honestly I really hope we get to find out a bit more about Mikawa in the future, it'd be fun to see her becoming good friends with Kase! Also this is a kinda random mid-writing-this headcanon buuuuut…. aromantic Mikawa anyone?

Anyways, I'm still waiting for all that kase fic guys, cmon are yall gonna make me do it all by myself here?

(seriously though, I'll do it if I have to)

hope you enjoy more of my two fave dorks in the whole world, I know I do!

Kase-san kept glancing over, even as the gym teacher was explaining the day's activities to the class.

She wasn't even being that subtle about it, what with her wide grins and dopey sighing every time Yamada smiled back. Her dark eyes were practically sparkling with pure affection and her friends trying to strike up conversation went ignored in the face of a sweet infatuation that just barely avoided being sickening – by only the tiniest margin.

If it wasn't for the fact that Yamada had been so ridiculously happy lately, Mikawa almost certainly would've taken issue with it.

She didn't need to see those two idiots making goo-goo eyes at each other whenever they were within ten yards of each other.

Then again…

The flurry of movement at the teacher's call to pair up and grab their rackets hid Kase from view for a split-second and, by the time everyone had moved out of the way, she was already being dragged off by one of her many sports team buddies, only looking back long enough to send Yamada a last smile and ginger wave, before turning her full attention to the class.

Sighing, Mikawa pushed herself up, stretching her arms as she nudged Yamada gently with her foot.

"You ready?" she asked, once her friend finally managed to wrench her eyes away from her girlfriend – and wasn't that a weird thing to be thinking?

Yamada nodded and determinedly picked up her racket and a worn tennis ball from the box. "Yeah, totally!" She was already striding away, her steps wide and determined, heading towards the other side of the low net.

She'd certainly been taking gym a lot more seriously ever since meeting Kase; not that she had much grace on the field, even with the added effort, but she was trying. Add that to the list of 'pros'.

Her serve was clumsy, but it cleared the net well enough; Mikawa threw the ball back with a practised forehand.

It wasn't that she didn't want them to go out, or that she didn't like Kase, but Yamada had always been a bit… naive. She really didn't want her getting her hopes up, only to have her heart broken if this crush turned out to be one-sided, or if Kase wasn't as serious about the relationship as her best friend.

Yamada just managed to return the pass, a grin stretching wide across her face at the success.

She gave her friend a quick thumbs up, as she jogged to hit it back – choosing not to take the clear opening far to the girl's left, instead sending it closer to the centre of the court.

There was already that whole concern about the ex-girlfriend that Kase seemed far too chummy with and it was clearly upsetting Yamada a whole lot, even if she couldn't bring herself to confront her about it directly.

Perhaps she shouldn't have fanned the flames quite so much, digging up old photos was probably going a bit far, and Mikawa knew her eternal pessimism could easily bring others down too – not to mention her distressing tendency to shove her foot directly into her gaping maw… that certainly hadn't helped anything either.

It was only when Yamada made a sudden, loud whoop, that she noticed the ball she was supposed to be hitting had sailed right past her.

Blinking at it in disbelief, she turned back to her friend, who was jumping in spot and smiling so much she looked like she might burst into tears any second. She couldn't help grinning back, even if her cheeks felt a little hot. "Great job," she shouted over the net, before turning to retrieve the ball.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a tall, dark-haired girl clapping with sparkling eyes.

When she dropped back into position, her grin immediately shifted into a smirk. "Looks like I can't go easy on you this time!"

Her serve caught Yamada slightly off-guard, but she still managed to catch the ball just in time.

Ok, but that one issue aside, the two really did make a lovely couple, as unlikely a pairing it might seem at first glance. They'd both taken an interest in each other's hobbies and the way they looked at each other was clearly more than just friendship – or even lust – they simply… adored each other.

She was actually a little jealous; in all her life, she'd never found someone who made her feel anything like that, or feel much of anything at all.

Not that she was about to go out looking for a love she wasn't particularly interested in in the first place, but still, watching how flustered Yamada got, she thought it might be nice to have someone who did that to her, or that she could affect in the same way.

The next two points went to her – even with as much as her best friend had improved, she was in the tennis club for a reason, regardless of how uncommitted she was – but, just before Yamada could bend over and pick up the ball again, another one bounced over just next to her foot. Mikawa didn't even need to glance over to know who'd hit it.

"Woah, that shot went totally wild! Don't worry, I'll go grab it!"

Star of the track team and veritable pinnacle of human excellence she might be… but Kase Tomoka was no actor.

She bounded over with her long strides and started bouncing next to the much shorter girl with her usual unsuppressible energy. "Sorry Yamada, didn't hit you, did I?" she asked, casually kicking the fuzzy green ball up and catching it mid-air.

Mikawa wanted to groan out loud. What a show-off.

"Oh! No, I'm fine."

"That's good," she sighed, before that wide grin was back and she was practically wringing the ball behind her back, as though with nothing else to distract them, her hands might just start wandering to her girlfriend. "Y'know, I saw a little of your game, you're playing really well today!"

Yamada's face lit up like she'd just been gifted the sun itself. "Ah, t-thank you! I've been trying really hard lately, I even managed to get one point earlier!"

The partner she had abandoned was shouting for Kase to hurry up, but with the way those two were staring and giggling and blushing and fidgeting, Mikawa doubted that either one of them even noticed.

The urge to slap her hand to her face was almost painful, honestly these two... What was she worried about again?