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Oikawa was very observant. It was just part of who he was. It made him a great captain, noticing little details about his teammates and using them to help each one shine to their best advantage. It got him into trouble when he noticed the growing strength of his opponents and began spiraling into thinking he wouldn’t be able to keep up. It helped him maintain his curated persona by giving people exactly what they wanted or expected of him.
And it made him very, very aware of the changes in Iwazumi’s behavior toward him since Oikawa’s injury.
He had jumped diagonally to set a difficult ball during a practice match, and as he landed, sudden white hot pain shot through the inside of his knee. He screamed and collapsed to the ground. He closed his eyes tight, profanities coming in a stream under his breath as he lay on his back and cried. He could hear people moving around him, his coach, his teammates, everyone asking if he was alright. Did he look alright? God, why was anyone talking to him, he couldn’t focus on anything except the pain, the pain the pain…
And then suddenly the noise was gone, or at least further away, and he opened his eyes. Iwazumi was crouched next to him.
“Hey,” he said quietly, calmly. “We’ve got to get you to a doctor. Do you want crutches, or do you want to lean on me?”
“I’ll lean on you, Iwa-chan,” he said, glad of something specific to answer.
“Okay, put your weight on your left leg and grab my hand,” he said, standing.
Oikawa stood, carefully, and Iwazumi shifted to stand at his side, Oikawa placing his arm around Iwazumi’s shoulders and Iwazumi wrapping his arm around Oikawa’s back, hand gripping his hip firmly.
“Ready?” he asked.
Oikawa took a shaky breath, “Okay, slowly.”
“Of course,” he said.
The doctor had told him he’d sprained his MCL. It wasn’t torn, but it would need at least three weeks to heal. He was told he should be grateful it hadn’t been worse, but he couldn’t work himself up to such feelings.
His injury had been a very unexpected delay in his progression as a captain and setter, and Oikawa had been extremely irritable for the first week of crutches and ice and far too much rest. He hated the rest. He would sit and watch practice and observe his teammates, trying to do all he could to better his team from the sidelines, but his comments often came out more snippy than helpful. He just wished he could be playing too.
But as he’d watched the others, caught up in his own pity-party, he noticed Iwazumi’s glances. Between every point, he would look to Oikawa, very briefly, but consistently. Like he just needed to make sure he was still there, that he was still okay. And once Oikawa realized this, he started paying attention outside practice, and he started noticing other things.
Iwazumi would slow his walking pace down so he could stay by Oikawa’s side. He would pick up things that Oikawa dropped and carry them for him without being asked. He would step around corners first to make sure there was a clear path for Oikawa and his crutches. He would give a hum of agreement when Oikawa complained about his knee instead of telling him to shut up and get over himself. And Oikawa, typically the one always trying to alter his behavior for the sake of others, found these accommodations very…satisfying.
He started calling him out on it.
“Iwa-chan is so helpful!” he would say, sing-song, as Iwazumi held the door open for him on his first day without crutches.
Normally such an open complement would earn at least a scoff, or as much as an uncalled for insult from Iwazumi, but now he just said, “Can’t have you getting any more hurt.”
“So considerate,” Oikawa said, wrapping an arm around Iwazumi’s shoulders.
He had the excuse ready to go, that it was still a little hard to balance without something to help him walk, and that’s why he was leaning into his friend, but he didn’t need to use it. Iwazumi just matched their walking pace, and a few steps later, put his arm around Oikawa’s waist.
Well, then.
He started testing things. Touching their legs together while sitting at lunch, brushing hands while walking home, leaning against him while studying. Iwazumi never moved away.
It was Iwazumi who suggested going to the shrine to pray for healing before Oikawa’s three week doctor’s appointment, but he grabbed Oikawa’s arm to pull him to a stop at the bottom of the steps.
“Wait, will you be okay with the stairs?”
Oikawa looked up. He could take them one at a time, and there weren’t that many. “Hmm, I think so,” he said.
When they were approaching the stairs again on their way out after, though, he paused. Going down was a lot more work than going up, and he was already tired from the walk to the shrine.
Without being asked, Iwazumi lifted him up, careful not to put any pressure on his knee, and carried him down the stairs.
Oikawa laughed, wrapping his arms around Iwazumi’s neck. “Iwa-chan! You’re like my knight in shining armor.”
“Don’t want you to strain yourself,” he said.
They reached the bottom and Oikawa said, “You really care about me, don’t you?”
“Yeah,” he said, simply, and set Oikawa’s feet back on the ground, but Oikawa didn’t remove his arms, keeping them around his neck as they faced each other.
“When I’m well again,” he said lowly, “You had better be ready.”
“Ready for what?”
“For me,” he said, running his hands quickly down to Iwazumi’s chest, lingering just a second before pushing off and turning for home.
Their prayer must have worked, because the doctor said that Oikawa’s ligament was stable enough that he could being practicing again, but taking more care to build strength in his knee so this kind of thing or something worse wouldn’t happen again.
“I’m well,” Oikawa texted Iwazumi while on the way home. “Come over.”
“Okay,” was the quick response he received.
When Iwazumi arrived, Oikawa pulled him to his room and closed the door, sitting Iwazumi down on the edge of his bed.
Oikawa took a moment to look at him. He looked nervous, breaths short and quick, eyes glancing at Oikawa and away, hands gripping the edge of the bed. But his pupils were dilated and when he looked at Oikawa, he was taking him all in.
Oikawa smiled. “The doctor says I’ve healed well.”
“That’s good.”
“Yes, it must be all the considerate tending Iwa-chan has done,” he said, taking a step closer. “You took such good care of me while I was hurt.”
Iwazumi licked his lips and swallowed.
Oikawa took another step so he was knee-to-knee with him. “And look what I can do now,” he said, bending his knee and placing it on the bed next to Iwazumi’s hip. “Full range of motion.”
“That’s good.” He leaned ever so slightly closer to Oikawa.
“I know. And watch this.” He swung his other leg over so he was kneeling over Iwazumi’s lap. “I can put pressure on it no problem.”
“I see.”
“Isn’t that great, Iwa-chan?” he asked, placing his hands on Iwazumi’s shoulders. “Now I just have to start working to make it stronger. Get moving, you know.” He sat on Iwazumi’s legs. “What do you think? Can you help with that?”
He nodded, cheeks red.
“Good.”
Oikawa leaned in, slowly, waiting to see if Iwazumi would move away this time. He didn’t. And Oikawa kissed him.
He pulled back after a moment, looked at Iwazumi’s expression, mouth slightly open, eyes half lidded, facial muscles relaxed, and kissed him again. Iwazumi kissed back, but his hands still gripped the edge of the bed.
“Iwa-chan,” Oikawa whispered. “Touch me.”
Iwazumi took a shaky breath.
“Like this,” Oikawa said, sliding his hands down to Iwazumi’s own and placing them on his knees. He leaned in again, and as they kissed, drew Iwazumi’s hands up his thighs until they reached his ass.
And then, Iwazumi gripped him tightly and pulled him close and his hands were moving, everywhere, across Oikawa’s back, up his chest, pulling on his hair. The last caused Oikawa to gasp, his head falling back.
“Okay?” Iwazumi asked, drawing back slightly.
“Hajime.” Oikawa said, slowly, heavily. “Do that again.”
He did.
Oikawa closed his eyes and let out an almost mewling sound.
“Tooru,” Iwazumi said, their faces close again.
Oikawa kissed him. Pushed forward and kept pushing until Iwazumi’s back was on the bed and their legs were tangled. They stayed there, exploring each other, never wanting to stop.
They froze when Oikawa’s mother called down the hallway for them to come to dinner.
“Be right there!” Oikawa called toward then door, then turned back to Iwazumi, and before he could say anything, kissed him softly again, bringing a hand to his cheek.
“I care about you too, Iwa-chan.”
They sat up and straightened their clothes.
“How long have you been planning this?” Iwazumi asked, voice slightly hoarse.
“Hmm, since you started being so nice to me,” he said, standing and putting his hands on his hips, grinning. “You had always been so mean before, I didn’t know how much you really cared. So it’s really a good thing I got hurt, or I would never have found out!”
“Don’t be stupid.”
“Ah! Grumpy Iwa-chan is back!”
Iwazumi stood up and put a hand on Oikawa’s chest, expression stern. “I mean it. Don’t get hurt again.”
“I won’t.” he said, gently, but still teasing. “No need anymore, now that I know Iwa-chan’s true heart.”
“Shut up.”
“No, you can’t hide behind that anymore!” Oikawa said, gleefully, pulling him out of the room. They bickered all the way down the hallway.