#iwaoi family

[iwaoiness]

Oikawa, texting his big sis: im taking iwa-chan home take down the poster of kong stepping on godzilla from my room

Oikawa: AND HURRY UP

Tomiko: what do you give me in return?

Oikawa: dont screw with me now if he sees it again hes going to kill me before we do anything and IM FIVE FUCKING MINUTES AWAY

Tomiko: the stracciatella ice cream that u have hidden at the back of the freezer

Oikawa: No.

Tomiko: cool the poster stays then

Oikawa: okay u damn bastard selfish KEEP THE FUCKING ICE CREAM BUT REMOVE THE POSTER

Tomiko: its a pleasure doing deals with you, tooru-chan

[sugawara--san]

when oikawa calls argentina v japan a family quarrel but at least they're still his family

[incorrect-highkyuu]

[on a date] Oikawa: We both look very handsome tonight. Iwaizumi: You know, if you- if you'd just said that I looked handsome, I would've said "So do you". Oikawa: I couldn't take that chance.

[monstrsball]

iwaizumi and oikawa are so nervous to meet suga's family. incredibly nervous.

they've never had to do a 'meet the family' thing when they started dating. their families already know each other. they considered each other's families their own long before they even started dating. the only nervewracking aspect was revealing that they were dating but it's not like anyone was surprised by that. (not even oikawa's parents) so things were okay, mostly.

in theory, oikawa should be fine. he did date one girl long enough to meet her parents (and they loved him) but this is different. it's a serious relationship. and there's the polyamorous aspect to consider too. what if they don't get it? what if they think iwaizumi and oikawa aren't taking this seriously and are just fooling around? what if koushi mom decides she hates them and forbids koushi from dating them? (iwaizumi says this is ridiculous because koushi is a twenty four year old adult man - he doesn't comment on the rest of it)

iwaizumi plays it cool for the most part but he won't lie that some of the anxieties oikawa expresses to him make him go "fuck i didn't even think that was a possibility..." he would never say that to oikawa though. he just rolls his eyes and tells him he's being ridiculous. (oikawa knows iwaizumi is nervous too though. of course he does. he knows him better than himself sometimes.)

in the end, they really had nothing to worry about. moms always love oikawa, he's a charmer. it doesn't hurt that he brought flowers. iwaizumi wins her over when he offers to do the dishes after dinner. suga's brother is a little quiet and standoffish at first but warms up to both of them when he sees that they both clearly care a lot about his brother. (sorry oikawa, little suga did in fact think what you feared he would)

they leave with their phone numbers and an invite to the next big family gathering with suga's extended family.

[3l91]

blinks up from post convention coma

oikawa teasing iwa about also studying abroad.. iwaizumi saying shut up kusoikawa like i would ever try to copy you 🙄💢

so that he doesn’t have to admit that being in japan would only make him feel lonely… even if he leaves miyagi he’d still see chain restaurants where the used to eat, still find himself buying oikawa’s favorite drink from vending machines, still turn the tv on right as oikawa’s favorite program starts..

[spacejammie-eimmajecaps]

It's ace week and SGB has a variety of aspec characters, so I figured it's a good time for a new promo post!

This is an AroAce!Matsukawa centric coming of age story that focuses on the following things:

-having a father with high expectations and very narrow minded ideals

-trying and repeatedly failing to live up to those expectations despite a great deal of effort

-eventually realizing it was never possible to live up to those expectations

-the ways people change (or refuse to change) over the course of their lives

-how relationships evolve when feelings and circumstances become more complex

-to whom loyalty is owed and at what cost

-not understanding what the big deal is with romance and sex, but also thinking those things are unavoidable because everyone makes it seem like that

-finding people who are similar, understanding, and supportive

-a long journey of self-discovery and (eventual) self-acceptance

Generally speaking, it has fluff, light-hearted events, occasional silliness, emotional moments (of both the pleasant and unpleasant variety), humor, and angst.

It's also, and I cannot stress this enough, a slow burn. So slow. So very slow. As of right now it's 383k words, and it's around halfway done. That kind of slow.

So yeah, give it a look, let it draw you in.

It'll be fun :)

[iizuumi]

Hear me out, pls consider Oikawa and Iwa crushing on the Kageyama siblings. That’s all

[orankiro]

the iwaoi family from my fic!!

their twins are born 12th of december💕

[writtenbyevie]

long distance iwaoi who leave sticky notes around their apartments for each other right before they fly back to their respective countries.

oikawa hides dirty jokes and cheesy one liners under plates, behind cereal boxes, and onto cleaning supplies. but he’ll also sneak in little heartfelt letters on occasion—usually tucking them into the sweatshirts iwaizumi pilfered from him or in his car visor next to their polaroid together. comfort to be found when iwaizumi misses oikawa the most.

iwaizumi smuggles aggressive reminders for oikawa to love and take care of himself behind oikawa’s coffee stash, in his sock drawer, and within the bathroom mirror. a long distance head butt. he’ll sometimes draw funny pictures and jokes to make oikawa laugh, along with scribbling out the rare love note. he puts them in oikawa’s coat pockets or on his comfort foods and movies. to be found when he really needs them.

it’s a way to make them feel like the other person is still there, still around, even when they’re thousands of miles away. a home built out of paper pieces and bad handwriting

[moonsbijoutoo]

Hinata Sora

15

Shoyou’s actual twin with Kenma’s eye color. Smart but chaotic, like really chaotic. Smol. Best friend’s with Akio and Keisuke. He and Toshiyo are good friends too, if he feels too much like a third wheel around Akio and Keisuke he’ll drag Toshiyo into the mix whenever he can. Has a little sister named Kotori. They are bubbly and he and his sister are the light of their parents' eyes. As oblivious as his parents can be about romance, he inherited the same trait and he doesn’t know Ushijimaten is crushing on him hard. The only rebellious thing he ever did in his life was randomly get his ears pierced with his three best friends to which it was Akio’s idea. Loves gaming but isn’t as good as Kenma lol but his imagination is as active as both his parents. Games with Ten too who is way better than him for no good reason. Is smart but Akio often has to remind him to use his brain.

Kuroo Akio

14

Tol emo angel that’s usually the smartest person in the room but lowkey, lowkey has a temper. Has Kei’s features like hair and eye color but a mix of his parent’s looks. Wears glasses but always forgets them, only remembers to bring them if Sora or his parents mention it but most of the time barely listens to his parents. Has strong feelings for Keisuke he just hasn’t decided if they’re positive or negative yet tho they’re bros.

Kageyama Toshiyo

14

Shy and reserved, between Sora and Akio’s heights. Dark hair like Kageyama and eyes like Tadashi and freckles. Friends with Sora only so he claims. Has 99 problems and Haru is like 75% of them.

Bokuto Keisuke

16

Newly 16 tho lol. Has Kou’s wild dual colored hair and Keiji’s eyes. Akio is his best bro and he’s really close with Sora too. He and Akio dance around eachother as Sora puts it. Has messy hair to his shoulders and refuses to get a haircut. Heart of gold, head empty tho. Drags Akio into social situations, likes gaming as much as Sora.

Sawamura Himawari

16

Has Suga’s soft features and hair color but Daichi’s eyes. Manages karasuno's boys volleyball team. She’s tired of the boys wanting more girl friends. Her and her siblings are her parents’ world. Has a crush on Akio’s sister she thinks no one knows about.

Ushijima Ten

16

Looks a lot like Ushijima but can have Tendou’s wild side when it comes to Sora. Has a smol crush on him everyone but him knows about. Is naturally good at anything he tries and shows Sora how to game better. Shinji’s his best friend that encouraged him to spend more time with his crush through online gaming.

Iwaizumi Haru

15

Looks like Oikawa but has dark hair like Iwa, has a tol crush on Toshiyo. Has dual extroverted personalities that neither of his parents can quite attribute to themselves exactly.

Shirabu Shinji

14

Looks a lot like Semi with his features but is a prodigy but lazy. He can be as sassy as Shirabu on the rare occasions he’s pissed off tho. Ten is the only person he knows that he hasn’t clashed with at one point probably also because Ten is rarely if ever bothered enough to care. Clashes with Haru whenever they are in close proximity of each other. Also has a problem with Miya Yukio but doesn’t know it’s just because he’s crushing on him. Can always tell the difference between him and his twin and the fake triplet cousin.

Sakusa Ame

16

Calm Ambivert who is mostly unaffected by the thought of germs but feels closer to his uncles and cousins than his sibling and parents because he feels he saw them less growing up. Looks more like Atsumu and can get mistaken as a triplet to his twin cousins. Good friends with Sora and Keisuke.

Miya Yukio

15

Him and his twin Yushiro take after Osamu and their uncle heavily in looks along with their cousin Ame. It almost scares the adults. Is cocky when he’s annoyed, reserved and intelligent. Gets along with Sora and Keisuke surprisingly well. Clashes with Shinji in one sided beef on Shinji’s part.

[starrenorth]

Iwaizumi Eiko took it upon herself and showed her fathers how it is done, here after having won her first match at nationals with her team Hiakawa.

Meanwhile, Ushijima Ryouta is more excited about being able to finally stand together with his girlfriend on court (without being afraid of Tooru wanting to kill him) than to go out and play with his team and friends in their first match at nationals 😜

Eiko and Ryouta are the main characters in my next generation fanfic When kids grow up where the former is a second-year setter and the latter a third-year wing spiker, captain and ace ✨

They both attend Hiakawa High and started dating in secret at the end of Eiko’s first year after spending years despising one another.

Besides her eyes Eiko resembles Tooru the most and is similar to her father constantly surrounded by fangirls and fanboys and is known as “Hiakawa’s princess.” Personality-wise she is confident, hardworking, ambitious, stubborn, charming and flirtatious. She tends to mimic Tooru whenever she is out in public or wants something and Hajime when she is at home or more serious. She is very close with her parents but due to their successful careers tends to put too much pressure on herself and overworks herself (to Hajime’s dismay.)

Ryouta resembles Wakatoshi the most (besides his hair ) and is very laid-back although hardworking, caring, charming and mischievous. On court he turns into a copy of his father Wakatoshi and is considered to be one of the top five aces in the country. While he is confident in his abilities as a volleyball player he doesn’t tend to brag about it, mostly because he compares himself to his father and oldest brother Tarou. While he loves his family they have a complicated family dynamic and he doesn’t get along very well with any of them besides Tarou.

A BIG thank you too @dida.artt for not only drawing my characters to perfection but for being so professional throughout the whole process ✨ I’m so grateful 🥰

[kings-highway]

haikyuu ships but its things about their relationships or moments that I think would surprise their friends/teammates

starting off with my boys Daisuga: honestly definitely the rest of the team forgets that they haven't been together forever, and are never expecting when either of them are acting like, well, teenagers in a relationship. Specifically in regards to being shy in front of each other or wanting to impress each other, the rest of the team always is surprised by it because in their mind, like, why are you feeling insecure in this relationship I thought you've been dating for 2 years and Suga is just like "try 3 months BITCH now I need you to find out what his favourite kind of chocolate is I'll pay you real money if he doesnt realize why you're asking."

right along to Kagehina and honestly, literally even just realizing they have a normal relationship. I think everyone absolutely understands how they got together, but I imagine the first time ANYONE sees them out in public together they ALL have a moment thats like "oh shit they like... are actually dating" and every time Kagehina is just like... on a lunch date, or going shopping, walking a dog, just chatting. Like people are surprised that they genuinely spend time together outside of sports. The first time Kageyama goes with Hinata as his date to a family wedding the entire family is flabberghasted bc they definitely thought this was an on-court obsession only

Iwaoi is really simple, literally just people realizing that Iwaizumi has genuine romantic affection towards him is the funniest thing to me. There's a week where Iwaoi is worried bc Iwa had to go to school with a hickey on his neck but literally NOBODY bats an eye or even mentions it because "yeah Oikawa obviously-" but when theyre changing for practice and they see that Oikawa has a hickey on his neck the entire team goes feral and practically tackles Iwaizumi like "you committed to kissing him for that long?????? YOU?????" like they cannot comprehend Iwaizumi actively participating. (obviously this is also the only time they every see Iwazumi embarassed enough to visibly blush which only compounds things.)

Bokuaka's is so stupid but honestly - the first moment the team realizes that Akaashi is, like, attracted to Bokuto and isnt just his best friend that got carried away. Konoha catches Akaashi checking out Bokuto's ass as he's leaving the changing room and it legitimately ruins Konoha's day. What is he supposed to do with this information.

To be completely fair, Ushiten as a concept probably absolutely baffles the entire Shiratorizawa team for multiple reasons. I think though the obvious one is that the rest of the team cannot understand how little Ushijima is bothered by any of Tendou's antics, where Tendou is VRRY touchy and goofy and lots of PDA and affection and Ushijima is completely receptive and unbothered by it, if not going out of his way to intentionally make Tendou laugh to invite him to more. Like Tendou absolutely would sit on his lap during lunch and Reon would be sitting there losing his mind bc last time he sat too close to Ushijima he got a lecture on personal space. Oh, but now suddenly he's super chill and relaxed and nothing bothers him its tendou doing it.

Asanoya's is a little sad tbh but I think, specifically the second and first years, would be surprised by how serious Noya is about the relationship and how little he tolerates jokes about them being opposites/a surprising pair or any of that. Like theyre shocked to find out how seriously he's taking being a boyfriend and really trying to make sure Asahi is happy. The idea that it isnt superficial or just for fun for him is surprising to them.

Arankita - in a comedy of errors Atsumu accidentally finds out they they are ~no longer virgins~ and legitimately has to leave practice for 20 minutes. There's a piece of him, and the rest of the team, that had 100% believed Kita was a robot and they just.... the idea that this was something that happened organically and not for "procreation" doesnt fit in their worldview. Kita smacks the next person who brings it up and that ends the conversation.

[flyingwargle]

october fanfic recs!

i don't have too many this month, so check out the previous months' recs: july, august, september

some of these fics are rated e!

sakuatsu

Dawn and Other Acts of Love t. 4.6k. sakusa's worst nightmare has come true: he has to stay the weekend at atsumu's. such a funny premise spun into a fluffy piece with light hurt and so much comfort. loved it!

shoot to kill g. 6.2k. this obliterated me and continues to haunt me. atsumu knows not to cross the line when it comes to insults and arguments, but sakusa does not, and says something that he shouldn't have. very powerful, with a tender conclusion at the end. one of the best fics i read this year <3

Summer Special: Omigiri t. 6.9k. osamu asks sakusa to be his model for his upcoming summer umeboshi onigiri special, but it turns out to be a ploy for him to confess to atsumu. absolutely hilarious.

The Taste of 2 a.m. t. 8.2k. atsumu is an insomniac with a need to drink tea at 2 am and sakusa joins him. they eventually fall in love with the routine and each other.

Curse Breaking for Dummies: A Setter's Guide to Getting the Guy g. 10.2k. 2/2. modern magic twist where atsumu is cursed with a love curse and everyone falls in love with him except sakusa. you can tell where this will go. very fun and lighthearted!

love as told by you t. 11.1k. this fic is the sun that beams onto you at the end of a rainstorm, reassuring you that love exists, and you'll find love, or a platonic soulmate. it's so warm and tender, choke full of affectionate details of a blooming sakuatsu relationship. a comfort fic, for sure.

recipe for disaster e. 22.9k. fwb narrative where atsumu falls in love with sakusa, featuring anxiety, supportive brothers, and sakusa who also loves him back. the sunaosa side of things is also *chef's kiss* and recommended below ehe

sunaosa

turn west towards dawn e. 2.7k. prose intertwined with letters about osamu getting an email from suna while studying in italy to reconnect after their break-up. the writing is both light but heavy with their lingering emotions and regret that makes your heart throb.

resistance to flow t. 6.2k. fwb to lovers agenda. i will never tire of the slippery slope of falling in love, especially if it's written beautifully.

A Primer for the Small Weird Orchestra Loves t. 8.2k. au where the boys are in an orchestra and suna helps osamu with the violin. lovely details and slow burn, with also a sakuatsu sequel.

of great ambition m. 17.8k. more of a suna-centric character study with a splash of sunaosa that focuses on suna's journey to become a pro. suna is so vulnerable in this, and he deserves all the glory for himself. it's also very in line with how i interpret his character <3

secret menu e. 26.3k. the sunaosa side of recipe for disaster. suna takes a part-time job working at onigiri miya during the off-season and gets more than he bargained for. also fwb narrative but augh. augh. the writing for both fics is so good and tailored to each character's perspective. i love both of them.

bokuaka

an ode to a conversation stuck in your throat e. 3.1k. a character study of bokuto who has bpd with spice. achingly soft and full of love.

crossing distance g. 4k. bokuto went abroad to study after high school and akaashi is the first one that he contacts. i just love how they were able to fall into each other again despite the distance and falling out of communication, it's truly a magical thing <3

A Kind of Magic t. 6.7k. bokuto and akaashi often hang out at bokuto's house until akaashi invites him over and introduces him to his incredibly large and wild family. beautiful, beautiful prose and gradual realization of feelings. we stan family members as their cheerleaders.

heavy heart, a love apart e. 7k. exes to lovers. this oozed with angst and heavy hearts with tension that is eventually resolved for a hopeful ending. loved the atmosphere created by the prose.

iwaoi

yes-man t. 4.1k. no matter what oikawa asks of iwa, he always says yes, including a spontaneous weekend trip to las vegas. very cute and fluffy!

Pretty Boy t. 8k. oikawa is used to iwa's range of nicknames for him, but when iwa starts calling him pretty boy, well. that changes things. fluffy, cute, and lighthearted!

shoelaces and departures t. 10.1k. 2/2. magical realism au where iwa runs a cafe and oikawa is compelled to travel to different corners of the world because of his innate wanderlust. mutual pining at its finest with fluff.

rise e. 12.4k. oikawa and iwa live together after high school but don't have a label on their relationship. something else that this fic focuses is on the push-pull aspect they have, especially with oikawa's knee injury. the hurt/comfort hit me where it hurt.

When I Fall to My Feet e. 23.2k. 3/3. trans oikawa is looking for someone to overwrite his terrible first time, and eventually iwa offers to do it. fwb to lovers, with a sprinkle of makki and mattsun friendship, and a wonderfully supportive iwa.

other

The MSBY Black Jackals Guide To Self-Care t. 4.5k. sakusa-centric. a cute little fic of sakusa learning about his teammates' various self-care routines.

Off the Hinges t. 15.9k. arankita, sakuatsu. kita adopts sakusa since he's a kouhai in the same business program as him while watching him develop his relationship with atsumu. kita also takes a page from his own book with his relationship with aran. cute and endearing. my first arankita fic and i hope it won't be my last.

i remember how the earth stopped turning t. 73.3k. 6/6. kageyama-centric. man. man. it's an amazing read that focuses on the immediate post-career ending injury and intertwines povs from other characters. gorgeous prose. give it a read, seriously.

Yamaguchi Tadashi is NOT a ghost hunter m. 77.9k. 23/23. tsukkiyama. the house that tskushima, kuroo, and bokuto rent in osaka is haunted, and hinata recommends yamaguchi, a spirit medium, to help them. the slow burn!! the mystery!! the details!! i very much enjoyed this <3

[hijinks-n-lowjinks]

fic recs masterlist pt 2

So here's a part two to my first fic rec list because I thought the first list was too long to add more or I've only read them more recently

Haikyuu!

you're all i see, you're all i need by DailyMelody: iwaoi fic where iwaizumi lies to his family that he and oikawa are dating and he slowly realizes they haven't been faking their feelings, nsfw in the last chapter

Sprout, Bloom, Grow by SpaceJammie: matsuhana and iwaoi fic from the perspective of matsukawa, this is probably my fav hq I'm keeping up with rn, the characterizations and story are so deep and well written, unfinished

Let the Light Out by UhohShouto: post canon kagehina fic where kageyama realizes he's super into hinata and they make a bet that leads to them smooching and doing much more, nsfw

what i really mean by solyn: kuroken fic where they're both sort of clueless about their feelings while everyone else around them knows they're in love, nsfw

it drives you crazy getting old by atsumusbiceps: a sakuatsu 13 Going On 30 au that's absolutely adorable, omi is in love from the beginning but atsumu thinks being angry and attracted to someone is normal

Gray in the Middle. by DeadDrabble (MisakillDatMonkey): crazy good sunaosa fic where suna is a model and osamu is his new assistant, the development of their friendship while osamu slowly gets to see the real suna and coming to see the toxicity of the fashion industry, unfinished, future nsfw

Sakusa Kiyoomi's Short and Unhelpful Guide To Falling In Love by honest_pebble: sakuatsu fic where omi asks for atsumu to kiss one drunken night and they can't seem to keep their hands off each other in the months after

i pretend you're mine, all the damn time by theglitterati: bokuaka high school fic where bokuto is nervous about his lack of experience when a girl asks him out so he asks akaashi to help him learn how to kiss, very cute and silly

sleeping with strangers by starbeyy: kagehina fic where kageyama is a lawyer that's afraid of attachment and only sleeps with strangers until he gets an extremely cute client that makes him less afraid, nsfw in later chapters

Take a hint by badreputation: sunaosa fic where suna doesn't realize osamu is trying to woo him and is just an oblivious dummy

i sing the body electric by viverella: iwaoi getting together fic where iwaizumi beings to realize he doesn't have entirely platonic feelings about his best friend

dearly departed by radiantradish: daisuga ghost au where suga is stuck in limbo while he's in a coma and daichi is a firefighter that keeps dreaming about him

Winter is Red by MeikoAtsushi: technically this is the sunaosa spin-off to their original sakuatsu fic but the premise is that osamu can see the red threads of fate that tie soulmates together but he doesn't have one and falls in love with suna anyway, this fic is fucking PAINFUL because osamu is determined to make his life miserable and try to push suna away but he can never stay away for long, nsfw

the posterior probablity by izayas: sakuatsu au where omi is a professor and atsumu is an m.d. who's taking his class and they fall in love lol

SunKissed by Paintbrushyy_Ducky98: bokuaka fic where akaashi's family's new pool boy is really cute and he sort of seems familiar... nsfw

favor from the boy you can't resist by crossbelladonna: bokuaka fic where bokuto asks akaashi to be his fake boyfriend and things go as well as you'd expect

Miles by lettersinpetals: kuroken post canon/during chapter 402.1 fic where kuroo is very aware of his love for kenma but is convinced kenma doesn't feel the same

Night Moves by fluorophoring: kuroken fic where they just keep hooking up at night without actually dating or discussing their feelings, heavy nsfw

What to Do (to You) by Mooifyourecows: iwaoi fic where matsuhana set them up on a blind date despite already being roommates and having crushes on each other, nsfw

take me the way i am by almostsophie1: kuroken fic where kuroo wants to know if kenma is willing to have sex with him just to "practice", nsfw obviously

spill my guts by wasted: bokuaka fic where akaashi is a massive pining simp and doesn't know what to do about his crush

Legend Has It by sifuhotman: sunaosa crime au??? i literally think about this fic all the time and how it's not finished, such an interesting plot with osamu as a detective and suna is a con artist who has connections to some underground crime syndicates, the last chapter posted legit made me cry, i really identify with osamu in this fic, nsfw in later chapters

Miscellaneous

Apple of Your Eye by Kattythingz: sk8 renga fic but it's if Adam became obsessed with Reki instead of Langa, highkey NUTS how good Adam's characterization is because you want to bash his skull in with a hammer

A Crown of Gems and Gold by Kattythingz: fma edling fic that's basically a rewrite of the entire series but if edling got together soon after their first meeting, the best characterization, action, and dialogue ever utilized in writing, unfinished but ongoing

Always an Angel, Never a God by oktsukki: jjk satosugu au where hidden inventory didn't end as bad as they did in canon, a lot of good healing and characterization

lights out by phollie: hxh killugon fic where killua is just very soft about gon as gon shows him around the island he grew up on

Sword of Damocles by orphan_account: mp100 terumob au fic where teruki asks mob out as a joke but he actually starts to fall for him

[monstrsball]

god yeah i need to talk about semiten a lot more actually. i need to up my game. they are so important actually.

[mania-sama]

iwaoi, but's it's iwaizumi who had always wanted to leave japan. he found his every day life in miyagi stifling. he hated seeing the same classmates over and over again with their disagreeable opinions and close-minded worldviews, hated the way the people in his neighborhood all knew each other and their business, hated the way it rained and hated the way the sun rose every single day. he hated the very idea of staying in miyagi more than he had to.

he talked to oikawa about this regularly, ever since they could form thoughts that ventured outside of their little realm in japan. first, he told oikawa he'd move out of miyagi. he'd find an apartment in tokyo, or a job as a farmhand in hokkaido, or anywhere else that isn't miyagi and the life he's had to grow up in. then, as he got older, he went a step further.

china, he'd mumble oikawa during the first class of the day in middle school.

the phillippines, he'd shout at oikawa while peppering a volleyball.

somewhere further, he'd finally admitted to oikawa while walking home from a late-night home court game, his gaze trained on the ground with the most vulnerability he'd shown in years. like america. i've applied to a college in america.

oikawa had laughed at him on most times. iwaizumi knew oikawa liked life in miyagi; he got along with his classmates fine, girls liked him, he loved his family and their neighborhood, loved the sunrise and the rain. iwaizumi knew this because oikawa had always disagreed with him on those subjects.

but liking life wasn't enough when oikawa's goals were set further than what he would be constrained to at home. loving japan wasn't enough when japan didn't love him.

argentina, oikawa had whispered, miserable, to him for the first time near the end of their first year in high school. he'd seen kageyama around. he'd seen the way his serves had gotten better and better and better.

their planes left mere weeks from each other. oikawa first, to argentina, with tears in his eyes and a sharp call to not be stranger. iwaizumi left second, wishing his family a farewell with his heart full to finally leave.

iwaizumi had liked california enough. he was entertained, if not occasionally confused, by the manner of young adult americans. he had thought, originally, that he wouldn't miss japan. maybe he'd miss his family and the two friends he'd left, but nothing else. he thought the pang in his chest when his american roommate and newfound friends went out for a chicken wing restaurant and not onigiri, when they spoke exclusively english (sometimes spanish) and not japanese, when there were beds and air mattresses and not futons, that he was missing familiarity, is all. he only missed not feeling out of place.

oikawa had shared with him, over their many calls, his own struggles with homesickness. but, oikawa had told him over grainy Facetime, my team has done everything to make me feel at home. spanish isn't as hard as i thought it'd be! i'm going to make this work. even if i miss you and japan. i just... i need this. i need argentina.

both he and oikawa managed to make it home for christmas after only a few months into their respective journeys into the americas. they arrived at different times, though, so iwaizumi made the trip home from tokyo alone. he took two trains, then a taxi closer to his house. he saw the billboards in his own language. he watched people that looked like himself. they went to restraunts with onigiri. their seating would be chabudai and not high tables and booths. he saw familiar streets and familiar faces in his neighborhood.

he came to his house, where he knew exactly where the patch of grass his childhood cat was buried in the backyard. he could see phantoms of himself riding his bike up and down the road. he could see where he caught butterflies, where oikawa chased him with a handful of worms.

he came home, and his family was waiting for him. it all rushed over him, when he saw them again. all the anxiety of not being able to get to them fast if they got into an accident. constantly wondering what he'd be doing if he was in japan and not at uc-irvine. thinking about how much he preferred his home culture to the strangeness of the united states.

he met with oikawa next, who regaled him on his adventures in argentina as if they hadn't talked nearly everyday since their planes took them away from home.

i'm going to stay, oikawa told him during a late evening stroll after dinner, his eyes alight with happiness and success. i love it in argentina. it's everything i want and need.

iwaizumi was happy for him. but, iwaizumi knew he would not be content doing the same.

i'm coming back home after i get my bachelor's, he told oikawa after a second's pause, letting the coldness of the evening wash over him, watching the sun set in the way he'd spent hating his entire life. america is nice, but japan is where i'm meant to be.

he found that he didn't mind the rain when he was no longer seventeen and hating his classmates. he didn't mind staring out the window of the house he grew up in when he wasn't sixteen and desperate to leave. he'd been to the other side of the fence, and the grass simply wasn't any greener.

and he knew he'd be okay with that, eventually, even if a part of him wondered if he was giving up. even if that part of him wanted to riot and rage and scream at the idea of staying in the place he'd always told everyone he'd leave.

oikawa looked at him, then, with his eyes still bright but shining with a different kind of light. and that's perfectly fine, oikawa said to him, his voice low and earnest.

there was not a hint of condescension. nothing that said, you gave up. you are worth nothing. you will be nothing. oikawa meant it when he said that it was fine that leaving wasn't all iwaizumi had chalked it up to be. his tone said, in every way, nothing has changed. you will be just as good here as you would be anywhere else. you have not given up. there is nothing wrong with letting yourself be happy.

somehow, that was more reassuring than any of the faux comforts he'd been trying to console himself with.