Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Summer was coming. Two months to go and summer vacation would be banging on their doors. Oikawa and Iwaizumi were waiting for it with so much eagerness that rumors about what they were going to do started going around.

“I heard Oikawa was in a band and they would start to tour after the volleyball competition finishes,” said one of his fangirls.

“I heard Iwaizumi was traveling with him to become Oikawa’s agent since he became a model” one of their classmates whispered to another.

None of the many rumors were true. Makki and Mattsun started getting some of theirs since neither Oikawa nor Iwaizumi bothered to clear things up. They knew trying to correct people was just going to add heat to the situation, besides they were too occupied planning everything to mind it.

This summer would be their last as highschoolers, by next summer they would be finishing their third year and everything would change. They needed to make the most of this one. It was a depressing thought but they put a smile on, Iwaizumi was still not sure why though, it was not as if they would be on opposite sides of the world. It was just finishing high school. Oikawa would get into team Japan and Iwaizumi would do something in Japan too… He just wasn’t sure what. Oikawa kept reminding him he had time to figure it out. He usually forgot that having him as a best friend made it hard for people to believe in their passions, no one could compare to Oikawa Tooru in that.

“Iwa! Let’s go,” said Oikawa as he grabbed Iwaizumi’s arm.

Makki and Mattsun were waiting for them by the gates. Oikawa, though he was the most pressing to go, was being kept by some fangirls that Iwaizumi had to get rid of.

“Watch that frown Iwaizumi, everybody’s gonna think you’re jealous of Oikawa” teased Makki, slapping his shoulder as he sped up his pace to catch up with Mattsun who was already a few steps ahead of them.

It left Iwaizumi quite baffled, since he didn’t even realize he was frowning. He wasn’t jealous of Oikawa. There were just bothersome girls so obviously drooling for HIS best friend and it was painful for him to just watch.

He needed to clear unhelpful thoughts from his mind, Makki was just being Makki and teasing him over nothing. Him and Mattsun dating had nothing to do with Iwaizumi liking Oikawa.

Wait.

Makki never said that.

Oh no.

“Keep walking Iwa, we’re not rich you know? We need these jobs if we want to spend the summer properly!” Oikawa said.

Iwaizumi repressed those thoughts for another moment. Painfully aware of his surroundings he kept walking next to Oikawa.

They talked a lot on their way to the centre of the town, which, although being considered the commercial part of the town, was still very small. Most of the stores and cafés were quite crowded with school girls or groups of teenage boys, like them. Some girls even stared at them as if they were celebrities, it made Makki smile smugly and Oikawa to puff his chest a little and shamelessly flirt with them from what seemed like a mile away. Mattsun just snapped at Makki but Iwaizumi slapped Oikawa in the nape.

“Ow, that was uncalled for!”

They kept walking until Oikawa stopped by a café where they sat down, only asked for a glass of water and Oikawa took out a folded piece of paper from his school bag.

“So,” he started as his eyes glimmered the same way they did once he cracked an opponent’s strategy, “there are four jobs available in this same street. I decided-”

“Woah woah wait there, who said I wanted to work anywhere near you?” playfully interrupted Makki.

“Makki, can’t you see the poor thing will die without us? Let him continue” he said looking at him but then he turned to face Oikawa, “continue big boy.” Replied Mattsun with the same energy.

Iwaizumi tried to contain his laughter as Oikawa pouted, sometimes his childish side showed too much and Iwaizumi had to fight the urge to pinch his cheeks. Had he always looked this cute? The answer was yes, but the question was, why was Iwaizumi just realizing that?

“Ahem, back to me. I picked the bartender job offer this café put out. They needed help in the kitchen in the maid café by the corner and also a server so I thought of you two, pair of idiots, were born for the job. As for Iwa-chan, there is a sports supply store one block away who needed a cashier.”

They weren’t really surprised by the amount of thought it seemed Oikawa had put into it, neither by the faith he had in them actually getting the jobs. To fill the silence Oikawa drank half of the only glass of water that sat on the table. His friends stayed silent for a few seconds more.

“I’m going to look so hot in a maid outfit,” said Makki in a horrified voice.

“You will babe”

“No you don’t understand! I may pull too many hot babes! Mattsun I only have eyes for you I swear,” he continued.

“I’ll just have to show my superiority to them, I’ll challenge them to a Just Dance battle”

“Agh not the time! Sappy convo over.” replied Oikawa with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

“Why not me in a maid outfit then, Shittykawa?”

“Makki wouldn’t commit to working in a sports supply store.”

“Good point, actually I can’t imagine Makki committing to a job at all.” playfully continued Iwaizumi, with a fake pensive tone.

“Poor soul he’s going to be such a troubled jobless adult,” continued Oikawa, dramatically whipping fake tears from his face.

“Suckers.”

“Bite me,” said Oikawa with a grin. “Well boys, my interview is supposed to start in five minutes, yours and yours,” he pointed at Makki and Mattsun, “starts in half an hour. I’ve already filled and sent applications. Iwa, yours starts in an hour.”

He got up before any of them could try and argue with him. Oikawa felt a smug grin on his lips as he walked into the café and straight into the Manager’s Office. He was working towards the best summer a high schooler could ever dream of since he was a little more than slightly preoccupied with the thought that his friends would drift away after high school. Oikawa tried not to think about it, he knew it was just him being dramatic and the thought left him dumbfounded. However, thoughts don’t disappear just because you know they shouldn’t be there. He cleared his mind as a middle aged woman walked into the office. He was going to get this job.

Iwaizumi, Makki and Mattsun were still sitting in the outdoors table Oikawa left them in. They didn’t know whether to laugh at it or be mad Oikawa had enough personal data about them to fill job applications. They tacitly decided to do neither, probably because it was something they should have expected Oikawa to do eventually. A chill went down Iwaizumi’s spine, briefly realizing the power Oikawa held.

“I guess Makki and I should get going, at least check out the place Oikawa threw us into.” Mattsun chuckled, already getting up.

“Sure you guys go ahead, I still have time to kill.”

A soft breeze ruffled his hair as he watched his friends walk away. The realization that he liked his best friend was nothing like the movies or books described it. It was more like an “Oh” moment for him, in a way it felt disappointing. Not because Oikawa was a guy, Iwaizumi had suspected he was at least bisexual for the past three years. More because of all the fuss about romance and dating, all the sorts of things he only cared about when Oikawa needed him to care about them.

Lies.

Iwaizumi had secretly been seeing rom-coms with Oikawa’s sister since he was seven. He even read shoujo manga! Though he swore, tried to lie to himself even, that all of that didn’t affect his expectations for love. Although liking someone was far from loving someone. He pretended to be annoyed when Oikawa would talk to him about his occasional dates, be it with a fangirl or fanboy. Iwaizumi pondered if his acting was so convincing because he had been jealous the whole time or maybe because he thought it wrong to go on a date with someone you don’t even seriously like. Oikawa was the type to go on dates with people he thought of as “nice and kind with a pretty face.” Iwaizumi hadn’t gone on a date yet but he sure as hell had hoped his first date wouldn’t be with someone like Oikawa. Now… Well now Iwaizumi wanted to punch himself.

A notification on his phone forced him to look at the time and snap out of it. He had an interview to pass. With a sigh he got up and headed towards the store Oikawa picked for him. He was trying to keep his cool, unlike Mattsun and Makki he didn’t have the whole “chill about everything” front. He was nervous and unprepared. Damned Oikawa, he kept thinking too highly of him.

Chapter Text

They were four weeks away from summer. One month. Oikawa was sitting by the window inside the classroom, the teacher was explaining something he already understood. His mind kept wandering to the volleyball team, the graduating seniors had already named him captain. Was it really a good idea to keep working and cutting hours of extra practice? With this he had to recover the unpracticed hours during the weekends. Wouldn’t it be better for him to spend the summer in training camps and practicing extra hours with the team? What was he thinking, dreaming about going on trips and to the beach with his friends when he clearly needed to pay attention to his training. Now more than ever. He was going to be captain for the next season, how would he face the team, if he didn’t spend the entire summer practicing?

“Psst.”

He felt a tap on his shoulder.

“Oikawa-san” the classmate sitting behind whispered.

He turned his head and the boy extended his arm, he had a small folded paper between his fingers. He grabbed it and looked around, the only people who weren’t paying attention were two girls and Iwaizumi. All of whom were looking at him.

“Thanks” he whispered back to his classmate.

The teacher was thankfully writing on the board, therefore wasn’t watching that little note-passing. Otherwise Oikawa would need to read it aloud.

“You’re frowning and your fangirls are getting noisy bc they’re worried. Roof during recess.”

Iwaizumi kept his eyes on Oikawa while he read the note, it was unusual for his best friend to show his negative emotions in school. Hell, it was unusual for him to show them outside the court at all. Iwaizumi was the only one who had seen him vulnerable multiple times, outside the court and for reasons outside of volleyball. This was out of character for Oikawa. His usual dream-boy aura was plagued by his gloom.

Oikawa shook his head as he read the note and looked up to meet Iwaizumis gaze. He gave a quick nod in response, accepting the other's offer silently.

When the bell rang, Oikawa’s fangirls were rushing in and almost managed to surround him but Iwaizumi was faster. He grabbed his best friend by the wrist and dragged him all the way to the stairs.

“You saved me,” sighed Oikawa.

“You sound tired, you didn’t look like yourself during class. Spit it out, what’s eating at your brain now?”

Oikawa frowned in a worried way, debating whether it would be a good idea to tell Iwaizumi.

“Come on, you can tell me once we’re outside.” Said Iwaizumi who was already going up and didn’t even turn to face him.

The rooftop was windy. The grey color of the cement contrasted with the uniforms of the few students who were already there. Iwaizumi walked to the metal mesh and rested his back on it. Oikawa followed at a slower pace, still unsure whether or not it was a good idea to let those thoughts out.

“Talk.” demanded Iwaizumi.

“I don’t think I should continue with our plan for the summer.”

He looked to the floor while he said it, ashamed of being the one wanting to bail. Iwaizumi tried to make sense of that confession, was Oikawa trying to say he didn’t want to spend time with him anymore? Well, not just him. But that’s where those words hit first.

“What do you mean?”

“Is it okay for me to continue with those plans when I’m the next captain? Like, I don’t think I can work and practice as much as I should and then during summer, spend so much time outside the court. Iwa, I’m not sure I deserve to be the next captain.”

Iwaizumi felt guilty for the amount of relief those words gave him. He sighed and with the tip of his fingers lifted Oikawa’s chin up. His stomach turned upside down at the action, he knew how much he wished he could just kiss Oikawa and make him feel enough.

“Don’t say things that make me want to hit you.”

“Iwa I’m serious.”

“Yes that’s my problem! Oikawa, you've earned your position. None of the other guys, including me, work as hard as you for this team.” Iwaizumi sounded more exasperated than he intended. He removed his fingers from Oikawa’s chin and with his index finger he pressed Oikawa’s forehead. “Stop believing every bad thought your big brain sends your way. You worked for it and even with your new temporary job you still manage to practice more than the rest of us.”

“But-” started Oikawa, removing Iwaizumi’s finger from his forehead.

Oikawa's cold hand against his own warm finger almost sent a shiver down Iwaizumi’s spine. Wouldn’t a hug make it better? Why had he been so reluctant to touchy displays of affection before… It was making everything harder now.

“I’m not done,” he said firmly, “Enjoying your summer like a normal high schooler will not suddenly make you trash at volleyball. Besides who said we were not going to play some beach volleyball when we spend our weekend there? Have some faith in us, Shittykawa.”

Oikawa blinked hard because for a minute Iwaizumi looked exactly like he did when they were little. He could see behind those frowned bushy eyebrows, Iwaizumi was reassuring him because he genuinely believed in him. There was something heating up in his chest and although Oikawa was not sure what that was, he liked it.
“Yeah, maybe you’re right.”

“Don’t be so harsh on yourself otherwise I will need to hit that attitude out of you” Iwaizumi threatened, his smile widened to the sound of Oikawa’s laughter. “I’m not kidding, pretty boy!”

Oikawa stopped laughing. Suddenly Iwaizumi was aware of what he said, and that he said it loud enough for the few girls near them to hear. Thankfully they were too immersed in their conversation to mind them. Oikawa’s head dropped to the side, a smug smile appeared on his face.

“So you think I’m pretty huh.”

“Man just shut up, I meant it as an insult.” He tried to deny it but the blush on his cheeks proved him wrong.

“Yeah sure you did.”

Soon enough, the bell rang and they headed to class.

Feeling lighter than before, Oikawa managed to get through the day without another of those thoughts. By the end of the last class, Makki and Mattsun were already by the door.

“Mom I don’t wanna work today, my tummy aches,” Makki whined at Iwaizumi as they walked to their lockers.

“I’m not your mother, you’re too ugly to be my son.”

“Babe leave it. Let’s go, otherwise we’ll be late.” Mattsun looked at his phone as he said that. When no one answered, he looked up. “What?”

“Nothing nothing Tsun-Tsun! It’s just that… I never thought this day would come… You’re actually… Worried about being late,” with his shoes still in his hands, Oikawa while he dramatically pretended to cry, threw himself at Iwaizumi who lost his balance and ended up pinned to the lockers. “Iwa-chan I’m so proud, tears are coming out.”

“Shittykawa! Move. Now.”

Iwaizumi was scared something might awaken. If it went up he might have to consider moving to North America or something.

“Geez, so mean!”

Considering the amount of time they lost on their way, neither of them were late to their jobs. Waving goodbye to Makki and Mattsun, Iwaizumi remembered his boss had given him the day off. He pondered whether it would be a good idea to follow his two friends, but picturing Makki in a maid dress made him want to laugh so hard he knew it would be a bad idea. He settled with grabbing some coffee from the café Oikawa worked at. It would also be a great excuse to see him in his uniform.

He just needed to get himself to enter that café.

Chapter Text

Oikawa was tying the knot of his gray waist apron when he realized Iwaizumi was standing outside. It was strange, he looked troubled. Maybe he didn’t realize the glass was mirrored… Oikawa deemed it unimportant and continued with his work.

Although being thought of as a prince, spoiled kid, whatever the people said about him these days, Oikawa was a hard worker on and off the court. Which surprised many of his fans who had encountered him while casually entering for some coffee.

The café had an indie ambiance, mostly frequented by trendy high schoolers and college students who dressed like librarians. His coworker was in fact, a freshman in college. Working there for almost a month already had given him the chance of befriending Yukio.

They hit it off really fast, it almost felt like they had known each other for years. Oikawa’s flirty personality matched with Yukio’s more playful one, they quickly became the reason why most groups of girls or guys entered. The manager, unsurprisingly, was more than pleased with the amount of new customers they were reeling in, even starting to feature them on the cafés social media accounts.

“Prettykawa, please take over me there,” Yukio nodded to the cash register, “Gotta fix my hair first.”

“Sure thing handsome.”

They didn’t mean it like that though, Oikawa was at peace knowing that all the flirting they did was just part of their friendship.

He took the old lady’s order but not without complimenting her and casually chit chatting with other customers in line. Before he knew it, Yukio had his long black hair tied in a half bun, it looked messy but Oikawa was sure Yukio had re done it a few times before getting out of the changing room. That hairstyle let his ear piercings be seen. Oikawa liked them a lot and since becoming friends with Yukio, considered getting some himself.

“Why is that guy staring so hard?” Yukio asked after a few minutes, his tone a little more serious than usual.

Oikawa stopped brewing coffee and turned his head to where Yukio pointed. Iwaizumi was sitting at a table next to the door, seemingly hidden, with his arms crossed and his stare fixed on them.

“That’s my best friend!” Oikawa said smiling to disguise the uneasy feeling that brewed inside him whenever Iwaizumi looked that upset. “Cover for me for a few seconds.”

“No problem princess.” Yukio said aloud, making some ladies giggle.

Oikawa smiled at the customers who were still looking at him as he made his way to Iwaizumi, who suddenly thought the street was incredibly amusing.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Oikawa said softly, sitting down in front of Iwaizumi.

“Nothing,” he still wouldn’t look at Oikawa. “So who’s that?”

He quickly turned his head to Yukio. Oikawa glanced in that direction. Yukio was whipping some cream by hand and accidentally splattered some on a young lady that was grabbing more napkins. With great care he wiped it off her with his handkerchief and, as he apologized, the lady turned redder and redder. He noticed how some of the girls in the tables near that were visibly upset but that was to be expected. After all, everyone loved Yukio.

“Yukio.”

“Are you guys like… ‘besties’ now or something? You seem awfully close with him.”

There was something bitter in Iwaizumi’s voice, yet Oikawa didn’t seem able to place it.

“Well, yeah, we’re friends. I was actually thinking-”

“Hey, over there! The pretty boy with brown hair! I need some help over here!” yelled Yukio from the counter.

Iwaizumi scowled at Yukio, why was he shamelessly flirting with Oikawa? And how come Oikawa didn’t realize…

Oikawa apologetically smiled at Iwaizumi and whispered “I’ll tell you later,” he rushed to Yukio’s side and, as a result of his haste, almost slipped but Yukio caught him by the waist. Like when the prince dipped Cinderella at the dance, or when you’re in a movie and about to kiss your dance partner. It was enough for Iwaizumi. He got up and left without saying goodbye.

Oikawa had had the thought of inviting Yukio to one of the beach weekends they had planned, he was sure Makki and Mattsun would like him too. However, now he had the strange feeling that Iwaizumi wasn’t going to be all too keen on that idea. He was starting to get distracted by that when he almost burnt himself with a croissant. Yukio laughed at his clumsiness with that soft but contagious laugh he reserved for times he couldn’t laugh out loud.

His shift ended on a high note, Yukio and him ended reciting some Romeo and Juliet dialogue. It resulted in two girls crying and most of the ladies in the audience filming that little show.

The manager got there just in time to see it happen and she was so pleased with them and so moved by their-actually pretty good acting-performance she made them carry some sweets and coffees before they left. Oikawa was grateful because he could give them to the team before they practiced and since Yukio lived alone and was going to head home, he gave Oikawa a few sweets of his own batch.

“Thanks man, the boys are gonna be thrilled.” Oikawa smiled with his heart, because he did love his team and seeing them enjoy things made him happy too. Cheesy, but true.

“You sounded like a dad there, you’re really nice ‘Kawa.” Yukio let out a soft laugh and waved goodbye.

Oikawa watched him walk away for a few seconds before turning and walking back to school. Yukio had a fine sense of style, he wore a band t-shirt and grey skater jeans with converse. Oikawa liked his alternative style, though he didn’t even know the band on Yukio’s t-shirt. It made him unique, even though people were always telling Yukio that at 18 he should really try and be more “normal” to fit in and get a proper job. Oikawa liked that Yukio stayed true to himself, he was always telling Oikawa how those people made him more sad than angry because, in the end, they were the ones that were actually unhappy.

As he walked with a fast pace the sun was starting to set. The shadows created by the buildings and trees were larger and covering almost all the sun that could hit his pale face.

“Oikawa-kun!”

One of the third years was just behind him, probably getting off his job too. Oikawa stopped and waited until he caught up.

“So… captain huh.”

They walked together. Normally no one would start practice this late but in consideration for the third years who were all working, they changed the schedule. Oikawa and the rest just took advantage of it.

“Yeah. Captain.”

His voice was a little unsure, the word “captain” referring to himself was like drinking soda. Sweet but it left a weird sensation on the tongue.

“Don’t overthink it, you’re going to do great. Captain chose you as his successor for a reason. Believe me, you deserve it.”

Their conversation topic changed a lot before they got to Aoba Johsai’s gym. Oikawa greeted everyone with his usual smile and left the sweets and coffee on the bench for everyone to grab some. Of course there weren’t enough of the paper cups of coffee for everyone so he just gave them to the coaches and the little manager they had.

“Thank you so much Oikawa-san!” said a first year, his face melting with enjoyment as he bit into a chocolate croissant.

“Don’t eat too much though, you’ll get a stomach ache and I don’t want anyone puking on the court.” said the coach.

Everything was great during practice, Oikawa felt good. None of his insecurities surfaced and his sets were perfect.

That was until they were doing the practice “match” and Iwaizumi was on his side of the court. Iwaizumi had been going at it too roughly during the whole practice but he was still getting everything right, Oikawa didn’t think much of it.

But this was something else.

It was the third time his set was perfect and Iwaizumi completely butchered it. Iwaizumi seemed as affected by it as Oikawa but he wasn’t communicating like he normally would. Just growling and screaming a few curse words.

“Iwaizumi-senpai, is everything okay?” Oikawa heard a first year ask Iwaizumi.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” His voice was cold and harsh, even when it was noticeable he was trying to cool down.

They were taking a 5 minute rest before the second set. Oikawa seized the opportunity to try and fix Iwaizumi’s mood.

“You’re clearly not, don’t go lying to the kids.” His light hearted comment was not well received by Iwaizumi, who immediately sent a death glare his way. “Woah, you should really try frowning less, it’s gonna leave marks on that handsome face.”

He was trying to tease Iwaizumi, but the tingling sensation on his stomach and the heat he felt on his cheeks made Oikawa realize that he, truthfully and wholeheartedly, believed that Iwaizumi was handsome and perhaps Oikawa was not just appreciating his best friend’s looks… However he shoved those feelings down again. Now was not the time for that, especially since it was the same feeling he had back on the rooftop.

He turned his back to Iwaizumi before he, or anyone else, could see his face.

“The ladies are not going to like that!” he added, hoping it would be enough to cover up his true feelings.

“Pray tell Iwaizumi, are you really gonna keep doing it like this? ‘Cause if that’s the case then I’m gonna be the next Ace!” joked Makki.

“Like hell you will! Shittykawa, let’s go!”

Iwaizumi seemed to be back. He shook his head and jogged into the court. Oikawa smiled, relieved his best friend was probably just in a weird mood and not really mad. Makki laughed at them and the match continued.

They were done for the day and Iwaizumi was completely back to normal. Everyone waved their goodbyes and went home. Mattsun went ahead with Makki and that left Oikawa and Iwaizumi walking alone.

“My aunt says we can stay with her but only if we clean up after ourselves, I told her not to worry so that’s settled.” announced Iwaizumi looking at the sky as he walked close enough that his fingers occasionally brushed with Oikawa’s. “Mattsun will probably talk with his uncle about the tent and camping stuff a few days before we go, he knows he has it and they’re tight anyway so no problem there.”

“I can’t wait! This summer's going to be so much fun!” Oikawa squealed.

Just as he said that, he smiled, blinding Iwaizumi. It felt like looking directly at the sun, it burnt his cheeks and when Oikawa got even closer to squeeze Iwaizumi’s arm to show his excitement, Iwaizumi knew he would not be able to sleep that night. Because he felt fireworks in his stomach, and because his best friend didn’t feel the same.

Chapter Text

“Hurry up!” Oikawa cried.

First day of summer. Vacation days started and the boys wanted to go to the beach next week. Unsurprisingly, Oikawa wanted to meet at Makki’s place to go over some stuff.

“You slow down! You might even find Makki sleeping because you’re so damn early.” Iwaizumi protested as he rubbed his eyes, he was way too tired for this. Oikawa had gotten him out of bed at 7am. They went to sleep at 3am. Oikawa was a nut job, an official and certified freak.

“It’s 8am now, everyone should be up by now.”

“Key word, SHOULD.”

“So angry so early Iwa-chan.”

Iwaizumi had bedhead, his clothes were unironed and mismatched, he looked like a personified Monday to say it nicely. Oikawa on the other hand, wore a preplanned outfit and even had time to apply concealer under his eyes. His hair was perfect, as always.

“What did you wanna say to us that couldn’t be said by chat? We literally have a group chat for these kinds of reasons.”

They arrived at Makki’s apartment, luckily, because it was too early and the town was already noisy. The cars passed too loudly, the sun shone too brightly, Iwaizumi needed to go back to sleep. Or at least get some coffee into his system.

Olympically ignoring Iwaizumi, Oikawa went ahead to ring the bell.

“We hate you,” greeted Mattsun as he opened the door, he had just woken up, everything about him just gave it away.

“Tough,” replied Oikawa making his way in.

They gathered in the little kitchen table so everyone, except Oikawa, could have breakfast.

“So… I wanted to run something through you before actually doing it.”

“Kawa isn’t going to die is he Iwaizumi?” Makki spoke after swallowing some grapes, without chewing.

“No coffee, don’t talk to me.”
“Iwa-chan too much caffeine is going to make you sick.”

“Boo-hoo,” Iwaizumi proceeded to down a cup of black coffee. After a quick shiver went through him he looked straight at Oikawa. “Now I’m good, speak.”

“Well remember Yukio, right?”

“Yeah we met him once, pretty cool guy,” said Makki.

Mattsun nodded, too busy with his toast. Iwaizumi resisted the urge to punch something, Oikawa was there somehow looking nervous, when he was the last person on Earth to get nervous about normal stuff… And Yukio was the reason why?

“To hell with that flashy bastard,” he muttered, almost inaudible. Almost, because Mattsun grinned at him.

“I was thinking that maybe… We could invite him to the beach with us next weekend.”

The small kitchen stayed silent for a while. Iwaizumi’s expression went blank, Makki and Mattsun however, had another expression written on theirs though Iwaizumi was too entrapped on his own that he failed to notice it.

“The more the merrier!”

“Makki’s right, I say go for it.”

“Iwa?”

The three boys stared at Iwaizumi who was still trying to find the words, his throat felt dry. His mind went places he didn’t know existed within him. Although he knew it would be suspicious of him to say no.

“3 out of 4, even if I say no I’m out numbered. Will he have to stay the whole weekend though?” he managed to say, forcing the words out of his mouth.

“I mean, yeah, but if you’re not really comfortable Iwa… I don’t wanna force anyone here.” Oikawa sounded slightly disappointed, the same way he sounded the first time Iwaizumi rejected a sleepover at his place.

“Nah, it’s fine.” Iwaizumi lied. He even looked down at his empty coffee cup. How long would he be able to reel in his feelings? His chest felt heavier and suddenly the coffee he drank was upsetting his stomach.

“I think this is gonna be one of the best beach trips ever,” said Mattsun though he looked directly at Iwaizumi, who still had a constipated look on his face.

“Oh, me too!” Oikawa was already grabbing Iwaizumi’s wrist and dragging him out, although it looked more like a kid dragging his rag doll, “well boys, see you in a week! Use protection! I don’t wanna be an uncle yet!”

“Fuck off!” yelled Makki from the kitchen.

Oikawa kept holding Iwaizumi’s wrist going down the stairs, since Makki’s apartment was on the second floor. He even kept holding his wrist on the street. He kept holding it until Iwaizumi was aware of what was going on and felt the wave of embarrassment hit his body quickly and spread through his cheeks. If he stayed like that his wrist might face first degree burns, it felt like Oikawa’s touch was made out of lava and Iwaizumi found himself unable to stand it any longer. He felt himself near his breaking point, if it stayed there, he might do something he would regret later. Something like pulling Oikawa Tooru into a kiss right there and then, burning both of them in the process.

Iwaizumi tried to get Oikawa’s grip off. Perhaps he had forgotten Oikawa was almost as strong as he was.

“Deal with it, otherwise you’ll go at your pace and I’ll leave you behind.”

You’re always leaving me behind, thought Iwaizumi. Despite feeling like that, he was unable to keep trying to set his wrist free.

“Fine.” He said.

They stopped in front of a bakery that Iwaizumi could have sworn to smell a block ago, and even though having lived his whole life in that town, somehow he never encountered this particular bakery.

Oikawa on the other hand seemed to be acquainted even with the cat by the door.

“Everything here seems expensive.”

Iwaizumi entered the bougie-looking bakery, the strong scent of sweets and vainilla slapped him in the face. He scrunched his nose until it adjusted to the smells.

“It’s the best milk bread in Japan though, it’s worth every cent.”

“Did you really have to drag me all the way here just for some milk bread? I thought you had something important to do.”

“This is something important, today is the first day I’m going to spend the money I earned. So pick a bread or something and I’ll have my milk bread, becau-”

Iwaizumi punched him in the arm, instead of acting on his urge to kiss him.

“Iwa, what the hell!”Oikawa cried.

“I have money too you know, no need to spend it on me,” Iwaizumi muttered, bashful and barely opening his mouth to speak in fear his beating heart would betray him.

“Shut it. I wanna do this so just pick a fucking bread and let me be your sugar daddy for the day.”

He winked and walked further inside swaying his hips like a diva. He didn’t keep it up more than a few steps but it certainly made Iwaizumi giggle. He lowkey wished he had taken a video of it, after all Oikawa did have some hip moves that accentuated his…

Iwaizumi suddenly became strongly interested in the cold section of the bakery, he focused a lot on the products. Wow, that sticker on the glass said organic ingredients only, very interesting indeed. He was focused on that therefore he had no horny thoughts about his best friend, no sir.

“Iwa, you decided already?”

Oikawa was already at the cash register. The soft lighting hit his face and made it shimmer. Oikawa was too pretty.

“I’ll just have this.” Iwaizumi handed him a round honey bread.

“Great.”

Oikawa paid for both breads in cash, his smile was wide and the cashier laughed at something that he said. Iwaizumi observed, sometimes he wished time would stop so he could stare at Oikawa until his brain could make a constellation map of all the moles in his body.

“Let 's go.”

Oikawa was already leading the way back home, it was probably noon already because the sun was at its prime.

“Oikawa.”

“What?”

“You’re amazing.”

Oikawa let a laugh escape his lips. He stopped walking and stared, confused, at Iwaizumi. It was getting too hot to stand there so Iwaizumi continued walking, now feeling uneasy about what he said and Oikawa’s lack of response.

“IWA!” yelled Oikawa, who was already far behind Iwaizumi. “YOU TOO!”

Iwaizumi blushed hard and looked to the road, as Oikawa ran to him, with a smile so big it could rival the sun. They were drawing people’s stares to them. Oikawa couldn’t care less, and Iwaizumi was too used to that for it to be a problem. Being Oikawa’s best friend came with that added bonus, you eventually got used to people staring.

Oikawa put his arm around Iwaizumi’s shoulder. He kept smiling and Iwaizumi felt that maybe, Yukio wouldn’t really be a problem. After all, Oikawa never said he liked him. Perhaps Iwaizumi did stand a chance after all.

Chapter Text

A lot of people might think that in a busy train station, four teenagers would be pretty hard to spot.

Wrong.

Iwaizumi was running a little late, in regards to the time set by Oikawa because the train was not arriving until half an hour later. However, he was still late so he ran around trying to find them once he got to the station.

Turns out it wasn’t hard at all. People avoided getting too close to his friends and that Yukio guy. They stood out so much that some girls and young boys started taking pictures, which would probably become viral on Twitter. Makki had a pink flamingo float on already, a snorkel and his bag was actually a bright yellow suitcase. Mattsun didn’t hold back either, his long and big hawaiian shirt was open and revealed a white wife-beater that was almost transparent. He carried a watermelon in a transparent beach bag that had a “GIRLS TRIP” green logo, aside from his actual bag.

Oikawa though… Oikawa was cut out from a fashion magazine.

“What… in the world… Are you wearing?” asked Iwaizumi once he was close enough.

Oikawa removed his heart shaped pink sunglasses to tip his head to the side, as he often did when Iwaizumi said something that didn't quite make sense to him.

“Clothes, Iwa.”

“You’re killing it, this aesthetic fits you perfectly Kawa,” Yukio chimed in.

Yukio was wearing all black and his pants had chains hanging from them. It matched well with his piercings that were visible thanks to the neat man bun he was styling. Next to Oikawa, who was basically in all shades of pink, they looked like those e-boy and pastel girl couples. Iwaizumi wanted to puke at their sight.

“Yu-chan gave me these,” Oikawa twirled to show off his very short shorts and flowy t-shirt, that was made out of a material Iwaizumi did not recognize.

He looked stunning but what strung the hardest was that Yukio had given him those clothes.

“He did huh, well they’re alright I guess, not a surprising look coming from you.” His tone was not the intended one, he sounded almost mean.

A sour look came from Yukio but Iwaizumi paid it no mind. Instead he tried to hold back words of apology as Oikawa seemed to be taken aback at his words. Mattsun and Makki were now on their phones, probably texting each other but then again, who knew.

When it was time to board the train, Oikawa was back to his normal self. Makki had lost rock-paper-scissors to Mattsun and now had to carry the watermelon until they boarded.

“It feels like we’re heading to one of those parties where everyone is told a different theme,” Yukio pointed out once they sat down in the train.

“Never been to one,” said Mattsun who was sitting in front of him.

“I actually went to only one of those, it’s fun and chaotic, you and Makki would love the vibe.”

“So, not much of a social life then?” asked Iwaizumi, who received a warning look from Oikawa.

“You could say that, but it’s more like, I’m too picky with the people I surround myself with.” Yukio then smiled at Oikawa.

That’s when it hit Iwaizumi.

Yukio liked Oikawa.

“Makki, are you carrying your ego inside that suitcase? Why is it so damn big?” Oikawa asked out of the blue, momentarily stopping Iwaizumi’s racing thoughts.

“Look who’s talking! You know, people actually thought you were a freaking prince for a while because of the way you act. Anyways, I’m bringing two balls and some cones to mark the space we’ll use as a court, couldn’t find a net though…”

His voice quieted down by the end of his sentence. Yukio put on his headphones, closing his eyes to take a nap. It was just the four of them again, until Yukio woke up, but Iwaizumi was still glad.

“I could kiss you right now, never expected you to show this much interest in volleyball Makki,” Oikawa's smile was mischievous, he even leaned sideways, almost throwing his body on top of Makki and putting a finger on Makki’s lips.

“Nope.” Replied Mattsun as he stood up and lifted Oikawa by the arm, almost throwing him to his seat and taking Oikawa’s.

“Geez, jealous much?”

The seating arrangements ended up with Oikawa and Iwaizumi in one row and Makki, Mattsun and Yukio on the other one.

The talking stopped a while after, Oikawa started to doze off. It was most likely he stayed up until unholy hours again. Once he finally fell asleep, Iwaizumi gently guided Oikawa’s head to his shoulder. Feeling his heartbeat echo through his body, he stared at Oikawa’s barely covered legs. What exactly were Yukio’s intentions with Oikawa? Iwaizumi knew that if Oikawa got with Yukio, then he would have no way to compete. Yukio was a college guy who dressed like a celebrity, apparently, and slid awfully nice compliments to Oikawa all the time. He even sounded smart! He felt threatened, but also too scared to make a move just yet. Iwaizumi needed to know where Oikawa stood in this situation.

“Mmm,” mumbled Oikawa in his sleep.

Iwaizumi wanted him to stay there and rest, using his body as a pillow, using him as a resting space, but the train was already slowing down.

“Oikawa… Wake up.” He whispered.

“Ngh”

“Sleeping beauty, it's time to wake up now!” Yukio said loudly and- when did he even get up and ready to leave? Iwaizumi hadn't noticed but now Yukio was standing in front of Oikawa as the train finally stopped. For balance he grabbed the seat but that put him in a kabedon position with Oikawa, Iwaizumi was able to see the light blush on Yukio’s cheeks.

The rest of the passengers were also gathering their things, perhaps the noise or the sound of Yukio’s voice woke up Oikawa. Iwaizumi settled on thinking Oikawa awoke because of the noise, he didn’t want to deal with the ugly feelings that arose whenever Yukio did something, said something or even looked at Oikawa.

As soon as they got out of the station, Makki talked about the sea and how much scientists have yet to discover while Iwaizumi tried to make his Google Maps work.

“Uh, I think my phone doesn’t have reception here.”

“I’ll try using mine, don’t worry.” Yukio took out his phone, ready to type in the address.

“That’s okay, Mattsun can do it, can’t you Mattsun?”

“Uhh, sure, yeah.” Mattsun answered, raising his eyebrow at Iwaizumi. “You and I need to talk,” he added in a whisper.

“Later.”

Mattsun nodded and gave his phone to Iwaizumi. Luckily for them, they all liked to walk. Turns out that “a few blocks away” means a different length in the city. Iwaizumi’s feet hurt but he kept walking at the same pace Oikawa did, the ocean breeze lifting his spirits.

“We’re here,” Iwaizumi announced when they stopped in front of his aunt’s house.

He rang the bell somewhat amused at how much he had forgotten about that house. Almost nothing seemed to be similar to what he remembered. It looked very modern and quite stylish, and even Yukio looked amazed. This realisation made Iwaizumi's lips threaten to twist in a smug smile before he could stop it.

“This place looks great.” Makki took a pic, with the excuse of sending it to his mom.

Iwaizumi’s aunt greeted them quite warmly despite Iwaizumi’s descriptions of her character. Inside the house was cozy yet spacious, she led them through a hall on the first floor where they would find the two rooms they would share. Makki and Mattsun grabbed one, and the other was left for Yukio, Oikawa and Iwaizumi. In a quick manner everyone arranged their things, Iwaizumi suggested they wait until tomorrow to go out. The sun was setting and late hours of the night would not be the best ones to be at the beach. Yukio agreed with him and the rest just nodded.

They played rock-paper-scissors in an attempt to decide who got the bathroom/shower first. In theory, It was a good idea though Oikawa lost first so he quickly ran off to the shower.

“I GO FIRST!” Oikawa yelled as he locked the door.

“Oi Shittykawa! That was low!” Iwaizumi yelled back.

“He’ll take forever now, let’s help with dinner,” said Mattsun.

“My aunt said she’ll cook tonight, she’ll be leaving tomorrow and will come back just before we have to return home. Let’s just not set foot in the kitchen, well, unless you wanna risk your life.”

“It can’t be that bad,” argued Yukio, who seemed to like chatting with Iwaizumi’s aunt.

“Trust me. It is.”

“So, what do we do now?” Makki had just left his pink flamingo float on the room, so he looked less ridiculous now.

“We’ll be here for four days so just get comfortable I guess.”

They went to their respective rooms while the sound of water falling emerged from the bathroom. Yukio and Iwaizumi weren’t speaking at all. Iwaizumi could feel the awkwardness in his stomach. These kinds of uncomfortable situations were not good for his nerves. Nevertheless, he was determined not to budge and hold on to that awful silence for as long as he could. As long as Yukio suffered too, he was okay with bearing the awkwardness.

“So…” started Yukio, because he hated the feeling of being the odd one out. “Oikawa said you liked old movies.”

“I do.”

“He mentioned Godzilla was your favourite one too.”

“It is.”

How could Yukio expect to get all friendly with him when what Yukio was after was Oikawa? He had the audacity to try to gain Iwaizumi’s friendship so Oikawa would accept his feelings faster. Not going to happen.

There were three mattresses laid on the floor for them, they were both grabbing one, each preparing their spaces for the night.

“You know, I’m studying to become a filmmaker, so I know quite a lot of old films. Maybe we could talk about them sometime.”

It was painfully obvious that Yukio was trying his hardest. However, he was not going to succeed. Even if that offer was good, a unique insight of a film major about old films… But no, that wasn’t about to work on him. Not if Iwaizumi could help it. He felt a sudden rush of anger, a need to lash out against him. Iwaizumi knew better than to act on those impulses although a slightly less physically violent impulse got the best of him.

“We could… Or I could tell you more about Oikawa since you seem to really like him.”

Yukio dropped the pillow he was taking out of his bag. His bewildered look amused Iwaizumi, though a guilty feeling sat on his stomach. What was he saying that stuff for?

“How… When- I mean, what?”

“I was just joking around but it seems like you aren’t.”

Yukio turned beet red. Iwaizumi knew he was acting rather weird, not like himself. He had to protect Oikawa from this guy, who probably just wanted to get in his pants. Yeah, it was most likely that Yukio was after his best friend’s good looks and fit body. Seriously, Oikawa had rock solid abs and at times you would be surprised at just how much strength he really had. His flexed biceps were not something to gloss over. Although Iwaizumi hardly ever thought about it. Him daydreaming about Oikawa’s manly appearance? No, he would never.

“This is embarrassing,” Yukio chuckled nervously. After a pause, he breathed deeply and admitted; “yeah, I like him.”

“I could give you some tips then.”

Iwaizumi knew what he was about to do was cruel. It was not like him at all, it was the type of scheme Oikawa would think of when they were thirteen but never put into motion. Even then Oikawa knew better.

Luckily for him, probably for Yukio too, Oikawa walked through the door with his hair dripping wet and a silly grin.

“Shower’s free,” he said.

After that interruption neither of them brought the topic back. Instead they went on with the rest of the night barely talking. During dinner everyone was too busy eating to even utter a word. By 10pm they were so tired they went straight to bed. Iwaizumi suspected Makki and Mattsun may have stayed up for a few hours more, but that was gross and none of his business.

The next morning, no one was surprised to see Oikawa already chatting with Iwaizumi’s aunt as everyone gathered in the kitchen for some breakfast.

“Boys, I’m off but take care and be safe. Breakfast is done, everyone can eat whatever they want,” she said as she grabbed her purse. “Hajime sweetie, I expect you to act as a host, be a good boy, ok?”

Makki suppressed a snicker, and Oikawa elbowed Mattsun in response.

They got dressed for the beach pretty quickly, everyone stuffed their personal things in Oikawa’s beach “bag”, although everyone just called it a purse. Makki insisted on having the pink flamingo float on. Everything else was on their body as an accessory or they would rent on the beach.

Their walk was quiet, they were entertained by looking around and taking in the scenery. Yukio kept glancing at Oikawa who was already attracting stares from local girls.

They settled on a secluded area where less people concurred, putting their towels in the warm sand they marked their space.

Iwaizumi stripped to his swimming trunks rather quickly, leaving his clothes just on top of the towels, hoping Oikawa would put them in his purse… in his bag.

Oikawa took off his hoodie and his shorts, to reveal a set of short swimming trunks that were kind of tight on him and as a result, left little to the imagination. Everything about him left Iwaizumi in a deep trance, he knew it was wrong but he couldn’t take his gaze off Oikawa.

The sun hit him just right, he looked beautiful. He always did. A red tint smeared through Oikawa’s cheeks as he met Iwaizumi’s gaze.

“No need to be so jealous of me Iwa, you have a nice… ahem… a nice body yourself.”

Mattsun grabbed Makki’s hand and muttered something about renting beach umbrellas. That left Yukio, Iwaizumi and Oikawa under the sun, in complete silence except for the waves crashing on the shore.

“Yeah dude! Rocking abs, you work out a lot huh.”

Yukio was still not in his swimming attire, his loose t-shirt and black shorts seemed to be going nowhere. Hearing his voice completely woke Iwaizumi up,and he shook his head to regain composure. It was going to be a hard weekend.

Chapter Text

“Yeah,” answered Iwaizumi with a gruff voice, looking at the sea rather than at Yukio.

Oikawa was thankful for his sunglasses, thanks to them he could dissimulate his staring. When did Iwaizumi get so toned? His bare arms were nothing he hadn’t seen before so why did it feel so different now? It was confusing to say the least. Iwaizumi never looked like that to him before. Oikawa had admired his best friend’s looks before but what was it about the seaside and the sun hitting Iwaizumi’s bare chest that stirred things within Oikawa? He knew it was time to address those weird thoughts but then again, what good would it bring him? To dwell on something that might only ruin him.

“So, what do you usually do at the beach?” Yukio asked, clearing Oikawa’s thoughts.

“I haven’t had the opportunity to come to the beach since my parents’ divorce.”

Yukio remained silent, though it was the silence of someone who searched for the right thing to say. He was a sweet guy, a great friend. Oikawa gave him that little piece of himself because he trusted Yukio. He didn’t need him to say anything.

He gathered Iwaizumi’s clothes and put them in his bag. Oikawa walked away, ready to talk with the girls struggling to set up a volleyball net a few meters away from them. Neither Iwaizumi nor Yukio stopped him, which was a good sign. It was the beach after all, freedom could be smelt in the air.

Charming his way into sharing the net was easy, charming girls had always been easy. Keeping himself interested in them was the problem, dates had proven that girls were not necessarily his field. Well, if he had to be honest, guys were not that much better. He found himself looking for something or someone that wasn’t in the people he went out with.

These girls were nice, sort of too innocent to be alone, they made him worry a little. They were also quite touchy and he could discern an accent on two of them. Foreigners, he thought. At least they spoke japanese but nevertheless, the creepy-guy-hour was during the afternoon. If any perverted imbecile got ahold of these girls… Let’s say Oikawa couldn’t just leave them to their luck.

The three girls accepted his offer to stay closer and set the net in the middle of their “settlements.” As he talked to them he felt two stares burning his neck, though it normally was like that when he talked to good-looking girls. He ignored it even though it itched. Why couldn’t people just mind their own business? Being jealous wouldn’t make them as handsome and appealing to the ladies as he was, if anything, jealousy just made a person uglier.

The sand weighed him down as he ran to his friends with the news. Mattsun was setting a big umbrella between their towels and Makki was already running to the water.
“You’re warming up already?” jokingly asked Iwaizumi as Oikawa caught his breath.

“Don’t start, I just didn’t mentally prepare myself for running in the sand, my feet felt like they were being sucked into the Earth!” he whined.

“Why don’t you sit down for a while?” Yukio asked.

“He’s a volleyball player, he’s got this,” Iwaizumi replied before Oikawa could refuse the offer. There was an edge on his best friend’s voice, he sensed Iwaizumi wasn’t getting along with Yukio but he knew him well enough to tell he wasn’t trying either.

“Thanks Yu-chan,” he replied as he sat down, in an attempt to indirectly tell Iwaizumi to chill. “Hina, Carol and Misaki are going to share the net with us, told them to get closer too. Being a girl is already dangerous in normal settings, on the beach it’s even worse.”

“You’re a good person Kawa.”

“He’s the best.” Iwaizumi replied, getting closer to Yukio, almost trying to tower over him with his attitude alone.

Yukio did not back down either, he had the advantage of height but from where Oikawa looked, Iwaizumi was the bigger threat. Avoiding a fight became his top priority that instant.

“Anyways… You guys wanna swim?”

“Sure,” answered Iwaizumi. As Oikawa got back up, Iwaizumi pushed him to throw him off balance and yelled, “race ya!”

“Iwa-chan not fair!” Oikawa replied as he ran after him. “Come on Yu-chan!”

They started a water fight as they reached the ocean. Yukio’s clothes got wet before he even tried to take them off. When he did, Iwaizumi looked annoyed for a split second.

Yukio had a lean body, not skinny but also not muscular. He was a good-looking guy overall, sadly not Oikawa’s type. Yukio was only a friend, and he was happy Yukio saw him as a friend too. They swam around, trying not to bother other people with their games.

Mattsun and Makki thought they were being sneaky, stealing kisses from each other thinking no one would notice. Oikawa just didn’t want to ruin their fun. He raced Iwaizumi a dozen times, he won every single time, Iwaizumi had never been that much of a swimmer. Oikawa teased him mercilessly but he was sure Iwaizumi was just playing too. Yukio spent more time with Makki and Mattsun than Oikawa thought he would. They still swam around and eventually, Yukio and him were the ones who went to sit down under the umbrella. Oikawa’s skin wasn’t made for that much exposure to the sun without reapplying sunscreen and Yukio didn’t have the stamina of high school volleyball players.

While Oikawa covered his skin with creamy sunscreen, his heart and his mind suddenly clicked together.

He could have blamed it on the sun. On the fact that he didn’t step foot on a beach since his mom and dad shared a bedroom. Or on the sight of his best friends together smiling with the cold water hitting their legs.

He could blame it on everything and just move on, but he didn’t want to.

Because it was Iwaizumi.

He was smiling for those other reasons, yes, but his heart jumped and his soul danced everytime Iwaizumi smiled at him. The little wrinkles near his best friend’s eyes whenever his smile was too wide. The way Iwaizumi would pretend to be annoyed at the rest of them just to end up laughing too. He was happy to be with his friends but he was over the moon to be sharing that moment with the person who he finally understood he loved.

The realization didn’t hit him, Oikawa understood that it had always been there, waiting for him to figure it out. Even if Iwaizumi didn’t love him, or even like him back like that… He had the certainty that he wasn’t broken and unable to love. Those other dates would have never worked out because none of them were Iwaizumi.

He came back to reality when Yukio got closer to him, their arms almost touching as they watched other people enjoy their day.

“Can you teach me how to play volley?”

Oikawa’s eyebrows shot up. Yukio’s voice sounded different, softer and lacked flirty undertones. His back was a little hunched and he was playing with his fingers, when he felt Oikawa’s stare, he ran them through his thick black hair, revealing his reddened ears. His hair down gave him a surfer-like air, but before he could point it out Yukio was already tying it up again.

“I don’t see why not, our turn with the net is during the afternoon. Let’s have lunch first and then I’ll make an ace out of you.”

Yukio let out a faint laugh, he smiled fondly at Oikawa.

“Yeah, let’s do that.”

The rest of the day went on as greatly as it had started. They had lunch at a nearby restaurant right there on the beach, it was one of those that were really cheap but had mind-blowing, delicious food. Makki tried to get himself and Mattsun two piña coladas but the waitress was far too experienced with little shits like him. After a while of just laying on the sand, it was finally their turn using the net.

Makki, Mattsun and Iwaizumi started tossing the ball amongst them. Oikawa grabbed the remaining ball and grabbed Yukio by the arm, he dragged him far away from them and started to teach him some basic moves. They ended up practicing on their own for longer than Oikawa intended. He noticed how close he had to get to Yukio to correct his form, how Yukio stiffened whenever Oikawa touched his body even slightly. Though he brushed it off, his mind quickly put the puzzle pieces together.

He kept his tone friendly as he kept explaining and praising his newly crafted volleyball skills. As long as Yukio didn’t say anything, Oikawa shouldn’t assume anything. When he thought Yukio had close to decent volleyball knowledge, he led him towards the others.

“You two done with that teacher and student role play? Iwaizumi here was almost about to spike all the way at your head Oikawa, be glad we were here to stop him,” Makki laughed at the three reddened faces.

“Oh stop it, you know Yu-chan would not last a second with us if I didn’t help him.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever Shittykawa, let’s play now.”

“Three vs two, it’s only fair.” Mattsun stuck to Makki’s side but a strong pull from Iwaizumi separated them. “What?”

“Couples shouldn’t play together, me and Mattsun versus Makki, Oikawa and Yukio.”

The beach was getting a little cooler now, however that didn’t make it better for the five teenagers who were already sweating more than they would be comfortable with at any other time. .

No one argued anymore and the teams stayed as Iwaizumi wanted them. Oikawa knew he would have to carry Yukio the entire time, so he bit his tongue whenever his competitiveness wanted to yell at Yukio for dragging them down.

Obviously, Iwaizumi and Mattsun won. Surprisingly, it was a rather fair game, Oikawa’s team lost by 3 points each set. They played again and again though Makki complained about feeling his skin burning and Oikawa who, even though he was feeling the same way, gaslighted him into believing it was just paranoia. Yukio sat out after the second one, which Oikawa had to admit was good for his team. Two versus two made things more heated on the made up beach volley court they were playing in.

After an even number of wins and losses for each duo, they finally came to the conclusion that it would be best to take a break, a rest if they may. Oikawa had to be forced, his arguments about beach volley being one of the best training for muscle strength and resistance were quickly discarded when Iwaizumi touched Oikawa’s shoulder. He muffled a scream of pain with his hand, but it was enough for Iwaizumi to start harshly reminding Oikawa he should take better care of himself.

The sun was preparing itself to set. Iwaizumi insisted on getting Makki and Oikawa cream and medicine for their sunburns and Mattsun walked right behind him. Makki decided he would nap, even though that would make his pain worse when he woke up.

Yukio and Oikawa were practically left alone, sitting on the sand that had cooled down significantly under the umbrella. Together they watched the sun sink slowly into the sea. It was truly beautiful. The marine breeze ruffled their hair while the temperature gradually dropped, urging them to scoot closer in order to avoid the sudden chilliness.

Some time passed before any of them spoke, Oikawa started to lose himself in his thoughts when Yukio cleared his throat.

“Today was fun.” Yukio was still looking at the waves crushing at the shore. He was sporting an intense blush that Oikawa attributed to a sunburn.

“Today was more than fun, honestly I don’t want the day to end,” Oikawa admitted.

“Every moment I spend with you, you somehow manage to make it memorable,” detaching his gaze from the sea he locked his eyes with Oikawa’s. “You are so different from other people, you got your own vibe and you're special to everyone around you.”

Oikawa knew what was going on, his whole body stiffened because it would be rude to just interrupt him when all he was doing was complimenting him. He wanted to stop him because he knew what was coming. But even if he could make him stop talking, he wouldn’t be able to stop Yukio from having feelings for him. He would just have to endure it, uncomfortable and all, Yukio was a good friend, the least Oikawa could do for him was listen to his confession.

“I… You see, it’s weird. I thought starting to work again would be the worst thing that could happen, but then it was us making jokes and the time just seemed to fly while we were working together. I think we even have some fans now, it’s crazy. Because I remember some of those moments and I feel myself smile. Oikawa, what I’m trying to say is… What I mean… I- Oh well fuck it.”

Yukio grabbed Oikawa’s face and without giving Oikawa time to react, Yukio’s lips were already touching Oikawa’s. Before he could really process what was happening, He could already feel Yukio’s nervousness as he quickly pulled away. Yukio didn’t even meet his eyes again. In the loaded silence that followed, Oikawa searched for the right words. The sun set and the golden light dramatized the moment. Despite his best efforts, Oikawa couldn’t bring himself to find any words that would not break Yukio’s heart.

“Yukio… I-”

Before he could even finish, Iwaizumi was grabbing Yukio by the arm and pulling him up. Yukio seemed made out of air by how easily Iwaizumi handled him. Oikawa got up as fast as he could but Iwaizumi was already punching Yukio.

As soon as his fist hit Yukio’s face and Oikawa screamed his name, Iwaizumi dropped his grip and ran away.

“Makki take care of Yukio, I need to go after him!”

Chapter Text

Iwaizumi was being followed by Mattsun.

It was obvious they would be having that talk now, and even though Iwaizumi volunteered to bring medicine for the sunburns it was not solely out of concern for their health. He needed some time to clear off, to calm down his burning desire to smash a volleyball in Yukio’s face.

“Man, can you slow down a bit? I don’t have it in me to run after you,” yelled Mattsun.

Iwaizumi was not in the mood to fight or anything of the sort. He wanted to avoid any kind of confrontation, so he stopped walking until Mattsun was right next to him.

“Thanks.”

“Don’t, I didn’t even ask you to come with me.”

“You know why I followed you.”

With a sigh Iwaizumi admitted he did.

“Keep walking but start talking,” said Mattsun, resuming his walk.

Mattsun hadn’t bothered with a shirt, neither did Iwaizumi. It shouldn’t have surprised him the amount of girls and, well, not girls, who stared at them.

On one hand, it helped lift his spirits. A little rise on his male ego. On the other hand, none of those staring eyes were Oikawa’s, which meant they didn’t matter.

He was pushing his silence for too long, and even though Mattsun was a laid back guy, he was going to be a pain in Iwaizumi’s ass if he didn’t get what he wanted. And what he wanted was to make Iwaizumi talk.

“What do you want to know?”

“Since when do you like Oikawa like that?”

They were already near the house, Iwaizumi could start answering but he chose to take the long way about it.

“I think I remember the medicine and the creams being in you guy’s room, but I’m not sure…” His pensive tone and doubtful expression made Mattsun sigh.

“Iwaizumi you’re not getting out of this, yes the things are in our room, now for real. Why didn’t you say anything about liking Oikawa to us? Or at least to me. I get Makki can be too much of a tease sometimes.”

“Honestly, I wanted to keep it to myself. At least until I had a chance with him.”

“Are you that blind?”

“What do you mean?”

“You know what? Nothing, just keep talking man.” He almost sounded exasperated, a tinge of frustration could be heard although perhaps it was just Iwaizumi’s overthinking.

“Well I didn’t even notice I liked him like that until a few weeks ago… I think I’ve liked him for more than that though, it just makes sense you know? Ugh! I suck at talking about these types of things, I’m not the most comfortable right now. I mean, it’s weird isn’t it? Me talking about how I love Oikawa, my- our best friend…”

Mattsun stopped walking for a second.

“Are you fucking serious right now? You do realize I’m dating Makki. Our best friend since we’re first years? Yeah, think about that next time.” Then Mattsun’s face lit up, finally clicking in on a specific detail. “Love?”

Iwaizumi pushed him in response.

“That’s great, I’m glad.”

Iwaizumi was puzzled at his friend. How was this great exactly? A one-sided love is never great, he didn’t even like that trope in manga. Hell, not even in movies! There was nothing great about Iwaizumi’s feelings.

“Well, good thing YOU think it’s great. Oikawa doesn’t even like me back!” His explosion was not out of place, the situation was making his head ache. Seeing how Mattsun was ready to talk back, Iwaizumi continued. His voice was shaky and his words came out faster than he intended;
“No, and don’t you dare say anything different. You saw how he was all over Yukio today! And Yukio likes him, that university dude is winning over my best friend like it’s nothing. He even got Oikawa to be patient with him while we played! Oikawa was never patient with me when we teamed up… So no, Tooru doesn’t like me back. He’s completely out of my league and it took this avant garde, older and more mature guy to make it obvious for me. He deserves someone like that… I’m just a kid compared to Yukio, I can’t… compete against someone like that.”

The following silence sat heavily between them, they were in front of the house but neither of them entered. Iwaizumi was trying to catch his breath. As he stood there he could listen to his own breathing, it was too fast and he needed to stop that. He needed to stop that now. It was not the time, not the place, and not something he should go through. Oh god, not in front of Mattsun. His vision was starting to blur and before he noticed, tears were wetting his cheeks and making their way to his chin. Iwaizumi couldn’t stop it.

Oikawa was not in love with him and he couldn’t stop crying.

Mattsun pulled him in for a hug, Iwaizumi did not acknowledge the hug, he was mad at himself for letting Mattsun see him like that. The last time he cried like that was when he learned Oikawa had a knee injury because back then a stupid doctor told Oikawa that he wouldn’t be able to play volleyball ever again. Remembering that was no help.

Iwaizumi’s sobs were the only sound breaking the silence. His face hidden in Mattsun’s neck, Iwaizumi was embarrassed but above all he was too hurt to play pretend there was nothing breaking him. Mattsun started shushing him like you would do to comfort a baby, and with light pats in the back he got Iwaizumi to relax his tensed jaw and unstiffen his body.

“Let’s get inside,” Mattsun said in a low voice.

He left his hand on Iwaizumi’s back until they were behind closed doors.

“Better now?”

“Sort of.”

“It’s good to get it out, you know I won’t judge you. For a while I was in the same position you’re in right now and crying it out helped a lot… Then I realized I was just being dense and Makki actually liked me back.”

“Not the time for your success story man.”

“Hmm ok maybe I got ahead of myself, you're not there yet.”

Iwaizumi left Mattsun in the corridor and retrieved the stuff from the room. The silence that followed as they got out and Iwaizumi locked the door again was quickly interrupted by Mattsun.

“I really don’t know how you don’t see it but Oikawa clearly likes you back man. It sure as hell is not my place to say that but, I don’t like seeing you two keep this shit up.” His pitying look almost enraged Iwaizumi, if what he was saying didn’t make him want to puke and wail.
“I bet Oikawa is beating himself down for ‘ruining’ you guys’ friendship by liking you. Lord, you two are just so blind when it comes to one another.” Mattsun continued.

“Stop it, you’re making me feel worse.”

They walked what seemed like ages but were probably not even minutes. The sunset was about to start and the medicine was not yet with the ones who needed it, Iwaizumi calmed down but he needed to go back soon, Yukio was now basically alone with Oikawa.

But Mattsun was so set in Oikawa liking him back….

Iwaizumi had a tingling sensation that he did not want to call hope. It would be a fatal blow to get hopeful and then be crushed when his worst nightmare gets confirmed and Oikawa announces he’s dating Yukio.

“Iwaizumi,” he said, grabbing Iwaizumi by both shoulders. “I am not trying to make you feel worse, but answer this: has Oikawa ever dropped a date to do something with you instead?”

Mattsun looked distressed, it was clear he knew the answer, he just wanted Iwaizumi to say it outloud. As they stood in the middle of the sidewalk, Iwaizumi wanted to be engulfed by the Earth.

“That only happened two times dude, and one of those was because my cat got lost.”

“Yeah but the other?”

Mattsun already knew the story, so why was he asking about it?

“I forgot he had a date so I invited him over for an old movie marathon…” Iwaizumi said and his light blush was the indicator he was truly embarrassed by it.

“Yeah, and what did he do?”

Mattsun was still grabbing his shoulders, now people who passed them stared, Iwaizumi was not feeling the most comfortable with that situation.

“He dropped his date and came over… But that doesn’t prove anything dude! Just quit it.”

He tried to get Mattsun’s hands off but the guy was not budging. Mattsun managed to keep his hands glued to Iwaizumi’s shoulders as he continued.

“Oikawa stares at you with moon-eyes all the damn time, have you ever felt watched while you were in class? That was probably Oikawa. Hey! Keep looking at me and answer this: does he get all touchy with you?”

Oikawa was always touchy and he loved to show physical affection more than any teenage boy would ever do.

“Yeah… But-”

“Nope, he’s not like that with anyone else, unless it is to bug me with Makki.”

“You saw him today with Yukio.”

“Iwaizumi, he was teaching volleyball, that’s not physical affection. Does Oikawa hug you?”

“Yeah, sometimes, not often though…”

The ungreased engines inside Iwaizumi’s head were finally starting to move. Maybe Oikawa was more affectionate with him… Then again, he could also be like that because they were best friends.

“He’s not like that just because you guys are best friends.”

“Agh! Dude, do you read minds or something? You creep me out sometimes… How are you so sure?”

Mattsun finally freed Iwaizumi’s shoulders, though they were still standing one in front of the other in the middle of the sidewalk.

“Oikawa never hugs other people the way he hugs you, I’ve seen it. He doesn’t even hug Makki and me that way. I’m not blind with feelings so I can see the whole picture with more clarity than you and I would never do this if I knew you would end up hurt! If you still believe you have no chance, then fine, but please use that big head of yours and analyse Oikawa’s behaviour a little more. You’ll come to see what I see, at least I hope so.”

After that little speech Mattsun resumed their walking, he didn’t even utter a word after that. If it was anything like shoujo manga, Iwaizumi’s face would be bright red and he would cover half of his face with his hand, moreover his eyes would sparkle and then the chapter would end. However, this was obviously not shoujo manga. Iwaizumi had frowned eyebrows and his hands were locked inside the pockets of his swimming trunks. The sunset created shadows that accentuated the ominous aura that surrounded him. No one stared too much now that Iwaizumi looked ready to start a fight and win it.

Iwaizumi was unaware of his looks. He found himself too lost in his thoughts to give a damn. It was true, there was no use denying that Oikawa treated Iwaizumi differently. Iwaizumi had most certainly never seen Oikawa get touchy with other people outside their friend group- if he didn’t count the occasional hug poses for pictures with his fangirls- so that could also be an indicator.

The words Mattsun had said to him detonated a series of resurfacing memories where Oikawa showed more affection or endearment than a “best friend” would. Even platonically. In conclusion, there was a chance, though slight, that Oikawa liked him back.

Iwaizumi beamed. He had never looked more relaxed in his entire life and Mattsun smiled at him. Iwaizumi couldn’t even feel the stares they still got from people passing by, even when Mattsun had to apologize to a girl they accidentally bumped into, Iwaizumi didn’t acknowledge her. He was eager to be by Oikawa’s side, on the beach watching the last minutes of the sunset before confessing.

Yes.

Iwaizumi was going to confess.

If his mind had not deceived him, Oikawa would accept. Granted Oikawa deserved a remarkable guy, an exceptional partner who would never let him down and Iwaizumi knew he wasn’t quite there yet, but he would promise to become one for him. He would do anything for him.

If he didn’t confess now, he might never do it. The adrenaline rush from finally putting some pieces of an exaggeratedly complicated puzzle was the only thing powering his sudden braveness. He started walking faster, Mattsun did not make the effort to keep up the pace.

Things started to crumble as he got closer to where Oikawa was. From afar you could already tell Makki was sleeping and Yukio was sitting next to Oikawa. As he got closer he discerned just how close they were and how his best friend was looking at him with so much concentration that he didn’t even notice Iwaizumi was almost there.

Then Iwaizumi saw it. Yukio plastered his face against Oikawa’s and that was the final straw.

Without thinking twice Iwaizumi sprinted towards them. Something inside him turned off and the only thing left were his instincts and his rage. Before he could even process the situation, he had Yukio at his mercy and as his impulses took complete control over him: his knuckles were hitting the surface of Yukio’s left eye.

“HAJIME!”

The fog lifted up inside his mind with the sound of his name, Oikawa shrieked his name and it stung. Waves of embarrassment, confusion and pain crushed inside him. He needed to get out. Within seconds of hearing his name, he left Yukio lying on the sand and he was running. Where? He didn’t know. The only thing Iwaizumi was sure of right there and then was that he needed to get away. Far from every single one of them.

Once he reached the sidewalk his legs started slowing him down, the sand had left him tired and after everything his body was trying to recover.

“Iwa!”

He heard Oikawa yell for him, he did not sound that far behind. Iwaizumi picked up the pace. Facing Oikawa was the last thing he wanted to, or even could, do.

“Iwaizumi Hajime stop running from me! I know you heard me!” Oikawa yelled at him again.

Iwaizumi recoiled a little at the use of his full name. He stopped running. Thankfully no one was near them to stop and stare at the show they were unintentionally putting on. As the street lights turned on one by one, Iwaizumi turned to face Oikawa.

“Why did you do that?” Oikawa asked him, face serious and determined.

Iwaizumi had the answer, of course he did. That did not mean he could say it. He remained silent.

“Don’t close off, don’t you dare do this to me. Why did you punch him when he was kissing me?”

Oikawa made it sound like a plea. It was almost as if he was trying to prove something. He was getting closer to Iwaizumi, each step forward Oikawa gave was like a dagger pressing into his heart. Iwaizumi had no other choice, he had to say it.

“Hajime, please, answer me.” Oikawa was not even a meter away now. Iwaizumi could clearly see the tears forming in his eyes.

“I don’t… He was kissing you.” Iwaizumi stopped, it was going to be harder than he thought. Oikawa looked at him expectantly, “you didn’t look like you were enjoying it. I just, I don’t know! I didn’t want to hurt him like that though.”

“It looked like you wanted to though. I wasn’t enjoying it but that’s not your reason, is it? You know better than to lie to me Hajime.”

There went Oikawa again, using his first name and making it sound sweet, so raw. It made him feel guilty.

“I don’t have a choice with you, Tooru. I don’t want to trash years of friendship with this. I’m sure you know what I mean. So please, stop asking me to tell you my reason. I would not survive the blow, I’m not strong enough.”

Tears started to roll down Oikawa’s cheek. Standing under a lampost, Iwaizumi waited for Oikawa to answer. His shaking hands were forced into fists, waiting had never been his forte.

“Don’t make me beg you. Tell me what I know you feel. Let me hear it from you first. You ran from me and you lied to me yet you punched a guy for kissing me. I will not let you off easily this time.” Oikawa grabbed Iwaizumi’s arm, almost daring him to try and run away. “So now you have to answer with the truth, Hajime, why did you punch Yukio when he kissed me?”

It was a demonic demand. His honey voice suddenly asked for the murder of a heart and Iwaizumi was going to comply. He had yet to be successful at denying Oikawa.

Chapter Text

Oikawa knew it, Iwaizumi had said so himself, though indirectly. Iwaizumi liked him back.

Now Oikawa was there, grabbing him by the arm with more strength than he should and waiting for him to open his mouth and confess. Oikawa just wanted to hear it from him, it was a selfish desire but he wanted Iwaizumi to confess to him properly. He wanted him to take the lead.

Iwaizumi visibly struggled to swallow. Oikawa’s face was starting to feel cold, the tears were drying on his face due to the wind. Time did not freeze for them, but it seemed like everything else did. Oikawa could feel the fast pace that Iwaizumi’s heart was beating at, aware that this also meant Iwaizumi could feel his.

“Tooru… I love you.”

Ah, there it was! Pure bliss on his insides, fireworks exploding in his chest. The three words he longed to hear, three words that sounded like heaven on Earth. Iwaizumi’s deep blush was mirrored by Oikawa, he felt his cheeks burn and to hide it he did what he always felt like he should do.

With his free hand Oikawa pulled Iwaizumi by the back of his neck into a kiss. They kissed with all the emotions they could not articulate, the way you would kiss someone when the end of the world threatened to dawn on you.

They kissed until they were out of air.

“Does that mean you like me back?”

Was Iwaizumi serious? With a deep sigh Oikawa tapped Iwaizumi’s forehead.

“I love you too Hajime.”

Iwaizumi squeezed Oikawa into a bone-crushing hug. Despite that kiss, their hug was not filled with lust nor did it evolve into another kiss. Oikawa rubbed Iwaizumi’s back as he understood what the hug meant, nothing was out of place anymore. In Iwaizumi’s arms Oikawa felt as if a heavy blanket that was already starting to suffocate had been lifted.

They stayed where they were until Oikawa remembered what they left at the beach.

“Hey, we should go back,” he said with his chin resting on Iwaizumi’s shoulder.

“We should but I don’t want to yet, I don’t want to let go of you.”

“Hajime…” Oikawa giggled, “We need to go see how everyone’s doing and head back to your house.”

Oikawa meant they had to go see Yukio, apologize and tend to his wounds but he couldn’t say it. He wished to stay there with Iwaizumi longer, holding him and being held in his embrace under a starry night. Despite that, he had a better sense of duty and needed to make peace with Yukio. He really felt sorry.

“Do we really?” whined Iwaizumi as he pulled back from the hug.

“Yes, we can continue where we left off whenever we want, but we kind of need to explain this to the guys.”

“Agh! I swear I’ll kill them.”

Iwaizumi furrowed his brows slightly, acknowledging Oikawa was right.

“Iwa-chan don’t! If you do, you’ll have no friends and you’ll be left all alone.”

“Wrong, I’d have you.”

A strong blush crossed their cheeks. Iwaizumi looked down, embarrassed by his response. He wasn’t paying attention to the dumb face Oikawa was making, Iwaizumi had no idea how much he meant to Oikawa. Hearing that even if everyone leaves, Iwaizumi counted on Oikawa staying… It was like hearing him say “welcome home.”

“You can have me forever, now let’s go.”

Oikawa started walking back without even glancing at Iwaizumi. The butterflies inside his stomach were unceasing, his grin went along with the little jumps he did as he walked ahead.

In the blink of an eye they arrived at the beach.

They spent a few minutes looking around for their friends until they spotted Mattsun walking towards them. He was alone and that worried Oikawa. It was late and he was just a high school kid who had the looks of a model… Then again he had no reason to worry. Mattsun was the kind of guy who had to warn other people before they started to fight. Definitely not the guy you wanted to try and punch, besides Mattsun was as broke as they came. Never a single penny in his pocket unless Makki needed money, then a wallet always magically appeared from his body. Oikawa always tried to catch where Mattsun kept his wallet and the reason why he only ever had money when Makki needed it. When they started dating it made a bit more sense, Oikawa still didn’t know where Mattsun kept his wallet though.

“Makki and Yukio are already waiting by your house Iwaizumi,” Mattsun said when he was close enough to be heard without raising his voice.

“Is he okay?” asked Oikawa.

“Dude it was Iwaizumi the one that punched him, he’s not gonna be okay right off the bat. He’s gonna have an awful night but in a few days it’s not even gonna be visible.”

Iwaizumi coughed but Oikawa knew it was him repressing a laugh. He shoved Iwaizumi a bit with his elbow, even if it was for the right reasons, Iwaizumi shouldn’t laugh at the situation he put Yukio in.

“Let’s go, they’re waiting for us,” said Oikawa.

“Congrats by the way,” said Mattsun as they walked.

“What for?” asked Iwaizumi.

“Well you’re a couple now right? Fucking finally, the tension was suffocating at times.”

“We-, I mean, Mattsun what, how?” Oikawa was baffled at Mattsun’s reaction, given that he hadn’t told him about his feelings beforehand.

“I get that you two are another level of dense and oblivious but the rest of us have eyes and a working brain, it wasn’t hard to figure out.”

Iwaizumi’s glare was enough for Oikawa to burst out laughing, he was still riding the wave of excitement that kissing Iwaizumi had put him on. Walking on clouds.

They arrived at the house. Once Yukio saw Oikawa walking hand in hand with Iwaizumi, he turned his back on them. The silence they were walking in made the dark streets creepier.

Iwaizumi gave the keys to Makki and they went inside in absolute silence.

It was awkward to say the least. Oikawa was not sure how to even start, he wanted to address everything but Yukio had closed off (understandably) and Iwaizumi still looked like he wanted to fight him whenever their stares crossed.

Makki and Mattsun did what Oikawa least wanted them to do, they secluded themselves in their room. Thanks to that now inside the kitchen it was just the three of them. So silent that even the refrigerator noise was audible.

Oikawa took out a glass and started to fill it with water, he handed it to Yukio, which he used to take the ibuprofen Makki had given him before disappearing.

“I…” Oikawa cleared his throat, stalling to paraphrase what he wanted to say better because he was nervous and his choice of words was not going to be the best. “Explanations, we need to give.”

Yukio grunted in agreement.

Yukio was sitting down at the breakfast table and Iwaizumi looked glued to the door frame. Oikawa made a feint of sitting down but he was too nervous for that.

“Well, Yukio, I’m sorry.”

“About what? It’s not you who has to be sorry, you never said you liked me back. So that’s on me. However the boxer wanna-be on the other hand…” He turned to look at Iwaizumi, “you were going to set me up to fail, then punched me, then ran away, and overall acted like a total dick to me the whole trip. I mean it’s hard enough Kawa doesn’t like me back, now my face is bruised.”

“I knew what you were after, you would have done the same.”

Iwaizumi and Yukio were trying to burn holes through each other with their stares alone. Oikawa was fidgeting, biting his tongue. This was not a discussion he needed to butt into.

“No, I wouldn’t. You know why? Because I play FAIR.”

Iwaizumi raised an eyebrow so aggressively that Oikawa thought it would fly off his forehead.

“No, you don’t get to have that holier-than-thou attitude when you were the one who nonconsensually kissed MY boyfriend.”

Yuki stood up so quickly, violently turning to Iwaizumi. He looked different, not skinny and chill anymore. Yukio had completely morphed into an angry demon. The back of his neck was as red as it could get and his fists were ready to go. He stomped his way to Iwaizumi. Both of them stood face to face, seemingly provoking each other.

“Guys, let’s keep this civil. Please.” Said Oikawa, dreading to get closer but still managing to give a few steps into their direction.

Iwaizumi was the first one to budge, he turned his head to the left and took a few steps backwards. Yukio returned to his seat but took a few minutes to calm down enough to continue with the conversation.

“Kawa, I don’t want to lose our friendship. I get that kissing you may have changed everything but could we... forget about it? Working with you is so much fun and… I’ll get over you pretty soon anyway.”

Iwaizumi, who was still standing but now closer to the table, frowned but decided, maturely enough to stay quiet. Oikawa smiled in relief.

“Ouch, that one might leave a bruise on me.” Oikawa rubbed his hand on his chest.

“You mean, on your ego.”

They chuckled and Yukio gave him a coy smile.

“Nice, now that it’s all settled, can we go to sleep? We’ve got two more days here and I’d like to be well rested tomorrow.” Iwaizumi stated.

The kitchen didn’t feel quite so tense now. Yukio just sighed instead of getting mad over Iwaizumi’s comment and lightly punched Oikawa’s arm as a way to say good night. He walked out of the kitchen without so much as looking at Iwaizumi.

“I still won’t forgive him.” said Iwaizumi, walking closer to Oikawa.

“There’s nothing for you to forgive, quite the opposite actually, you need to apologize to him.” They were holding both hands, and Iwaizumi pulled Oikawa. Their bodies collided and the surprised gasp that Oikawa let out made Iwaizumi grin. “I’m serious Hajime.”

“Fine, I’ll say sorry tomorrow.”

Iwaizumi nudged their noses together, he let go of Oikawa’s hands to start moving them on his back. His long fingers pressing on just the right spots. Oikawa shivered at his touch.

“Hajime, not here!” he whispered against Iwaizumi’s cheek.

Instead of answering Iwaizumi kissed Oikawa. It started soft, only their lips moving, but slow and steady Iwaizumi started to open Oikawa’s mouth with his tongue. Without a warning he stopped.

“I’ll only ask once, do you want me to stop?”

Iwaizumi had his piercing brown eyes going up and down between the other boy’s eyes and lips. Making the decision even harder for Oikawa, who knew his body eagerly wanted him to continue.

After a few seconds, reason overcame his hormones.

“Hajime, we can’t do it here, at least not right now. I want you too, but the guys could walk in any minute and I’m not comfortable with having the atmosphere all awkward again.”

With a deep sigh Iwaizumi accepted his boyfriend’s desires. After all, Iwaizumi wanted to make it all a bit more special. Their first kiss was mind-blowing but it wasn’t in any of the romantic scenarios he had in mind.

“Come on, let’s get some sleep. We’ll figure everything out tomorrow.”

Oikawa held out his hand for Iwaizumi to take. It was stupid to walk hand in hand since the bedroom was right there. It was so stupid that it made Oikawa so happy he could die without regrets.

“Iwa-chan…”

Oikawa called before entering their room.

“Yeah?”

“You look pretty when you blush.”

“Sappy moron.”

“You’re blushing now…”

With a “humpf” Iwaizumi entered the room. Each got into their futons, and Oikawa turned around more than he would admit.

Both of them were too young to be feeling such complex and deep things for each other. Yet there they were. And they had time to discover themselves and their love. After all, they were just boys in summer. Boys in love.