Author's Note: I've been wanting to write for this fandom for the longest time, I swore myself I would try to write something that wasn't het but- TanaKiyo, can you blame me?
Tanaka Ryuunosuke was stunned.
If anyone thought Shimizu Kiyoko looked stunning during the daytime (and who wouldn't?) he wondered what they'd think of her if they saw how she looked in the evening. The setting sun behind her, reflecting off her shiny ebony hair making her look downright ethereal as she stood at the gates of Karasuno High School, waiting for him of all people. Yeah, he still couldn't believe it either.
Earlier during the day, he had asked to walk her home, and to his surprise, she had said yes! She didn't even have to think about it, with how quickly she responded with her agreement. Definitely unlike when the then-first year proposed to her on the fly right as she came in through the door. Strangely, he was just as nervous back then as he was now, even though asking a total stranger to marry you was, objectively, weirder and sort of creepy.
"Ready to walk me home?"
Kiyoko's question snapped him out of his daze and the enamored second year scurried his way over to his crush, blushing all the while.
"C-can I carry your bag for you?"
Tanaka nearly collapsed when she gave him one of her not-so-rare-anymore smiles and handed him her school bag with a grateful nod. "Thank you."
"Ah! No problem-!"
In the corner of his eye, he caught Noya giving him a thumbs up with a look of communication that couldn't have been misconstrued as anything other than make sure to treat our Goddess with the respect she deserves bro, I'm rooting for you!
As they began the silent trek to Kiyoko's home, Tanaka struggled to muster up the courage for the question he wanted to ask her since they left at the gates.
Suddenly, she turns and faces her piercing gray gaze onto him, her full eyelashes framing those slate orbs. "Would it be alright if we held hands?"
His neck twists so fast he's surprised he doesn't get whiplash. "You want to- I mean, yes! I'd loved to!"
Turning away from her to hide his rapidly flushing cheeks, making him miss the way the manager's cheeks were a bit pink as well. Intertwining their fingers, the two teenagers' thoughts centered around the others' palms.
Her hands are just as soft as they look!
As I suspected, he has several callouses...I quite like the rough texture.
Kiyoko subconsciously squeezes his hand while Tanaka tries his best to keep his soul from ascending to another plane of existence.
I can't believe I'm holding hands with a girl!
He didn't think he'd get to this point at all, to be honest. He couldn't have asked for a better scenario, and it was all thanks to one Yachi Hitoka.
Ever since the anxious blonde had become the Karasuno Volleyball Club's second manager, she and Kiyoko just clicked and out of the blue, the third year started smiling, and even struck up a conversation with everyone sometimes, much to the delight of the Noya and the other third years, but especially Tanaka. From what he'd seen of her in the almost two years he's been a spiker at Karasuno, not once had he ever seen her so open and he really could not thank Yachi enough. He felt that he was seeing a new side of her, one that was hidden whenever he walked up to her and showered her with compliments instead of actually trying to talk to her.
Witnessing this change himself, Tanaka took it upon himself to ask Yachi how she did it. To say her answer shocked him was quite the understatement.
Apparently, Kiyoko was a bit reserved, and wasn't ignoring his advances because she wasn't interested, but because he was probably overwhelming her.
The thought of making her the slightest bit uncomfortable was enough to motivate him to keep his distance for a few days and do nothing more than say a simple hello. It was a little hard, attempting to stamp down the urge to go up to her and tell her about all the things that made her so amazing, but Tanaka Ryuunosuke was not a quitter, he'd win over Kiyoko's heart even if it meant staying away for days on end, damn it! If there was even the slightest chance she liked him back, then all of it was definitely worth it.
So, when she approached him before afternoon practice on the third day and asked to speak with him in the supply closet, he didn't know what to expect.
A kiss on the cheek and a slip of paper with her number on it were definitely at the bottom of the list.
Tanaka would find out later that Kiyoko had shyly confided in Yachi about his strange behavior, and that's when she told her fellow manager about his plan.
Furrowing his eyebrows, Tanaka vowed that he would work hard so that Kiyoko would feel comfortable enough to be herself, and talk to him about things like that and more!
"But I already am comfortable with you, Tanaka-Kun."
Shit, he said that out loud?!
"Yes, you did." Kiyoko giggles and Tanaka's heart speeds up a tad. "After all, I let you know where I live didn't I?"
And that's when he realizes that they're in front of her house, and that he wants to talk to her more, make her laugh more, get to know her more-
"Thank goodness, I'm so done with these lashes for today."
A thought crosses his mind that if they were on TV, there would probably be a record screech.
Tanaka's jaw drops, watching in horror as Kiyoko takes off her glasses, pulls off her own eyelashes, and just...holds them(?!), just holds their lash-y corpses in her unusually soft hands.
"Y-you just-"
Of course, Kiyoko would be beautiful to him no matter what, but...
...those poor lashes, he would mourn them properly later when he was alone.
He wants to cry, those lashes had led a good life, getting to be so close to someone like Kiyoko-
"You look like you saw a ghost Tanaka-Kun. Don't worry, they're not real." She winks, gives him another kiss on the cheek, and his mind goes blank.
No thoughts, head empty, just Shimizu Kiyoko cheek kisses.
It takes him a few moments to take in what she just told him, but when he looks up, there they are, demure arches resting on her eyelids.
She gives a little wave goodbye, and the two exchange promises to message each other over the weekend.
Stuffing his hands into his pockets on the way home, Tanaka decides to conduct an experiment.
Later that night, when Saeko comes home from her job at a motorcycle shop, Ryu is sitting at the dinner table with his hands intertwined in front of his face wearing a contemplative expression.
In hindsight, he probably shouldn't have tried to take off his sister's eyelashes without saying a word.
Everything is a lie Ryu thinks, Saeko tightens her chokehold, as he clutches half of a faux lash in his hands.
Author's Note: This was supposed to be pure comedy, but I don't know how to be funny & I can't write anything without putting in cute romantic drivel somewhere in all of my stories sorry :/
Also, this fic was inspired by fanart of Kiyoko pulling off her false lashes in front of Daichi, Suga, and Asahi, and they're all terrified: post/640600424794243072/i-love-those-videos-where-boys-freak-out-when-they