Chapter 25

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Practice lasted for a good half hour and was not too intense, since they still had to play a match later in the day. While the other members of the team were already cooling down, Wakatoshi went over to Oikawa and talked to him for a moment. Then he came over to you and motioned for Michael to get up.

"What size shoe are you?" He asked and Michael scratched the back of his neck, embarrassed.

"I uh.. Brought my indoor shoes with me, just in case." While Michael was embarrassed by his own admission, Wakatoshi just gave him a look of approval. 

"When you're ready Oikawa will give you some tosses." He said as he rummaged through his bag, producing a towel which he quickly ran through his hair before sitting down next to you on the spot Michael had just vacated.

"I hope you haven't been too bored." He said, almost apologetically as he turned his attention from Michael and Oikawa to you.

You immediately shook your head. "No, I had a great time! It's been great to be able to see you play, I had no idea you were this good."

Silence fell and Wakatoshi turned his gaze back on Michael and Oikawa. You glanced at his profile and wondered what was going on in his mind, he was so difficult to read.

After resting a short while he told you he was going to give Michael some pointers and walked back onto the court. As soon as he joined the two other volleyball players his demeanor changed and he started giving Michael advice, more animatedly than you had ever seen him.

You couldn't help a sigh escape your lips, was he that uncomfortable around you?

After another ten minutes the three of them returned to the bench, Michael chatting excitedly to the two Japanese. He was obviously over the moon and you couldn't help but smile.

"We're gonna hit the showers and head back, are you coming to the match this afternoon?" Oikawa asked the both of you.

"Of course!" Michael exclaimed before you could give your own answer. "Good luck out there, Russia is a tough opponent!"

"Thanks." Wakatoshi told him and turned to you. "See you later."

You nodded. "Yeah see you later, good luck!"

And with that the four of you split ways. You and Michael made your way back and found a place to eat an early lunch near your hotel.

The match that afternoon was a real nail-biter, with Japan taking the first and third sets. In the end the had to give Russia the victory in the fifth set which they lost 14 to 16.

Tomorrow they would have a match against the Czech Republic at 1 pm after which your group would be headed back home.

You hoped you would have at least one more chance to meet up with Wakatoshi before that. Maybe then things would be more comfortable between the two of you, third time's the charm right?

Somewhere near the end of the third set of Brazil vs Canada you got a message on Line.

'Wanna join us for dinner? Be at the hotel by 6.30 pm. (。•̀ᴗ-)✧' 

It was from Tendou. You quickly replied that you would be there and told Michael you would be missing the last match of the day.

After Canada suffered a crushing defeat by Brazil you hurried to your hotel to take a quick shower and put on new clothes. Then you flopped down on the double bed that took up most of the tiny room and took a few minutes to try and get your thoughts in order.

Then you pulled out your phone and looked up the quickest way to Wakatoshi's hotel. It would take you about just as long to walk there as take public transportation, so you opted to walk since that was the cheaper option.

It was quite a long way though, so you decided to leave early and walk at a leisurely pace. After more than a half hour of walking you finally arrived, just in time.

Tendou spotted you from a distance and called out to you. You joined the group, which was a bit smaller than last time, and you found a different dining establishment this time.

Dinner went about the same as lunch had yesterday, only everyone stayed longer since the day had ended anyway. 

When the waiters had come to take the dishes away and another round of drinks had been ordered Tendou stood up from his seat and turned to you.

"Got a minute?" He asked you and you looked at him a bit surprised before nodding your head.

"Uh yeah, sure." You said and got up yourself.

At Wakatoshi's questioning look, Tendou told him. "Don't worry, I'll bring her back in one piece."

You followed Tendou outside and as he sat down on a nearby bench, you sat down next to him.

Silence hung around you for a few moments before Tendou spoke. "You're leaving tomorrow huh?"

"Yeah... I can still come to the match though." You said, still trying to figure out why you were here in the first place.

Another moment of silence followed and you started getting a little nervous.

"Soooo... ?"

You blinked at him. "So? So what?"

"What do you think?" Again you blinked, that did not give you any more of a clue as to what he was hinting at.

"About what?" You asked, still visibly confused.

"Wakatoshi, now that you've met 'the real thing'." He said with a grin, but his eyes betrayed that this was a serious conversation. " Do you like him more? Like him less?"

You turned your gaze from him to your hands in your lap. "He's... very stoic." You hesitated for a moment, but decided to open up a little to the red head next to you.

"I get the feeling he's uncomfortable around me. He doesn't talk much."

"Hmmmm." Was Satori's only reply after which things went quiet for a while. Then he broke the silence again by saying something you had not expected. "He likes you, you know."

Your thoughts came to a screeching halt and it took a second for your brain to re-boot.

"Like like?" Was all you managed to bring out and Tendou chuckled.

"Like like." He let you chew on that for a little while before continuing. "He's always been the star of the volleyball team, so he's always had a lot of fans. His looks also helped, naturally. But those girls never really looked further than his star-status. People who don't know about him and his talent are not interested because he's too 'stoic', as you put it, and too into volleyball."

You had no idea that's what was going on.

"And then you came along, not knowing anything about his skill. Getting him Valentine's cards and Christmas presents, learning about volleyball to have something to talk to him about. You liked him not because of him being an all star volleyball player, but despite him being a big volleyball nerd. It's only natural that he came to like you a lot."

You opened and closed your mouth a few times before you were able to mutter: "I had no idea."

Tendou laughed. "Last time I checked he still keeps your cards on his nightstand, even after he moved out of the dorms. Even though they lost today, it was pretty obvious he's showing off on the court, now that he knows you are watching. He invited Michael to practice, to have an excuse to see you. He's not literally told me, but I've known him long enough to know that he's smitten. 

The question is; how do you feel?"


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A/N : 

I'm sorry for cutting it off there!! I hope you guys won't be too mad 。(*^▽^*)ゞ

Tendou is really getting the ball rolling is he not? o(≧∇≦o)

Thank you for your support, see you Wednesday and Happy Easter!! (≧∇≦)/

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