The crispness of the air tinged with the faint scent of blooming flowers indicated the current season. Stepping out your front door and seeing a few loose petals blown away by the wind made your heart flutter with joy. Those delicate, white flowers stained with the most subtle kisses of pink were what you had longed to see lining the once barren trees in your neighborhood. Each year in the springtime, they brought brightness, hope, and rebirth to a city once hidden underneath sparkling snow and shrouded by dark clouds; but, today, they evoked a hint of bittersweetness.

"Hey, (f/n)! You ready?"

You looked up from the fresh petals strewn across your doorstep to see your four closest friends watching you with warm smiles. With a nod, you went to join Daichi, Asahi, Suga, and Kiyoko so the five of you could meet up at the park with the rest of the Karasuno boys' volleyball team. The sounds of their voices wrapped around you like a warm blanket, but one always stood out to you more than the rest.

"Are you excited?" When the words left her lips, you turned your attention to Kiyoko, gazing into her stone-grey eyes. The reflection in her glasses shifted slightly when her cheeks raised with the smile on her lips.

Your ears burned as you responded, "Yeah!" However, there was still a twinge of sadness in your heart that led you to add, "It just feels a bit unreal." Without asking, she knew what you were referencing, and she simply hummed in agreement. "Who do you think is gonna cry first?"

Chuckling, Kiyoko murmured, "We'll have to wait and see, but my bets are on Noya."

A comfortable silence fell over the two of you before you found yourselves involved in the conversation of your other, third-year friends. As you walked through the neighborhood, reminiscing about the days when you had first met, you felt at ease. Everything around you was familiar: the people, the houses, the parks; but the emotions surrounding the occasion felt different. As your (e/c) gaze moved over the homes, street signs, and paths that each held a special story of their own, you were flooded with waves of nostalgia.

"Hey!" The loud voice that sliced through the cool air brought your attention to Nishinoya and Tanaka, who were waving exuberantly. "We brought lots of snacks!" the former announced, lifting the shopping bags filled to the brim with goodies up above his head. Seeing how strained the plastic handles were made you question if they were going to last the ten-minute walk to your destination.

"Kiyoko-san, (f/n)-san, feel free to treat yourselves to as much as you like. As our lovely, devoted managers and third years, it's only fair!" Tanaka added, his shaved head dipping in a bow of respect.

They joined your party, chatting with you and Kiyoko excitedly in a way that made you feel as if time had never moved a minute forward. Their energy, enthusiasm, and undying love hadn't changed at all. The timing of it was the only thing that had.

"Hinata, boke!"

Upon turning a corner in the street, you came face-to-face with the scene that had elicited a shout you'd heard far too many times for only knowing both the aggressor and the victim a year. Hinata's cheeks were filled to their limits with food and pink with exertion from trying to escape the firm grip Kageyama had on the collar of his shirt.

"That food is for everyone!" the raven-haired setter growled again, his jaw clenched and his cobalt eyes as frightening as ever. In the background, Yamaguchi watched with concern as his taller, blonde-haired friend prevented him or the trembling, doe-eyed girl beside them from intervening out of spite and because he didn't care to get dragged into the situation either. Luckily, none of them had to get involved, since it wasn't long before they noticed Daichi sporting one of his intimidating expressions. This, combined with the strained smile plastered across Sugawara's face was enough to make Kageyama release his grip on his teammate without another thought.

"Hinata, you had better not be sneaking the food reserved for our picnic," the silver-haired setter warned.

He quickly gulped down the evidence and bowed repeatedly. "Sorry, I didn't eat breakfast!"

After Sugawara had confiscated the small, wicker containers filled with food from the apologetic and hungry boy, the beloved first-years soon mingled with the group of their seniors to continue the journey to the park. Along the way, you picked up Ennoshita, Kinoshita, and Narita before finally arriving at your destination. The boys didn't want you, Yachi, or Kiyoko to lift a finger while they set up, but Yachi, eager as ever, insisted on joining in, leaving you and Kiyoko to watch the team work on setting up a nice picnic area with amusement. By some, crazy stroke of luck, you'd managed to find an unoccupied space on the grass decorated with cherry blossom petals and partially shielded from the glaring sunlight by a kaleidoscope of shadows the blooming trees cast.

"Feels like nothing's changed, doesn't it?" you commented softly.

A gentle chuckle bubbled in her throat before she replied, "They're never going to, that's for sure."

You smiled at her comment and at the hectic scene before you of a group of volleyball players and a frantic, blonde-haired girl attempting to prepare a spread to everyone's liking. But, as a few moments passed, and your awareness of the reality surrounding the situation returned, your gaze turned to the beautiful girl beside you. "I hope they don't. Is it selfish of me to wish for things to stay as they are?"

When her grey gaze connected with yours once again, shreds of potent memories flashed through your head. The two of you playing together in the parks after school. Watching her jump hurdles at middle school track meets and seeing the injuries on her legs before she opted to hide them from the public eye. Sitting in one another's rooms, doing homework while the television droned in the background. Being overjoyed when she'd invited you to help manage the boys' volleyball team. Feeling the warmth of her head on your shoulder when she dozed off on the bus rides to and from the boys' matches. Realizing you were hopelessly in love with her when you'd woken up nestled beside her on your bed one evening after you'd both fallen asleep in the middle of a movie marathon.

In the instant it took for these recollections to appear and fade, you registered just how much time had passed, and the extent to which your lives had been intertwined throughout your years of growth. Those flickers of memories and the emotions associated with them made you want nothing more than for time to stand still. For the length of a second to somehow be extended so you could have a chance to fully appreciate each moment that passed. However, you knew your wish was no more than a naive pipe dream stemming from your fear of change and discontentment with the fact that you'd still yet to confess your true feelings to your best friend.

"No," Kiyoko's gentle voice spoke, silencing your stream of thoughts, "I feel the same way. It really does feel like time has flown by."

You nodded, and only a few seconds passed before the two of you were summoned by the rest of the team to join them.

"Let's eat!"

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After devouring a delicious spread of food and treats, it was safe to say that everyone in the group was at peace. Of course, Tanaka, Nishinoya, and Hinata were their usual, riled up selves despite having full stomachs, but you didn't mind their antics today. When a blissful and rare moment of silence befell the group, Daichi seized the opportunity to deliver another one of his speeches that you always thought resembled those a proud father would give to his children. In the end, it was his statement of, "This may be the last time we all sit together like this for a while, so let's enjoy it and appreciate it while it lasts," that determined whether Kiyoko's previous guess of who would cry first was correct.

"I-I'm not crying, you are!" Nishinoya and Asahi shouted at each other, their fingers pointed at one another in accusation and tears swimming in both of their brown eyes. Upon realizing they were equally upset, Nishinoya wandered over to his taller friend to sit beside him and sling his arm around his shoulders. They ended up laughing together, and Tanaka soon joined them, his face wet with tears as well.

"This food is just too hot!" Hinata cried in denial, his voice muffled by the rice in his mouth as teardrops rolled down his puffed cheeks.

"That was the last rice ball!" Kageyama complained, smacking him on the back of the head.

Even Daichi shed a tear, chuckling as he brushed it away. To your left, quiet sniffles drew your attention to Yachi's glossy eyes. You patted her head of blonde hair softly, making her wrap her arms around you tightly.

However, it took the same amount of time for everyone to get emotional as it did for them to revert to their normal selves. Soon, the boys were roaring with laughter and engaging in their usual banter. The entire group of you talked and reflected on funny memories until the more excitable of the bunch ran off to play Spikeball, which you knew was a recipe for disaster. When you looked over at Kiyoko and felt the familiar burning of the deeply-rooted love you held for her resurface, the last words of Daichi's moving speech echoed in your head as motivation.

"Kiyoko, can I talk to you for a sec?" you asked, rising to your feet and dusting yourself off.

She obliged your request and wandered over to another end of the park with you. Those familiar, white petals littered the ground wherever you walked, and, when your gaze turned back to her, you found that they were decorating her dark, silky hair like stars in the night sky. She truly looked like a goddess with the dainty flora adorning her already gorgeous features.

When you came to a stop in the shifting shade underneath one of the dark, spindly trees, you took a deep breath to summon your courage. "Kiyoko," you started, "I know we're going our separate ways on our own paths after school's over, but I don't ever want us to drift apart." Looking into her eyes slightly hidden by the glare of her glasses, you admitted, "This is probably the worst timing ever for me to say this, but... I love you."

Quietness ensued your confession, making your heart race with anticipation. As the passing seconds became longer, you began to worry that maybe she didn't feel the same way. Maybe you'd missed your opportunity. Maybe things weren't going to pan out the way you'd hoped.

Her delicate fingers on your cheek followed by warmth against your lips shattered your doubts in the best way possible. Allowing your (e/c) eyes wide with shock to flutter shut, you placed your hands on the sides of her face and deepened the kiss you shared. In that moment, you wished more than ever that time would stand still, but, alas, it continued, ultimately indifferent to anyone's feelings. When she pulled away, the smile on her lips made you melt like a popsicle on a hot, summer day.

"I love you too." Her words caused tears of relief to well up in your eyes. Hearing that she returned your feelings was the sweetest music to your ears.

Pulling her into a hug, you whispered, "I'm sorry it took me so long to say it, but I want us to be together no matter where we end up after we graduate."

A soft sigh of content tickled your ear as she rubbed your back gently and assured you, "We'll work through it when the time comes, but I just want to stay like this for a little longer right now."

Her words made you tighten your hold on her and take the time you had together to appreciate sharing an intimate moment with her. While this springtime under the cherry blossom trees was more bittersweet than the others because of the endings it marked, it had still brought with it rebirth and exciting new beginnings. With Kiyoko at your side, you felt at ease with the changes and ready to navigate them fearlessly without regret.

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A/n: I wasn't going to publish this until much later, but I started thinking about how I was supposed to walk across the stage this year for the class of 2020 commencement ceremony, and I got all sentimental. For those of you who have had graduation/commencement celebrations cancelled due to the pandemic, I urge you to find any way you can to mark such a significant milestone in your lives, since you've worked hard to get to where you are! I, for one, will be honoring the completion of my undergrad degree this summer by taking photos in my cap and gown with my dog lol. These are tough times, but keep your heads up and stay strong! Wishing you all much love, as always :)