Another day of training in the Karasuno volleyball club. This time, though, they are preparing for the spring tournament. Kageyama already went to Tokyo for the National Youth Intensive Training camp and Tsukishima is in Shiratorizawa for a mock youth camp like Kageyama's, with Hinata tagging along (note: crashed).

"All right, that's enough for now! Take a break!" Coach Ukai told them before turning his attention to their strategist "Ayame, let me see the plan you made"

"Hai"

Yamaguchi was watching her as she talked to coach when he felt a presence next to him.

"Yamaguchi"

He looked at his side and saw the captain, who sat next to him.

"Can I ask you for your help?"

*Weeks later*

"Uwaaaah...! It's been a while since I've been to an amusement park!!" Ayame's violet eyes sparkled excitedly as she and Yamaguchi entered the park.

He smiled as he watched her wander around like a child "I'm glad you like it, Ayame"

She turned her attention to him and smiled widely "Thank you, Tadashi-kun!"

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"Cute~! She's so cute!! Thank goodness I made the right decision to bring her here!!"

The freckled teen looked away to cover his blushing face. Ah, he's still weak against Ayame's overwhelming cuteness when she's being excited. His heart can't sometimes handle it.

Ayame could only tilt her head in confusion "What's wrong?"

He mentally slapped his cheeks to snap out of it "Focus, Tadashi!! You're the boyfriend so you should take the lead!!"

He exhaled loudly before he grabbed her hand and intertwined his fingers around hers "Where do you want to go first?"

She blushed when they held hands in public and looked around. Her heart was making small "doki doki" sounds as his fingers laced around her own "How about we walk around first?"

"Sure"

(flashback)

"Can I ask you for your help?"

Yamaguchi blinked, clearly not expecting the captain to ask help from him and wondering why he would ask for his help.

"Ano... help for what, Daichi-san?"

He glanced at Ayame before lowering his voice "Well, you do know that Ayame's birthday is close, right? On the 12th of December"

"Hai"

"Luckily, it falls on Sunday so there are no club activities and practices. The thing is, we want to surprise her here in the gym" he explained in a low voice "Yamaguchi, as her boyfriend, I'd like you to distract her or take her out so we can prepare"

The freckled teen lightly scratched his cheek "Ano...Daichi-san, actually... about that, I was planning on asking for your permission if I can take Ayame out in an amusement park..."

He got the tickets when he won them in a local raffle draw a few days ago. Upon seeing that it is a ticket for two, he recalled her birthday and planned to ask her out on that day. He knows how cliché that sounds but the thought made him happy that he get to spend time with her on her birthday.

The third year grinned upon knowing "And that's even better! Of course I'll allow you guys. Seriously, Yamaguchi, you don't have to ask for my permission every single time"

He nodded and bowed his head "Thank you, Daichi-san"

"Thanks as well, Yamaguchi" he patted his back "I'll leave this to you"

(End)

"Well, I guess we should just enjoy the day to ourselves" the teen thought before facing his girlfriend "Where do you want to go first?"

"Hmm... let's start with something light!" she suggested, pointing to a carousel "Let's ride that together!"

Let's think of it as something a scene out of a shoujo manga. A high school couple enjoying their date in the park, holding hands and trying out different rides. At first, he was afraid that it might be chilly outside since winter is nearing but luckily, it's not that cold and she's wearing a blue jacket to protect herself.

He may not be the perfect guy out there but at least, he wanted to make her birthday special as her boyfriend. When he saw that Ayame seems to be enjoying their date and his company, and he smiled even more upon seeing her expression.

Her happiness is his happiness as well.

"Hey, check that one out" a random teenager said to his friend "The girl wearing a blue jacket"

"Oh, that one? You've got a good eye. She's a beauty and a cutie, not bad"

"Who's that guy she's with? A friend?"

An imaginary arrow with a word "friend" stabbed the freckled teen after he overheard them.

"Hmm, I'm guessing he's her cousin"

Another arrow with the word "cousin" stabbed him as well.

"No...the brother? Even though they don't resemble each other but he could be her brother"

That dealt the final blow the Yamaguchi as a big one with the word "brother" pierced his back and he mentally complained.

"What made them think we are siblings?! I'm her boyfriend, for crying out loud!!"

"I knew it no one could tell..." he mumbled.

She paused and looked at him "Is there something wrong, Tadashi-kun?"

"No, let's keep going" he intertwined his hand around hers and glanced back to the boys that were talking earlier.

She's my girlfriend.

They sweat dropped and moved out.

Yamaguchi gently tapped his pocket to make sure the thing he has been hiding is still there, and to his relief, it didn't disappear. Returning his attention back to Ayame, they wandered around in search for new rides or booths to try.

"We still have a lot of time left" he thought as he checked his watch "And we tried almost all of the rides and booths here, except the haunted mansion and sky drop."

Ayame looked at the brochure she has on hand while munching on a chocolate crepe on her other hand "We tried almost everything in the park. Ah! This Virtual Plane seems interesting-"

"Hello, dear visitors! Please give our booth a try!" a man cosplaying as a military officer flashed them a smile as he waved the toy handgun and black pistol in front of the two.

Ayame's violet eyes widened and she dropped the crepe and brochure on the ground.

"Damn it!" Yamaguchi gritted his teeth as he stood in front of her field of vision, confusing the man "I-I'm sorry, sir, but please put those away!"

It was already too late.

Her PTSD suddenly kicked in after seeing the toy gun.

She covered her mouth as she tried to prevent herself from throwing up but no. She may have felt a lot better after confiding to the team and Yamaguchi about what she did, but her PTSD is always at its worse whenever it was triggered. She slumped to the ground and threw up on the spot.

Yamaguchi wrapped his arm around her and made her lean to him. He could feel her body shaking as she tried to even her breathing. The crowd around them glanced and whispered to each other.

"What happened?"

"I don't know..."

"Is she sick?"

"That must be terrible..."

Ayame felt the shame and embarrassment building up inside her after hearing the comments of other visitors who saw her. She unconsciously clutched on to the teen's shirt.

The freckled teen wiped the residue off her mouth and chin and let her hide her face on his chest. He was surprised in his self for not panicking from their current situation.

The violet eyed girl was shaking as she hid her face and he looked up to the man from earlier "Ano... where's the first aid station?"

"Over there in that corner" he pointed to the path ahead before looking at the two worriedly and in confusion "What happened to your friend?"

"Ayame, I'll be carrying you, okay?" he whispered to her ear and she nodded. Hooking one arm under her knees and his other arm around her back, he lifted her up in a princess hold and slightly bowed in apology.

"I'm sorry for what happened. My girlfriend isn't feeling well today so I'll be taking her to the first aid station. Please excuse us"

***

Ayame had calmed down after they arrived to the station. The staff inside told them that the room and bed is vacant and Yamaguchi bowed in gratitude.

"Thank you very much"

Setting her down on the bed, both were relieved to find that her clothes were not stained. Yamaguchi gave her a chilled chocolate drink and she wordlessly accepted them.

"How are you feeling?" he asked in a worried voice.

She ran her hands to the cool surface of the drink, her brown bangs covering her face "Better. I'm sorry for causing trouble on our date"

He shook his head and held their hands together "You did not. It's my fault for not being fast enough to stop you from seeing the toy gun. I'm sorry"

"Tadashi-kun..." she placed her drink on the side and squeezed his hand a little "You don't have to apologize. It was something we didn't expect. It's okay. I'm okay now"

"...Are you sure?" he watched her closely, observing if she's trying to hide it again.

She smiled a little "To be honest, I'm a little shaken up after seeing the gun in surprise. But, you're here with me. That's enough to put me in ease. I don't want to ruin our date just because my trauma kicked in. This day is not only for me, but for you as well. For us. You made an effort to bring me here. I don't want it to put to waste. I don't want to have that fear in me holding back in doing things I love with you."

Yamaguchi couldn't help but smile at her resolve. Ever since she opened up to him and to the team, Ayame had changed considerably. Little by little, she's moving on from her past and embracing it as a part of herself. That's what Yamaguchi and Kazumi wants for her. To be free from her shackles.

"I understand" he told her as he cupped her face and jokingly added "If that's what you wish, how can I say no to the birthday girl?"

The two of them giggled and laughed in the infirmary.

They left the infirmary after thanking the staff while holding hands. Yamaguchi saw a certain ride in front of them and turned to face her. His lips formed a small smile when he saw her looking at it as well with sparkling eyes.

"Let's ride that one?"

The ride in question was the Ferris wheel.

Luckily, only a few people were lining for the ride. Both teens entered a carriage when it was their turn and sat across each other. The staff gave the signal and wheel slowly started to move.

"The view from here is beautiful" Ayame said as she watched the whole park from the window "It's almost like everything is sparkling"

"Yeah" he nodded in agreement as he watched the view below "It's beautiful"

Yamaguchi fished out a small box from his pocket and gave it to her.

"Happy Birthday, Ayame"

She accepted the box and smiled "Thank you, Tadashi-kun. Can I open it now?"

"Of course" he smiled as she removed the ribbon "I hope you like it. It's not much but I thought that it might suit you-"

He stopped when he saw her holding up the necklace, her mouth slightly open in surprise. It was a small volleyball shaped pendant, paired with a violet iris flower, her namesake.

"Tadashi-kun..." she breathed as she gently brushed her fingers on the pendant "I-I... this is... this is beautiful. I love this! Thank you!"

She was smiling happily as she clutched the necklace to her chest. Yamaguchi moved and sat next to her.

"Can I put it on you?" he asked. She nodded and moved her hair to the side so he can put it on her easily. After clasping the locks together, Ayame touched the pendant and he smiled.

"It suits you. I'm glad you like it"

"I love it" she intertwined her fingers with his and looked up at him "Thank you for the necklace and for bringing me here, Tadashi-kun. I had lots of fun today."

He smiled and tucked the stray hair behind her ear "I had fun, too"

They looked at each other's eyes before leaning their faces together. Ayame closed the distance with a kiss, slightly surprising the teen when she made the first move. The kiss was short but sweet and the violet eyed girl was smiling when she pulled back.

"Tadashi-kun, you're so cute" she touched his freckled cheek until he cupped her face and kissed her again, this time, him making the first move this time.

When he pulled back, he slightly pouted "I'm the one who's supposed to call you cute and... it's not fair that you made the first move."

Ayame's face exploded to beet red and she quickly turned away to hide her face.

"Kyaaaaaaah!!! He's so cute when pouting!!! This is bad!! My heart can't handle it!!"

Yamaguchi tilted his head in confusion but secretly, he is having internal panics for kissing her again suddenly.

"Uwaaaaaah!! She's so cute!! So cute!! My heart feels like it's about to explode for kissing her suddenly again!!"

Embarrassments aside, the two spent their time in the Ferris wheel talking random things. After all, they still have long time to spend until their turn is over.

***

It was late afternoon when the two decided to go home. Ayame's phone suddenly rang and she picked it up. On the screen was Sugawara's caller ID.

"Hello, Suga-san?"

"Ayame-chan, are you busy right now?"

"Um... No, why?"

"Ahahaha... this is a bit embarrassing..." she could hear his awkward laugh from the other line "You see, well... we're trapped inside the gym..."

"Eh?!"

Yamaguchi nearly flinched when he saw her shocked reaction "What's wrong, Ayame?"

"Suga-san and the others are trapped in the gym!"

"Eh?!"

"Oh? Yamaguchi's with you?" the third year asked "Wait, never mind. We'd like to get out first before I ask for details"

She looked up in confusion "Details? What did he mean by that?"

"Ayame-chan, you have a spare key to the gym, right?" Sugawara asked "Can you come over and help us? Daichi accidentally locked us in when he closed the door"

It was surprising but, they were aware the gym door is old and broken. It's only a matter of time when an incident like right now will happen.

He continued "Daichi lost the other key and he had to go to Takeda-sensei's house to borrow the other spare but, it might take a while since sensei lives a bit far from us"

"I always have the key around wherever I go. Suga-san, who are you with right now?"

"Shimizu and Asahi. We had to do a little background check to prepare for our career talk until this happened"

"Don't worry. We're on our way, Suga-san"

"Yeah. Thanks a lot, Ayame-chan! We'll be waiting for your rescue!"

The call ended and she held the freckled teen's hand.

"Let's go save Suga-san and the others"

"Yeah" he nodded, but he was mentally making a sweat drop at the smoothness of Sugawara's words "Still, I'm amazed you're always carrying the gym's spare key"

She smiled "You never know when there's an emergency might happen"

"You never cease to amaze me" he chuckled as they quickly ran to their school.

***

Ayame unlocked the door with the key and swiftly opens it.

"It's open! Suga-san, are you-"

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!"

Confetti and balloons greeted the girl as soon as she rushed inside. She blinked twice as she absorbed the scene in front of her.

"E-Eh?"

The whole Karasuno club was in front of her, waving balloons and party poppers. Nishinoya and Hinata were the ones who showered her with confetti when she opened the door with a grin on their faces. Sugawara stepped forward and smiled apologetically.

"Sorry for tricking you, Ayame-chan" he told her "But, we wanted to surprise you on your birthday. It was Daichi's idea to throw a small celebration in the gym and of course, Takeda-sensei and Coach Ukai gave their consent"

Ayame sighed loudly and bonked her head on Sugawara's chest "Please don't worry me like that next time, Suga-san..."

"Sorry, sorry" he patted her head and smiled "It wasn't my intention to worry you. Now then, I hope you like the surprise we prepared for you"

He winked and a new voice echoed in the gym.

"Hey, Ayame! It's been a while!"

She turned around and saw Yaku grinning while waving his hand, along with the other members of the Nekoma team.

"Happy birthday, Ayame" Kenma gave her one of his rare smiles.

"Yo, strategist" Kuroo grinned "I hope we are not late for the party. Nekomata-sensei sends us his regards to your birthday"

"Happy birthday, Ayame-san!" Shibayama, Inouka and Lev were emitting happy and excited auras after greeting the girl.

"Looks like you've grown a few centimeters, Ayame." Naoi teasingly said as she measured her height "Happy birthday, by the way"

"Oi, Naoi, you're here too, huh?" Coach Ukai grinned and shook hands with him "I guess you'll be the guardians of these kids, am I right?"

"I guess. And I want to see how Karasuno's doing recently after the victory against Shiratorizawa. Congrats by the way"