#also the ones who force iwa-chan to leave are oikawa's parents

[pandawful-archive]

in celebrity au, iwaizumi is forced to leave the town (and oikawa) when they graduate from highschool. even after years, when they are top of their carriers, iwaizumi still misses his friend and ex-lover dearly.

[anime-corner]

I'm Here | Oikawa T.

A/N: Hey guys! I'm back (hopefully for longer since classes are about to end). Anyways, this one's a bit shorter than usual. I hope you like it!

"Yahoo! Knock, knock~ Sorry, practice finished later than usual!" Oikawa called out but was only greeted by darkness, "(n/n)-chan?"

The house was still, not a single noise was heard. Oikawa doubted that you would leave without texting him, it was practically tradition to crash at your place every after school. He looked around, stealing a loaf of bread before heading upstairs. Dim lights could be seen from under the closed door as Oikawa turned the knob, inviting himself in as usual.

"Hey, Iwa-chan told me that-- what are you doing typing, er writing, whatever it is you're doing in the dark?!" He bellowed, flicking the light switch on. A hiss escaped your lips as you momentarily closed your eyes to adjust to the lighting.

"Shut up, Tooru. I'm kind of busy at the moment so if you don't mind, I'd like to finish all of this tonight." His eyes glanced over at the stack of papers on your left as your right hand hovered on top of another, gripping on a pencil tightly. Your left hand was typing away as fast as it could.

"What's all these? Haven't you finished the assignment yesterday?"

"Well, yes but, this one's for the student council. I need to file a report and it needs to be passed at midnight." You then gestured towards the paper, a bit crumpled with the many times you wrote the wrong formula, "And this is for Monday's class presentation."

"And these?" He pointed towards the stack of papers.

"That's…" You blinked a couple of times before responding, "I think it's the ones from the council three days ago that I haven't checked yet. Anyways, I'll handle that after I'm done with this."

"How many hours of sleep did you even get?" He asked.

"What? I don't think my sleep schedule has anything to do with this, Tooru." You answered, not taking your eyes off of your work.

"Just tell me." Oikawa insisted, sitting on your bed as he stared at you.

"Fine. Around two or so? I'll give it a three since I've been running on coffee since I woke up." His brows furrowed, worry etched on his face if only you took the time to look at him.

"That's not good, (n/n)-chan. Come on, I'll finish that." You shook your head, still not lifting your gaze away.

"No way, you had practice just minutes ago! I'm perfectly capable of finishing these within the day if you just so let me. Now shush-- hey!"

"I mean it, (y/n)." You huffed as you glared at him, "You need your sleep. I'll wake you up before dinner."

"What? No! I can't, Tooru!" You protested, standing up from your seat as you felt a slight pain from your head. You shook it off as nothing, "Tachibana-sensei's breathing down my neck saying she'd be the reason why I wouldn't be graduating this year."

"You still have a day to go before classes start again on Monday. You don't need to rush everything today--"

"Haven't you been listening? The report is due tonight. These," You gestured towards the stack of papers, "Might as well be due at the same time. And after this one, I've also got to revise my notes. I'm falling behind, Tooru and I don't want to hear anything from my mother once I move back."

"You won't (y/n), trust me. You're the smartest girl I know in school and probably the busiest one. I'm sure she'd be proud of you--"

"You see, that's not enough. I need to get my grades up, a bit higher than now." You countered. You retorted, huffing in annoyance at how the setter wouldn’t leave you all alone.

"You don't need to. What you need is to calm down a bit. You know that--"

"Will you stop it, Tooru!? You just don't get it, do you?! My parents thought that I would get into Shiratorizawa and what did I do? Fail the exam!" You bellowed, standing up from your seat as the male stepped back a bit. You stood up, voice raised as Oikawa stepped back, "My mom wanted me to at least be at the top during my first and second year, to at least in her words, redeem myself. But I failed on that too. Now, you're telling me to calm down? To take a break? Well, I can't. I've got my family's voices screaming at me saying I should do better! Do you know how--"

"You're crying, (y/n)..." Oikawa whispered as he placed a hand on your cheek, his thumb wiping away the tears. You lightly pushed him back, rubbing your way with your sleeves. He pointed out. A hand lay on your cheek as his thumb wiped away a tear, you pushed him away after, wiping it away with your hands.

"S-shut up. I'm not crying. Just… leave me alone for today, Tooru. I'm really busy and I can't afford to let all of my hard work turn to dust."

"I'll help you."

"For the last time, I--" He cut you off.

"Just let me help!" He was already frustrated seeing the girl he adored so much struggling with her life.

He knew of her problem with her parents and most importantly, he knew the conflict she had with herself. He knew that feeling more than ever. And he didn't want her to feel the same way he did during that time.

And he was afraid that, while it might not cost her a knee, she might lose so much more if she continues. Perhaps, her eyesight or her health. Worst case, her life. And he wasn't going to let her get to that point.

"If Iwa-chan was here, he'd know what to do… but he isn't. And I don't want to disturb him too. I'm just trying my best to help you, because I understand, I understand you the most out of everyone," He walked closer, enveloping you in a hug as the two of you sat on the floor, "You just want to prove something but, you're all fed up about everything. You're trying your best but I guess, to others, that's not good enough."

Tears slowly dripped down from your face once again as you buried your head on his chest, gripping on his jacket, "Why can't you leave me alone, Tooru? I don't care if you get me… I just want to be left alone."

"I'm staying, (y/n) and that's final. I'm not going to let you carry that burden all by yourself anymore. I'm here, remember? I'll help you," Oikawa whispered in your ear as he caressed your back, "You're, besides Iwaizumi, the one I treasure the most. I care about you and I don't want you to suffer like this when I know that I could have tried and saved you from it."

"Why?" That one question made him silent for a while as you looked up at him.

"I… it's because…" He sighed, making you somewhat dread and anticipate the answer at the same time, "I love you, you know that? And while this might possibly be-- ah, who am I kidding? It's the worst time possible to tell you this, I don't think that I'll be able to get another chance like this."

"T-Tooru… I…" You started but went silent as he brought his hand up.

"Please hear me out?" He inhaled before opening his mouth again to speak, "I… I want to support you (y/n), the same way you and Iwaizumi did all these years, especially during the time when I overworked my knee. The two of you were always there. So, let me be there for you too."

"It's just not easy when you've been doing everything yourself for most of your life…" You gulped, avoiding his gaze as you clenched your fists tightly.

"I know. But, I really do love you. And I promise that you'll never regret choosing me unlike how I regret eyeing up girls when I knew that you were right in front of me the whole time and they'll never be you. They'll never be as hardworking, caring and overly kind as you. You're perfect and so much more. Because everything means nothing to me if I can have you to call as mine." Oikawa said, moving a strand of your hair away from your face.

"Even the nationals?" You asked, teasing him a bit.

"I… okay, maybe not the nationals. I still want to beat Ushiwaka and all. But that's besides the point," He shook his head, placing his chin on top of your head, "You're amazing and beautiful, even when you think you're not. And I'm really sorry for confessing at the worst time possible. But, believe me when I say that I love you."

"Why are you… confessing now?" Somehow, this question made him think. It's not like he hadn't practiced his answer in the mirror for a million times, making sure it was perfect to his ears. Not at all. But, given the situation, he'd have to abandon that script and start a new one.

"Well, it just pains me to see you doing the same things I did before, even though your academics and my career as a player are two different things, and I thought that if I manage to successfully tell you how I feel, I could somehow help you carry all of this. Because by that time, I would hopefully be your boyfriend." Oikawa spoke genuinely, moving one of his hands from her back to her head, stroking her hair.

"You don't need to be my boyfriend to help me, you know."

"I know that but you just make it so difficult, argh! Everytime I see you frustrated, I just wanna hug you and kiss you and then take over your work while you rest. But I can't do that as a friend! So… so..." Not that he thought about it, what he said sounded stupid, "Yeah, I know. It's a dumb excuse."

"You're an idiot." The third year laughed out loud.

"I know, Iwa tells me that all the time." You lightly hit his shoulder, hiding the smile that was threatening to show, "At least I made you smile right?"

"I guess you did, Tooru. I guess you did." He hummed in satisfaction before something else you couldn't quite figure out what was etched on his face.

"I'm not going to force you to answer my feelings right away, (y/n)-chan. I can wait." He stammered.

"Why wait when I feel the same way? I love you too, Tooru." He perked up suddenly, making you hide the massive blush on your face.

"Wait, really? You're not joking right? (y/n)?" The setter found you fast asleep, whether or not you were faking it, he wouldn't know. He only chuckled, kissing your head, "Alright… I'll let you get some rest. You deserve it."

He carried you over to your bed, tucking you in. His hand lingered on your cheek, a smile on his face as he whispered.

"Dream of me will you, (y/n)-chan?" Oikawa stood up straight, eyes darting towards your mess of a desk, "Now… which one did she say she needed by midnight?"

Let me hold your hand and carry the same burden you hold. I'll always be here, even if you push me away.

[heyitsyn]

Manager!Seijoh IWA ROUTE

a/n: uwuwuwuwuwu my mans iwa chan :’)

IM A SIMP FOR IWAIZUMI HAJIME (27) ATHLETE TRAINER

uwu filo!iwa in this :)

and also, listen to lauv while reading this since i wrote this and that song was playing on repeat O_O and also this song

this is my self-request uwu

HES SUCH A POUTY BABIE BLS LOVE ON HIM

onwards we goooo

hihihihihihi yey im so excited for this yall dont even know

ANYWAYS

so,,,,

when iwa first saw you, he thought you were just a cute little thing

your shorter height, your puffy cheeks, and the wide eyes you had whenever you saw someone, or him, do a really cool spiking move

he initially thought of you as a cute little sister hes never had

ehehe that finna change

then the,,,, bullying thing happened

if youd like to read this part, its right here

when he saw you bloodied, all battered,

dear lordie he was finna break some ankles

ONG I WAS JUST TALKING ABOUT SANGWOO YET HERE I AM

like that image of you will probably stay in his memory until he dies of the ripe age of 200

ngl it kinda traumatized him a little bit of how tired and pained you look with the tears rolling down your face and the blood that was escaping your body through your wounds

god you didnt deserve any of that

you deserved the world and the universe yet some people dared to take away your worth

ooo he was so mad

miyo was,,,, hurt??

can i say that??

i dont wanna,,,, explain bara arms iwa hurting a girl so youre gonna have to imagine that for yourselves

but at the end when they said slap, he didnt just ✨S L A P ✨ her

he ✨ B R O K E   S O M E   A N K L E S ✨

oiks is actually scared of him after that

like oiks had to peel him off of her and towards the infirmary where you and the team were

‘IWAIZUMI HAJIME, STOP!’

oof the first and last time oikawa tooru ever said that full name

he was breathing heavy and he was so ✨ A N G R Y ✨ with what she did to you yet he hears your soft scoldings, telling him off for hurting a girl

he wanted to see you

like right now

iwa tore himself from oikawa’s grasp and ✨ N Y O O M E D ✨ himself to the nurse’s office

there, you sat on the bed with the others scattered either on other beds or on the floor 

you smiled at the sight of him and he walked towards you and engulfed you in his arms

‘youre okay now. im here’

he whispered and you buried your face into his chest, breathing in his unique scent

lavender mixed with peppermint

he refused to leave your side so he ✨ M A D E ✨ some room on the bed beside you to sit and he wrapped his arm around your waist, holding you close

you held his hand while oikawa talked to you and as you shamefully bowed your head

but you were forgiven and everything was all good until the third years really got into plan

makki and mattsun promised to handle it all as they had family in the justice field while oikawa would go and get the girl suspended

‘but what about me?! i want-’

‘iwaizumi, you literally hit her. it’d be best if you’re not involved right now as you were the only one who physically touched her in a harmful manner like that’

ong when it come to y/n, the meme team is replaced by the assassin team

he tried to fight but in the end, 3 overpowered 1 and he was forced to sit back and opted to comfort you instead

he made sure you were safe to walk home but that day, you were the one who asked him to spend time with him

just you two

like after seeing him seethingly enter back into the room, you reached out and held his hand in yours, eyes trained on your fingers fiddling with his

‘iwa-san,,,, you said you downloaded the new godzilla movie?’

you whispered but he could still hear you and his heart swelled at your meek voice

‘yea, i did. and my mom bought those chips you like’

your eyes flitted up to meet his eyes and a soft smile spread on your lips and there was this thumping in his heart

maybe that was the first time that iwaizumi hajime felt differently towards you

a smile that seemed to be differently perceived than the rest

and it wasnt for the whole team

it was for him

and him alone

the trek to his house was quiet but you would hum nursery rhymes or the songs you heard earlier in the radio while skipping every few steps and tightly holding on to his hand

iwaizumi’s olive eyes watched you still radiate energy despite being so hurt for a long time

they then trailed to your linked hands and he unintentionally squeezed it, only figuring out he did it when you looked up to him and squeezed it back with a smile

he wanted to do something to make you forget of what happened

he didnt want you to think about the cruelty and pain so he was going to make sure you would continue smiling 

thankfully, his parents werent home so he wouldnt have to explain why he has a bandage-covered girl with him 

iwa led you upstairs to where his room was and your eyes widened when you saw what was inside

tiny action figurines of animes like bakugo from boku no hero academia or a tiny pikachu on his desk

there was a large country flag that you didnt recognize and a few godzilla posters and volleyball players decorating beside it

however, besides those normal things you wouldve expected,

there were many polaroids

polaroid pictures that were everywhere with no specific layout pattern and just placed anywhere that had room

iwa watched as you dazedly walked forward and entered the room to move towards the wall by his desk that had the most pictures against it

from pictures of him and oikawa to the third years to him and his parents or just the sunrise and human silhouettes

your fingers reached forward and traced the picture of him and the third years when they were still first years and took a spontaneous trip to the beach

‘mattsun stole his dad’s car and drove us to the beach without a license’

iwaizumi’s voice answered your questions and you looked back, shimmering eyes

this room,,, wasnt just a normal, teenage boy’s room

this was a room that represented iwaizumi hajime

from his natural character description like his love for volleyball evident in the volleyball player posters to the underneath description that was hidden like his love for godzilla and his love of taking pictures of the people he cares about the most

it was all that made up iwaizumi hajime

your feet took you to stand in front of him, still standing at the doorway, and you stood on your toes to try and be eye-level with him

‘youre really cool, iwa-san’

you whispered and his ears turned red, not from the compliment, but by the close distance between you two

iwa clearedhis throat and ruffled your hair roughly, pushing you down slightly back to the balls of your feet

‘i already knew that, brat. now go and sit over there and be comfortable or whatever while i go get the food’

he hurriedly turned to hide his growing red face but you stopped him

‘iwa-san,,, ano,,, can,, i borrow a hoodie?’

you mumbled, nervously thinking he might refuse 

but he grunted a response, not bothering to turn around

‘take your pick’

you smiled and thanked him before bounding over to the wardrobe that was pushed against the wall across his bed that was against the corner by his window

inside had so many hoodies and there were also shirts that were hung up on the other half

they were all graphic tees that either had american bands or anime or game references

opting for a mint green hoodie that says ‘SONIC NYOOM’, you had an undershirt under your button up and as you slipped the bloodied long sleeve off, he swung the door open, eyes focused on the tray of coke filled glasses

then he looked up and almost dropped it at the sight of you,,, like that

‘OH MY GOD SORRY’

he shrieked and carefully but hurriedly backtracked back to the hallway

ofc you were shocked too but you quickly put the hoodie on and went to get him

iwaizumi’s heart was hammering in his chest and he was VERY red with embarrassment 

how could he see you like that?!

a girl who wasnt his shouldnt be seen like that by his eyes!

a touch on his arm reminded him of his position and he was still holding the tray but it was clear from the liquid in the cups that he was shaking slightly

‘iwa-san, its okay. i still had a shirt on so dont misunderstand’

you reasoned and he nodded, still not looking at you

the beginning of the movie was quite awkward as you both were sitting next to each other on the floor, backs against his mattress while the laptop played godzilla in front of yall

but it seems it was just him who was feeling this way bc you were intrigued at this weird monster that was squshing building under its foot and you continued munching on the food

iwa stood up and coughed

‘im going to take a shower’

you paused it and stared up at him, a chip halfway in your mouth

‘oh? you want me to wait for you?’

he agressively shook his head

‘no! its okay i watched it already. just,,,, watch it’

at the end, his words came out jumbled in his hurry to go and calm his heart down

you shrugged and unpaused the movie to continue watching

iwa spent his time in the shower, thinking and trying to think of stupid thoughts like the time oikawa almost choked on a peanut when they were in middle school to distract him of thoughts of how adorable you were

ONG HE WAS JUST SHOWERING AND INNOCENTLY DOING SHOWER THINGS

‘no, i said she was like a sister to me. and a sister she’ll remain’

okay ngl even though theyre not related, im worried yall would be like ‘iNcESt’ but bls a lot of people have tried to sibling-zoned people yet realized they liked them in THAT way

as he wrapped himself with a towel, he then realized

oh my god he didnt bring clothes

LMAO NOOOO IWAAAAA

iwa frantically looked around and he saw his mother’s sakura themed robe and he paused, arguing silently with him if he should wear it

well, it was either that or he went back into the room and showed you,,,,,, this

sucking in a sharp breath, he kept the towel around his waist and slipped his arms through the tight arm holes and he awkwardly tried to keep it tied since he was so much bigger than his tiny mom

what is happening

you saw the door opening and excitedly turned to tell him about this one scene when your voice died down in your throat at the sight of him 

here was iwaizumi hajime, ultra muscle buff man who gets abs with a simple glance of the gym, wearing an all too-tight pink, cherry blossom print robe that was so tight the tie around it was shaking to keep it together

‘dont’

he whispered and that snapped your remaining surprise to double over in laughter

‘its so cute! iwa-san, youre so cute!’

you shrieked and he growled and hurriedly went to to grab grey sweatpants and a shirt before running straight back to the bathroom

when he finally came back out, his face was still red and he was pouting as he sat next to you back to his seat

he could feel you staring at him while looking constipated as you held your laugh in and the second your eyes met, your giggles fell out

iwa rolled his eyes

‘yes yes let it out’

‘hehe, iwa-san, i didnt know you had that style’

‘it isnt! i didnt want to walk in here practically naked with you in the room!’

he growled and you nodded, still not quite believing it

‘hai hai. just say you like pink, i wont tell’

you waved and iwa felt offended

‘what do you mean ‘hai hai’?! its really not!’

your lips pursed to keep more giggles in and iwa growled again before lunging to grab your sides and tickling you 

of course being careful to not touch your wounds

you shrieked at the ticklish feeling and iwa laughed as you made weak attempts to push him off

‘huh? what was that? whatd you say? cant talk anymore, can ya?’

he teased

‘NO!!!! IWA-SAAAAN!!!!!’

you shouted in between your laughter and he finally let up when you squealed out your apologies and promised to never say it again

you breathed air into your lungs and sat back up to recollect yourselves 

iwa saw the strands that escaped your bun and they were scattered everywhere looking messy with your flushed cheeks and teary eyes

oh my god you were beautiful

he was so happy that you still kept that smile despite what happened and he was going to fight to keep it there

forever

it was about nearly the end when you finally realized how different iwaizumi’s hair looked

‘oi, iwa-san, your hair is not naturally spiky?’

he continued eating the chips while still watching the movie

‘what would you expect? even shittykawa’s hair is like this. did ya know that he wakes up extra early to curl it into that shitty mess?’

your jaw dropped

‘EEEHHHH???!!!!!!!’

later, you asked him how he does his hair for school and he blindly reached for the gel that was resting on his desk before tossing it to you

‘here’

you looked at it and flickered over to his hair and then you had the greatest realization

‘GODZILLA-SAMA!’

you pointed and he stopped eating, turning to give you a confused look

‘ha?’

you shrieked in an another round of laughter

‘IWA-SAN LIKES GODZILLA-SAMA SO MUCH HE DOES HIS HAIR AFTER HIM!!!!’

you doubled over to the floor, clutching your stomach and iwaizumi’s flustered expression made you laugh harder

he knew you were smart but,,, not this smart

you figured out his secret

the secret he’s hidden since he was practically a toddler

even his best friend, the guy hes known since he was born, never made the connection

yet here you are, figuring it out not even a year of knowing him

was this part of the many reasons he,, felt his heart beat for you?

oikawa was relieved that you had the bright twinkle in your eyes the next time he saw you and you were actively talking to iwaizumi in that early morning practice

‘oh? y/n-chan, is iwa-chan your best friend now?’

he tried not to sound jealous for his own best friend’s closeness to you and he added a teasing smile for extra measure

okay that hurted me a bit

iwaizumi snarled and blasted the volleyball towards his face before he could even yell or shout

‘iwa-san, dont do that’

you chided softly, small hands wrapping around his muscly arm

but iwa patted your head

‘deserving people deserve things to happen to them’

you rolled your eyes but smiled at him

‘hai hai’

the next week, iwa still kept a close eye on you in case someone else decided to mess with you 

but you told him that you swear youd tell him if someone did and he trusts you so he backed off a little

one day, he was eating lunch with the other third years in their classroom when you busted through the door, excitedly holding your phone

‘iwa-san! i figured out what country your flag was!’

he was halfway of shoving rice in his mouth when iwa looked at you

‘oh? you couldve just asked me though?’

you pouted and went to pull a chair from another desk to sit beside him

‘nooo. i wanted to work for that information. so you’re from the philippines, iwa-san?’

he nodded proudly

‘yep’

your eyes shone with interest

‘really?! you look japanese so it must be one of your parents. hey, iwa-san, which island are you from? i read about them and they have like 7641 islands-’

the others watched as you read through the article in your phone and iwa wasnt even following your words, instead staring at you with a dazed look and a lovesick smile

mattsun, makki, and oikawa exchanged looks of surprise because in all the years theyve known him especially oikawa, iwa was never interested in girls and such

he was a straight forward man with goals and straight sight to get them done with no distractions like relationships or love

yet here he was

slowly falling in love with you without even knowing he is

he continued to fall with the simplest things about you

from the perfume that you wore everyday to the way you would tuck your hair behind your ear when you were talking to someone

little quirks he used to miss was now being noticed even if you were right behind him and not in his line of vision

now, the boys were starting to see the difference of their precious ace

it was as if when he started to like you, they knew immediately by how he was acting

then one day during practice, you were late and they were all looking around for you and when they couldnt find you, they met back in the gym with nervous looks

iwa was already pacing around, a scary aura radiating off of him, and kindaichi, who went with him to look around the school, warned the others of iwaizumi’s worry

‘he was slamming doors open and he was walking so fast i had to run to even keep up with him’

then you busted through the gym door

you were actually picking up food for the team and sweets and you were held up when makki’s puffs were still being cooked

they rallied around you to make sure you werent hurt and you assured them but iwa pulled them away like picked them up and threw them off to the side and took you in his arms

iwa thought you were hurt and he was so worried something happened to you again

the hug was bone-crushing with how hard he was squeezing you but you felt his worry though and you freed your arms to wrap them around his neck

‘im okay, iwa-san’

you whispered in his ear and he nodded

‘let me hold you for a second’

he mumbled and you nodded

‘oi, theres food in the bags so make sure you eat it all. coach paid for it all so dont leave behind anything’

the mention of the food distracted them from you and iwa and they piled on top of each other to reach their food first

iwa was grateful that you distracted the others from seeing him being vulnerable towards you

‘i thought-’

‘shh,,, you have me right here, right now. safe and sound’

you knew how much seeing you all battered messed him up and his attempt of making you forget about it has been

and his worry of you being gone without no sign of where you went will forever be there and he will always have that thought in the back ofhis mind

the next time you came over, you actually met his parents

since you went home early before, you didnt catch his parents when they came home around 10 minutes after you left

but this time, they were already home with his mom cooking dinner while his father was sitting on the dining chair reading a newspaper

iwa walked through the door, shouting he was home, and you did the same thing to be customary

oof his parents were surprised

his mom turned around to share a look of surprise with her husband

sure they havent seen tooru in a while but they were pretty sure his voice wasnt that high pitched

right?

‘hajime, did you hit tooru so much you ruined his-’

then his mother stopped talking at the sight of you holding iwa’s hand tightly when yall stepped around the corner

you sheepishly smiled at them and bowed your head in greeting

oh my

so this was why iwaizumi hajime-san was really really really handsome

his parents were freaking good looking

like his mother was aphrodite with her flawless melanin skin and doe shaped eyes with a mole under her left eye

and his father was like ares, so handsome yet still manly and his appearance was a special type of good-looking with his buffness and ruffed appearance

‘iwa-san, i didnt know your parents were gods’

you mumbled, still staring at them

iwaizumi choked and coughed, flustered

‘oh my!’

his mother placed a hand over her mouth

‘hello’

his father stood up to walk in front of you and held his hand out

‘i’m hajime’s father’

you let go of hajime’s hand to shake his own with both of your hands

‘really nice to meet you! i’m l/n y/n! seijoh volleyball manager! first year!’

you introduced then stepped aside to fully bow 90 degrees

iwaizumi thought it was so cute of how flustered you were at meeting his parents

‘ay nako! nak, i didnt know you had such a beautiful girlfriend!’

she squealed and hurriedly went to stand in front of you and gently grasped your arms to stand you back straight and took a good look at you

‘youre so beautiful, iha. nice skin, pretty eyes, ang ganda!’

even with your research of tagalog, you didnt quite understand what she was saying

iwa noticed your slightly confused expression and he laughed, tucking his hands in his pockets

‘sorry, my nay speaks in taganese when she gets excited’

‘t-taganese?’

‘tagalog and japanese’

you nodded in understanding

it was time to put your basic reserach to test

‘hello po’

you greeted her and nervously took her hand and pressed the back of it to your forehead before slowly lowering it down and letting go

her wide eyes made you think you did something bad or even offensive!

‘i-i’

‘HAY NAKO, HAJIMEE~!’

she shrieked 

‘YUNG-!!! YUNG-!!!’

okay im terrified

iwa noticed his mother’s malfunction and gently wrapped his arm around her shoulder and veered her back to her kitchen

‘sorry about her, l/n-chan. its just,,,, hajime hasnt brought home a girl before. and you doing that mustve done it in for her’

you worriedly watched hajime calm his mom down with a smile and talking to her hushed

in their perspective,,,

‘shes so nice, nak! marry her, okay? shes very pretty and she made an effort to please your nanay, so go and marry her!’

ohmylord im nervous

initially, iwa only wanted to go and hang out with you and watch a movie

not have a full dinner with his family

lmao i shouldve told you that youve been friends for months now

his mother cooked sinigang and adobo and more filipino dishes, adding even more when she saw you were joining them

the dining table was covered with a large plate full of food and you were so fascinated because this was a side of iwa that you wanted to know more about

‘wow!’

you said, not thinking, at the deep-fried fish that still had its eyeballs intact

iwa genuinely thought you would’ve shyed away from it in disgust but your eyes were glistening with genuine interest

‘iwa-san! youre so lucky you get to eat this stuff!’

you told him, looking over at his direction

while mrs iwaizumi was lading in the soup into the big bowl, mr iwaizumi was sitting at the dining table, watching your interaction and hajime telling you what each food was and your noises of surprise

he watched his son laugh when you said the palabok reminded you of the orange boy hinata 

and he also watched his son look at you so lovestruck and exactly like how he looks at his wife

soon, his mother finished and they rounded the table before saying a quick prayer to bless the food and digging in

‘so, what do you want to start with, iha?’

mrs iwaizumi asked and your wide eyes looked around

‘hm, im not sure. whats your favorite iwa-san?’

you looked to your right towards hajime who was busy eating and stopped before pointing his lips towards a direction

‘that one’

‘hah?’

you asked 

mrs iwaizumi laughed at her son’s actions

‘sorry, l/n-chan, my son has adapted my traits. he was pointing to this, adobo. do you want some?’

‘yes please’

the smell made your mouth water and you started to tuck in

maybe it was your managerial instincts, but you used your napkin to wipe hajime’s lips and he was also used to this and turned his head to make it easier for you then he went to grab the water jug and re-fill your glass

once it was done, you both silently went back to eating

his parents watched his exchange and it was like watching a married couple taking care of each other

‘so, l/n-chan, you said you were their manager’

mr iwaizumi started and you nodded, wiping your lips

‘yes. i have been for a while now and please, call me y/n’

‘hajime actually told us he had a new manager for his team and tooru told us too. but we didnt know you were a girl. its just so interesting for hajime to bring you home as he has never really had any female friends’

mrs iwaizumi’s comment made you chuckle and iwa’s eyes widened in embarassment

‘nay! of course ive had female friends! ive had friends from all genders!’

he reasoned but you teasingly smiled at him

‘ah, im not really surprised. iwa-san doesnt exactly have the appearance that girls are brave enough to approach’

he sent you a betrayed glance

‘hah?! what’s that supposed to mean?!’

you shrugged, going back to your food

‘im just saying that you always have this intense look in your eyes and youre always frowning. but its cute so its fine. and besides, i dont think theyve seen you laugh since you dont really smile a lot, iwa-san’

‘but you’ve seen me smile!’

‘eung. but its only to me. if they knew the stuff i knew like you being a godzilla fan or your collection of succelents, theyd see you like oikawa-san’

‘HAH?! YOU SEE ME LIKE SHITTYKAWA?!’

mrs iwaizumi held her husband’s hand on the table as they watched you both bicker and tease each other with a smile

hajime has always been on the rougher side of things and he doesnt really have many close friends other than the team and even then, tooru is the only one he can really be himself around

yet here you are, bringing out the boy hajime really is and making him laugh, a sound his parents dont really hear outside the house

and your eyes

god, your eyes held admiration, life,,,, and you might not know this yet,, but love

her eyes trailed her son who teasingly headbutted you and you faking a surprise and doing the same

then you heard his father’s cough which brought you back to where you were and the situation and the people that were there

you felt embarrassment creeping up inside you and you bowed

‘im sorry for acting like that, iwaizumi-san. i-’

‘no, dont apologize, darling. please, dont’

her soft smile made the nerves in you ease and hajime’s father winked at him and he knew exactly what his father was trying to say

after dinner, you volunteered to wash the plates but they veered you away from there and towards the living room 

‘oh my god, pops! stop her!’

hajime whined because he knows what his mother was going to do

she was going to show him his baby pictures

you sat on the beige couch and watched as she reached under the coffee table and revealed a few albums that had iwaizumi hajime written on the cover

‘now, y/n-chan, hajime wasnt always this pouty. in fact, he used to always have a smile on his face and laughed at the littlest things! like right here! a leaf fell on him and he-’

stories of his childhood was exchanged throughout the night and you were laughing so hard that tears were falling out of your eyes while hajime wrapped your shoulders with his arm and he would squeeze you tightly whenever you made fun of him

‘oh dear! iwa-san! you-!’

you didnt finished as you continued to laugh and he sighed

‘nay, can we go eat dessert now?’

he asked his mother and she was beginning to feel sorry for him so she smiled and nodded

‘okay. hajime, come help me’

‘iwaizumi-san, i can-’

‘no, y/n-chan. dont you worry your pretty little head about anything and just look through more of these pictures’

hajime followed his mother to their kitchen before she stopped and turned around

his mother’s height was around 5′1 so she had to look up to meet his eyes and her hands were clasped around his biceps

she is definitely beautiful and he cursed at how little he got from his mother other than her skin color

mrs iwaizumi married her husband and immigrated to japan to have a family and your polite action from earlier moved her as she hasnt experienced that in nearly 2 decades

‘nay, shes,,,, just a friend’

he reasoned, a wobbly smile to cover up his want for that title to change

yet mothers def knows best and saw right through it

she gave him a firm look with furrowed eyebrows and pursed lips

‘nak, dont lie to yourself. i raised you to never tell a lie and lying to yourself is considered lying to someone. she’s not your KAibigan, shes your kaIBIGan’

now, hajime knew a little bit of tagalog as his mother made sure he was able to at least speak to his relatives back home

so he got a hint of what she was saying yet was confused 

then he realized it

his blush creeped up his neck and he chuckled, ducking his head low to avoid his mother’s eyes

‘nak, listen to me. papunta ka pa lang, pabalik na ako. youre still growing and you may be confused right now, but make sure to think wisely and dont live with regrets. nanay doesnt want you to go through it all by yourself since she knows how hard it was. so please, listen to me and pursue her. shes special, hajime. she makes you so, so happy. i see it in your eyes, her eyes, god has fated you together. i feel it’

now if a filipino mother actually tells their son to go after a girl, thats a pretty big thing as its known that mothers are the hardest to convince and are fiercely protective of their sons, especially if its an only son, but mrs iwaizumi literally tells hajime to go court you because she sees how happy you make him and is willing to let hajime go to you 

definitely his mother’s words stuck to him and as he walked you home, he was busy thinking that he was quiet and you were worried as he would be talking right now

‘iwa-san? you okay?’

you asked and he blinked, taken back to reality from his daydream

‘hm, yea’

he answered to look at you

hes been pining for months now and he slipped his hand into yours, holding it tightly

uwu if you want to see iwa moments with y/n, read through the seijoh manager series as theres a lot of them in there

he wanted you yet, he knew it would be selfish of him to keep you in the future

he would be a college student while you’re in your 2nd year

would you want to be so far away from him?

could you handle it?

‘yanno, iwa-san, your dad told me something interesting’

you suddenly said, squeezing his hand and kicking rocks while looking up at the night sky

‘what was it? something embarrassing?’

he immediately feared that they told you that story when he was still potty training and he fell straight into the toilet 

‘hmm,,, no. he told me that he met your nanay when she was a high school student and he was a in an intern at your lolo’s company’

iwa listened and he had a smile at how you said the tagalog word for grandfather

‘he said she almost ran him over by her bike and she fled but they met again when she visited your lolo. through that, they became friends and then she confessed to him. apparently, he declined because she was younger than him, although just 3 years, and he was leaving for his own country in a few months so he didnt know if she would wait for him’

were,,,, you reading his mind?

iwa knew of his parents story yet with you telling it, it sounded a million times more interesting

‘yet she promised him. thats it, just a promise. that she would remain faithful to him, she would keep herself for him and when she finally graduates, she would go and find him and they could be happy together. he said it was the longest 3 years of his life yet when he saw in the airport, he felt like the wait was worth it. because he gets to hold the embodiment of happiness in his arms for the rest of his life’

you finished and he hummed

‘times have changed, y/n’

‘even you?’

you stopped walking and he naturally stopped too

‘would you wait for me like he did if i promised myself to you? if i promised you that despite the few years of waiting, i would still be yours and remain yours until we’re ready to be together?’

WHAT IS HAPPENING!!!!!!!

iwa’s heart was drumming in his chest and he wanted so desparately to look at you in the eyes but you were making that impossible as your head was bowed and your eyes were fixed on the concrete you both stood on

‘of course, i would’

your head snapped up and e/c clashed with olive eyes 

‘i would wait for you. we may,,, be young right now. and they might think we’re,,, being impulsive. but i dont care. because right now, all that matters, is you and me. we can think about the consequences later, but right now, i just want to kiss you’

he admitted, red ears seen by the moonlight

your body shook

‘do it, no balls’

well,,,, he has the balls

and under the moon, at 8:34 pm, iwaizumi hajime kissed you

OML THIS REMINDS ME OF THAT SEIJOH SHORT WHEN HE WAS TALKING TO OIKAWA AND HIS NEIGHBORS ARE LIKE ‘AH SHITE HERE WE GO AGAIN’

it didnt come as a surprise to the team when yall announced your relationship

well,, you both actually didnt tell them outright until like weeks later

what can you say?

you and iwa are very private people and you dont really like to show off in public

even though yall lit rally are stuck to the hip and he does things that he doesnt even think hes doing but he is totally doing

you were only caught by,,, guess who

mrs iwaizumi

it was weeks when she met up with mrs oikawa bc theyre totally best friends and thats why their sons are best friends

she told her of her son’s girlfriend and how sweet you were and how mrs oikawa should be jealous that her son doesnt have a girlfriend like that and the standards for oikawa’s future girlfriend was raised just by that teasing

oikawa literally came into after school practice after a phone call with his mother, fuming

you were talking to kindaichi and yahaba with iwa beside you, arm around your waist totally not obvious guys

and yall just saw an angry oikawa stomping towards yall

‘y/n-chan, iwa-chan, why the hell did my mom just call me and tell me that im not allowed to bring home a girl if she doesnt have h/c with s/c (skin color) and e/c and h/m (height measurement)?’

you shrugged

‘oikawa-san, i’ve never even met your mom before’

but iwa had a hunch

‘ahh,,,, my mom mustve been bragging to your mom. yanno how they are’

oikawa shot him a disbelieving look

‘IWA-CHAN! ITS BAD ENOUGH THAT YOU GOT A GIRLFRIEND AND I DONT! BUT ITS WORSE THAT YOUR RELATIONSHIP IS AFFECTING MY FUTURE ONE!’

he ranted, completely unaware that he just outed your entire relationship to the team

tbh they werent even surprised

like they were all ‘damn now shes taken. but cant say i didnt see that coming’

they took it pretty well too

they know how iwa is and they literally respect this mans and if anything, out of the whole team, he is the best candidate for your boyfriend

dating iwa is totally normal and yall just have increased touches?? like i dont know how to explain like he’s constantly holding your hand or arm around your waist or shoulder etc

literally nothing changed

you still have dinners at his house and iwa also knows your family and all that

and the most important thing is,

he kept that promise

even when he was literally at the other side of the world,

he still remained yours and you kept your own promise and waited patiently for his return

OOOOO TIMESKIP IWAIZUMI HAJIME (27) ATHLETE TRAINER

a little girl with bouncing dark brown hair was giggling as she maneuvered herself around the tall people

a shout from her parents and little sister was only making her run faster until she crashed into the legs of the person she’s been looking for

his blue jersey was similar to hers and she raised her arms up with a bright smile

‘uncle!’

she yelled and he chuckled before hoisting her up to his arms

‘ah, reyna-chan, didnt mom and dad tell you to wait for them? look! tala-chan is crying because you left her’

she followed his finger to her little sister, who was in her father’s arms, crying and reaching out for her

‘nee-chan!’

she screeched

finally, her parents were there and you were scolding her for running off

‘reyna, just dont do that again’

you said and she nodded, pouting and holding her uncle’s thumb

‘thank you, tooru-san. i dont know what i would do if she got lost’

oikawa grinned then gently patted the hat-covered head of the newborn baby girl that was strapped to your chest

‘hehe, its okay, y/n-chan. after all! uncle is always there to save reyna-chan!’

she shrieked when he held her up and hajime shook his head in his antics

‘where’s the others? i saw them in the stands but-’

he was cut off when he heard the shouts and yells from the other side that could only belong to your boys

‘woooo!!!!’

kindaichi’s voice echoed through the place and mattsuhana were rushing to greet their goddaughters

tala shyly accepted the arms of mattsun while makki was squealing quietly when darna was holding his finger tightly as she slept

‘taka-san, wanna hold her? she’s easier to hold when she’s sleeping’

‘oh can i?’

his eyes held the stars as the 11-month-old raised her fist then lowered it back down, sleep still heavy on her

‘waaa~ darna-chan is growing really quickly’

kunimi whispered, peering over his senpai to look at the baby whos eyes kept fluttering

you chuckled while looking at oikawa and him playfully bouncing reyna

‘tooru-san, congratulations on your win. it seems you’ve beaten hajime this time’

you complimented and the brunette smiled brightly at you, adjusting the little girls in his arms

‘ei, y/n-chan, i’ll beat him next time, and next time and the next time!’

every time he said ‘next’ he gave his goddaughter a kiss on her cheek making her giggle

your husband was pouting at the reminder of japan’s loss and you reached over to wrap your arms around him causing hajime to turn his head away from you

‘aww, my 4th baby is sad now’

you cooed and cupped his face delicately on your hands making him sulk and whine

the others, watching the scene, continue to be surprised at this side of their captain that remains to only be caused by you

‘ugh, nearly a decade later and theyre still sappy’

yahaba gagged and watari slapped his back

‘let them be happy’

‘come on! im in the mood for spaghetti! you like spaghetti, tala-chan?’

‘eung!’

mattsun cheered with kindaichi and she raised her hands to share the same energy

once everyone was situated in a restaurant and ordered, small talks were shared around the table of the past

‘haha, spaghetti is how your baba found out about you, tala-chan’

yahaba’s comment made the walking group laugh at the memory of seeing the video you sent in the seijoh group chat

‘i wanted to be creative with my second child since my firstborn was revealed by this loudmouth’

oikawa winced at the indirect diss at him

‘y/n-chan! i was really excited to find out i was going to be an uncle!’

‘youre already an uncle, bakakawa!’

hajime has toned down the insults to keep it pg for the children

‘but-!’

they started to argue, the oldest daughter looking disinterested as she sees this happening or hearing it whenever her dad and uncle video chat

‘it took me forever to find a ‘prego’ pasta sauce in the grocery store like i dont know why. was there a shortage?’

you complained, remembering the frustration

your fellow first years snickered at you and kindaichi prodded fun at you

‘is that why you just outright told him you were pregnant the day you found out?’

you rolled your eyes and watched makki and mattsun and tala watch the youngest as she wiggled her fists in the air and was awake enough to babble ‘makki’ over and over again

that was her first word and although she is now able to say a few words, she still repeats her first word over and over again

‘we had a fight and it just came out so of course i didnt have time to prepare!’

you defended and hajime finished his antics with oikawa just as you said that

‘what-what was your words again? ‘i really want to push you off the roof right now but i want my baby to meet their bastard father first?’‘

you gasped at that regretful statement and punched him in the arm

‘hajime! stop!’

you whined and covered your face with the sleeves of your his hoodie

‘hehe, y/n, you should do that again’

kyotani teased and you glared at him

‘shut up kyotani’

eyebrows were raised

‘eh? are you more hormonal?’

‘do you realize you already have 3 daughters?’

‘iwaizumi-san really wants to have a volleyball team family’

‘at least wait a year and a half, you animals’

‘so,, like hes that good huh?’

hajime growled and leaned over to intimidate but you snarled and jumped on your feet, being held back by the arms by kindaichi and hajime to stop yourself from leaping across the table to kill yahaba

‘keep talking like shite and i’ll make sure none of you become the godfather of this baby’

okay what

one, did you just curse

and two, this baby?!

‘im big sister again?!’

reyna ruined the surprised silence and then chaos ensued

‘WHAT!’

‘BABY?!’

‘THIS BABY?!’

you just realized what you said and smirked at the chaos you created and sat back down, leaning on the back of the chair and smugly taking a sip of your water

‘oh the power i hold in my hands’

you teased and oikawa pointed at you

‘when! how long!’

you looked at hajime who was so shocked that his eyes glazed over and a passerby wouldve thought he was dead

‘apparently 3 months’

oikawa started counting and his eyes widened at that thought

‘you-! you stayed in argentina! in my house! my house-!’

‘yep. both of them created under your house’

what 

!!!!!

hajime fainted 

oikawa screamed

a/n: okay i admit i got a little too carried away with this one. i just love filo!iwa and this was mostly written in his pov bc cmon we all know we love iwa and fell in love w him the moment we saw him

[imo-chan-imagines]

『 Random acts of kindness | Haikyuu!! Headcanons 』

The everyday acts of kindness our boys do and think nothing of, but are actually incredibly sweet.

Characters: Sawamura Daichi, Kuroo Tetsurou, Ushijima Wakatoshi, Iwaizumi Hajime, Sugawara Koushi, Bokuto Koutarou, Azumane Asahi, Oikawa Tooru, Akaashi Keiji, Nishinoya Yuu, Tanaka Ryuunosuke, Kozume Kenma, Miya Astumu, Miya Osamu, Sakusa Kiyoomi, Hinata Shouyou, Kageyama Tobio, Tsukishima Kei, Yamaguchi Tadashi, Haiba Lev

Tags/warnings: Haikyuu!! (anime), no warnings, fluff, lots of characters I didn't realise how many I'd done until I came to type up the list 😳, a lot of cats and dogs, cuteness, headcanons

A/N: I've had an exhausting and busy week, and just felt like writing some comforting fluff. Thanks for reading! Please enjoy! ♡

And please consider voting in this poll (ends this Sunday 18/10/20) to help me celebrate reaching 100 followers! Thank you to everyone who's already voted! ♡

☆ Sawamura Daichi ☆

Helps lost people find their way and regularly gives directions

We're talking off-duty, here Daichi puts the 'hot' in 'Hot Fuzz' 🥵

Hahaha, fuck 🙃

He's very approachable and warm, and gives excellent directions

He'll also walk them there if they don't understand or don't feel confident, even if it disrupts his day 🥺

And he's really good at helping lost kids and calming them down he feels so proud when he gets them back to their parents, safe and sound 🤗

×

☆ Kuroo Testurou ☆

Helps elderly people with their shopping bags and getting across roads

It goes against his nature to stand by and let an old person struggle, and even if they're not struggling, he always offers his services anyway

He has a soft spot for old people, 'kay? 🥺

He makes a point of getting the traffic to stop so it's safe, and letting them hold his arm as they slowly make their way across the street

They often tell him that he's 'a very sweet and handsome young man,' and 'nothing like the other young people you meet these days' and he blushes

×

☆ Ushijima Wakatoshi ☆

Gets things from the top shelves for people that they can't reach at the supermarket

It's a pretty normal thing to do, right? So he's chill about it

Except he will 100% walk down the entire length of the isle just to help if he sees you stuggling it's super cute 😩😍

But he won't smile or make idle conversation, or anything. He'll just nod courteously

It can be a little ominous, with his looming height and serious face, but most people take the gesture well 😊

×

☆ Iwaizumi Hajime ☆

Pays for the shopping of the person in front of him when their card gets declined or they don't have the right cash

He manages to offer in a way that isn't offensive or patronising he's honestly a life saver 🥺

He's very humble and casual about it

It's what he hopes someone would do for him, if he were in that awkward situation

And you never know what struggles people are facing, so his philosophy is to always be kind what goes around, comes around, my dudes 😌✌

×

☆ Sugawara Koushi ☆

Leaves snacks and a cute thank you note on the porch for the mailman

Or mailwoman! Or mailperson!

He hopes that the little gesture will brighten their tough day of work so precious, I can't 🥺🥰

There's usually a good selection, too no skimping here, no sirree 😌

If he's home, he'll give them a cheery wave through the window as well

Especially in this COVID-19 environment. Suga would really appreciate the services they're providing

×

☆ Bokuto Koutarou ☆

Spends time every week playing with the cats and dogs at the local shelters

This man is hoenstly a blessing, I physically can't 🤧

He loves seeing their little faces light up when he walks in, scruffling their ears and playing fetch, etc. and just generally showing them that they're still loved 🥺😭

And he helps take the dogs for walks too, so they get their exercise, and brushes them down, and rubs their tummies–

He wants to adopt, but he's not settled enough, so he knows he can't 😭 but it's his goal

One day 😖

×

☆ Azumane Asahi ☆

Always holds doors open for other people

We're not just talking the occasional, feebly held door

Asahi will ALWAYS hold a door open for anyone else

Men, women, children, old people, people with prams, whole families– literally everyone

He is TALL and STRONG, and he will be USEFUL

He will hold it open even if you're really far away, like the giant dork that he is 😂😂 you cannot escape

×

☆ Oikawa Tooru ☆

Often pays for the next customer's coffee in advance

Sure, it makes him feel good about himself. But, I mean, why not? What's so wrong with that?

Oikawa calls it SAOK-ing people (pronounced 'soaking') meaning: Secret Acts of Kindness Iwa-chan has told him to change the name, but he won't 🙄

Oikawa would love the touching joy of a stranger paying for his coffee in advance, so he gets a warm, tingly feeling when he thinks about it happening to someone else because if him he's literally beaming for the rest of the day 🥰

☆ Akaashi Keiji ☆

Buys food and drinks for homeless people when he passes them

He sometimes stops to have a chat with them, too 😔🤧

He's the least condescending person you could meet if you're in trouble he's so genuine, I can't

Except for maybe Iwa-chan and Daichi. They're also very down-to-earth

He'll also give them all his food vouchers that he's been collecting in his wallet to help spread their costs

Akaashi finds it hard to watch other people struggling and suffering, and so always makes the time for it when he can afford to

×

☆ Nishinoya Yuu ☆

Helps make up the numbers for the kids playing games in the park

Be it soccer, dodgeball, basketball, volleyball, tag, or something else entirely, Noya loves to see the kids running around in the park, playing games and enjoying themselves

So he's only too happy to join in when they need more players he'll sometimes recruit Tanaka to help as well

Yuu fits right in with them, both in height and mentality 😂😭😂😭

He may or may not get them to call him 'senpai' 🙄😂

×

☆ Tanaka Ryuunosuke ☆

Helps fix people's cars on the road

Tanaka's one of those people that knows how to change a flat, and so can't drive past someone having car trouble without stopping and helping

He's also a pretty good handy-man in general, and is always willing to help out his friends and neighbours with their jobs that need doing

Like plumbing problems, putting up shelves, building furniture, etc. He's good with his hands!

Kiyoko: 👁👄👁

And he'll never charge a penny! He's all too happy to do it out of friendship and the kindness of his heart 😇

×

☆ Kozume Kenma ☆

Hosts gaming charity livestreams for various causes on a regualr basis

All the donations go directly to the charity of choice for the stream, not through him, so everyone knows it's legit 😇

He also donates gaming consoles etc. to charities and organisations that help kids who are in hospital

He's a huge advocate for charities and organisations that focus on helping people through gaming, like AbleGamers and St Jude PLAY LIVE, and regularly donates to them

Honestly, Kenma is an angel 🥺 👉👈

×

☆ Miya Atsumu ☆

Gives up his seat on public transport for old/pregnant/disabled etc. people

Look, Tsumu can be a little selfish and grouchy at times, but he's not a complete asshole 👉👈

There's a line, and hogging seats on public transport when someone else clearly needs it more than him is, indeed, the line 😌

He'll do it without a second thought or a fuss, and with a smile on his face but will be low-key proud of himself, ngl

He will also get offended if someone else doesn't give up their seat when they should, and may confront them about it 😳 like, what makes you so special that you can't do that simple courtesy that even he does??

×

☆ Miya Osamu ☆

Donates food to charities and shelters

Both store-bought food and from his own shop

Literally gets so depressed at the thought of people not getting to eat 🥺

This man LOVES FOOD. And people are out there not able to?!

He also has a scheme set up where homeless and stuggling people can come into his shop for some free onigiri

This man 🥺🤧 can I please marry him already?!

×

☆ Sakusa Kiyoomi ☆

Donates sanitary supplies like soap, toothpaste, antibacterial gel, pads, tampons, etc. to shelters on a regualr basis

Literally cannot abide the idea that people are forced to live without these basic necessities, simply because they can't afford them

It's almost for his own peace of mind rather than theirs? 😅😂 almost. He does actually care on their behalf, too

But he doesn't like to make a big deal out of it, and so donates anonymously

His donations are literally a godsend to those people, though 🥺😭

☆ Hinata Shouyou ☆

Reads books to kids at the library when he's there with Natsu

And he's really good at it! He reads very animatedly, and really gets the kids engaged with the stories you can just imagine it

The kids all love him and bring him their favourite books to read!

And the parents all watch and compliment him on how good he is with kids

And this goofball just blushes and grins like a doof 😚 so freaking sweet

×

☆ Kageyama Tobio ☆

Always carries a spare umbrella with him to give to someone

He hates getting caught in the rain himself, so he keeps a spare just in case this precious baby 🥺

He's had to use it quite a few times, sometimes giving it to people he doesn't even know, so he ends up not getting it back and has to buy a new spare

But it makes him smile, if a bit awkwardly, to know that he's helped someone out, even just a little Tobio!! 😭🤧🥺

×

☆ Tsukishima Kei ☆

Steps into the road to allow room for people with pushchairs and prams

I know it might not seem like much, but this is Tsukki, guys 🙄

*Narrator voice* this is one small step for man, one giant leap for Tsukishima!

And this just goes to show that he's not as tough of a cookie as he looks

He doesn't like the idea of parents etc. and young children having to walk in the road he gets worried for them...🤭

And he does it consciously, which is important

×

☆ Yamaguchi Tadashi ☆

Spends time each week looking for the animals on the 'lost' and 'missing' posters around town

He hates to think of them out there, cold, alone, frightened–

It makes him feel nauseous just thinking about it 😣

My poor, precious baby!! He's too pure for this world!! 😭

It's not often, but sometimes he actually manages to find one and bring it back to its owner safely, which is a huge boost for his mood and confidence

He feels so valued and appreciated, and just happy that the little guy is SAFE 😇🤧

×

☆ Haiba Lev ☆

Helps strangers get their cats out of trees and other high places

What else is a tall, handsome, goofball-of-a stranger to do? 😌

Legit, he doesn't think twice. Tall people should use their height to help people, shouldn't they?

Sure, it doesn't always go to plan, and his arms sometimes end up looking like well-used scratching poles, but he's just glad to help 😇

It's good to see the cats safe and with their owners

♡°☆•♡°☆•♡

If you enjoyed, please consider voting in this poll (ends this Sunday 18/10/20) to help me celebrate reaching 100 followers! Thank you to everyone who's already voted!

© imo-chan-imagines 2020

[raichijin]

 ˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ ukiyo; the floating world.  chapter 2. 

━━━━━ 𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐀𝐁 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐓.

preface; took me exactly a week to write. possibly the most uneventful, but important in setting up the rest of the story. enjoy ! (also, my first writing post on this account ! awesome.)

word count; 1.6k .

pretty. a pretty boy; with eyes the color of almonds and hair the same shade of rich oaky brown as a morning cup of coffee.

his smile is sweet like creamer, & the way his eyes crinkle at the corners when he closes them is cute, too.

a new relationship, perhaps?

you’re so in awe that when you notice his face fall and he’s pulling his hand away, you realize it’s been 15 seconds and you’ve been standing for approximately 30, just staring.

wow, that’s awkward.

“... are you okay?” he asks you again, slower this time.

“i — yeah! totally. i just— i guess i’m just lost?” you look around for anything that could trigger a memory, or even something that looks remotely familiar.

 there’s nothing. “yeah, that must be it...ʲᵘˢᵗ ˡᵒˢᵗ.” he tilts his head at you, then smiles a little thinner, with only his lips and no teeth before gesturing towards the classroom door, other hand digging into his pants pocket.

“then i can show you around!” he hastily offers, giving you his arm before you even know his name, and the scary possibility that the ‘you’ in this world might’ve had a more notable presence starts sounding like a reality when your name falls effortlessly from his bubblegum pink lips, a cutesy ‘chan’ accompanying it.

“ah, you know me?” 

& while his nose crinkles in a way that’s not cute nor pretty, his smile remains steadfast until he turns away. “well, who doesn’t? our school doesn’t get exchange students too often. especially not ones as handsome as yourself~.” there’s that lilt again. as if he’s trying to make you fall in love with his voice alone, and you might’ve (you are).

“oh! uh, thank you, but-” you both step into the hallway, and the image of a highschool is imprinting itself in your brain. the uniform, the students, teachers, each class room and their individual signs, the kanji that somehow makes sense, and the sudden realization that everything around you is being spoken in spitfire japanese.

you’re speaking it, too.

“i don’t think i know you. what’s your name?”

the cute guy blanches, and suddenly everything seems more interesting to him.

his fingernails, a sudden itch on his nose, and random (read: fawning) passerby.

“um — i’m oikawa! the captain of the volleyball team?” oikawa phrases it like a question, as if you know him; and if he was expecting that flexing that kind of achievement would give him some kind of leeway, he couldn’t be more mistaken.

but for politeness sake, you can pretend to be interested, especially if it means he’d divulge more information about the school.

‘seijoh’ was the name, right? you could probably search it up later. you pat your pockets for the outline of a cell phone, and then realize it might still be in your bag — 

fuck, you still haven’t responded. you need to get better with your reaction time.

“oh! that’s cool.” said in a way that does a decent enough job of feigning interest, because his lips quirk back up. “class ended, right? are you gonna go to practice right now?”

“well...” he pretends to ponder the question. “that’s the plan! we should get going, before iwa-chan gets mad at me.”

iwa-chan? 

we?

“i — i mean, i would, but i don’t wanna be a bother —” but he’s already taking your hand and pulling you down the hall and out a door, quickly explaining some things you see that catch your eye along the way. before you know it, he’s guiding you towards a different building entirely, where the entrance is crowded by … students? some boys, some girls, some not even wearing the school’s uniform.

and they’re definitely not in any volleyball uniforms, or in anything in relation to sports. so what could they possibly be here for?

a high pitched squeal very quickly answers your question.

“look! he’s here!” the gaggle of students nearly trample you with how fast they surround oikawa, too busy ogling the captain to pay you much mind. you would’ve gotten swept away in the commotion if not for oikawa’s tightened grip around your wrist.

he tries (and fails) to calm down the small crowd huddled around him, but it makes enough noise that it starts to attract the attention from the players inside the gym. some look jealous, unsurprised, and one, standing out amongst the rest. with his lips pulled back into a sneer, sweat dripping down the side of his face, and —

“SHITTYKAWA!” the noise outside quiets down to a few whispers and just as quickly the crowd came in, they clear out, as the nameless begins to approach.

he carries himself high and fast and even if he comes up to a little under oikawa height wise, whoever he is, he clearly has mr. volleyball captain at least bashful.

… didn’t he mention someone who’d get pissy if he was late to practice?

“is that —” 

“iwa-chaaaaaan!” oikawa waves his hands absently as a means to placate his friend's temper, and he lets go of you in the process, providing you an ample opportunity to slip back into school, but your feet feel stuck to the floor and you can’t bring yourself to look away from the scene unfolding. this iwa-chan talks to oikawa like he’s his mother. stern with sharp features and a look that could actually kill.

oikawa really fucked up, huh? well, he might’ve not even gotten told if you didn’t pop out of the damn closet though. but it’s too late to apologize, because oikawa’s pointing at you, says something about you being the reason he got held up, and iwa-chan is directing that hard stare at you.

you could melt. if oikawa was pretty, then iwa-chan was handsome. a new love interest perhaps? he seemed hot enough to be one. where oikawa’s smile felt accommodating, iwa-chan’s sneer morphing into an expression of indifference and then slight charm feels more real, and is, in turn, more endearing.

“and you’re the new student? you’re the reason why he’s late?” you nod sharply, and explain how you fell out of the closet… and how oikawa helped you up. he flicks oikawa’s forehead just then, and you laugh, worsened by the kicked puppy expression scribbled all over the captain’s face.

“you’re laughing at this? iwa-chan! cut it out — you’re already rubbing off on them!”

“trashykawa! what the hell were you trying to do with the transfer?” he tugs on his ear like a disappointed parent, but shoots you an apologetic smile.

“i’m sorry you had to deal with him.” oh, you beautiful human, you do not have to be sorry for anything — “i can take him from here — just tell me if this dumbass bothers you again.”

“i wasn’t bothering them i —” iwa-chan glares daggers into him and he concedes, letting himself get dragged into the gym building, his teammates laughing at him, and leaving you behind. they all trail inside before the gym doors close, and suddenly, this area feels pointless.

was this the end of the day? 

you go back into the school, backpack slung anxiously over your shoulder. how were you supposed to find the bedroom to save your game if you didn’t even know where your house was? did you miss a cutscene? did you do something wrong?

a distinct buzzing from your backpack halts your train of thought.

you dig through your pack to find your phone, a rectangular brick with a few stickers on it, opening to your fingerprint and showing you text message notifications from one ushiwaka-san.

the third named character you’ve met in a day. 

ushiwaka-san: have you reached home yet?

huh. is he your parent? guardian? you don’t know any kid who’d put their fathers name so informally.

you: uh, not quite, no 

you: how do i get back? i kind of like

you: forgot

you: my bad dad

ushiwaka-san is … typing !

ushiwaka-san: dad?

ushiwaka-san: what do you mean?

ushiwaka-san is … typing !

ushiwaka-san: whatever.

ushiwaka-san: give me a moment.

you cringe at how badly you misread that, but he eventually sends you the address and instructions on how to get to, where you hope is, home, and with a few pointers from some straggler students, you’re off.

the sun is kissing the hills by the time you’ve reached your destination. your legs are burning from the walk, and you feel like you could collapse on the doorstep if you didn’t know your bed was behind it, decidedly more comfortable than the concrete. 

you find some keys in the side pocket of your bag and unlock the door to the house. it looks pretty enough on the inside, but you’re too tired to appreciate the graphics. you just want to save the game and be done with this.

forty dollars for a walking simulator? no wonder your friend didn’t like it. you have to duck into a few rooms before one reminds you of the one they showed you when the game booted up originally. you flop on the bed before you get the sudden urge to look at your phone again.

a notes app has popped up.

you can write your discoveries after a scenario here. useful for remembering important things, like dates, likes and dislikes, etc.

you can access this when not in a scene, occasionally in-between or during class, or when you’re in your room for the night.

it feels like someones projecting their thoughts into your brain, and it kind of hurts, but you keep it in mind for the next time. you can’t even bother to get out of your uniform before it’s like your eyes are shutting themselves, no matter how much you try to force them back open.

the day is ending, and it’s time to save your progress.

you black out.

the void cradles you. a feeling akin to falling asleep yet wide awake, you settle here until the confirmation of a saved game rings vaguely through your head.

then, just as suddenly,

you’re up.

passing the baton to you kat! @letshaikyuu.

𝔱 𝔞 𝔤 𝔩 𝔦 𝔰 𝔱 ;  @kingkageyamathegreat, @sayakaaaaaa, @tobubekida-yo @chigigami, @sugacookiies, @macaronnv, @cadekagi

[codename-bewareofthefangirl]

I saw your Bakugou post and do you think you could do hcs for sweet, secret things that Kyoutani does for his S/O?

Hi dear! Sure, I can! I find very funny how loved Kyoken-chan is, it’ a pleasure writing about him! (I like the angry boy too, dw) I hope you like them!

Have a nice day!

Kyoutani Kentarou x Reader, Sweet Secret Things Headcanons

-He likes picking strays because he loves animals and he also loves seeing you getting all enthusiastic and giddy about them. However, he doesn’t want to ruin his bad guy-like image (as if you didn’t know the truth) so he has thought about the perfect strategy: he picks them while going to your house, then frees them in the garden, rings the doorbell and fakes a snort of surprise as he let you know that a cat/dog “has gotten lost in your garden again”.

- His dog loves you, deeply; you always mock Kyoutani saying that now it prefers you over him and he grumbles back some insults, hitting lightly the back of your head. Truth is, he has trained the puppy to recognize you as his partner in secret, just to make you happy.

-He asks to Iwazumi, Yahaba and even Oikawa when he’s really desperate, suggestions about gifts or places where to bring you on a date. Even if they tease him a lot, everyone tries to be helpful, especially Oikawa, who wants to be considered as well as Iwa-chan is.

-He makes sure there are your favorite sweets in the cupboard for when you go over to study; if not, he goes to buy them himself.

-Sometimes he fails an exam or fakes to not understand just to have you tutor him.

-Oikawa has scared him to death saying that every flower has a meaning and if he messed up you were going to misunderstand, so he bought a book about flower meanings and now is a freaking expert, even if he would prefer to die than to admit it.

-He sweetly tucks the blanket and leaves a kiss on your forehead when you fall asleep on the couch.

-He glares from behind you at every single person that could ever think to hit on you.

-He’s gotten in less and less fights because he doesn’t want his bad reputation to rub on you.

-When they have a match at your school, Kyoutani has had a fight/argument/discussion with the Oikawa Fanclub to persuade (force) them to save you a seat in the front row. You think you’re just lucky when you find one every time.

-Kyoutani is a living furnace and could walk in the snow wearing a t-shirt. However, he always brings a jacket only to give it to you when you’re cold, even if he tries to put a front by complaining about how clumsy you are.

-He likes to stare at your nape when you pull your hair in a pony-tail. He wants to mark you, jfyi.

-When the two of you sleep together and you roll away from him in the sleep, he literally moves you back against his chest and cages you in his arms.

-He has watched all the tv series, listened to all the songs and even tried to read all the books (but failed in this case, so he has read the summaries online) you talk about, so that he can have a proper chat with you and understanding what you are saying. Not that you can know it, as he expresses himself mostly in monosyllables.

-The one watering the plants in your apartment and keeping them alive? Kyoutani. He knows you would kill them in a day and then cry and apologize because they were his gift, so he avoids the problem by saving them for you.

-He saves all of your selfies. Every week, he changes the background of his phone with one of them.

-When speaking with other people while you’re not there, he refers to you a lot by saying “my girlfriend” because he’s too proud of having been chosen by you to stay quiet.

-He has understood which shampoo of his do you like and buys only that brand.

-Every time you do something cute or try to “seduce him” (like batting your eyelashes, showing puppy eyes, showering him in compliments, clinging to his arm…) he deadpans or shoves you away (playfully) with a growl. The moment you look away, he becomes red from the base of the neck to the point of the ears. He’s dying to jump on you and hug and kiss you right where you are.

-He cleans his messy bedroom every time you come. That’s why his parents love you.

-He has a part-time job so that he can take you on a surprise trip in the summer.

-He plans your dates in advance, even if he always asks you out at the last minute.

-He has a box with all the cute things he has bought for you on an impulse but has never had the nerves to give to you. He’s working on it, though.

-He loves to let you see his soft sides or how much he loves you as if he weren’t aware of you and you were “spying his secret faces”, yet he perfectly knows and does it on purpose to make you feel happy and loved.

[casper-has-a-cat]

WARNING: descriptions of vomit below!

read the warning!

read the warning!

read the warning!

okay, you’ve been warned!  please enjoy the fic!

“I’m fine, Oikawa, leave me alone,��� Iwaizumi brushed Oikawa’s concerned hand from his shoulder, but took the hint and sat on Oikawa’s bed.  “Now tell me what your nightmare was about so I can go back to sleep.”

Oikawa frowned.  He’d called Iwaizumi over to his house in the middle of the night, as he’d done many nights before, complaining of a scary dream, and Iwaizumi had come, but something was wrong.  Iwaizumi’s face was pale and sweaty, but he would shiver every so often as if he was cold.

In short, Oikawa’s suspicions were validated, though for once he wished he’d been wrong.  The thing is, Oikawa hadn’t had a nightmare tonight.  He’d had trouble sleeping, sure, but the main reason he’d called Iwaizumi over was because he’d noticed that his friend’s bedroom light was on at three am for the third night in a row and he was worried.

Of course, he hadn’t known it would be this bad.  He crossed his arms.  “Iwa-chan, your light was on before I called, and I know you can’t sleep unless it’s dark.”  Iwaizumi scowled and avoided making eye contact.  Oikawa sighed.  “I’m sorry.”

Iwaizumi’s head snapped up.  “For what?”

“For making you come here so late on Monday,” he replied, sincerely.  On Monday, Oikawa had actually had a nightmare, and a really bad one at that; he normally made a point not to call Iwaizumi after one in the morning, but this one had been particularly awful.  He’d tried to calm himself for two hours before relenting and phoning his friend at four am, and he worried that it had messed with Iwaizumi’s sleep schedule.  But Iwaizumi was shaking his head.

“I don’t mind that; never apologize for your nightmares,” he said, sternly as ever.  “I’m always here for you if you need me.”

Oikawa nodded, then turned to Iwaizumi with a stern expression of his own.  “I know.”  He put a hand, gentle but unyieldingly firm, to Iwaizumi’s cheek, forcing him to keep eye-contact.  “Iwa-chan, you’re my best friend, and you worry about me all the time, and I trust you enough to tell you when I’m not okay because of that.  I’m asking you to return that trust now, if you can.”

“Oikawa…” Iwaizumi’s expression was unreadable, though it was clear from his frown that he was somewhat perplexed.  Then he punched Oikawa in the arm.

“Ow!”  Oikawa explained, looking to inspect the injury, but also noting that the jab had been less forceful than usual.  “Iwa-chan, why-“

When he looked back at his friend, Oikawa’s breath was immediately stolen by the tears in Iwaizumi’s eyes.  Even as Iwaizumi laughed he sounded like he was crying.

“When did you become a poet, huh, Shittykawa?”  Iwaizumi sniffled, voice rough as his mouth worked in vain to maintain a transparent and watery smile.  For once, Oikawa, didn’t know what to say.  So instead of trying to find the non-existent perfect words for this situation, he opened his arms wide and offered a kind smile.

That seemed to do the trick, because in a heartbreaking moment, Iwaizumi let out a strangled noise and fell onto Oikawa’s chest with a deep sob.  Oikawa held his friend tight and petted his hair gently, wondering what could have possibly led to all of this.

“Oh, Iwa-chan,” he sighed.

They stayed like that for a long while, until Iwaizumi’s sobs finally tapered off into hiccups, and his breathing fell back into a regular, though still shaky, rhythm.  Oikawa shifted so that he could lie down beside the other boy.  He wiped the lingering tears from Iwaizumi’s red eyes and squeezed his hand.

“Do you want to talk about it?  Is there anything I can do to help?”  He asked quietly.  Iwaizumi shrugged, his face now looking as though his emotions had all left along with his tears.  Maybe he was just drained, but Oikawa feared it was an indication of the return of Iwaizumi’s old acquaintance, Depression.

“Can you try to tell me?”

Iwaizumi nodded, and spoke flatly after clearing his throat.  “My dad lost his job,” he shrugged, as if it was no big deal.  Oikawa’s heart ached as he recalled a conversation they’d had yesterday.

“Iwa-chan, why won’t you walk home with me after practice any more?”

“I have to go to work.”

Oikawa pouted.  “Why do you have to work so much now?”

“Who says I don’t just prefer work to spending time with you?”

Iwaizumi never lied- it’s one of the reasons Oikawa had been so dead set on their being best friends as kids.  Still, that didn’t mean he lacked the ability to skillfully avoid telling the truth.  And Oikawa had been too eager to wallow in self-pity to notice.

“So that’s why you’ve been working all the time…”

Iwaizumi made an affirmative noise.  “Thought I could help out a bit.  Wasn’t that bad, at first, but my parents got angry because my grades have dropped-“

“Because you’ve been sacrificing your time to help them!”

“-and they said if I don’t get them up I’ll have to quit volleyball to make more time,” Iwaizumi explained, as if he hadn’t been interrupted.  Oikawa’s heart dropped and he could hardly hear over the angry noises in his head.  As if that wasn’t enough to make anyone go insane, Iwaizumi continued.

“I stayed up late Wednesday to get my homework done, and got up early to work out to make up for how bad I did at practice on Tuesday, but the twins were sick with the flu, so I ended up taking care of them instead - sorry, Oikawa.”

Oikawa sputtered.  “For what?  Putting your little brothers first?  Are you insane?  And everyone has off-days!  You know that!”

Iwaizumi blinked.  “Right.  Sorry, I’m kind of tired, not thinking straight for some reason…”

Oikawa made an incredulous noise.  “Can’t imagine why,” he mumbled under his breath.  Then he spoke up.  “You should get some sleep, Iwa-chan.  Don’t worry about anything else for now, okay?”

Iwaizumi shook his head and squirmed a bit, as if trying to sit up.  “I gotta- gotta get my homework done-“

“No,” Oikawa put a hand on Iwaizumi’s chest.  “We’re not going to school tomorrow.  You’re sick, you need to rest.”

“Practice-“

“We can take a day off, Iwa-chan.”  Oikawa frowned.  “You’re such a hypocrite, always telling me not to overwork myself.”

Iwaizumi was asleep before Oikawa even began his lecture, but the other boy didn’t mind.  He just lay down next to his friend and allowed himself to drift off, too.

He woke up about an hour later to the sound of feverish sleeptalking.

“‘m sorry, I’m sorry,” Iwaizumi was muttering.  “Don’t know why, can’t spike it.  ‘m sorry!”

Iwaizumi flailed and let out a sob that woke him up.  Immediately, he tried to stand, but the blankets tangled around his feet slowed him enough that Oikawa was able to grab his arm.

“Iwa-chan, what’s wrong?”

Iwaizumi hiccuped.  “I’m sorry, Oikawa, I need to practice or I won’t get in to the same school as you.”

“No, Iwa-chan, listen to me.  We don’t have a clue where we’re going to college yet.  It was just a dream.”

“A… dream?”  Iwaizumi blinked bleary eyes.

“Yeah, a dream,” Oikawa confirmed.  He was relieved when Iwaizumi laid back down, the tension draining from his figure.  The sick boy soon fell back asleep, but Oikawa lay there awake trying to dismiss the scary new idea that Iwaizumi had put into his head.  What would he do if his best friend went to a different college?  It was a problem for the still distant future Oikawa to worry about, but it kept him awake in the present nonetheless.

He was only just starting to drift off when he heard a strangled noise next to him.  He turned to watch just as Iwaizumi threw up, puke filling his mouth and pooling over it down his chin.  Oikawa immediately pushed the sick boy onto his side so he wouldn’t choke, and Iwaizumi made a disoriented noise of defiance.

“You’ll be fine, Iwa-chan, just breathe,” Oikawa soothed.  He could tell Iwaizumi was still waking up when the muscles in his stomach and back tensed again, ushering up another wave of vomit that spilled onto Oikawa’s bed and the floor.  Iwaizumi let out a strangled, confused sob and shuddered as he woke up fully.

“It’s okay,” Oikawa assured him.  “Don’t worry about the mess.”

“What-“  Another wave of nausea washed over Iwaizumi, silencing him.

“You got sick in your sleep, Iwa-chan, but it’s okay, I don’t mind.”

“I gotta-“  Iwaizumi was cut off with a heave, which he quickly suppressed.

“Let it out.”

Iwaizumi shook his head, and this time managed to get himself out of bed.  Oikawa followed him to the bathroom, staying close in case Iwaizumi’s shaky legs gave out on him.  In the bathroom, Iwaizumi bent over the toilet and heaved, but nothing came up.  He continued to retch for long, drawn out minutes, and shrugged Oikawa’s hands off of him when the other boy tried to rub his back.

“Iwa-chan, you have to let it out.”

“Can’t,” Iwaizumi muttered.

“Let me help,” Oikawa begged.  Iwaizumi hesitated for a moment, then nodded.  Biting his lip, Oikawa hugged Iwaizumi around the waist, then applied pressure to his stomach.  It took a few tries, but eventually it got to be too much, and thin streams of Iwaizumi’s stomach contents began splashing into the toilet.  It was awful.  Every heave brought up a little more, but it seemed like it would never end.  Heave after heave brought up more and more sick.  Iwaizumi had been there for nearly an hour with hardly enough time to breathe between retches by the time it stopped.

“Good job, Iwa-chan,” Oikawa whispered, a little bit in awe.  “Do you feel any better?”

Iwaizumi shrugged, and Oikawa sighed.  “You’ll be alright, eventually, Iwa-chan,” he whispered, hoping he was right.  Tears were leaking from Iwaizumi’s eyes again and Oikawa’s heart stuttered.  “I’m right here whenever you need me.”

At first he thought Iwaizumi didn’t hear him.  Then the sick boy laid his head in Oikawa’s lap, and started drifting off to sleep, right there on the bathroom floor.  Oikawa squawked, but quieted in time to hear Iwaizumi mumble, “Thank you, Tooru.”

“It’s not- you don’t- no need- argh!”  He growled, blushing and struggling with words.  “Just don’t ever overwork yourself like that again, H- Ha-chan!”

Iwaizumi cracked an eye open, nodded his agreement, and fell asleep with a small smile on his face.

send me an ask!

[haikyuulovercompany]

Iwaizumi - I need you by bts ❤

Done, hon!!! I hope you enjoy it!!

——

I Need You - Iwaizumi Hajime

Iwaizumi was famously known as a seriousguy blessed with humbleness and a ginormous common sense. Maybe some knew himfor his over the top angriness at Oikawa at times. That was the only way to getthrough his best friend’s thick head. It was because he cared.

He would be straightforward if it meant tosave someone he cared about from any type of hurt. He wouldn’t run around anissue if it meant it could damage his people. The ones who knew him respectedhim for the hidden caring nature he possessed.  

So what was someone like him doing, pinningover a girl who had nothing to offer other than games? Why wasn’t he caringabout himself? His common sense screamed at him to take his heart and shelterhimself from the natural disaster that was that girl. He still didn’t do it.

Becauseof you, I’m becoming ruinedI wanna stop, I don’t want you anymoreI can’t do it

Pleasedon’t give me any excuses

If he could easily see what she intendedwith every smile, every glare she threw at him from across the school corridors,then he decided to ignore it.

It didn’t matter anyways. Whether he wasaware or not was entirely irrelevant to his feelings. They had gone through thesame routine so many times that it already seemed like a well rehearsed stageplay.

The show started with him catching herbeing too close, too affectionate with other guys. It didn’t matter where, orwho else witness this, she was shameless. Part two was he storming out of theplace and waiting for the right moment to face her. He would be wrathful, andscreaming at her how could she do that to him? Part three was she crying,bawling, begging for a chance to explain. And he would let her because thoseshimmering tears tirelessly falling across her cheeks were enough to soft himdown. His heart clenched at the sight and he couldn’t deny anything to her.

The end of the show was simple. She wouldgive the same old speech she now knew by memory about how she wasn’t ready fora serious relationship, but that he meant more than any other guy. Her eyes suddenlywould change from desperation to craftiness, and she would declare his deathsentence. “You’re the only one with who I do things. You’re that special to me.”

Youcan’t do this to meAll of the things you said are like a maskIt hides the truth and rips me apartIt pierces me, I’m going crazy

Takeit all away

  It wasn’t nearly enough for Iwaizumi. Noamount of physical action could ever replace the reassurance that came alongwith emotional safeness. What he wanted to get wasn’t one sporadic night withher. He wanted the compromise, the comfort of having to be loyal.

Oikawa had asked him once if he trulybelieved she could give him what he needed. Oikawa didn’t mean it in the usualasshole way he meant almost everything. Iwaizumi was aware what he was tryingto say.

After everything, would he be able totrust her? Would he be able to see her talking to other guys without thinkingabout the worse case scenario?“It would be different,” Iwaizumi had answered. Oikawa didn’t push further intothe matter.

“If you say so, Iwa-chan.”

By then his best friend had said to himeverything he could. Words were useless, and Oikawa knew when something was alost case. Iwaizumi was in a fight of his own. He would always excuse heractions.

Iwaizumi had a valid point after all. Shewasn’t really cheating on him. She hadn’t accepted to formalize whatever sickrelationship they had because she still wanted the world. She wasn’t ready tosettle down. He was the one who had decided to wait for her.  

Itgoes round & round, why do I keep coming backI go down & down, at this point, I’m just a foolWhatever I do, I can’t help it 

 When the spark between them started it hadbeen nothing special. They liked each other. He was just like the other guys thatfluttered around her wishing to call for her attention. He was another one. Hehadn’t perceived the abnormal quantity of male population she attracted as ared flag. There was nothing wrong in enjoying yourself. At first even he was.

Once he started knowing her, the small andbig parts of what composed her whole being, everything changed. It was not onlyhis body but now his soul was also invested on her. He had forgotten there weremore girls out in the world. For him only she existed. And he had thought thosefeelings flowed both ways. She also had started to express a different touch towardshim, a craving for… more. He was beyond wrong.

He yearned not for quick desire but forlove. He needed her to give him the love he was urgently trying to give her. Tobe forced to observe how others wrapped their arms around her waist, provokingplayful laughs to come out of her lips was killing him. He wanted to be theonly one able to that. He wanted her eyes stuck on him, his hand on hers, herhead on his chest. It was all a cliché, but all those things were a cliché fora reason. The intimate moments where sex was not involved were infinitely moreprecious.

And so, he cried in the loneliness of hisroom. He spilled tears of frustration in secrecy. His nails dug on his skull ashe bent his body forward letting a deep, painful groan out. It was all beingtoo much. He would give her the world she wanted, all the stars and the moon.

He had seen his friends fall in loveseveral times. He saw them in their current relationships worrying about thecorrect gift, getting nervous over meeting her parents, or hurrying afterweekend trainings about picking her up on time. And he envied them so goddamnmuch. He wanted all of that, not mere illusions.

It’s definitely my heart, my feelings butwhy don’t they listen to meI’m just talking to myself again.You’re not saying anything, please; I’ll treat you well

He was miserable and whose fault was that?She was the unattainable girl and he had fallen for her without being cautiousabout what he was getting himself into. He’d never set up boundaries. He hadjumped off of the edge for her without making sure she was going to jump withhim. Now he was hopelessly trying to hold on to someone who was like water, hecould try to keep it between his hands, but in a matter of seconds it wouldslip between his fingers. What once was a blind love now was a mix ofimpotence, infatuation and even obsession, a deadly mix that shattered hisheart every single day.

Sometimes he would blatantly see her withempty eyes, and she would look back at him identifying the damages she hascaused in him. She would then rebuild him with empty lies and soft touches. Andit won’t be too long before she let him down yet again.

Why is it you? Why did it have to be you?Why can’t I leave you? 

He wasn’t surprised by the lack ofcommentary from his friends. They were all tired of constantly repeating to himhe had become a shell of himself. Dark circles surrounded his tired eyes fromall the nights he had spent feeling worthless, and retaining himself to go toher house and scream at her to stop it all. She needed to let him go before shekilled him from inside out. He had done everything he could to satisfy her, tobe the guy who she needed, who she wanted by her side. Nothing was ever enough.He was not enough to fill her. He was her favorite, but not the only one. Neverthe one.

And even with that knowledge it only tooka call, a glare, a laugh, and he was in the deep end again. She would only haveto say the words, and he would be on his knees ready for whatever she wouldwant. A puppet, a toy in a shelf she picked up when she was bored.

And Iwaizumi would be there for her, lyingto himself that those few glimpses of affection were a signal of hope. He wouldsee a chance completely ignoring the bitter true that waited for him in thenext morning. It wasn’t healthy, it was nerve wrecking, it was challenging, andhe still took the blow if it meant be with her one more time.

Who had he become?

Why am I in love alone, why am I hurtingaloneWhy do I keep needing you when I know I’ll get hurt?

Ineed you girl.

——

Thanks for the request! I hope you liked it! 

[evilauthorsclub]

Never Be Fine

He’s fine. It’s something he’s had to say for years when it became quite obvious that Oikawa wasn’t special, that the only thing magical about him that made him normal was the name printed on his skin in a deep burgundy, stark against the pale skin of his inner wrist. He supposes he’d be considered special if his mark was. Soulmarks are rarely boring. As a window to the soul, soulmarks represent what one’s soulmate is like. No mark is the same, no name written out exactly alike. He’s seen the girls around school who have an entire limb covered by their mark, with intricate designs and an array of colors that could rival any tattoo one could design. He, on the other hand, merely has the words ‘Tendou Satori’ written out on his wrist in a simple print. Small enough to hide beneath a watch.

But again, he’s fine.

If he wasn’t fine, then that meant he was hurting, and if he was hurting than he would break and if there’s one thing that Oikawa refuses to do its break .

That doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to.

Breaking would be so easy. So easy to just crumble and fall under the pressure. He wishes his pride would let him.

It won’t.

As it is, it’s his pride that put him in the situation he’s in now, with a scowl on his face and a snarl on his tongue.

Iwaizumi is standing in front of him, face torn between anger and hurt, hands clenched at his side.

“You’re being ridiculous Tooru.” He screams at him, and maybe he’s right. Maybe Oikawa is being ridiculous. Except.

Except Oikawa is tired . He’s tired of pretending, tired of being a pity case. He’s tired of Iwaizumi looking at him as if he’s about to break.

Most of all though he’s tired of living a lie.

“He’s grouchier than you.”  Oikawa says. “Even more of a brute.”

“Tooru, would you please -”

“I guess that’s why you have Mr. Refreshing too huh?”

“ Tooru. ”

Iwaizumi looks far too pale for someone who had just found not just one but both his soulmates, someone who’s life had just fallen into place just as fate had wanted.

Oikawa wants to take that look away. He wants his Iwa-chan smiling again, wants to pretend they can move past this. He wants and that’s the whole problem isn’t it? He wants and wants and wants but that doesn’t mean he can have.

It doesn’t mean Oikawa can’t lose his boyfriend of three years and childhood best friend just because Iwaizumi finally realized how amazing his soulmates are.

It had only been a matter of time, he knew that from the beginning. Knew from the instant spark of heat he had seen pass between Iwaizumi and a gruff and bulky and far too intimidating first year named Kyoutani Kentarou back when they were younger. Knew it when their first practice match against Karasuno had pushed a boy by the name of Sugawara Koushi to the bench to cheer on his teammates on the sidelines. A boy who flinched when Oikawa had called out Iwaizumi’s name right as he had entered the game.

Sugawara Koushi and Kyoutani Kentarou. Two names so different, just as different as the two men who held them. Two names that are printed along the tan skin of Iwaizumi’s chest, right over his heart, right where they belonged.

“We can make this work.”

The pleading in his voice is unexpected, so much that Oikawa can’t help the shocked expression he wears when he finally meets Iwaizumi’s gaze again.

It’s not often that Iwaizumi cries. Its rare enough that when it happens Oikawa is left floundering for an excuse to make him stop, because he doesn’t know how to handle it. Iwaizumi looks the same now as he did the last time he had cried, and just like before Oikawa wants to help.

Except they can’t keep pretending forever.

Oikawa Tooru is eighteen years old when he graduates from Aoba Jousai and bids his teammates farewell one last time. He is eighteen years old when he tells Iwaizumi goodbye as well.

Oikawa is eighteen years old and he’s fine .

The first month of college is exactly how Oikawa pictured it. Long, stressful, and oh so busy. He spends most of his days either downing three cups of coffee a day to keep up with his rigorous training or tugging at his hair fretfully with his nose in no less than three text books.

The second month he’s starting to get his footing, though not by much, and it’s only with the help of an annoying but well meaning teammate named Bokuto decides that he’s atrocious at math and decides to assist him. He honestly thought Bokuto had been joking at first, but after the surprisingly intimidating wing spiker dragged him to the library after practice one day and forced the setter to remember an entire sheet of formulas and theories, Oikawa thinks that maybe he is wrong.

Oikawa is proven wrong when he manages to ace an exam for the first time ever after two weeks of gruelling tutoring sessions.

Not that he’s going to admit that.

By the third month Oikawa admits that he may finally gotten used to the differences between high school and college. It’s much more work than Oikawa predicted but he’s managing. If he’s only managed around twelve hours of sleep in the last four days and stayed at least two hours after their team’s official practice has ended to work on his serves and sets, well. It’s not like he has anyone around now to stop him.

It’s in the third month that not just one but two very annoying faces decide to insert themselves in his life.

Ushijima Wakatoshi barrels through his college the same way he does the court, with a purpose and confidence that sets Oikawa on edge just breathing near him. He had been eternally grateful when he found out the college Ushijima had chosen, while still far too close to him, wasn’t his. It does, however, beg the question as to why Ushijima is at his school now.

If Oikawa was kinder he might have offered to ask just why the great Ushiwaka decided to grace his school with his overbearing presence. As it is though, Oikawa decides his little corner of the courtyard is far too cozy to move from, and instead watches amusedly as the other continues to look around skeptically, obviously lost.

Ushijima doesn’t seem all too interested at the other students throwing him suspicious glances, or the way a group of girls passing by take one look at his body and scuttle away blushing and giggling. Its obvious he’s not looking for something, but some one and Oikawa instantly tries to wrack his brain for any familiar faces he may haved passed in the halls on the way to class that screamed ‘Shiratorizawa-made.’ It’s a large campus though, and after a few minutes Oikawa comes up blank and accepts the fact that he’s going to have to just keep watching to find out.

He doesn’t expect the shock of red hair.

Oikawa counts himself as extremely lucky to have not been taking a drink because if he had he would have choked and it would have been none other than Ushiwaka’s fault. No that’s not entirely true. Ushiwaka wouldn’t have been the only one to blame.

Tendou Satori would have shared at least half of the blame for his death.

It’s not clear who spots who first. It really doesn’t matter, he supposes, with the way Ushi’s constant scowl seems to give way to an actual smile or the way Tendou whoops loudly as he barrels into his ex captains chest.

It’s a touching scene, Oikawa admits, even as he feels his insides twist with a familiar ache and his soulmark burning on his wrist when he watches Tendou smile up at Ushijima, watches the tallers expression melt into a sort of exasperated fondness at the red-heads antics.  Tendou merely grinning in response, just as he leans up and catches the other in a sweet kiss.

Oikawa takes that as his cue to leave.

His hands are shaking slightly, he realizes, as he moves to stand from his little corner. Its faint, the tremors, but they’re still there and that’s more than enough to have him quicken his pace.

He’ll just say he’s late to class anyway, he decides, should anyone ask why the ever popular Oikawa-san had all but bolted out of the courtyard that day. He’ll just smile at the concerned glances thrown his way, honey dipped words soothing any worry.

Afterall, he’s fine.

Tendou Satori starts popping up in Oikawa’s line of vision everyday for the remainder of the semester. It seems that whatever rock Oikawa been living under decided he needed a bit of sun and decided that throwing the illustrious Guess Monster at him was the perfect way to do just that.

Oikawa can’t seem to escape him.

Now that he’s aware Tendou attends his school it’s impossible to ignore, and though he misses his ignorance he determines to plow on as he always did before. It’s easy, as it should be, to continue to ignore Tendou’s existence. Afterall they share no classes, no breaks, and as far as Oikawa can tell they don’t even share the same dormitory. Even better is that it seems Tendou is completely unaware of Oikawa’s existence. So Oikawa merely carries on with his life, spending weeks on end either in the gym practicing or his room studying, and before he knows it finals have arrived and then the semester is over.

If throughout those weeks he just so happened to include Oikawa scratching idly at his wrist where his soulmark is, well. It’s fine.

Oikawa can’t say he’s not happy to be headed home for a visit. He really can’t, because he gets to see his sister and parents again as well as his adorable nephew. He also plans on visiting his old team and checking in with Yahaba to see how he’s handling his role of captain.

So yes, he’s excited as can be, and he’s in good spirits when he finally manages to step off the train with his suitcase rolling behind him.

That mood ends when he sees a certain Mr. Refreshing lip locked with Iwaizumi not too far away from his train.

It shouldn’t bug him, he tells himself over and over. It shouldn’t because he chose this, it was his decision to cut all contact with Iwaizumi the moment he stepped on a train to Tokyo without nothing more than a goodbye and never looked back.

That doesn’t mean the pain isn’t still there.

He figures he should be mature about it though, confront them both and tie up any loose ends. He should, but he’s only on the cusp of being twenty and frankly maturity can screw itself in the ass.

Oikawa tries to slip past them without drawing their attention instead.

He is almost near the front of the station, almost home free, when a hesitant and shocked “Tooru?” reaches his ears.

Oikawa turns around to see not just Iwaizumi staring incredulously at him, but Mr. Refreshing – Suga, his name is Suga – himself.

Oikawa can only imagine what he looks like at the moment, with eyes wide like a deer caught in headlights, and the small shake in his hand that he can never seem to stop when under pressure. He must be a sight, because Iwaizumi looks worried, and for that matter so does Sugawara as they close in on him.

They reach him far quicker than Oikawa can get his mask back up.

“Long time no see Iwa-chan.” Oikawa starts when it becomes apparent Iwaizumi won’t speak first, and Sugawara seems uncertain of what exactly is going on. “I didn’t expect to see you at the station.” The ‘ or at all’ isn’t said but it rings loud and clear. Oikawa knows Iwaizumi got the message when he flinches ever so slightly. Sugawara’s brow furrows.

“Oikawa-san” The silver haired man starts, “It’s nice to officially meet you. Well, off the court that is.”

His face is welcoming and warm to a degree Oikawa wishes was insincere. It almost hurts looking at, the way Sugawara seems so genuinely pleased to meet him. It almost makes Oikawa want to forgive .

Except there’s nothing to even forgive, if he’s honest with himself, because for him to forgive Sugawara the other would have to actually have done something in the first place. Sugawara didn’t choose to have Iwaizumi’s name on his skin, just like Iwaizumi didn’t choose to have his. Fate’s a fickle thing and a bitch to boot, so he can’t hold that over Sugawara just as he can’t hold it over Iwaizumi.

Iwaizumi remains quiet, and Oikawa knows whatever he does here and now determines the outcome of their friendship.

So Oikawa merely smiles back, lets the bitterness settle down, and greets one of his best friends soulmates as if his heart isn’t ripping to pieces the longer he stays.

He leaves back to Tokyo at the end of their break with a relationship on the mend between he and Iwaizumi and tentative new friendships with Sugawara and Kyoutani. For the first time in a while, he’s actually fine.

New semesters bring new challenges and Oikawa knows this. He has accepted the fact that his second semester of college would be no easier than the first, and he was fine with that, really. He was fine all the way back to the campus, he was fine the entire trip to where a school official was handing out the keys to his new dorm room and he was even fine on his trek up to where he and his new roommate would be spending the next six months together. His last roommate wasn’t too terrible, and he’s not too worried about this one being anything but bearable as well.

He stopped being fine when he opened the door to his new room and found no other than Tendou Satori behind it.

“You have got to be shitting me.” Is the first thing out of Tendou’s mouth once he spots Oikawa gaping from the doorway, and Oikawa just knows this semester will be a long one.

He’s made it through worse before though. He’ll be fine.

Oikawa is, admittedly, the complete opposite of fine by the time the first month of their living arrangement ends. While it hadn’t been perfect at first, what with Oikawa’s pride and Tendou’s everything they were bound to clash on more than one occasion. The entire first week had been spent like that. If Tendou wasn’t butting his nose into things that it certainly did not belong in (like his soulmark for starters) than Oikawa was tripping over discarded Shonen Jump magazines left haphazardly across their shared space and screaming at Tendou to stop being such a pig.

It’s not his best moment, if he’s honest with himself. Really Tendou isn’t so different from Oikawa’s old roommate.

Except for the fact his old roommate hadn’t been his soulmate, of course.  And that’s the problem isn’t it? Oikawa is bitter and defensive because he’s trapped in a room with the man who had no clue they were soulmates.

The man who had the name Ushijima Wakatoshi enveloping the entire length of his left arm instead of the name Oikawa Tooru .

When the second week seems as if it’s going to follow the same pattern as the previous Oikawa knows somethings going to have to give. The problem is Tendou doesn’t even know why Oikawa is so damn bitter, besides the seeming belief that he’s still holding a grudge against Ushijima. (Which isn’t true. He let go of that grudge the day he saw a murder of crows take down the mighty eagle, and the way Ushijima had held Tendou after everything was over.) Still, seeing as Tendou is oblivious, it’s Oikawa that will have to relent.

It goes… About as well as expected. There is sharp words and low blows, but at the end of it all Tendou is laughing at Oikawa’s need to always be so damn serious, and Oikawa trying to ignore the way Tendou’s laugh makes the burning of his mark ease just the slightest.

It’s getting harder to ignore. He still insists that he’s fine.

Befriending Tendou is possibly the best and worst mistake Oikawa had ever made. It’s a friendship not unlike what he had between Makki and Mattsun, full of memes and regret , and honestly had it been between him and anyone else he’d easily have become a best friend in no time. Except.

Except Oikawa can only lie for so long without crumbling.

If there’s one thing Oikawa’s soulmark has taught him it’s that all good things must come to an end. It’s easy at first, pretending Tendou’s casual touches don’t make his heart quicken or send chills down his spine. It’s easy, until it’s not.

He would have been fine. Really. He had been doing so good and he had been pretty damn proud of the way his mask never once slipped. Sure, Ushijima’s frequent visits left him rattled for days afterwards. It was only to be expected, and as petty as he can be he can’t find it in him to hate the other man for wanting to be with his soulmate as much as he can. Afterall, Oikawa is. Hell, he lives with his soulmate. His soulmate just doesn’t know it.

Which, yeah okay hurts but really he’s getting over it. He is.

Of course that’s when fate decides it’s not done screwing him over just yet.

He’ll never admit it, not even under pain of death but Oikawa had often found himself imagining just what Tendou would look like when being fucked into the mattress. He’s human, and a growing man, and who also is being forced to live with his soulmate without ever knowing what exactly his touch feels like. So yes, Oikawa thinks it’s perfectly normal to have imagined such a scene once or twice. Which is why, in Oikawa’s mind, Tendou was a screamer.

He really wishes he had been right on that.

If he had been, then maybe he would have known something was up when he decided to come back to his dorm a few hours early to the very surprising lack of noise coming from their room. If he had, then maybe he would have questioned just why the lights had been off in the room when he knew Tendou was already back.

If he had, he wouldn’t have proceeded to, against all better judgement, turn on the lights just to see a very naked and very red Tendou pinned beneath an equally naked Ushijima.

There’s a very small moment when Oikawa is too shocked to even move that Tendou’s eyes meet his. One moment where Oikawa wants to scream about how this isn’t fair to the universe, before he stutters out a quick apology before slamming the door shut and bolting.

His soulmark is burning and there are tears prickling in the corners of his eyes but it’s fine . Just like it always is.

He ends up going to the gym to practice. It’s the only thing that clears his head anymore. He keeps at it until every muscle is burning and he limps his way out afterwards. He ends up sleeping at a friends that night.

He spends most the night assuring himself he’s fine.

It becomes a sort of unspoken rule between Oikawa and Tendou to not bring that night up. It’s stupid really, how deep of a rift it seemed to cause between Oikawa and Tendou’s friendship. Oikawa can see Tendou’s confused by the sudden cold shoulder, and he can’t blame him for that. It’s no secret between them that Ushijima is the red-heads soulmate, and that they fuck wherever Ushijima can make it over for a visit. It’s no secret, but there’s a difference between knowing something and actually witnessing it.

Oikawa’s soulmark had been burning constantly since that day, and the pain is just another reminder of just how fucked he really is. So he does what he does best. He runs away from his problems.

If Oikawa isn’t in the library then he’s at the gym practicing. It’s oddly reminiscent of his first semester when he had struggled to find a balance in his new life. Which, if he’s honest, is fitting for his situation. Whatever balance Oikawa had found had completely shattered along with any sort of ignorance he pretended to still have. He only returns to his and Tendou’s room when he knows the other will be asleep and he rises just early enough to shower and get changed before Tendou wakes.

If he’s lucky he gets around five hours of sleep at night by doing this, and between school and practice Oikawa can feel his body protesting the abuse. His knee in particular, which had only acted up once or twice a month if he was careful, throbbed steadily at all hours. The limp had yet to go entirely away, seemingly only getting worse each minute weight was put on it, but if there was one thing Oikawa was used to it was pain. He ices it when he can, a few quick trips to the nurse in between classes, before returning right back to what he had been doing.

Tendou had seemed to have given up on trying to corner Oikawa somewhere around the third week following that night. Oikawa would says he’s grateful, because with games coming up that’s one less thing to worry about, but it’s a bittersweet feeling. His mom had always told him how his dad had chased her for months on end to get a date with her, even after they realized they were soulmates. He always imagined his soulmate would have done the same, and as a child Oikawa had dreamed of his soulmate chasing after him no matter what stood between them. It had always seemed so romantic to him.

He realizes now how childish a thought that had been.

Oikawa still doesn’t return to his rooms unless he knows Tendou’s asleep though. Habits are a hard thing to break and even if Tendou stopped chasing him he can’t guarantee he can stop running. He’s too good at it.

It’s not any different that night. Instead of following his senpais and heading back to their dorms or with their friends out after practice Oikawa lingers behind. When he offers to lock the gym up himself he’s given the keys and a stern warning not to fool around before being left to his own devices. Oikawa knows the drill by now, after spending weeks doing such, Oikawa makes sure the gym is cleared out and as tidy as needed before he grabs the cart they keep the balls in. Without a spiker practicing sets is nearly useless, so improving his serve is his main focus in these late night sessions. He doesn’t need to per say, his serve is nearly unmatched even at college level, but that doesn’t mean Oikawa can afford to slack and if that means heaving his way through another three hours then he’ll do just that.

He starts off easy, as he always does, facing off against an opponent that isn’t there and focusing on controlling where the ball lands. It’s something he’s good at, but knows he could be better, and the first hour is spent with him trying to hit the same four spots over and over again while increasing the serves power.

The second hour follows a similar routine, except this time the focus is on power alone. If he’s being honest the second hour is just an excuse to blow off steam. Without the focus of accuracy, Oikawa is free to hit the ball as fast and as hard as he possibly can. He cannot even begin to count how many bruises the second hour usually costs him, or deny the way his palms sting and blister and his hands can’t stop shaking even hours after he finished up practice. He should stop, or at least lessen the amount of time spent doing such, but he’s stubborn. It doesn’t help that Oikawa can only truly feel like he isn’t drowning until after the hour is up.

The third hour is typically where Oikawa’s more self-destructive tendencies become a problem. His energy is usually drained by his point, knee throbbing and arms practically screaming from the exercise. It’s in the third hour that Oikawa can practically hear Iwaizumi screaming at him to stop in his head, can almost remember the way Iwaizumi’s hands feel when wrapped around his wrist as he dragged him out of the gym to rest.

It’s in the third hour that everything comes crashing down.

Oikawa doesn’t think of much when he serves. It’s a mindless task that his body has memorized the movements for, which is exactly why he should have realized the slight twinge of fear that shot through him as he jumped up to serve wasn’t a good sign. The moments he’s in the air time seems to halt for just a moment. Just one small moment, when Oikawa can see over the net and watch the ball fly gracefully over it. One moment, to realize the blinding pain in his knee, before he lands on final time.

He doesn’t remember ending up on the ground, doesn’t remember falling , but next thing he knows he is curled up screaming as he hold his knee to his chest. He’s vaguely aware of the tears falling freely down his face and the burning of his throat as his screams and cries echo in the empty gym. It hurts it hurts it hurts is the only thing going through his mind other than help and he’s dimly aware of his hands moving on autopilot to where his phone rests in his bag. He doesn’t think as he scrambles to get it out of the bag, doesn’t even think twice when he scrolls through his contact list to hit a numer he rarely ever used.

Oikawa doesn’t think even as Tendou’s sleepy and confused voice filters in through the speakers with a grumbled “Hello?” before he’s blubbering out where he is and that it hurts and it hurts so bad please, please help it hurts it hurts it hurts.

Oikawa blacks out from the pain before Tendou even makes it out the door.

When Oikawa awaken, its to blank walls and sterile sheets and a sharp pain in his knee that has him keening. When he looks down he can see a cast wrapped tightly around his knee, thick and ugly and oh so foreboding. When he tries to move it, to try to convince himself this is some twisted nightmare, the pain is too much that he flinches back into the bed with a silent scream and a few tears shed.

Oikawa is scared and confused and it’s only when he feels on the verge of a complete breakdown that he realizes he’s not the only one in the room.

If there was anybody in the world that Oikawa would choose to not be in the room with him it would be Ushijima and Tendou. Which of course means they’re both present.

Ushijima is seemingly asleep, tucked away as much as his large body allows in the furthest corner of the room so as not to impose on the staff coming in to check on Oikawa.

Tendou, however, seemed to have decided to have taken the closest seat possible to Oikawa’s bed as he could, as awake as could be and staring at where Oikawa rests.

Oikawa is just about to snap at the other for being a creep, because watching people when they sleep is beyond creepy, when he finally notices.

His band is gone. His band is gone and the name Tendou Satori stands out proudly against his wrist. Exactly where Tendou himself is staring.

Oikawa wants nothing more than to pretend to still be asleep, to pretend this isn’t happening and that when he opens his eyes Tendou and Ushijima will be gone and he’ll be safe and sound in his own bed. He tries to, except Tendou’s eyes are already on him and he knows there’s no more pretending. No more running.

Oikawa can pretend all he wants that the horrified look on Tendou’s face when their eyes meet doesn’t completely rip him apart. He can pretend that the argument following it didn’t make the burning of his soulmark burn throughout his entire arm, that even through his tears and harsh words his mind isn’t screaming ‘no please, i’m sorry,  please accept me, don’t leave please please please.’

He can pretend that his hope doesn’t completely shatter when Tendou grabs Ushijima from where he sits watching silently and storms out of the room before the nurses could finally kick them out. He can pretend all he wants that everything will get better. He can pretend for one more moment that he’s fine.

He’s just not quite ready to admit to himself that he’ll never be fine.

AO3

[lonelysetter-blog1]

Get Some Rest (One-shot)

Since I’ve had the flu these past couple of days, I’ve decided that Oikawa is suffering with me. Don’t worry, Good Boyfriend Iwaizumi™ is here to help. Hope you enjoy! ~Elle

Oikawa didn’t think he was going to be in such horrible condition.

He started coughing the day before, though not to a degree that could be deemed as concerning. Time passed, and he began to feel his nose become congested. Okay, a minor cold, he thought. He could deal with that. He’s gone to school with a cold before.

After a while, the coughing fits became more annoying as they came more often. His body would tremble with the force of which his lungs would expel out air and now, phlegm. No matter the amount of cough drops he would take, the cough wouldn’t leave. His now runny nose would have him cringe in disgust as he wiped away the mucus with tissues. Could he really go to school the next day like this? Oikawa wasn’t sure.

He pulled out his phone and began to text his boyfriend, Iwaizumi.

To: Iwa-chan <3 -Iwa-chan idk if i should go to school tomorrow -I’m sick but i feel like i’d be a lazy student if i don’t go

A minute later, his phone buzzes.

From: Iwa-chan <3 -If you don’t feel well just stay home

-You’re not a lazy student for missing a day. I’ve done it before. If it’s the case, i’ll drop by your house later and leave you your homework and the notes you need.

To: Iwa-chan <3 -Thank you Iwa-chan ( ˘ ³˘)♥

From: Iwa-chan <3 -No problem. Get some rest, Tooru.

Oikawa raised his bed from his position on his bed in order to look at the clock across the room. The time read 9:37 p.m. He should sleep now in case he actually does go to school. Oikawa changed into his pyjamas, brushed his teeth, and settled under his bedsheets. He tried to sleep, but the congested nose didn’t let him breathe properly. His cough continued to send jolts of pain in his chest. Chills ran down his body, even though he was covered in blankets. Oikawa brought a hand to his forehead and felt himself burn under the touch. This was going to be a long night.

Oikawa wasn’t sure if he had slept that night. Fever dreams roused him constantly and brought him back into his subconscious realm every time he closed his eyes for a few minutes. He twisted and turned, but also felt his body unable to move. He felt himself almost suffocating from the overwhelming heat, but broke out into a cold sweat. His pounding head, along with everything else, prevented Oikawa from tasting the sweet release of unconsciousness.

When Oikawa finally had the tiniest bit of strength to get up, he noticed the time was now 5 am. He laughed sardonically to himself as he lied back in bed and wished his coughing wouldn’t wake his parents. The next few hours were spent staring at the ceiling. The monotonous setting was broken by a knock on the door, followed by Oikawa’s mother coming inside to check on her son. She told him that she would call him in sick and that he should take care of himself while she and her husband were away. He nodded weakly in response and waved goodbye to his mother while she left.

The time was now 9 am. Oikawa spent the remainder of his morning trying to make himself feel slightly better until Iwaizumi came. He tried to drag himself out of bed, but found himself become overwhelmingly dizzy.  The light coming in through the windows from outside assaulted his eyes as if it was ten times brighter than it actually was. His headache did not leave, but thankfully, his fever seemed to have done so. Oikawa sighed, turned away from the light, and closed his eyes, falling into a restless sleep.

Oikawa was woken by the sensation of familiar fingers running through his hair gently. He began to smile slightly. Turning around, he was met with Iwaizumi smiling softly at him.  

“Hey, Tooru,” Iwaizumi whispered. He continued stroking Oikawa’s head, knowing the other boy felt relaxed by it. “Are you feeling better?”

“Now that you’re here, yeah,” Oikawa replied with a whisper. His throat didn’t permit him to speak at a higher volume. Iwaizumi laughed at the comment and ruffled his boyfriend’s hair.

Iwaizumi began to get up from his spot on Oikawa’s bed. “I put your homework on your desk. Thought I’d also bring you some medicine and make you some soup,” he stated.

“You’re so-” Oikawa was interrupted by his coughing, “-good to me, Iwa-chan.”

“Hey, I need to do this stuff. Wouldn’t be a good boyfriend if I wasn’t, now would I?” Iwaizumi teased. “Have you eaten anything?” he inquired.

“No,” Oikawa replied. His appetite disappeared along with his healthy state.

“Idiot,” Iwaizumi let out a “tch,” “You need to get something in your stomach. I’ll be right back. I’m gonna find you something light to eat so you can take your medicine.” The boy departed the bedroom, leaving Oikawa to groan at the thought of trying to eat. His main concern was not being able to keep the food in his stomach.

Iwaizumi returned a few minutes later with graham crackers, a bottle of medicine, and a spoon, Oh, joy. Liquid medicine. 

The boy sat down beside Oikawa and handed him the packet of graham crackers. Oikawa opened the packet and ate two crackers, saving the others for after he takes the medicine because who knows how bad it’ll taste. Oikawa eyeballed the brand and wanted to start crying once Iwaizumi started pouring it in the spoon.

“Iwa-chan, please don’t make me drink it,” Oikawa pleaded.

“It’s to make you feel better, now drink it,” Iwaizumi commanded.

“Nooo, please, Iwa-*cough*-chan?” Oikawa looked up at his boyfriend with puppy dog eyes.

“You’re acting like a child, Shittykawa. Drink it,” Iwaizumi swore. Oikawa continued to protest, making Iwaizumi shove the spoon in the former’s mouth. Oikawa gagged a bit at the horribly bitter flavor before swallowing the liquid with sheer willpower. He proceeded to wolf down the remaining graham crackers to wash out the taste on his tongue. Iwaizumi sighed.

“I’ll start making your soup,” the boy declared and left the room once again.

The sick boy sighed and realized he needed to pee. Shit.

He tried to rise from his bed, but an overwhelming spell of vertigo coaxed him to lie back down. Once more, he began to rise, but the sickening feeling forced him back on the bed in order to relieve his head. Oikawa was determined to go to that bathroom. It was only outside of his room. He could make it.

The boy tried a new strategy; he rolled out of the bed, putting his feet on the floor first in order to settle the rest of his body on the floor. Seeing as he was unable to get up without feeling dizzy, he began to slide around his floor by using his arms to push himself around. Once he arrived at the door, he pushed it open in order to give himself more space to go through. Oikawa caught sight of a pair of feet in front of him and turned red in embarrassment.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Iwaizumi scolded, looking down at his boyfriend with an expression of concern.

“I need to go to the-*cough*- bathroom,” Oikawa tried to justify his actions.

“You look like a dying man,” Iwaizumi grabbed Oikawa from under his armpits and raised him up. Being able to be lifted up by his boyfriend so easily made the boy feel embarrassed and jealous. Oikawa allowed his body become dead weight as Iwaizumi took him to the bathroom, causing him to earn a scolding from the latter. He finally got to his feet in order to go inside the restroom, proceeding to thank the person who took him there.

Oikawa left the restroom, walking this time, to find Iwaizumi waiting in his room with a bowl in his hands. He also found his pillows placed upright against the headboard, presumably so that he could sit comfortably on his bed.

“You’re,” Oikawa wished he could get a full sentence out without being interrupted by his coughing, “so considerate, Iwa-chan.”

“Like I said, I’d be a bad boyfriend if I wasn’t,” Iwaizumi replied, moving out of the way so that Oikawa could get to bed. He handed Oikawa the bowl he prepared of chicken soup, silently hoping he didn’t add too much salt because Oikawa was salty enough.

The sick boy finished almost the whole bowl, which was rather impressive, given his miniscule appetite.

“Sorry, I couldn’t finish it all,” Oikawa apologized and handed back the bowl.

“No need to apologize,” Iwaizumi replied and set it aside. He got up and began to look through the bookbag he brought with him. A laptop was pulled out and carried to the bed, Iwaizumi lying down beside his sick boyfriend and placing the laptop between them.

“You wanna watch anything?” Iwaizumi asked, “Your pick, though I might regret allowing you this freedom later.”

“Mean, Iwa-chan!” Oikawa whined, “If you’re going to be nice, at least follow through!” The boy began to have a coughing fit, earning a back rub from Iwaizumi, who was attempting to comfort him. Iwaizumi opened Netflix and waited for a response.

“Do they have any Studio Ghibli movies?” Oikawa had his boyfriend check. Only one was available, which was Ponyo.

“You wanna watch that?” Iwaizumi queried. Oikawa nodded in response, and he began to settle himself on Iwaizumi’s chest while he pressed play. He was able to hear the soft and rhythmic heartbeat emitting from his lover’s chest, causing his own heart to grow warm knowing only he can share such an intimate moment with him. The movie soon faded away to white noise, the voices and Iwaizumi’s heartbeat lulling him to sleep.

Iwaizumi watched as his lover’s eyes began to flutter closed, and he began to run his fingers through the boy’s hair. 

“You’re only so calm and quiet when you sleep. It’s honestly refreshing,” Iwaizumi thought out loud to himself, now that the other wasn’t awake to hear. He smiled fondly at the sleeping boy, noticing how relaxed and peaceful he seemed. After having such a rough day, he deserved some rest.

Iwaizumi began to yawn and noticed it was now 10 pm. The movie was abandoned when he decided to take a nap, as well.

[shattered-epiphany]

suffocate (1/1)

pairing: oikawa/iwaizumi

warnings: depression, anxiety and references to an eating disorder, 1st person POV

summary:  A (not so) regular day in the life of Oikawa Tooru //set sometime during high school

ao3 link

It's slow. Everything is so slow. Suffocating.

I woke up today and it took only a few sleep addled minutes to realize. Last night's anxiety and depression fit hadn't been washed away by sleep. Usually a new day guarantees a blank slate, a nothingness that can be filled as I desire.

Not today. Today the heavy feeling lingers. It's hard to force my brain into action, waking up, doing anything takes effort.

I check my phone, I'm late and my best friend is already bombarding me with messages asking me what I'm doing. A lot of cursing is involved as usual. He finally gives up and writes that he's going ahead.

That's fine, there's no need to wait for a person like me. Worthless.

The thought echoes in my mind, transforming and evolving into something more horrible each time. The vague clench in my chest at the self-deprecating thoughts isn't enough for me to stop myself.

Most days it's easy enough.

I don't want to exist. // Why am I so useless? // Is there a point to my existence?

Any number of these thoughts can be squished down, dismissed as ridiculous. On regular days that is.

Why are you so dramatic? // Really, Oikawa? // There's so much to live for.

But today any amount of strength I might have is sucked up by simply breathing. I roll over hiding underneath my blankets wondering if I could fall asleep again. Permanently this time?

It doesn't surprise me that the thought appears. My mind is fixated on staying still, sleeping more and preferably continuing like this until I am released from this state. Which at this point doesn't seem like it will ever happen. Permanent solutions sound perfect when it's like this.

As I lay still trying to clear the fog that's filled my mind to the brim, thoughts of last night appear from somewhere. I lift my head from the pillow already disgusted with how my body feels today, just a simple movement like that is enough. Lazy.

I stare at the mess on my table, it's blurry because I don't want to put on my glasses (putting in lenses would take a miracle), but I don't need to see perfectly to know what's there.

Homework all over the place, only half done, of course. Stacks of volleyball game CDs overplayed and the notes next to them much fuller than any of my school work. Empty tea cups from forcibly trying to keep myself awake as long as I could.

Last night had been bad. The thoughts of never being enough had overpowered me and no amount of strategizing, reviewing other teams and players had seemed to be enough. I tried writing to Iwa-chan, but his answers were halfhearted, no doubt he was busy himself.

Don't bother anyone, not telling is better. // Keep it all in.

But it's hard to keep it all in, the points of overflow come more and more often as time goes by. I push myself up when I hear my parents start moving, getting ready for work. I can't let them see me like this, so I walk to the bathroom as fast as I can at the moment.

Everything is so slow. My body. The world around me. Time passes oddly like this. It speeds up and then slows down. Right now each second takes an eternity and it tortures my tired mind, reminding me how much more of the day is left to get through.

I shiver as I step onto the cold tiles of the bathroom. I feel cold, but it's a distant sensation like my brain doesn't even process it fully. But then everything feels distant, except the ugliness of my thoughts.

As usual the first thing I see when I step inside this room is the scale in the corner. It's tempting, oh so tempting. Just take a peek. It reminds me of a darker time when numbers were my one obsession. No more. I know succumbing to this temptation will only make me feel worse. But the desire grows stronger by the minute. I limp closer to it, my knee protesting now for some reason.

I look down and realize I forgot my knee brace. Idiot.

The physical pain cuts through the haze a bit, but that only serves to make me finally feel what I've been avoiding. What my mind has been trying to protect me from.

Useless. // You will never amount to anything. // Stop trying so hard. // Try harder. // Disgusting.

At this point it's involuntary, I step on the scale. My heartbeat speeds up. The anxiety keeps it fast almost constantly, but now I can feel it in my chest. It spreads nausea and a strange ache in my head fixates in one point.

The numbers change and I lean down to see. 70.5 kg. A strange relief flows through me, but there's also disgust. The mix of the two only heightens the imbalance in me. I stumble off the scales feeling light headed and stop at the sink. I steady myself. It's all a bit too much. I feel tears prickle my eyes. No. Crying is useless. It changes nothing. I rub at my eyes watching my reflection in the mirror. The blur can't hide how ugly everything looks to me.

I've lost about 2kg since the last mandatory weighing by our coach. It's not a big change, but it brings about a craving. Just a bit more and you would be in the 60s. And then it's a familiar downwards spiral. I look away from the mirror and splash water on my face.

It takes a long time to go through my usual routine, but I manage to clean up and even put lenses in. If I'm making it to school (my mind and body protest loudly), I can't show up there with glasses. My eyes are red, skin puffy around them, dark circles accentuated by the paler skin of my face. Ugly. I wish I could replace it with somebody else's face. At least for a day. Instead I put on some concealer. It doesn't make much of a difference, but makes me feel slightly better. Still ugly.

I scoff and exit the bathroom. It's late. Morning practice is over, but I can make it to classes. Question is if I will be able to. The heavy feeling that's weighing me down and making everything feel like it's in slow motion is still there, present as ever. I sit on my bed staring out of the window for far too long.

Messages keep pouring in, I can hear my phone vibrating somewhere between the sheets. No doubt it's Iwa-chan. Who else? He's the only one who still bothers with me, though I don't fully understand why. At one point he will leave too.

I stop myself at that. I need to move, it's getting really bad if I'm starting to doubt my best friend.

A floor board creaks outside of my room. I jump up and start putting on my uniform. My mother peaks in, takes in my half-dressed state and asks. "Slept in again? Don't make this a habit, Tooru." She looks tired too, her job taking a lot out of her these days.

I just nod and keep buttoning up my shirt. I don't trust my voice yet. She exits without another word. A part of me is hurt, another is glad. Less pretense until I make it to school.

Against my will though as soon as I'm sure she's out of hearing range I let a sob escape. I have to bite on my hand to stop. It's disgusting and leaves a mark. I don't want to cry. I don't want to.. Fuck.

It's been a long time since I've learned to cry silently. Tears slip out, messing with my lenses. The headache worsens and I feel like throwing up right there. I sit back down on my bed, my clothes strewn around me, but I don't make an attempt at dressing anymore.

Instead I reach for my phone. 10 messages in the last half hour. As I predicted all from Iwaizumi, but there's a few older ones from my teammates. Something like a vague feeling of happiness penetrates the wool in my head and the heaviness in my chest. My lips curve upwards, a sad imitation of a smile.

I slump onto the bed and open the messages Iwaizumi sent me. I scroll through them, my hands feel heavy, like they don't belong to me.

I only really focus on the last few messages.

[7:50] Iwa-chan <3: Seriously, it's not like you to miss practice.

[7:51] Iwa-chan <3: Reply now, so I know you're not dead. I'm gonna call your parents otherwise, Shittykawa.

[7:55] Iwa-chan <3: Are you ok?

I pause and stare at the ceiling. I'm so far from ok, but admitting that to someone else takes a lot of mental strength. Instead I type out the excuse I use the most, though it's usually to my parents.

[8:01] Me: I slept in. I think I might be sick..

I stare at the message for a long time before sending it. It doesn't seem like something I would write, so devoid of my usual excitement and emoticons.

[8:02] Iwa-chan <3: I'm coming over as soon as school ends.

The reply confuses me. Today is all wrong. Everything is out of order. I'm like this straight from the morning and Iwa-chan is skipping afternoon practice for me. It makes no sense to me.

[8:03] Me: Why? Stay for practice.

[8:03] Iwa-chan <3: Obviously you're not telling me something, I'm coming over. End of discussion.

Leave it to Iwa-chan to know something is off. I sigh and throw the phone to the side. I don't know if the coming confrontation makes me feel better or not.

I turn over to my other side and curl up. It's cold, but I don't move to pull the blanket back over my body. Instead I press my face into the pillow.

Sleep. Don't think. Sleep. Let it take you over and make everything disappear.

I doze for a while, emptying my mind further. The static remains, but the thoughts quiet down until there's nothing there.

The sleep is heavy, the blackness suffocating, but it's better than being conscious.

I'm startled awake when the door of my room opens. I move over stiffly, eyes clouded over from sleeping with lenses in. It's cold and I, suddenly, even through all this haze, feel self-conscious. I'm wearing only my half-buttoned uniform shirt and boxers, after all.

I try to pretend I'm still asleep, but the presence moves further into my room. The footsteps are so familiar. Iwa-chan.

He sits down next to me and suddenly a warmth is engulfing me. The blanket is back over me.

"What am I going to do with you?" He whispers and I curl up more as he threads fingers through my hair and checks my forehead. There's no fever, I'm sure my body is colder than it should be instead.

The strange headache is still there, I bite on my lip. Sleep once again hadn't erased any of the heaviness. The only thing that's keeping the darkness at bay right now is Iwaizumi petting my hair.

I want to tell him to stop. It's disgusting, my hair is probably greasy. But I take comfort in the soothing movement. I don't have the strength to say anything yet.

"I know you're awake, Oikawa. I'll get you some water, ok?"

Nothing gets past him, of course. I nod and he moves away to get the water bottle on my desk. I hear him moving around, filling it up in the bathroom. I want to call out and ask him for my lens case too, but the words are stuck in my throat.

Why are you here? // Why are you bothering with me? // There's no point. // I'm a lost cause.

He returns fast and I struggle to sit up, it feels like too much. There's a steadying hand on my shoulder and with the support I sit up properly.

"Here, drink it all." His voice is a bit louder now but still gruff and grounded. I love it.

I drink the water slowly at first, it doesn't feel like enough and soon I'm gulping it down. Trying to erase something in me while quenching my thirst. I stop to breathe for a moment and hand the bottle back to the blurry shape.

Something is pressed into my hand in return and I realize it's my lens case. I open my mouth to speak but still nothing comes out..

"How'd I know? I noticed it left open on the bathroom counter. Didn't take much to figure it out." Iwaizumi saves me from trying to talk again.

I quickly remove my lenses and sigh in relief, everything still feels like too much, like it's closing in on me, but at least that pressure has been relieved.

Next is my uniform shirt, he unbuttons it carefully and slides it off my shoulders. I'm intensely glad I can't see his expression.

Disgusting.

A warm hoodie replaces it and I snuggle into it immediately. It doesn't feel like one of mine, I breathe in the scent and there it is. Definitely one of Iwa-chan's.

"You went home before coming here?" I finally speak, my voice heavy with sleep and it breaks towards the end from not using it the whole day.

"Yeah, I'm staying here, if you don't mind. Already cleared it with both of our parents." Iwaizumi replies and I can hear the relief in his tone from hearing me say something.

"No, that's probably for the best. Stay." I mutter and pull on the sleeves of the hoodie. I want to make myself smaller, closer to not existing.

I know what's coming next. Interrogation.

But Iwa-chan surprises me. He pushes me further into the bed, fixes the blanket and pillows and settles next to me. "You don't have to say anything if you don't want to. But know that I'm here. Literally and figuratively." He laughs at that and I crack a smile too. But it feels bitter.

I should do more. I need to repay his kindness. Unwarranted kindness.

"Distract me. Tell me about practice. What happened today?" I ask instead and tentatively press closer, his warmth is intoxicating.

I listen to his voice, the tone, not really taking in much of what he's saying. But it feels good, the heaviness is fading slowly. I feel better than I have all day, which is not much, but that small sliver of comfort makes me think that maybe there is an end to this after all.

"They did ask about you too. The coach that is. Your parents didn't contact the school about you not coming in. This is probably going on your record." Iwaizumi says and I tense up. My heart beat speeds up, I hate it. It's not a big deal, but the anxiety is flaring up.

"Hey, it's ok. You should talk to the teachers. I'm sure they will understand." I bury my head in his chest, I don't want to think about it. Ignoring everything is easier.

"Mom thought I was going to school. So did I.." I trail off, my voice muffled.

"But you didn't." Iwaizumi says simply, finishing the sentence for me. I feel like he already knows everything even though I haven't said anything of substance. He really knows me too well. I feel like I'm not being fair to him. I should tell him. Something. Tell him something.

"Everything felt a bit too much. I couldn't pretend everything was fine today." I force out. Iwaizumi hums in response. I know he doesn't really understand fully, but him listening is enough.

"I just felt heavy, too many thoughts and none of them good, sleep didn't help." Putting it into words feels wrong, even my sentences are half formed but it's hard to say it out loud. Which is why I usually avoid it.

I feel strong arms wrap around me, I'm being pulled further into his embrace. It's a bit suffocating, but this time in a good way. I don't ever want to leave. I want to stay like this forever.

"Your mind will be your undoing, Tooru. I wish I could help you, fix you somehow." He says, regret and sadness lacing his words.

"It's not up to you. I do this to myself, it's all me. You just have to be here, that's all. It's enough, believe me." It feels strange, like I'm the one reassuring him, when in fact it's him that has returned strength to me. It's not much, but the spark is there.

We lay there, silence settling over us now. It feels comfortable. Like everything about us. Time passes, but there's no weird jumps. It's not too slow or too fast anymore. I breathe easier.

I wish I could say that this was a one off. A day that was strange and out of place. It was, in a way, but the feelings and the darkness were familiar enough, even though usually I could contain it better. Contain it to long sleepless nights.

Maybe, one day.. It will get easier.

Until then, I cling onto Iwaizumi. My anchor. As the strange heaviness lifts from my chest with each inhale and exhale spent next to him, it’s filled with affection for him instead.

Show it, you have to let him know.

I scramble up and press my lips to Iwa-chan's. He makes a muffled sound of surprise and I feel confused too. Usually I’m not like this, no matter how forward I pretend to be.

It feels like I'm taking advantage of him in a way. But I'm craving the comfort and he seems willing. His strong arms move me to straddle his lap and we exchange more slow kisses. My chapped lips brush against his softer ones. It's usually the other way around. But today everything is off.

I accept it.

He's gentle, treating me like I could break at any moment. It's me that has to take the initiative again. I bite at his lower lip and smile softly when he groans. He stops my wandering hands though.

"Not today?" He says carefully, not wanting to hurt my feelings.

I want to force it, I want to whine and complain. But he's right. I'm in no fit state for anything more. Not mentally, not physically.

I lean my forehead against his. This close up, I can see his expression better. He's still clearly worried and it almost brings back the self-deprecation, but I control it. My mind stays clean now.

"Yeah, let's get some dinner instead. My parents should be home soon." I finally reply and Iwa-chan's expression evens out. I smile wider, carefully, testing it out. It will take a while before it feels natural again.

But I think maybe I can do it? It’s definitely easier when he’s next to me.

Breathe instead of suffocate.

[ohmythatoikawaboy]

What are some of your ideas about that AU?

Oh dear, get ready for a braintstorming session. To be honest, I actually have several variations for this AU, but I’m going to go with the happiest one. Just keep in mind that I love the ‘king and bodyguard fall in love’ trope. Is it realistic? Nope, not at all. But since this is a Fantasy AU, who cares about realism?

So, the happiest version doesn’t really include magic for humans (although it could, but it isn’t a significant part of the story). The darker variation of this story includes magic as a very relevant part of the story, though.

The happy version would be something like this:

Oikawa is a young prince, still a kid, when he meets Iwaizumi. Oikawa’s parents rule the kingdom and they’re fair rulers who want to teach Oikawa how to be a good king in the future. While Oikawa is good-natured, he’s also a bit of a pampered brat. He’s quite a walking contradiction, wanting the good for everyone but also being quite selfish sometimes. But he’s still a child for now, so it’s natural that he will throw a tantrum over the smallest things, right? Meanwhile, a new family of servants start working in palace: a man and a woman, hardworking and reliable, who also have a small son (Iwaizumi).

According to tradition, future rulers should only be raised around the nobility, but Oikawa’s parents have decided that such a rule only created selfish sovereigns that wouldn’t know about the real problems of the population. So, although at first the servants are very careful not to let curious Iwaizumi interact with Oikawa, Oikawa’s parents give them permission to interact, play, and even get an education together (since otherwise Iwaizumi would have to leave the palace to go to school and that would be difficult for him because of reasons). Obviously, they quickly become friends (and Iwaizumi is, in fact, Oikawa’s only friend).

Iwaizumi really doesn’t know what to do with his life.  He was supposed to only get some basic education before becoming a servant in palace, or something similar. Maybe a stableboy, who knows (because they need strong young men to control some of the magical beasts, not to mention the griffins). But the education he receives in palace really broadens his mind, and he starts wondering if he should become something else. He definitely could, since the sovereigns have become so fond of him, the only force in life capable of controlling Tantrum Boy (even if it’s by punching Oikawa in the face, which isn’t seen as very socially acceptable to do, given that Iwaizumi is still a peasant and Oikawa is royalty; but Oikawa shuts up after being punched and everyone is so tired of hearing him complain, so they let it slide).

While Iwaizumi wonders what to do with his life, he and Oikawa grow up to be teens. Oh, the hormones. If Oikawa had been annoying as a kid, imagine now as a 15 year old. The guy has become used to Iwaizumi’s punches, so they have stopped being effective. Iwaizumi wonders why he’s still Oikawa’s friend. Maybe he just doesn’t want to piss off his parents, who have enough power to banish him, but deep inside Iwaizumi knows that, if he stopped being Oikawa’s friends, his parents would understand it. Everyone would. Nobody can have that much patience, right? Then why is he still by his side? Is it Oikawa’s beautiful smile? The way his brown eyes shine with excitement when he takes Iwaizumi to the rooftop at night so they can watch the stars together? (Oh, Oikawa really knows about the constellations, and can talk for hours about the names of the stars; once he didn’t know the name of one of them, so he named it ‘Iwa-chan’; he now knows the real name, but will still call it ‘Iwa-chan’.) Maybe it’s that, deep inside, Oikawa isn’t that bad. When he isn’t complaining about how his jacket has this microscopic stain, he’s actually really nice and caring. He plays with the servants’ kids. He asks the servants how they’re doing. He gives money to those in need. And he’s been maturing lately, becoming less selfish. Sometimes, when Iwaizumi stares at Oikawa when the latter is doing a good action, Iwaizumi feels a pang in his chest that could only be relieved if he could just press his lips against Oikawa’s.

Of course, in the end, Iwaizumi has no other choice but to admit that he’s deeply in love with the prince.

Oikawa has always been in love with Iwaizumi. It’s such a natural feeling that has been a part of him since he first met his best friend that he doesn’t even question it. But he wishes he could act on it. If only social conventions weren’t so strict for royalty... So he ends up exploding over the smallest things. Like that microscopic stain on his jacket. What will Iwaizumi think if he sees his best friend wearing stained clothes? He would never like him back.

If Iwaizumi chooses any other job, he won’t be able to stay by Oikawa’s side and protect his silly ass. So obviously, he decides to become a member of the royal guard. With a bit of luck, he will be assigned as personal bodyguard for the Tantrum Prince. But the training isn’t easy, as it includes facing terrifying creatures from the mountains and forests (ogres, griffins, even dragons).

The next years pass by quickly with Iwaizumi’s training to be a bodyguard and Oikawa’s training to be a competent king. They can’t see each other as often, though, and they realize how much they miss each other.

One night, Oikawa manages to get Iwaizumi out of the training camp he’s in and they go for a walk to the nearest woods. There is a beautiful calm lake there, which Oikawa used to visit with the family in the past, but as he isn’t usually allowed to go out of the palace alone, he is using this opportunity to visit the lake. The calm water acts like a mirror to the starry sky, a gorgeous sight for the young men. “You shouldn’t be here, right?” Iwaizumi asks. “Don’t you want me here?” “I’m just worried about your safety.” “Why? I have my future bodyguard by my side.” Oikawa looks at Iwaizumi through his eyelashes as he says that. Iwaizumi smirks. Their bodies get closer as they contemplate the lake sitting by the shore, and Oikawa seeks Iwaizumi’s warmth, leaning his head on his shoulder. Iwaizumi, while shy at first, wraps his arm around Oikawa’s waist. This is probably forbidden, but nobody is there to impose their social norms on them, right? Just for one night, Iwaizumi isn’t a peasant, and Oikawa isn’t royalty. “Why do you want to become a royal guard, Iwa-chan?” “Why do you think?” They stare into each other’s eyes. Oikawa knows the answer, so he cups Iwaizumi’s face, caressing his skin gently with his thumb, and poses his lips on Iwaizumi’s. When Iwaizumi doesn’t pull away, Oikawa knows this is going to be the happiest night of his life.

Soon after Iwaizumi officially becomes a royal guard, a group of nonconformists attacks the palace riding their magic creatures. While they fail the first attempt because they’re a small group, they come back with more sophisticated attacks. This forces Iwaizumi to be alert 24/7 in fear of those enemies who might hurt Oikawa. Oikawa notices Iwaizumi’s exhaustion and tries his best to relieve him. Sometimes, when Oikawa is chilling in his room and there are other guards around, Iwaizumi still refuses to rest; Oikawa tells Iwaizumi to lean his head on his lap, and Iwaizumi accepts, although reluctant; Oikawa makes sure to caress his hair gently until Iwaizumi accidentally falls asleep because he’s just so tired. Iwaizumi survives during these times thanks to those naps.

In the end, the royal guards manage to stop the attacks, although they can only do so by using violence. The remaining nonconformists agree to stop assaulting the palace after Oikawa intervenes to offer them a deal. Everyone is surprised that Oikawa can act so maturely, like a true leader, and they use this as proof that he will be a fair ruler in the future. What people don’t know is that Iwaizumi gave him some of those ideas during the last weeks, and they had been discussing them over and over until finding the perfect solution. Oikawa is a brilliant strategist, but he functions even better when Iwaizumi is by his side. He makes sure to let his parents know. “So, do you know what would make this country better than having me as a king?” Oikawa tells his parents. “Having me and Iwa-chan.” “We’ll make sure he stays as your bodyguard, then,” the queen says. “No, no, you don’t understand,” Oikawa says then. “I’m going to marry him.”

And of course, nobody would oppose. Because if there was someone who could stand having Tantrum Prince (who would later become Tantrum King) as a husband, that was Iwaizumi. So yeah, it was already time to break that tradition about royalty only being able to marry other members of royalty. And in the end, they were all happy, and the whole kingdom celebrated the wedding (in which, by the way, Oikawa stained his suit with a piece of the cake; Iwaizumi, expecting another tantrum, decided to shut him up with a kiss.)

So that’s it. I hope you enjoyed that.

[kitcatkandy]

his but to do and die 11

Rating: Explicit (nothing but kissing?)

Title: his but to do and die

Chapter: 11: Hinata - Rumour Has It

Relationship(s): Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Hanamaki Takahiro/Matsukawa Issei

Summary: it was his not to reason why, his but to do and die Iwaizumi is bodyguard to crown prince Oikawa of the kingdom of Aoba Johsai, and things are not going well for the royal family. There’s a revolution brewing, and it doesn’t make things easier that Oikawa and Hanamaki and the rest of the youths of the peerage refuse to wake up and realise that things are actually becoming serious. Iwaizumi has always loved Oikawa, but he’s never worked up the courage to confess. Besides, Oikawa has his own harem of women to look after him. But when a young slave called Hinata enters the equation, things start to happen, especially when Kageyama, the second prince in line and Oikawa’s half-brother starts to feel a little something more for his brother’s slave. Because the world needs more pining Iwaizumi/Oikawa playing with feelings/HaremxArabianxRoyalty AU.

Notes: First published on AO3.

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Index

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“They’re saying that the prince has joined the revolution, you know.”

Hinata chokes on his pork bun.

Asahi sets down the tray hurriedly and rushes over to him, almost tripping over the multiple pillows and throws on the floor of the dimly-lit room, but eventually he manages to stumble his way through. He squawks like an agitated hen, trying to pat Hinata ineffectually on his back and fluttering around trying to make sure Hinata doesn’t choke. After a few seconds, Hinata recovers his breath (no thanks to Asahi’s efforts at all) and swipes at the inadvertent tears that have been squeezed out of his eyes.

“I’m okay,” he manages, coughing, although he mostly just wants Asahi to settle down and stop prancing around. “I’m okay,” he repeats again, and pats the cushion next to him. Asahi settles down uneasily, and it’s not without a few more repetitions of flustered ‘are you okay’s and ‘are you sure you don’t need help’s before he finally calms down.

Hinata looks over at him, and has to repress a giggle. Asahi looks absurdly ridiculous perching uncomfortably on the bright pink cushion placed in the room by its previous occupant, his long legs dangling uselessly around him and his big body hunched over as if he’s unsure where all his limbs should go. Asahi is large, awkward, uncomfortable with the size of his body except when he’s working in his element – the kitchen – and Hinata finds it absolutely endearing.

Asahi pouts, an adorable motion, completely belying his large and intimidating exterior. He repeats his statement, and Hinata is suddenly and reluctantly brought back to the present.

“Which prince?” he asks, because really, there’s more than one prince, and who even is Asahi referring to? He thinks about Prince Oikawa joining the revolution, and dismisses it as hogwash. The crown prince would never be so stupid as to join the rebels in their (seemingly hopeless) endeavour to kick the sultan off his throne – the king’s armies are a legendary size, after all, and Hinata cannot imagine any force being formidable enough to counter those numbers.

Prince Kageyama, on the other hand… Perhaps he really is that stupid. It wouldn’t surprise Hinata any. He pouts as he thinks of the prickly, taciturn prince.

Asahi shrugs. It is a subtle moving of his large shoulders, but his eyes shift restlessly about as if wary of prying ears and eyes. He is wise to be wary; Hinata is no stranger to the fact that, in the inner palace, walls have ears and doors have eyes, and any stray word – especially against the royals – is bound to get one disembowelled and thrown to the eagles as carrion.

The big man leans closer, and whispers into Hinata’s ear. His breath is hot and spicy.

“They’re saying,” Asahi murmurs, in that quiet way of his, “that it’s Prince Kageyama involved.”

Asahi’s words come back to him again when he’s standing in the garden, near the gates, picking flowers for Kiyoko-san’s room. The older woman has been feeling poorly these few days, but has been bearing the pain with brutal stoicism; it wouldn’t do to be sick in the harem, after all, because they’re all replaceable.

What’s most important is that it’s not just Oikawa who partakes of her, and that the king also takes his fill. Although the king has seemed more preoccupied with other business, and doesn’t visit the harem as frequently as before, and Oikawa’s obsession with Hinata seems to have intensified to the point of excluding all other slaves from intimacy with him, it would still take a toll on Kiyoko-san’s body if he or the king were to request her presence in their chambers.

Kageyama is the only one of the royal family who hasn’t yet taken a slave to bed, so the gossips say, and Hinata had had to brush off the strange twinge in his chest when he had first heard that.

But the point is, Kiyoko-san’s been down with something the past few days which has left her with a sore throat and a blinding headache, and yet she’s still as calm and patient as ever. Hinata marvels at her strength and forbearance, especially since she has to deal with him on a daily basis, and he knows he can be quite a handful at times. Suga-san from the infirmary is doing his best, but it’s not good enough, and he knows she must be feeling absolutely horrible.

So he’d decided to pick some lavender flowers from the garden to cheer up the gloomy stuffiness of Kiyoko-san’s room. He knows they’re not exactly her favourite flower, but datura don’t flower until later in the year, and anyway they’re apparently horribly poisonous.

That’s when he hears the voices, and Asahi’s words return to his mind.

“Shut up, Tobio-chan,” a voice hisses, and Hinata cannot place it, so he frowns. The name is strangely-familiar, a word hovering on the edge of his memory and yet on the tip of his tongue. It fills him with a peculiar warmth that has him crouching down lower in the bushes and pulling the hood lower over his bright head of hair to conceal the flush that suddenly rises to his cheeks. He peeks out, cautiously, over the tips of the lavender flowers, and sees three figures standing just beyond him, having a hushed discussion behind one of the pillars of the corridors beside the garden.

Their words are hushed, soft, and he realises that this is a private conversation. It’s only sheer luck that he’s conveniently hidden by a very large, very dense bush, and also that he’s very short (for once he thanks his parents for his height). Hinata is wondering whether he should shuffle away very slowly and try to escape without alerting the group, but then he hears the second, shorter figure speaks, and he stops, because he knows that voice all too well.

“Oikawa-san,” Kageyama says, “If you would only tell me what to expect – ”

“Shittykawa, you shut up,” this new voice is surely Iwaizumi’s voice, the captain of the royal guard, and Hinata’s eyes go wide. What is Oikawa and his personal guard’s business with Kageyama? After all, the crown prince’s hatred and jealousy of the younger prince is legendary throughout the inner palace, and whenever Hinata had inadvertently chanced upon them meeting, the tension between them had been thick enough to cut with a cheese knife.

So what are they doing here together, all muffled up in thick cloaks and hoods that hide their faces, in the middle of an obscenely-hot day?

Hinata shifts slightly closer to hear the conversation clearer, and Kageyama suddenly turns his head. Hinata freezes, terrified that Kageyama’s somehow detected his presence through his superhuman senses, and that he’ll be hauled out of the bushes and sentenced to death for listening in on what is clearly a private conversation, and he’ll never see Kageyama’s adorable pouty smile again –

But Kageyama doesn’t do anything, and he frowns before he turns back to the group. Hinata lets out a soft exhale, and tucks himself closer to the ground.

“We don’t owe it to you to tell you anything of the sort, Tobio-chan,” Oikawa is saying, a spiteful tinge to his voice. “I mean, you practically muscled your way in where you weren’t invited, and so I don’t see anything wrong with throwing you to the crocodiles without telling you anything – ”

“We’re going to meet with one of our allies, Lord Ushijima Wakatoshi of Shiratorizawa, and he’s an extremely frank man. So don’t be surprised when he says things that seem overly honest or offensive, that’s just the way he is. And don’t mention anything about his garden, or what we discussed with the rebels, or anything about the revolution at all. Let Oikawa and I do most of the talking. You got that?” Iwaizumi’s deep voice cuts into whatever rant Oikawa’s going off on, and the crown prince whines. Honestly, he seems more like a child than an arrogant, princely noble now, and Hinata’s lips curls involuntarily.

“Rude, Iwa-chan!” he cries, and even through the shadows cast by his hood, Hinata can see the pout formed by his lips. He recoils a little and his fingers dig themselves into the mud.

“Let’s go,” Iwaizumi continues brusquely, ignoring Oikawa’s sulky protests, and he walks away. Oikawa shuffles quickly away from Kageyama’s side and catches up with Iwaizumi, leaving Kageyama trailing behind them. They’re headed for the main gates, leading out onto the main street, and Hinata, now, has no doubt of their business here.

He crawls unsteadily out of the lavender bushes, the bouquet he has picked limp and pliant in his sweaty hand. He swipes at the sheen of sweat on his forehead, and has to wait for a few seconds before the burn in his thighs disappears and he can stand up to leave. His legs are shaky, and it takes him a few more seconds to stabilise himself.

His head is thrumming with the weight of the words he has just heard. The conversation seems only to confirm what Asahi had told him two days earlier – that Kageyama is involved in the revolution, and not just Kageyama, but Iwaizumi and yes, Oikawa as well, although Hinata had not expected the latter.

Hinata knows that he’s not the brightest star in the sky, but even he can put two and two together, and Iwaizumi had made his words pretty plain. They had spoken of a Lord from Shiratorizawa, a neighbouring fief to the capital city, and had mentioned plans made with the revolutionaries. He thinks, very hard, harder than he has ever thought for a while, and then the implications hit him – Oikawa and Kageyama have made plans with some of the other Lords from the neighbouring kingdoms, to garner their support and – more importantly – their soldiers.

There are a ton of questions which hit him – why aren’t those Lords bound to service under the sultan? Isn’t someone going to notice the covert expeditions taken by the prince out of the palace? And if he – he, a lowly slave, had suddenly become privy to such crucial information, could their secrets not have already leaked to some other, less benevolent party?

Suddenly he is struck by a feeling of terrible fear. He doesn’t exactly know the punishment for treason to the king, but from the horror stories Kiyoko has told him occasionally to get him to shut up, it’s never something simple. Likely involving extreme torture, public flaying, and eventual death.

He doesn’t want that for Kageyama.

Then he suddenly feels dizzy, and his chest starts to hurt. He stumbles over nothing at all, the bouquet falling into the mud as he clutches his chest, and tries to breathe normally, but he can’t – there’s lead flowing through his veins and blood rushing through his head and all of a sudden, he thinks of Kageyama’s smile.

He’s screwed, he knows that well enough, because Kageyama’s smile has the power to make his knees go weak.

***

It’s not the only bombshell he’s hit with that day – far from it, and as luck would have it, the prince is once again concerned. A public announcement is made in the middle of the day by the master of the hall, a thin-faced man with a scraggly goatee and small cunning eyes, of the impending marriage of Prince Kageyama to Princess Yachi of Karasuno. Hinata had heard whisperings of the small, neighbouring kingdom before, of the barren land which had once been glorious, but its monarch had been usurped by one of the generals, who now reigned supreme through the young princess. It had quickly fallen into ruin, and the only reason why it has not yet been consumed by the raging fire of Aoba Johsai lies in its tyrannical and often brutal army.

The other servants, those who know more than Hinata does, say that their nation’s king urgently needs an alliance with Karasuno to fight off the impending threat of the revolution. This sends a ripple of unease through the crowd of servants listening to the announcement, because before now the revolution had not been seen as a severe threat. But to be so great as to warrant a royal alliance – the threat must loom large indeed.

In a bizarre sort of way, Hinata’s thankful for the first shock he’d received, because it had taught him to school his face into a semblance of calm when he first heard the news. He’s a naturally excitable person, not one to hold back his exclamations or emotions, and somehow when he had heard the announcement it had made his heart twist, painfully, suddenly, and he had all but dropped to his feet in spasms of agony.

He does not understand his feelings even now, does not understand the hot heavy warmth that is spreading through his chest, sending throbs through his head, and pounding a deep bass rhythm through his stomach. Because he’s felt pain before, and he’s not unfamiliar with the feeling, but this is an altogether different emotion.

This emotion gnaws away at his nerves and sends his teeth chattering. It makes him frustrated, not knowing why or how he’s feeling this way, not knowing why he’d felt like spontaneously crying, with only the stolid presence of Asahi at his side to prevent him from letting his emotions get the better of him.

He thinks of Kageyama’s eyes, how they glitter and gleam in the dark, how he has the unconscious habit of biting at his lips as he speaks, haltingly, like his words are heavy and burdensome, and Hinata thinks that, maybe, yes, he does understand, just a little bit, after all.

He has always believed in honesty, candour, forthrightness, and the most direct path of action. Hinata knows his way around the inner palace by now, knows when and where most people are and will be – barring any unforeseen circumstances, of course. He knows that on the third days of the week, Prince Kageyama practises his swordplay in the gardens alone, since Oikawa and Iwaizumi have to attend the former’s weekly chess session with the king. The royal gardens are secluded, safe ground, and they’ve met there before.

Hinata has to stop to wonder for a moment about his relationship with the prince as he’s making his plans. What are they, after all? Acquaintances? Hardly, because their banter goes beyond that of mere acquaintanceship. Friends?

The word still weighs heavy on his tongue, and it feels not quite right, but it’s the best he’s got. They’re friends, then, unlikely friends, with perhaps a little too much sexual tension between the two of them. Hinata decides that he’s satisfied with that, and ignores the irritating niggle in his chest at the thought.

Two days later, he lays in bed for a little longer than usual in the morning, listening for the usual bustle of the women in the other room to fade away before he makes a move. It’s a slow day today, apparently, with Prince Oikawa and the sultan occupied playing chess, and so most of the harem women are resting and relaxing. Kiyoko has been allowed out of the palace on an errand, so she’s told him, and thus he’s left mostly alone.

Although the other women had shown him animosity in his first few days in the harem, due to his immediate and inadvertent claiming of the prince’s favour, their hostility has mostly died out by now. Having Kiyoko as his guardian had done wonders, apparently, since she’s well-respected by many of the other women. Now, happily, their antagonism has been reduced to quiet, snide remarks and very pointed cuts, so he’s mostly left on his own. It’s not the best of situations, since Hinata thrives on companionship and being around other people, but he’d rather bear the burden of loneliness than have to withstand the hatred of the other women.

He dons his lightest robe and makes sure his hair is tidy before he leaves. After all, he has the most atrocious bedhead, and it wouldn’t do to let the prince see him in such an unkempt state.

When he’s done with his quick toilette, he hurries out of his room and down the corridor towards the main door. The other women in the main lounge ignore him as he passes, chattering amongst themselves or staring blankly into the mirrors on the walls. His small stature helps him pass unnoticed as well, and he slips out of the door.

Nishinoya’s on guard outside. The two of them have struck up an unlikely friendship, stemming from the time Oikawa had driven Hinata too hard and he’d collapsed on the ground when Nishinoya had been bringing him back to the harem chambers. The older man had brought him to the baths and seen to it that he’d been pampered and primped by the bath attendants, who, he had cheerfully told Hinata, were close personal friends of his.

Nishinoya seems to know everyone in the palace, and his is a gregarious personality which Hinata greatly identifies with. They are cut from the same cloth, the two of them, and Hinata finds himself able to let loose and laugh along with the guard whenever they have the chance. Nishinoya seems to have taken him under his wing after the bath incident, and always gives him preferential treatment.

From Hinata’s observation of the guard rotations, it’s Nishinoya’s turn to guard the harem chambers that day, a lucky coincidence. Hinata knows that Nishinoya would always give in to him, whether it be smuggling treats for him from Asahi, or letting him out into the garden at night to take a breather.

“Noya-san!” he chimes, shutting the door behind him and bouncing enthusiastically forward. The other man spins around and flashes a bright smile at him, the orange highlight in his hair glistening even in the dim light.

“Shouyou!!” he screeches, his voice emanating through the hall, and he hugs Hinata with an unparalleled ferocity. “What’ll it be this time? Want me to ask Asahi for another pastry? You want to go and pick flowers in the garden again? Or you want some goods from the infirmary?” He wiggles his eyebrows suggestively. “Noya-san knows everyone and everything, so if you ever need anything, just ask!”

“Garden today, please, Noya-san,” Hinata says, smiling widely and pressing a small corsage of lavender into the other man’s hand. “This is for Asahi-san, as you asked.”

The smile on Nishinoya’s face only widens as he accepts the bunch of flowers, tucking it away securely into his robes and patting the spot to make sure it’s secure. “He’ll like that,” he murmurs, and his face softens. Hinata looks away, suddenly feeling as if the scene is too intimate, as if it were a private moment not for his witnessing.

Nishinoya quickly clears his throat, an embarrassed, self-conscious sound which draws Hinata’s attention back to him. “The garden, you say, my young protégé?” he says, his voice suddenly loud and ridiculously pompous. “No problem. As long as you keep out of sight of the others, you won’t be missed, blah blah, you know the drill. Come back quickly and we can have a chat!” He waves Hinata off with a friendly flutter of his hand and returns to standing at attention in front of the large, heavily-ornamented door. The black of his hair shines and ripples as he moves restlessly, his body in a constant, never-ending pattern of motion which makes Hinata smile affectionately.

“Thanks, Noya-san!” he chirps happily, and trundles quickly down the main corridor.

***

As expected, he finds Kageyama in a secluded corner of the garden, practising his swordplay. He’d chanced upon this scene by accident, one day when he’d been rushing past with his load of overdue laundry in his arms towards the washerwomen, and he had made it his business after that to find out if the incident was a part of the prince’s weekly schedule, or if it had been but a one-off thing. Nishinoya’s contacts are useful things, and if Hinata asks him questions, he doesn’t judge.

Hinata stands behind a pillar for a moment, watching the bright arc of the prince’s sword as he slices it in a fierce movement above his head and then straight forward, into the abdomen of an imaginary enemy.

There’s that familiar expression on Kageyama’s face now, the expression which makes a low burn settle in the pit of Hinata’s stomach. It’s a curious mix of ferocity and quiet calm as he twirls the sword in complicated patterns and dodges around the enemies in his head. He jabs, stabs, dances elegantly around the clearing as Kunimi watches from the sidelines. Hinata holds his breath.

His movements are beautiful, clean-cut, hypnotic almost, and in Hinata’s mind he can actually see the hordes of dark-cloaked, dangerous men swarming around the tall figure of the prince. Falling to the side, cut down brutally by the bright, shining sword, and the dark slash of Kageyama’s hair flickering across his skin.

One last stab of the sword towards the ground, and Kageyama collapses down beside it, resting his weight on the balls of his feet. His breathing is laboured, heavy, and droplets of sweat cascade off his forehead as he rests his weight on the sword. There is hardly any other sound in the clearing, and suddenly to Hinata it seems as if time is suspended, the air is charged with tension, and the ragged panting of Kageyama’s breath is magic.

Something prompts him to step forward then, and he clears his throat with a quiet cough. Kageyama’s head whips up immediately, his pupils bright blue and burning, then as he sees Hinata his eyelids droop and he tilts his head down again.

“Oh, so it’s just you,” he murmurs, his voice quiet and petulant. The dark bangs of his fringe fall forward and hide his face from Hinata’s view.

“What do you mean, it’s just me?” Hinata exclaims, feeling mortally offended. He crosses his arms over his chest and frowns down at the crouched-over figure of the prince. “I came here to speak to you, you know.”

“About what?” Kageyama sighs, then he straightens up and yanks the sword out of the ground. Hinata finds himself unconsciously wishing that he’d stayed bent over, because that ferocious glare Kageyama is levelling at him is nothing to laugh about.

He opens his mouth to speak, to mention the reason for his intruding on Kageyama’s privacy today, but then his eyes stray to the silent, unmoving figure of Kunimi, standing beside the tree and watching their interactions with hooded eyes. He swallows – perhaps it’s not the best idea to mention the revolution out here in the open, especially when others are around to hear.

He lifts his hand and tugs hesitantly at Kageyama’s sleeve, a small motion that almost goes unnoticed by the other man as he tucks the sword back into its sheath. But when he feels it, his eyes widen and dart towards the spot on his sleeve where Hinata’s fingers are clasped.

Hinata ignores the fact that he’s just, unbidden, touched the member of the royal family, and leans forward.

“Can we speak in private,” he hisses, in a conspiratorial whisper, hoping that Kunimi can’t hear what he’s saying.

Kageyama’s eyebrows rise high on his forehead as he regards Hinata with large eyes. His mouth opens and closes as he tries to find words to speak, then he seems to regain his bearings and glances back at the figure of Kunimi, standing beside the – their – orange tree.

He looks back at Hinata, and lets out an exaggerated sigh that has Hinata fuming in an instant. “Alright, dumbass,” he mutters, that familiar adorable pout returning to his face, “come on, follow me.”

Kageyama beckons towards Kunimi, who leaves his post and walks behind them as they head into the cooler interior of the palace. Hinata doesn’t say anything for fear of attracting attention from other unwanted parties, and instead tries to keep up with Kageyama’s long strides. They head deeper into the palace, and suddenly Hinata realises with a start that they’re headed towards Kageyama’s own chambers.

This wasn’t what he’d meant when he’d asked for a more private place to speak in, and the knowledge makes him falter a step. He hasn’t really had good experiences – and that’s understating it a bit – with members of the royal family, and Oikawa and Kageyama are related, after all. Perhaps Kageyama had thought that Hinata’s words had been an invitation to bed –

No, no, no. Hinata shakes the thought out of his head. Kageyama’s been nothing but kind, albeit a little prickly, towards him, and to think that he would have such base motives in mind seemed unthinkable.

But then he remembers the arrogant smile on Oikawa’s face, the long, thin, cruel fingers dipping into his body like consent meant nothing to them, and he shudders.

Kageyama catches hold of his shoulder with a rough grip and shakes him, startling him out of his haze. He turns wide, confused eyes to the prince, and balks at the look of anger on his face.

“Do you think I am my brother?” Kageyama hisses, and his teeth are clenched. “I wouldn’t rape you. Come on, dumbass, walk a little faster.”

Then Hinata comes back to himself, and he laughs. It is a carefree laugh, and he bounces along to keep up with Kageyama, who seems to be walking faster than ever.

“Don’t call me dumbass,” he giggles. “Don’t you know any other words, Bakageyama?”

The look of utter shock on Kageyama’s face at the insult is enough to send Hinata into a roaring peal of laughter.

***

When they reach Kageyama’s chambers, buried deep inside the inner palace, Kunimi draws closer and pulls his cloak around Hinata as Kageyama opens the door, decorated with beautiful blue and green mosaics. It’s mid-afternoon right now, and as such many of the other occupants of the rooms are resting in their chambers. Oikawa’s room lies diagonally opposite from Kageyama’s, it appears, since Iwaizumi is standing outside on guard. Apparently, their chess session seems to have ended early.

His eyebrows rise on his high forehead as he sees Hinata being trundled along into Kageyama’s room, but Hinata gives him a quick thumbs-up, and he flashes a very attractive smile.

“Iwaizumi-san is kind of handsome,” he blurts out unthinkingly as he enters the room, and Kunimi coughs.

Kageyama’s face flushes blotchily as he removes his cloak and throws it carelessly onto one of the large pillows adorning the bed. He nods to Kunimi and gestures for him to leave, an order which makes the guard’s lip tighten, but one he follows nonetheless.

As the door closes behind Kunimi with a quiet click, Hinata trots over to one of the plush chairs settled on the ground and plops himself down. The pillows are surprisingly soft, despite the elaborate embroidery done on them, and he hugs one tightly to his chest. Kageyama makes an exasperated sound deep in his throat, and he sits himself down on another chair next to Hinata.

“Well?” he demands, his voice rough. “What did you want to talk about?”

Now that Hinata’s finally found the opportunity to be alone with Kageyama and say the words he wants to say, he finds himself hesitating, something so out of character for him that he is surprised at himself. He grips tightly into the colourful embroidery of the cushion on his lap and blinks owlishly up at Kageyama, who’s looking at him with hooded, expectant eyes.

“Well…” he mumbles, echoing the other man. “I’ve been hearing some rumours around the palace…”

He looks up timidly, and suddenly something in Kageyama’s expression makes him blurt out: “Is it true that you’re getting married?”

Those weren’t the words he’d wanted to say, not at all; after all, he’s really only concerned with the matter of the revolution, isn’t he? He doesn’t care about the marriage, no he doesn’t, no matter how odd and tingly the thought of Kageyama married to some other woman makes him feel. All that he cares about – all that he’d wanted to talk about – is the matter of the revolution, and whether he or the other servants would be involved.

That’s all that matters to him. His safety, and the safety of the other servants in the palace he’d grown to love. Asahi, Nishinoya, Sugawara, and the others who had made life easier for him. That was all he cared about, and that was all he’d wanted to ask.

So why had he asked about the marriage?

He knows it to be true, after all. It isn’t like the news of the marriage had come to him as the news of the revolution had, on the wings of rumours and gossip which might have been untrue. It had come through an actual announcement by the master of the hall, and he had had no earthly reason to doubt it.

The moment the words leave his mouth he bites his lip and looks down at his lap. He doesn’t want to see Kageyama’s expression, and he doesn’t want to let the deep flush on his cheeks show.

The room is shrouded in silence for a few moments, then Kageyama sighs.

“It’s true,” he answered, his voice emotionless. “I take it you’ve heard the news, then?”

Hinata finds his hands twisting in his lap, and he forces himself to keep still. The room is too silent, too immovable, and suddenly he is all too aware that he is alone in the room with Kageyama, and that the prince sits only a short distance away.

Today, Kageyama is clothed in a simple black robe complementing the colour of his hair, secured with a blue sash around his waist. The sweat from his earlier exertions sticks to his body and makes the thin fabric cling to the lines of his body, and his biceps tense as he raises an arm to wipe the sweat off his forehead.

The room is too hot, too stifling, and Hinata flaps the collar of his robe, gasping at the cool breeze that flutters over his overheated skin. He swallows as he watches Kageyama’s eyes drop, almost inevitably, to the protrusions of his collarbone and the white skin that shows as the collar droops.

“That’s not what I meant to ask,” he says softly, and his voice is surprisingly calm.

“Still, what of it?” Kageyama is still speaking with that flat, emotionless tone, driving Hinata to distraction, and his hand is still roaming restlessly around the hard wood of the table. “I presume you’ve heard the details already. The marriage will be to Princess Yachi of the neighbouring kingdom Karasuno.”

“I know,” Hinata replies. He blinks several times at the floor, then takes a deep breath, and rustles up his courage. He turns, and bites his lip. “Kageyama?”

Kageyama lifts his head and stares at him. They remain in that position for a while, neither daring to move, neither daring to break the silence, and Hinata feels the quiet burn in his stomach start to roil and tremble.

With a slow and deliberate movement, almost unconscious, Kageyama lifts a hand to Hinata’s cheek. Hinata feels his eyes widen and he opens his mouth to speak, but as Kageyama’s fingers touch his skin, he feels the faintest tremor ripple through the other man, feels the almost-imperceptible quiver in his fingers as they touch, and he closes his mouth.

The contact is queer, intimate almost, and Kageyama is looking at him as if he had been born anew – like something precious, treasured, loved.

“I don’t want that to happen,” he says, the words spilling involuntarily out of his mouth, and he watches in a kind of disconnected daze as Kageyama’s mouth falls open slightly. The words seem strangely inadequate somehow, he feels, and so he repeats them once again. “I don’t want that.”

Kageyama’s mouth twists into a bitter, ironic smile, and his eyes slip down, half-mast and cold. “I don’t want that either,” he murmurs, “but what choice do I have?”

“There is always a choice,” Hinata whispers, aware of how cliché his words are, but at the same time they are all that come to mind. A bead of sweat rolls off the side of Kageyama’s jaw, and Hinata watches it slide, in slow-motion, across the plateau of his skin. His tongue darts out to moisten his lips, and it accidentally ghosts across the tip of Kageyama’s ring finger.

Oops. He hadn’t actually realised how close Kageyama’s hand had been to his lips, but oh well.

Kageyama doesn’t move, except for a quick intake of breath, but his fingers slip across Hinata’s cheek and down to his chin. This time he grips hold with a gentle caress, and the motion would seem almost assertive and domineering, were it not for the faint tremble in his fingers, and the light blush that sweeps across his own cheekbones.

They’re nice cheekbones, Hinata thinks dazedly, high and flushed and sharp as a knife, and oh god, what is he thinking, because he feels as if he’d like to lick across the expanse of tanned skin from his cheekbone to the underside of his jaw –

Kageyama leans closer, and Hinata finds himself leaning closer as well. Kageyama’s fingers tighten on his jaw, his pull an inexorable force bringing them closer together, and when their lips finally meet, the kiss is surprisingly sweet.

Hinata thinks Kageyama’s cast a spell on him. There’s no other way to describe the way he’s feeling now, after all, otherworldly and ethereal and completely unreal. Kageyama’s lips are hot, burning like an anvil, and the way they move almost shyly across Hinata’s own is like a match, set to fire. Hinata finds himself drawing closer, pressing firmer, and his hand comes up to hold on to Kageyama’s neck.

If he doesn’t hold on, he might well fall, he thinks hazily, fall into the abyss that is Kageyama.

Hinata’s other hand lifts and threads itself through Kageyama’s hair in a gentle motion. The strands of his dark hair are soft to the touch and feel like a field of pearl grass. He pulls Kageyama towards him and they continue kissing, twisting and turning their heads as they attempt to draw the other closer and closer, until there is no space left between them.

The kiss is chaste and tender, like a flower when first in bloom. Hinata feels his heart thudding a heavy rhythm in his chest, sending his eyelids fluttering closed and setting his every nerve ending on fire.

Kageyama is the first to break away, gasping a little for breath, his eyes open in small heavy-lidded slits. His breaths are coming fast, uneven, and Hinata has to smile a little at that. The blush on his face is back in full force, spreading quickly over his ears and even down to his neck, until his entire face has turned an adorable, peach-coloured pink.

Hinata trails his lips over the path of the blush, tracing the lines of Kageyama’s face. He lands kisses on Kageyama’s nose, cheeks, eyelids, and even drags his tongue over the underside of his jaw as he had wanted to. Kageyama shudders under his touch, his other hand now resting on his thigh and inching steadily up under his robe.

His fingers are like hot coals, and they leave a burning trail up the skin of Hinata’s calf. He gasps as Kageyama grazes his nails across the sensitive skin on his inner thigh, a deliberate touch that is accompanied by his lips returning to Hinata’s own. Emboldened by Kageyama’s movements, Hinata opens his mouth and tentatively lets his tongue dart out.

The kiss becomes hot and heavy, intense, and Hinata shifts closer. He realises belatedly that he’s now sitting in Kageyama’s lap, pressing his body flush against the other’s, Kageyama’s thigh pressed in between his legs. There’s an insistent pressure at his abdomen, and he makes an involuntary whine in the back of his throat. The hand at Kageyama’s neck dances downwards and grazes teasingly across the prominent bulge at his crotch.

Kageyama lets out what sounds like a strangled curse. His tongue dips into Hinata’s mouth and there is a newfound aggression in the way he kisses him, all tongue and teeth and fierce nips at Hinata’s lips. Hinata mewls into his mouth and grips tighter into his hair. Kageyama tastes dark and rich, like dates and seasoned lamb, and the taste is addictive.

This time it is Hinata who breaks away from the kiss first, his face flushed and his lips inflamed. Kageyama moves his mouth to Hinata’s neck, drawing lines of fire across his skin and licking the sweat off him. He scrapes his teeth over the base of Hinata’s jugular and bites down hard near his collarbone. Hinata gasps, feeling pain-pleasure shoot down his spine at the feeling.

He peeks down at Kageyama, and is immediately enthralled. Kageyama’s eyes are burning with the same fire that is present during his swordplay, unrestrained and dangerous and wild. He makes love the way he fights, like an animal, with his fingers trailing heat over every inch of Hinata’s skin and his eyes burning through to Hinata’s soul.

“Stop,” Hinata manages, because he’s going to overheat. “Stop!”

Surprisingly, Kageyama stops, his fingers halting where they had been at Hinata’s waist, going downwards towards dangerous territory. He blinks, several times, as if recalling himself from somewhere far, far away, then he leans forward, so his head rests on Hinata’s chest, and sighs. It is a deep sigh.

“Dumbass,” he murmurs, and the word is quiet, but infused with a reluctant affection that makes Hinata’s chest clench, and not in a bad way. Hinata tentatively untangles his hand from Kageyama’s hair and lifts the other hand from Kageyama’s crotch, resting them in the safe zone that is the other’s chest.

There is silence for a few moments, no sound except their laboured breaths and the shifting of their clothing, then Hinata gives an exaggerated sigh.

“This wasn’t what I came here to do,” he sulks, his lip coming out in an involuntary pout, and Kageyama laughs. It’s a shock to Hinata to hear Kageyama’s laugh; it’s not brutal and rough as he would have thought, but surprisingly gentle, as their first kiss had been.

“Yeah, I guessed as much,” he answers. Hinata crosses his arms and shifts, then as Kageyama lets out an agonised squeak and their situation becomes crystal clear to him once again, he freezes.

“Get off,” Kageyama says, his voice strangled. Hinata giggles and clambers off carefully, making sure to – accidentally, of course – brush up against a few more hot spots of Kageyama’s as he moves. It’s fun to tease the prince, after all, especially when the blush across his cheeks is so adorable.

The prince. Suddenly, the gravity of his situation lands on him – lands on the both of them – and they look up at each other at the same time. Hinata would have laughed again at the matching looks of alarm they both sport, were it not for the severity of the mood.

“Oikawa-san,” he breathes, voicing the name on both their minds. Kageyama’s lips tighten, and suddenly he grips onto Hinata’s arms, painfully-tight.

“He won’t know about this,” Kageyama hisses. “He can’t.”

Hinata nods frantically, because of course Oikawa could never know about what they’d just done, about the attraction which had flared up between them, they’d both be flayed and disembowelled and executed at the drop of a hat. Well, perhaps Kageyama would be saved by his noble birth, but Hinata would most certainly face torture and the inevitable, painful death.

Thinking about Oikawa makes him remember his original purpose, and he bursts out, “Is it true also that you’ve joined the revolution?”

Kageyama jerks. His entire body trembles, and his grip on Hinata’s arms becomes almost crushingly painful. “Where did you hear about that?” he hisses through gritted teeth.

“There were rumours…” Hinata mumbles, and winces at the pain shooting through his arms. Thankfully, Kageyama notices, and guilt flashes across his face as he loosens his fists. Hinata sighs. “And I overheard you, Oikawa-san and Iwaizumi-san in the garden. That’s all I came to tell you, you know. You have to be more careful, otherwise you’ll get yourself caught! For all you know, someone else might have overheard you, just like I did!”

The concern is now bleeding through into his voice, and some of it must have gotten through Kageyama’s thick skull at least, because his steely gaze softens and he lowers his head.

“It was a slip-up,” he mutters. “I don’t think it happened to someone other than you, we’ve always been careful - ”

Hinata rolls his eyes. He can’t help it, and besides, the distinction between their social classes that’s always held him back has all but disappeared now that they’ve had their tongues in each other’s mouths.

“It happened to me,” he cries. “And that proves that you weren’t careful that one time, what if someone had overheard you someplace else – do you know how dangerous it is? What if you get killed?”

“I won’t!!” Kageyama yells, and Hinata stumbles backwards, his eyes wide. He hadn’t expected Kageyama to shout, and the sound bounces around the enclosed room like a clap of thunder.

Kageyama buries his head in his hands, and sighs. “Don’t you think…” he starts, then he lifts his head and glares petulantly at Hinata. “I understand the danger all too well, dumbass Hinata, and I of all people know what the risk is. But I’m willing to die if it’s for the cause.”

Hinata hesitates. He doesn’t want Kageyama to get hurt, to die, just for the sake of a silly revolution which had practically no chance of success. But it is as if Kageyama can read the thoughts on his face, for he grabs Hinata’s cheeks with his fingers, rough with calluses, and pulls him closer.

“It’s not just a silly revolution,” he says, with conviction, “and we’re going to make it. At least believe in me as far as that.”

Hinata stares at him, wide-eyed, as comprehension suddenly dawns on him. Yes, he decides, he believes in Kageyama, because he trusts Kageyama’s word.

He peels Kageyama’s hands off his cheeks and twines their fingers together in a gesture that is strange in its intimacy. He leans forward, and presses their foreheads together.

“I believe in you,” he murmurs, his voice soft and tender. “And I know you’ll come back safe.”

Kageyama swallows. “I’ll miss you,” he whispers, his voice rough, as if the words are difficult to get out.

“I’ll miss you too,” Hinata says, and darts up for another kiss.

just some kagehina fluff to cleanse the palate and an apology for being so late :( so yes they have finally kissed oh my gosh the slow burn was just killing me. next chapter will feature some oikage bonding, plot!!1!! and iwaois (hopefully). i've already fleshed out most of the plot so don't worry, i'm not going to abandon this baby, i have huuuuuuge plans ahead for y'all. 

[casper-has-a-cat]

WARNING: descriptions of vomit and alcohol consumption below!

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okay, you’ve been warned!  please enjoy the fic!

“Daichi, I don’t know if this is a good idea.”

It seemed, to Daichi, to be Suga’s permanent mantra, starting with the moment they were invited to a party.  Of course, it was better than Asahi’s flat out refusal to go, but somehow it was also more annoying.

Suga had said the same thing when he realized that Daichi had snuck out of his house without telling his parents, and then again, as if for good measure, just before they made their way over.  When Daichi had accepted his first taste of alcohol with a shrug, Suga’s mantra had made yet another, more forceful reappearance.

Still, Suga wasn’t the type of person to explicitly stop someone from doing something just because he considered it to be stupid, and Daichi used that to his full advantage.  They’d been invited to a party by the third years on the volleyball team, and Daichi would be damned before he’d let this opportunity to bond with them go to waste.  If he needed to get a little bit tipsy to accomplish that goal, then so be it.

Anyway, it was all going perfectly fine.  Daichi had the situation under control.  He was still sober enough to laugh with Suga about the silly actions of the others participating in drinking games, so he figured there wasn’t anything to worry about.  Even Suga seemed to finally be relaxing a bit as they watched.

Then a tall and particularly beautiful boy began approaching them.  The boy’s spiky haired but more muscular friend grabbed his arm roughly and they exchanged a few words, though Daichi only caught the end of their quick exchange.

“Don’t worry, Iwa-chan, I’m just going to make some new friends!”  The pretty one brushed past the one who was apparently called “Iwa-chan” lightly, ignoring the shorter boy’s disapproving head shake and scowl.

“Hi!” the pretty boy flashed them a smile as beautiful as the rest of him, and if something about it made Daichi uneasy, he brushed off his concern as unnecessary paranoia.  The boy introduced himself, “I’m Oikawa Tooru, first year at Aoba Johsai, and I heard that you two just joined Karasuno’s volleyball team, yeah?”

This time, the way Oikawa smirked definitely rubbed Daichi the wrong way.  “What of it?”

“Oh, nothing!”  Oikawa sing-songed.  “I just thought maybe you’d want to play a game with me, to see who’s superior off the court before we show you just how much stronger we are when it comes to volleyball.”

“Oi, Shittykawa, you said you’d be good!”  The spiky haired boy took a cross-armed position next to Oikawa.

“I said I’d make friends, Iwa-chan, you ought to listen more carefully!”

“Uh-huh,” the boy said skeptically, eyes narrowed.  Then, turning form Oikawa, he stuck a hand out to the Karasuno first years.  “Iwaizumi Hajime.  It’s a pleasure to meet you, and I apologize about my teammate.”

Suga smiled and returned Iwaizumi’s gesture, and then it was Daichi’s turn.  He liked the firmness of Iwaizumi’s grip, and he thought maybe these two weren’t so bad.  Oikawa, who was still whining about how Iwaizumi had introduced him as a teammate instead of as his best friend, seemed a bit odd, but then, that didn’t mean bad.  And he was really pretty, though Iwaizumi seemed to have a better attitude.

“It’s nice to meet you as well.  I think we’ll have to pass on the game, though,” Daichi said, eyes darting to Suga, who nodded his approval.  Oikawa seemed to latch on to that exchange, but didn’t say anything until Iwaizumi and Suga were engaged in conversation.  Then he pulled Daichi off to the side.

“So,” Oikawa said.  “You want to impress him?”

“Huh?”  Daichi was genuinely confused.

“Oh, you know, Mr. Refreshing over there!”  Daichi felt his face heat red.  “No need to be shy, he certainly is a pretty one.”

Daichi shook his head.  “No, that’s not-“

“What if I told you I have a way to impress him?”

“A drinking game?”  Daichi started to shake his head, but Oikawa stopped him.

“Hold up, just hear me out!”  Daichi sighed.  Again, his eyes unconsciously darted towards Suga, who really seemed to be hitting it off with Iwaizumi, and Daichi figured it couldn’t hurt to listen, so he gestured for Oikawa to continue.  Oikawa grinned and wrapped an arm around Daichi’s shoulder, then used it to point out a group of girls across the room.

“See those girls over there?”

Daichi nodded.

“They’ve just started a new club in the past week.”

“Okay…”

“It’s my fan club.”

Daichi’s mouth nearly dropped open.  “You’re kidding.”

“Not at all,” Oikawa smiled.  “I know how these things work.  Let’s you and me play a friendly little game, and I promise you, you and Mr. Refreshing will leave here with a stronger bond than ever.”

That was the buzzword: bond.  Before he even fully realized what he was agreeing to, Daichi nodded his head.  Oikawa nodded his approval in response, and shouted to Iwaizumi and Suga.

“Hey, you two, come watch!  Sawamura and I are playing a game after all!”

Daichi noted the way Oikawa’s supposed fangirl club turned at the sound of his voice.  Judging from their reaction both to his voice and his announcement, it seemed Oikawa was telling the truth.

Iwaizumi let out an exasperated sigh, and Suga frowned.  He opened his mouth to speak, and just then all of the third years, from Aoba Johosai and Karasuno both, erupted with chatter.  It seemed that they loved the idea of a friendly competition between their third years.  They were so loud that Daichi couldn’t hear what Suga said but he didn’t need to in order to know that it was that mantra again.

I don’t think this is a good idea.

The more Daichi thought about it, the more he agreed, but he and Oikawa were already being offered drinks and ping-pong paddles and video game controllers, and a crowd of spectators surrounded them.  He offered Suga an apologetic shrug, and then the games began.

45 minutes and multiple tied games of beer-io kart and beer pong later, Oikawa and Daichi were both feeling pretty awful.  Considering how competitive the two of them were, they probably would have kept going all night if not for their bodies’ refusal to accommodate.

Oikawa lost it first, though just barely, while he turned to a fangirl to compliment her dress and instead projectile vomited all over the beautiful - and expensive - piece of clothing.  Daichi had enough time to breathe a sigh of relief at having won before he had to clamp a hand over his own mouth to avoid making a mess.  He panicked for a moment when he couldn’t find a bathroom, but a firm hand found his elbow and then Suga was leading him in what they both hoped was the right direction.

They managed to find the bathroom, and just in time.  Daichi heaved over the sink once before Suga managed to guide him to a stall.  As soon as he was there, Daichi knelt down and started vomiting profusely.  Tears of embarrassment and exertion rolled down his cheeks, and he morosely remembered that the point of all of this had been to impress Suga.  This was definitely the opposite.  Daichi had just managed to precariously settle his stomach ten or so minutes later when he and Suga were joined in the restroom by two familiar voices.

“Iwa- hic - chaaaaan,” Oikawa was snivelled.

“I swear to God, Shittykawa, if you throw up on me-“

Just then someone - almost definitely Oikawa - let out a loud burp, and there was a sound of liquid splashing against tile.  A string of low curses, definitely Iwaizumi’s followed, and then another burp, but no more vomit.

“I wanna - hic! - go home!”  Oikawa sobbed outright now, and Iwaizumi sighed.

“Alright, let’s just hope you’re empty now and go already.”

With that they left.

“Somehow,” Daichi mumbled.  “I don’t feel all that bad for him.”

Suga hummed in agreement.  “It sure is nice when people get what they deserve,” he said coldly.

“Yeah.”  Daichi, hit suddenly by a new wave of nausea, leaned over the toilet, but it was just a false alarm.  He relaxed and sighed.  “Still, don’t be too hard on Oikawa.  After all, it was mostly my own decision that led to this situation.”

“Oh, trust me, I know,” Suga said.  He was rubbing Daichi’s back in a soothing way, but his words sent chills up Daichi’s spine.  “In fact,” Suga added, “it just goes to prove my point.”

“Poor Iwaizumi, though, having to deal with Oikawa’s shenanigans.  It doesn’t seem like Oikawa listens to reason at all,” Suga said pointedly, and Daichi started to get in inkling of what Suga and Iwaizumi may have discussed with each other.  Daichi wanted to apologize, but just then his stomach decided to purge itself of whatever was left in it, so he lurched over the toilet again and burped the rest of the alcohol up.  When he was done, he leaned back into Suga’s always steady hand.

“Poor, poor, Iwaizumi,” Suga said as he helped Daichi to stand.  The dissonance between his words and his actions was terrifying, and Daichi knew he would need to do a lot of favors to make this up to Suga.

He also knew that he never wanted to disappoint Suga again.  Never.

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