Chapter Text
You place the last of your clothes in the hamper inside your closet before closing it and letting out a sigh. Turning to your room, finally clean, you put your hands on your hips and smile. That’s one more thing off your checklist. All that’s left is editing your history paper and studying some English terms. You open your laptop, but as you sit down to work, there’s a knock at your open door.
You swivel the chair to see your brother, Iwaizumi Hajime, in the doorway. Smiling a bit in greeting, you say, “Hey, nii-san, what’s up?” You pull your legs up into your seat, crossing them. Iwaizumi walks in, holding what looked to be a packet he had pulled from the mail. You recognize the kanji on the packet immediately and gulp. You had expected it to come, but had hoped your brother wouldn’t see it. You try to read his expression, but Iwaizumi doesn’t seem perturbed.
“This came in the mail.” He hands it to you as you sink into your chair. “You didn’t tell me you applied to Karasuno. I thought you were already accepted into Aoba Johsai.” He sits on your bed, and you wince as your perfectly fitted sheets wrinkle around him.
You look down at the packet sheepishly. “Yeah, I was, it’s just….” Your brother looks at you, no trace of judgement in his eyes. You take a breath. “It’s just, I’ve been following you and Oikawa-san around since childhood, and….” Meeting Iwaizumi’s gaze, you see that he already understands. You relax a bit, but are still nervous to hear his response.
“Yeah, I get it. That guy has a tendency to get everyone else caught up in his rhythm.” He leans back a bit. “Why didn’t you say something sooner?”
“I dunno…” you mutter, tracing the fold of the packet. “I guess I was worried you would try to change my mind. And even if you didn’t, Oikawa-san would.” You curl your legs onto your chair, wrapping them in your arms and resting your chin on your knees.
“Yeah, you’re right about that, I suppose. We’ve been a trio since primary school, and that guy’s gotten pretty attached to us.” You recall trying to receive your brother’s spikes that Oikawa had set up for him. You had actually gotten quite good at it, but you never joined Kitagawa Daiichi’s girls volleyball team. In fact, you didn’t interact with many girls at all until your third year of middle school. Even then, it was sparse. Many of them were jealous of the attention you got from Oikawa, though it was only because your older brother was his best friend. Some of them took it too far, writing cruel things on your desk and gossiping. Once you had even opened your shoe locker to find your shoes dripping and smelling of cat pee. That was a bad day. “So? Were you accepted?” Iwaizumi’s voice snaps you back to reality.
Bringing your legs back down, you hastily open the packet, ripping a part of it, and pull out the papers inside. Quickly skimming them, a grin appears on your face. Looking at your brother, you give him a thumbs up. He smiles back, standing up and ruffling your hair.
“Congrats, (y/n). Of course, there was no chance you’d get rejected.” You swat his hand away, laughing.
As your giggles die down, you hesitantly say, “Oh, uh, nii-san, about Oikawa-san….”
“Yeah, yeah, I won’t tell him. But he’s gonna find out eventually, so you should really tell him yourself.” He puts his hands in his pockets. “Anyway, dinner will be ready soon. We’re having hamburgers.”
Your eyes light up, and you spin your chair in circles. “Hamburgers!” Iwaizumi raises his eyebrows with a small smile, amused, and heads out. Once he’s gone, you stop spinning. Giving a thought to the tantrum Oikawa will throw when he hears the news, you lean back and let out a sigh.
The following Saturday, you curl up on your bed with a book after finishing up some homework. You hear some ruckus downstairs, but you decide to ignore it. You’ve been busy lately since finals are approaching, and this is your first reprieve in a while. You try to focus your attention on your book, blocking out the voices that seem to be getting closer.
Suddenly, your door swings open and you jump, dropping your book on your lap and losing your page. You look down at it sorrowfully before turning your attention to the man in your doorway with a sad frown.
“(y/n)-chaaaan!” the familiar voice rings out.
Iwaizumi appears behind him and smacks the back of his head, harder than usual, causing his glasses to fall off. “Hey, dumbass, don’t go barging into a girl’s room without knocking!”
“I’m sorry, Iwa-chan!” Oikawa holds the back of his head, looking like a wounded puppy.
“Apologize to (y/n), not me!”
He leans over to pick up his glasses, pouting a bit. “Sorry, (y/n)-chan….”
If only his fangirls could see this side of him. You wonder how many of them would still fawn over him if they knew what a child he is. Still, you’re used to it. “Yeah, well, it’s not like I have anything to hide, so I guess I don’t mind.”
Iwaizumi gives Oikawa a hard glare that seems to say “If you ever walk in on my sister changing, they will never find your body,” and Oikawa takes the hint. Not that it really matters, you think, since Oikawa never saw you as a girl anyway. You smothered your crush years ago after realizing that.
Wait a minute.
You glance at your desk, the Karasuno acceptance letter still sitting on it.
You totally have something to hide.
Hopping off of your bed, doing your best to keep a straight face, you push the two outside your room. “So, uh, what are we doing today?” You hadn’t initially planned on indulging Oikawa’s antics, but it seems to be the best way to get him out of your room quickly.
“A new ice cream parlor opened up, did you hear? I’ve been dying to try it!” Oikawa exclaims, letting himself be pushed along. You had heard about the new parlor, but probably wouldn’t have gone if not for Oikawa. You and your brother are used to being dragged along on his whims, though, so it wasn’t really a bother to go.
“Oh yeah?” You raise a brow. “Your treat?”
He fusses a bit before relenting to your demands, and you excuse yourself to change your clothes. When you close the door to your room behind you, you quickly shove the letter into a drawer before picking out a blouse and skirt fitting for the warm weather. You also run a quick brush through your hair, but don’t style it for sake of time. Grabbing your bag, you head out to the living room where the two are quietly waiting around. Oikawa’s gaze seems to be a bit distant, but once he notices you, he grins, and Iwaizumi stands up to go.
The three of you venture out into town, catching a bus that takes you just a couple blocks down from the parlor. As per usual, Oikawa attracts a lot of attention from girls walking by. Some of them also eye Iwaizumi, but you merely blend into the background where you eat your ice cream in peace. You listen as the two discuss their upcoming practice match and some of the notable players on it.
“Oh, right,” Iwaizumi says. “Did you want to come watch our game?”
It takes you a second to realize the question was directed at you. Oikawa looks at you expectantly, not bothering to hide his hope.
“Yeah, sure. Gotta support my boys!” You slap Iwaizumi’s back encouragingly, sending him stumbling forward a few steps. Oikawa snickers while Iwaizumi just rubs his back.
You smile and look up at the cool March sky. Spring is quickly settling in, and soon you’d start your new term at Karasuno. The thought is refreshing, and fills you with excitement for what’s to come; but maybe that’s just the weather improving your mood.
After a few more blocks, Oikawa asks to rest at a bench. “Iwa-chan, I’m thirsty. Would you mind grabbing me a drink?” Iwaizumi begins to tell him to do it himself, but after taking a look at his face, he merely nods. He asks what you want, then leaves to get it.
You wonder for a moment why Iwaizumi was compliant. Normally, he’d at least demand a courier’s fee, but he didn’t even ask Oikawa for the drink money. You watch him go, and he sends a single look back at the two of you standing next to each other, before rounding a corner. As he leaves, you can feel the warmth of the atmosphere vanish with him.
There’s a brief spell of silence before Oikawa icily asks, “So, (y/n)-chan, when were you planning to mention that you’re going to Karasuno?” Your blood runs cold and you slowly look over to him. His face is calm and serious for the first time today.
Damn him and his ability to read glances. He must have seen the letter the second you let your eyes wander to it. Sending Iwaizumi off was probably part of his plan, too, so that you wouldn’t be able to use him as a shield. Worse, Iwaizumi likely knew that’s what he was doing.
“Uhhh… eventually?”
He gives you a sad look as you try to avoid eye contact. “We’ve been going to school together for so long. Can you at least tell me why?”
You hesitate. “You won’t like the answer.”
“Try me,” he replies, sitting on a bench behind you. He looks at you as you eye the bench. “Well, come on then.” You’re not sure if he’s asking you to respond or sit down, so you quietly do the latter. When your silence persists, he tries guessing. “Do they have a club you want to join?” You give him no answer. “Did your parents want you to go there?” No answer. “Is a guy you like going there?” Still, no answer. You can appreciate the irony from his last question, though, as he’s the only guy you’ve ever liked.
“Is it… because of me?” You still don’t respond, but your expression tells Oikawa all he needs to know. He looks away, eyes clouded. “...I see.”
You quickly turn to face him, the guilt gripping your gut like a claw. “I-It’s not that simple! You didn’t do anything wrong or anything, it’s just….” His eyes are trained on you, even as his body is shifted uncomfortably in the other direction. “It’s just, constantly being with you and nii-san makes it incredibly difficult to be my own person. This is my third year at Kitagawa Daiichi, the first year that you guys haven’t constantly been with me since primary school.” It’s the first time other girls haven’t hazed you for having Oikawa’s attention, but you can’t say that. If he learns he was the reason you were bullied, he would try to interfere, which would only make matters worse. Instead, you say, “For the first time ever, I’m getting to talk to other people in my year and have my own experiences.”
Oikawa is quiet for a while. You have nothing of merit left to say, and he seems to be deep in thought, so you put your hands in your lap and look anywhere but at him. You don’t notice how white your knuckles are, but Oikawa does. He knows you probably put a lot of thought into this decision, and, if he was honest, he understands why you were hesitant to tell him, but he can’t help being a little angry. He’s always thought you would tell him everything. Maybe he should have waited for you to say something yourself, but who knows when that would have been?
Even so, he thinks, taking another look at you, I don’t really have a right to be upset. It’s her choice, after all.
“Look,” Oikawa says, making you jump a bit. “I’m not gonna be upset because you chose a different school.” That’s a bit of a lie, but he continues: “I’m just a little hurt you didn’t tell me. And that you haven’t told me about all these friends you’ve been making.” He smiles as genuinely as he can manage, and your tense shoulders relax a bit. “No hard feelings?”
Saying you’ve been making friends is an overstatement, but you don’t mention that. You smile a bit, letting out a small sigh of relief. “Yeah. No hard feelings.”
Oikawa glances up to see Iwaizumi returning with three drinks in hand. “Ah, Iwa-chan, I asked for a Pepsi, not a Coke!”
“Yeah, and I asked my parents for an iguana, not a chameleon, so shut the hell up and take it.” You quickly begin to relax as the two bicker, feeling as though things are returning to normal.
“Oh, come on, Nii-san, you know you love Mr. Melon!” You stand up and straighten out your skirt. Your brother hands you your drink, and the three of you make your way to the bus stop.
As the three of you wait for the bus making idle conversation, you feel a weight being taken off your shoulders. Oikawa took it much better than you had expected, and you begin to wonder why you were so worried in the first place. You’re finally able to look forward to your high school debut without worries.
The bus rolls to a stop in front of you and swings open its doors. You lead the way up the steps, glancing back as the other two follow. You situate yourselves towards the back of the bus, Oikawa standing next to the seats you and Iwaizumi sit in.
“Oh yeah, Iwa-chan,” Oikawa says, sometime during the ride. “Did you want to see that movie that’s coming out next weekend? Coraline?”
“That Tim Burton movie? I dunno, man, it looks a little weird.” Iwaizumi turns his head to you. “Didn’t you say you wanted to see that, (y/n)?”
He’s right, but when you go to say so, Oikawa interrupts you. “Ah, (y/n)-chan said she was busy with friends that weekend.” You blink, somewhat blindsided by his statement. You had said no such thing. “You know, Iwa-chan, I’m starting to think (y/n)-chan likes her other friends more than us.” He puts on his puppy dog eyes while Iwaizumi raises his brows and looks at you.
“Oh? Sorry, I didn’t realize you had plans.” Thankfully, your brother ignores Oikawa’s last statement.
You force a laugh and say, “Oh, well yeah, I guess I had nearly forgotten about that.” You meet Oikawa’s eyes, confused and a tad hurt, but his expression holds no answers for you.
Until you get off the bus, you do your best to keep up a cheerful exterior. As you step off behind the two boys, you say, “Well, thanks for the ice cream, but I just remembered I promised my friend I’d call him tonight, so I’ll go ahead.” As you say it, you give Oikawa a deliberate look, which seems to get under his skin.
You make your way back to your house at a quick pace without saying goodbye. Iwaizumi is left a bit stunned, thrown off by your sudden change in behavior. Oikawa just looks cooly after you, frustration beginning to well up under his stoic facade.
“Okay,” Iwaizumi finally says, “what the hell happened between the two of you?”
Swinging the door to your room open, you fall on your bed, emotionally exhausted. You pull out your phone and scroll through your contacts. “Promised my friend I’d call him… yeah right, like I have any other friends to talk to.” You toss your phone on your desk and bury your face in a pillow. What a trainwreck of a day.
Maybe you should call Tobio-kun, you muse. That’ll piss Oikawa off for sure. But your awkward kouhai probably wouldn’t be able to hold up his end of a phone call, and you really don’t know him that well. Besides, you don’t exactly want to irritate Oikawa any more, but it’s hard to resist the temptation when he’s antagonizing you so much. You sigh.
Hopefully Oikawa’s hissy fit won’t last too long.