✿

❝Losing isn't always the end, sometimes, it becomes the beginning.❞

-Joseph Duffy

✿ 

After the match, you run up to Shoyo, disappointed that they lost but still in wonder. 

"You came!" He says, a smile on his sweaty face.

"And you were amazing!" You say, fighting the urge to hug him. "You were, like, flying!"

"Yeah, but it still wasn't enough to beat them," he whines, looking disappointed.

"You'll get 'em next time, don't worry," you assure him, but then his eyes light up at the sight of something behind you. You turn around. Someone  behind you.

A boy in a red and black Nekoma jersey. His hair is about jaw length, dyed blond with dark roots. He gives Shoyo a little wave.

"Kenma you were great!" Shoyo tells him.

The boy--Kenma--nods. "You were too."

"But," Shoyo says, clenching his fist, "we'll  win next time."

A boy with a blond mohawk pats Kenma on the shoulder, coming out of nowhere. 

"We'll see about that," he says, then glares at Shoyo, "but what business do you have with our setter?"

You stand awkwardly in the middle of the two, and Kenma sighs. 

Tanaka, one of the Karasuno boys, claps Shoyo on the back. 

"Oh, yeah?" Tanaka says, glaring at the Nekoma boy, "what business do you have with Hinata and his girlfriend?"

You blush, looking at Shoyo as he stutters. His teammate and the Nekoma boy ignore you both, continuing to bicker.

"Yamamoto!"  Someone shouts angrily.

A short boy in a Nekoma outfit grabs the taller one by the shirt and drags him away,  scolding him the whole time. Kenma follows the pair, giving Shoyo one last wave.

At the same time, someone pats Tanaka on the back. It's a silver haired boy that you haven't seen before, but he's wearing a Karasuno jersey with the number 2.

"You don't want me to get Daichi, do you?" He threatens, gripping Tanaka by the collar.

The two walk away, leaving you and Shoyo alone.

"Is it always so crazy around here?" You joke.

"You'd be surprised," Hinata shivers, the threat of someone named Daichi still hanging in the air. You wonder who he is.

"I'd better get home," you say, suddenly overcome by the feeling something could be wrong at home. Shoyo nods.

"I can walk you again!" He suggests enthusiastically. After saying so, he blushes, as if realizing how happy he sounded.

"That'd be nice," you smile, feeling a blush creep onto your face. 

You wait for Shoyo as grabs his jacket and says bye to his teammates. 

"Don't you dare be late for practice tomorrow," a brown-haired boy says, and by the way Shoyo nods before walking away, you assume that the boy was Daichi.

Shoyo's wearing his black Karasuno jacket, paired with some black joggers. He looks comfy. You're jealous, and cold.

The gym door opens, letting in a gust of freezing air. You shiver, feeling goosebumps rise on your skin.

You walk with him, grabbing your bike and walking down the sidewalk. To distract yourself from the cold, you start a conversation.

"So," you say, "is your coach nice?"

"Hmm," Shoyo hums, looking at his hands, "he's cool. He's got this shop where he gives us food sometimes."

"Oh?"

"Yeah," he smiles, "and he's Coach Ukai's grandson! Even though his name is Ukai too, his shop is called Sakanoshita. It would probably be more popular if he called it--"

"Your coach owns Sakanoshita?" You say in surprise. 

"Mhm," Shoyo confirms.

So the blond guy at the counter is Karasuno's coach? How did you not know that?

You drop your bike, maybe kinda forgetting it was in your hands. It clatters to to ground, the wheels spinning.

"Oh," you say.

"Oh!" Shoyo says.

You both kneel down to pick it up, but on the journey down, you bump foreheads.

"S-sorry!" You say, standing back up.

"I-I'm sorry!" Shoyo says, picking up your bike. You take it, avoiding his eyes.

"Aw man," the tangerine-haired boy tilts his head, "does it hurt? I'm sorry. There's a red mark."

"It's fine, really," you smile. "It was my fault anyways."

Suddenly you remember the packet of band-aids you got for him. You fumble for your hoodie pocket, searching inside for the package. 

They're gone.

You must look really disappointed, because Shoyo notices, frowning. "What's wrong?"

You take your hands out of your pocket, giving up on  the search. 

"I got you some band-aids," you explain, "but I guess they fell out of my pocket."

"Why?"

"Because you've been wearing that same one for, like, two days," you giggle, "it's not good for your skin, ya know."

He blushes, pointing to the bandage on his face. "Oh, I-I guess you're right." He looks up, then points across the street. "Hey, we could grab some from Sakanoshita if you feel bad about it."

"Really, it's fine," you insist, wondering if the store's even open, "the lights are even off. We'd just be a bother."

"You're right," Shoyo sighs, and for a second, you feel like he just wanted an excuse to be with you longer. "Maybe another time?"

You smile. "Yeah. Maybe another time."

And so you walk home, bike in hand, and you can't seem to shake off the feeling that this is only the beginning. 

For what? You don't know.

But your heart says it's something grand.

✿