s face, and realized she did something. She had to ask later though, and only squeezed her hand tighter. Her mind flashes to all of her performances before, the now second-year having gone through enough alone to be considered a graduate. How her money could never bring her outside of the country, but bring her to another province. She shivers, hearing a microphone beep.
“Second place.. ####.”
Again, not them. This meant…
“You managed to communicate, and you at least held your form. But your transitions were flawed, and you couldn’t complete all of your stunts.”
The prize was given to them, and they shot death glares to Hinata’s team. But they had Kohaku and Tsukasa, who could give them murderous gazes. Ones that didn’t threaten it, but promised murder.
God, if only Tsukasa could look at Hinata like that.
“So it should be, without a doubt, that Yumenosaki deserves the first place rating. Congratulations on your hard practice, and your well deserved win.”
The girls collapsed into a large circle and sobbed, the coach included.
They sobbed for the sacrifices they had to make to get there. They sobbed for the ones that didn’t make it with them. And they sobbed for where they will go after.
Tsukasa kissed Hinata, who held the trophy. Kohaku kissed Yuuta, who held her metal. And the way Tsukasa’s mouth especially complimented Hinata’s, god. Nobody got upset or annoyed when Hinata greedily grabbed Tsukasa’s waist and pulled her closer, hoping to give her queen just a bit of excitement, as she felt her girlfriend take the trophy from her. Just like she did when she had won the competition. When they pulled away, Tsukasa got on one knee and offered the trophy back to Hinata.
“My Queen~ would you mind taking my hand for eternity, and take this trophy as a reward for our love?”
Hinata laughs, not hiding the blush that rises to her face.
“I will, but only once you tell me what you did.”
“I just gave those judges half a million bucks, and told them to give you guys an honest rating. I told them to reject all of the offers before and after mine, and to be serious with the other’s ratings.”
“You..” Hinata trails off, before scooping her girlfriend into her arms, suffocating her in multiple kisses. Once again, money won happiness.
“You deserve it, Hinata. I saw your face the entire performance. I knew you were doing this for someone, someone I don’t know. So of course I knew what was right. When I went to the bathroom, I went to the judges and made a quick exchange~.”
That night, Hinata and Tsukasa went on a date, much to Hinata’s angry rambling. They even spied on Kohaku and Yuuta, who seemed to grow comfier around each other. Yuuta, on facetime, would scream to the two about the way Kohaku’s face seemed to fit into her chest so well when she got surprised.
“Take her to a haunted house,” Kasa says with a grin, “She’ll never let you go.”
That summer was spent with Hinata and Tsukasa discovering their love. At Hinata’s request, Tsukasa spent less money on her, but also spent some more on herself. Tsukasa slowly started getting Hinata to eat more, which earned the girl a smile from her coach.
A smile. She was concerned the entire time.
And one day, they both got the notice that another year was starting. Soon, they’ll go back to spending less time together, and more time on studies and practice. But sports is a lifestyle, one you must adjust to with your life entirely.
And the two of them knew- they just knew- that this year was bound to be better than last year. Because they went into it, hand in hand. And they will leave it, hand in hand.