Archive of Our Own

Iwaizumi could not believe he was standing in a suit on some random bougie island beside twenty five of the most generic men he has ever seen.

Six months ago, he, Matsukawa, and Hanamaki had placed bets on the winners of the Men’s World Volleyball Tournament, and Iwaziumi lost. His punishment had been to seriously fill out an application for The Bachelor Men, the first gay season of the Bachelor. Even he had to admit it was funny in the moment, filling out the stupid little ice breaker questions like ’What’s your dream date?’ and ‘Would you rather have a sunny beach or snowy mountain wedding?’. They were all drunk and filled out the questionnaire in the cheesiest way they could. Iwaizumi signed the contract at the end of the questionnaire without much thought because there was no way he would ever get picked for something like this.

And then a month ago producers reached out and told him he had been selected.

Matsukawa and Hanamaki were laughing their asses off as Iwaizumi saw his life flash before his eyes when he realized, oh fuck, the contract was legally binding and he had to partake unless he wanted to pay a hell of a fine and possibly go to court.

Now he was here, after taking a five hour commercial flight, followed by a thirty minute ride in some small sketchy plane to land on a private island where he’d be staying for a couple weeks. Iwaizumi was confident it would only be a couple weeks, as he was determined as well as confident that he’d be the first to go.

The host, some vaguely creepy middle aged man, was welcoming them to the house and telling them that they would get to meet the Bachelor in a couple hours after settling in. All of them would need to do one on one interviews at some point, but in the meantime they were free to settle in and get to know one another.

Iwaizumi noticed with a frown the sheer number of cameras that were everywhere in the house. It made him uncomfortable knowing that his life could be seen at almost every moment, and that he had signed away his rights to the footage with just one signature. It felt extremely illegal, but then again, he was the one who didn’t read the fine print.

He heard some of the guys start conversation, but he didn’t waste any time turning and walking into the mansion behind them, looking around for someone who could point him in the direction of his room. Honestly, ‘mansion’ may have been an understatement for the monster that was this building. There were marble arches, fountains, a pool, multiple huge common rooms, a kitchen for the contestants and a kitchen for the professional chefs - and that was only what Iwaizumi had seen so far. He hated reality TV shows, but if he was stuck here then he sure as hell would take advantage of the luxuries.

Some crewman with a mic on his head dispassionately asked for his name before leading him to his room. Just like everything in this godforsaken place, it was massive. A king sized bed, a TV, speakers, and a table overlooking the water. His luggage was already there for him, as well as a welcoming champagne glass. He didn’t watch these kinds of shows, but he figured there would be plenty of drinking. He wished he could text a picture to his friends to shove the free alcohol and giant living space in their faces.

Iwaizumi took off the uncomfortable suit jack they had made him wear and undid the first couple buttons of the white undershirt. He didn’t even bother changing out of the pants before he flopped down on his bed with a sigh, thankful for how comfortable it was. After a day of traveling, it didn’t take long for him to pass out still in his clothes.

He wasn’t sure how much later it was when he was woken up by a knock on his down

“Mr. Iwaizumi Hajime?” He heard a voice call from outside of his room. “We need you for your interview, please.”

Iwaizumi yawned and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, stretching before opening his bedroom door. A beautiful woman with raven black hair and glasses stood before him with a clipboard in her hands. She also had a headset and mic on, like many of the people he’d seen around here.

She bowed briefly, and Iwaizumi suddenly felt embarrassed in his still half asleep state.

“My name is Shimizu Kiyoko, but please just call me Kiyoko. I am the assistant producer here, so we will be seeing a lot of each other in the coming weeks. Was everything okay with your room?” Her head tilted just slightly with the question.

“Yeah, everything’s great. Thank you,” he added. She smiled softly.

“If you ever need anything, let me know. Now, if you’d follow me, I will take you to where all future interviews will be held.”

Iwaizumi slipped on his shoes and put his hands in his pockets as he followed her through the winding halls. They didn’t talk on their way there, which Iwaizumi was thankful for. He only had so much social interaction space for one day, and he had a feeling this evening would surpass it. They passed by a few people -- some contestants and some crewmen -- before arriving in a room that was half camera equipment and half green screen. Iwaizumi tried not to show his discomfort as he was asked to sit in the bright lights in front of all the cameras.

“Welcome to The Bachelor!” A man greeted with a forced smile and a tone that dripped too much sweetness. “We’re so excited to have you here. Now, we’re just going to ask you some basic questions. All you need to do is answer honestly as yourself, and then we’ll be done!”

Iwaizumi swallowed and nodded, feeling nerves settle for the first time since he arrived. Despite being a contestant, he didn’t actually know very much about this show at all, but he did know it had millions of viewers. This interview would be seen by people all over the country.

“Can you introduce yourself? What’s your name, age, profession and where you’re from?”

Iwaizumi cleared his throat. “My name’s Iwaizumi Hajime. I’m twenty seven years old and I work as an athletic trainer in Los Angeles.”

“Have you lived there your whole life?” Iwaizumi knew that they had seen his application form, so these questions were probably all intentionally targeted at him based off of that. It made him a little weary.

“No. I grew up in Japan until I went to college in San Diego.”

“Was it strange moving to a new country?”

Iwaizumi hated this; the questions clearly weren’t posed genuinely, only to get the best possible stories out of him.

He shrugged. “Not really.”

He saw Kiyoko stifle a laugh and vaguely wondered why.

“On your application, you said you like guys with nice smiles, specifically white teeth.” Oh God he was going to kill Matsukawa for that one. “What else do you look for in a partner?”

“I don’t know. If I like someone, I ask them out.”

He swore he saw the producer’s eyebrow twitch. “There’s nothing you find attractive in a partner?”

Iwaizumi thought for a second. “I guess I like it when they’re passionate about something.”

The interview went on for a few more minutes. The producer’s tone got less and less chipper as it went on and Iwaizumi wasn’t sure why. When it was finished, Kiyoko led him back to his room.

“How come you were laughing back there?” Iwaizumi asked, trying to think if he had said something funny. Kiyoko didn’t seem like the type to laugh at people out of malice, so he was genuinely curious.

“Oh, I didn’t know you could see that. I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, Mr. Iwaizumi, but your answers tended to be rather… well, blunt, I suppose, compared to the type of contestants we usually have,” she said with a small smile. “I suppose I found it refreshing. It’s also nice to see someone get under the producer’s skin every once in a while.”

Iwaizumi hummed. “So that was why he was getting irritated. I didn’t realize.”

She laughed and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear as they came up to their door. “If it means anything, I thought you were quite charming, Mr. Iwaizumi.”

He smiled. “Call me Iwaizumi, please.”

Before she let him go back into his room, she explained to him that they'd be regathering in the main area to introduce the Bachelor to the rest of the contestants in twenty minutes, and that he was free to use anywhere in the house until then.

“Is there a map I could use of this place? I feel like a test rat in a maze,” Iwaizumi grumbled.

“Unfortunately not, but I encourage you to walk around to get to know the house. I have to admit it’s actually quite nice,” she said kindly. Iwaizumi thanked her as she left as he decided not to go back into his room just yet.

The house was as big as it appeared. He’d seen places like this before on TV but had never been in one, let alone stay there. It was basically a hotel with all the rooms and amenities it provided. He stumbled upon a hot tub and sauna that he mentally took note of before making his way back to the area they had met originally. He saw there was already a group of the other contestants lining up so he went to join them.

He stuffed his hands in his pockets and stood at the end of the line. Some of the others were making small talk, but Iwaizumi would be gone too soon for it to matter if he had friends anyway. The host, followed by a camera crew, walked in front of them all.

He was frowning and adjusting the sleeve of his grey suit up until the producer called ‘action!’ when his face transformed into wearing the most plastic, sickening smiling Iwaizumi had ever seen.

“Welcome, everyone, to the first night of The Bachelor,” he said to the camera. His voice, too, was covered in fake honey. It made Iwaizumi cringe a little. “I’m your host, Chris Harrison, and I’m excited for this season. You’ve met our contestants, but now it’s time for us to reveal the true man of the hour, the Bachelor himself!”

Iwaizumi half expected the guy to come waltzing out as soon as he said it, but he should’ve known better with a reality show. The producer made him do a few more takes then got a few shots of some of the contestants. Iwaizumi was not surprised that he was not one of them; after what Kiyoko said earlier, he wouldn’t be surprised if he was cut out of the show entirely. After a few minutes they explained that the Bachelor would walk out and introduce himself, and that the guys should react to seeing him. Iwaizumi resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

The lights dimmed on everyone except the pathway leading up to the main area. There was a car waiting at the end of the walkway. The host once again announced the arrival of the Bachelor and one of the valets opened the car door.

The first thing Iwaizumi saw was the suit. It was white with accents in the most disgusting shade of teal he'd probably ever seen. His eyes trailed up the long legs to see this ‘mysterious bachelor’s face and…

Woah.

Iwaizumi shocked even himself. He knew the guy they chose was going to have to be attractive or else no one would want to watch the show, but the man walking towards them now was positively angelic. His hair was fluffy, chocolate brown; the same rich color as his eyes. His body was built like a runway model with legs that spanned forever and a thin build, though the way the suit hugged his shoulders and thighs made it clear he also had muscle. His smile was bright and a little too perfect, showing off his pearly white teeth.

He was beautiful.

“Hello everyone! I’m so happy to meet you all. I can’t wait to get to know you all better,” he greeted. His voice was chipper and his sentences went up at the ends, as though he was speaking to children. He didn’t need to be prompted to continue speaking; if he was nervous about all the eyes and cameras focused on him, it didn’t show at all. “My name is Oikawa Tooru and I’m twenty seven years old. I’m originally from Miyagi, Japan, but I moved to New York City for college and I still live there now.”

Iwaizumi wondered if they chose him for the show because he had grown up in Miyagi, too. Now that he thought about it, his name seemed vaguely familiar.

They stayed there for a while longer for reasons Iwaizumi didn’t know. It seemed they had to redo all shots countless times for no real reason. All he really wanted to do was go to bed.

They finally let them go, but unfortunately the producer told them that they were expected to have a party together to get to know Oikawa and each other better. Iwaizumi didn’t even stop the scowl that came onto his face.

The group of them milled into one of the large common rooms where there were big speakers playing club music and plenty of couches and chairs to use to socialize. A frankly insane amount of alcohol lined the counter. Iwaizumi sighed and grabbed a beer. Might as well get a little tipsy if he had to stay here.

“Oikawa, what do you drink?” One of the contestants, a guy with blonde hair and a tongue piercing, was already walking behind the counter. Oikawa smiled at him.

“What about a blue hawaiian?”

Iwaizumi snorted into his drink, causing many people to look over at him, including Oikawa.

“Laughing at my choice of drink?” He asked, raising an eyebrow. “That’s a little rude, don’t you think?”

Iwaizumi cleared his throat and was going to apologize, really, but his mouth spoke before his brain. “That’s cause it’s a stupid drink.”

Oikawa raised both his eyebrows now before letting his face return to the smile he had on earlier. “What’s your name?”

Iwaizumi narrowed his eyes. His smile was as plastic as all the others, though it seemed almost too perfectly practiced. If Iwaizumi actually cared about this shitty show he’d be very nervous right about now.

“Iwaizumi Hajime.”

“You’re Japanese.”

It wasn’t really a question, but Iwaizumi answered anyway. “Yep.”

“Where in Japan?”

“Miyagi.”

“How old are you?” Oikawa had moved closer to where he was leaning on the wall. He was annoyed to see the brunette was an inch or two taller than him.

“Is this an interrogation?”

Oikawa smiled. It still screamed danger. “Just trying to get to know you, Iwaizumi. Isn’t what this is for?”

Iwaizumi narrowed his eyes and took a sip of his drink. “I’m twenty seven.”

“It seems we have a lot in common. Where’d you go to highschool?”

“Karasuno.”

Oikawa’s face scrunched up unpleasantly before returning to normal. “Things are not looking good for us, Iwaizumi.”

Iwaizumi actually scoffed at that. “What, you go to Shiratorizawa or something?”

If his face had shown unpleasantness before, now it was positively disgusted. “We’ve only known each other a minute and you think so little of me.”

“Give me a hint.”

“Aoba Johsai.”

“Like that’s any better,” Iwaizumi mumbled, taking a sip from his beer. Oikawa opened his mouth to retort, but one of the other guys came up to talk to him about something. Iwaizumi took that moment to sneak away.

Iwaizumi had enjoyed his vacation at the house, and he figured now was his time to go. It had already been two weeks of him staying here, and tonight was the first night people got eliminated.

He had been avoiding everyone as much as possible, especially Oikawa. They hadn’t talked again since that first party, and Iwaizumi was relieved. It seemed the only impression he had made was a bad one, so he would surely be sent home tonight. There were a few more mandatory parties he had to attend, but he was successful in leaving as soon as he could. There were actually a couple guys he had met who were pretty cool, but he didn’t care much to go further than shallow conversation. There had evidently been a lot of drama going on within the group about guys ‘stepping on each others toes’ and other stupid shit that the audience would surely eat up like Thanksgiving dinner. Iwaizumi made sure to avoid it being involved.

He sighed as he walked alongside the river he had found a couple days in. No one ever came up here with him, and he assumed there were no cameras hidden in the trees. The river was in the trees right next to a walking path, and he realized that it was actually freshwater despite being so near the ocean. He found himself coming back most days to look for bugs like he did when he was younger. While he wouldn’t miss the constant noise and cameras in his face, he would miss this river.

He spotted a beetle along the bank and squatted down to look at it closer. It was a beautiful type of jewel scarab called chrysina gloriosa that was notable because of its bright green color.

“Iwaizumi? What are you doing?”

Iwaizumi startled and fell on his butt. He’d been so focused on the beetle he hadn’t noticed Oikawa come up behind him.

“Oh I’m…” Iwaizumi’s lizard brain scrambled for an excuse, but all it came up with was that Oikawa was wearing a tiny pair of shorts and his legs looked so good. “...looking at this cool beetle.”

Oikawa gave him a strange look. “Huh?”

Iwaizumi sighed and pushed himself up again, gesturing for Oikawa to squat next to him. The other seemed hesitant for a moment before joining him. Iwaizumi pointed to the green bug. “Right here.”

Oikawa looked at the bug for a long moment. “I can’t say I’m a fan of bugs, but the color is pretty.”

Iwaizumi actually found himself smiling at that. “Isn’t it? It’s not very common, either. I’ve only seen them once or twice, and that was years ago.”

“Is this a hobby of yours?” Oikawa asked. Iwaizumi stood and brushed the dirt off his butt before holding out a hand to Oikawa. His hand was soft and thin when Iwaizumi pulled him up. He had long, slender fingers, but calluses on the pads. They seemed like artist hands.

“Kind of. It’s just something I’ve done since I was a kid.”

Oikawa looked at him for a second with a neutral expression, like he was analyzing Iwaizumi’s very core.

“That’s pretty gross, Iwa-chan.”

Iwaizumi sputtered. “What did you just call me?”

“But I guess it’s a little charming. In a weird way.”

Iwaizumi shoved him lightly. “At least it makes me a little interesting. What, you’re saying you have no unique hobbies?” They began walking side by side further up the path, away from the house. “That’s pretty lame.”

Iwaizumi was only joking, but he wasn’t sure Oikawa found it very funny with the way he frowned. He muttered something Iwaizumi couldn’t understand.

“What?”

“I said I like aliens,” Oikawa repeated, louder this time. Iwaizumi stared at him pouting for a moment before he burst out laughing.

“Like, the green guys from space?” He clarified. “That’s so nerdy! Do you, like, watch all the sci-fi films and stuff?”

Oikawa blushed and shoved him. “Shut up, Iwa-chan. You’re the one who plays with bugs.”

“Oh my God, you were totally the kid with the alien bed sheets when you were younger.”

“You’re being a real bully, you know?”

“Wait, did you put those little glow in the dark star stickers on your ceiling, too?” Oikawa’s heavy blush revealed that, yes, he did do that. Iwaizumi laughed. “That’s adorable.”

Oikawa’s eyes glanced at him, and now Iwaizumi was the one blushing. Stupid lizard brain didn’t know how to keep its mouth shut.

“Where have you been this whole time?” Oikawa asked after a moment of silence, looking forward again. “It’s like you don’t even want to be on the show.”

Iwaizumi hummed in confirmation. Oikawa kicked a stick on the ground.

“Are you not interested in me?” Oikawa joked, though it came out weirdly sharp.

Iwaizumi looked at him from the corner of his eye. “I hardly even know you.”

“I just figured if you chose to come on this show, the reason you wouldn’t want to participate is because you’re no longer interested in winning,” Oikawa elaborated. Had this gotten under his skin? Iwaizumi couldn’t read him well enough to tell.

“That’s not why. I didn’t want to be here in the first place.”

“Then why are you here?”

Iwaizumi sighed. “I lost a bet back home and my friends and I filled the application out as a joke. I didn’t think in a million years I’d get selected, but when I did I had already signed the contract. I’ve honestly never even seen this stupid show before.”

Oikawa processed the information for a moment. “That’s kinda fucked up. You couldn’t get out of it?”

“Not without a court date,” Iwaizumi said. “But it’s fine. I’m not a big personality so I figured I’d just get sent off tonight. It was kinda like a mini-vacation.”

Oikawa huffed a half-hearted laugh.

“Why are you out here?” Iwaizumi asked, changing the subject. “I’ve come here all week and haven’t seen you.”

“Ah, now I know your hiding spot, Iwa-chan,” Oikawa teased. “But I’ve found that the only way to get away from the cameras and the guys is to go running. I just found this trail today.”

“I can’t imagine being in your position.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m struggling and I don’t even talk to anyone. I couldn’t imagine being the center of all this attention.” Iwaizumi shuddered at the thought; Oikawa had twenty four horny men and infinite cameras chasing after him at all times. What a nightmare.

His companion just laughed. “I wouldn't have signed up for this if I didn’t know what was coming.”

The mansion came back into view as they rounded a corner.

“Why did you sign up for this?” Iwaizumi couldn’t stop himself from asking.

“Isn’t it obvious, Iwa-chan? I like the attention.”

Iwaizumi frowned. “You didn’t come on to find true love, or whatever?”

Oikawa waved his hand dismissively. “Please. No one but an idiot would come on a show like this actually hoping to find someone to spend the rest of their life with. Basically all the couples who leave engaged end up divorced in the next year. It’s just a way for pretty people to get their fifteen minutes of fame.”

Oikawa’s tone danced on the side of bitter, and Iwaizumi wondered why.

“But I can’t say it’s not fun to get to go on fancy dates with a bunch of hot guys,” he added in a lighter tone.

“What if the person you chose in the end was one of the idiots?” Iwaizumi asked. Oikawa glanced at him for a long moment with a frown on his face.

“I don’t think that would happen.” He shrugged.

“Why not?”

Oikawa frowned. “I don’t know. The winners of these things are always just for entertainment. It’s not like people actually care what happens a few months down the line.”

Iwaizumi narrowed his eyes. “You’re weird.”

“Don’t be rude, Iwa-chan.”

“So is your whole bubbly persona just for this shit?”

“Bubbly persona?” They were walking up the pathway back into the mansion now. Iwaizumi noticed a camera crew not far ahead.

“Please,” Iwaizumi scoffed. “You can’t tell me you’re not just putting on an act.”

Oikawa frowned. “I’m really not.”

“Whatever,” Iwaizumi sighed. The camera crew had noticed them and was walking their way. “I don’t know why that’s who you want people to believe you are. Your alien obsession has been the most appealing thing about you yet, Oikawa.”

The camera crew swarmed around them before Oikawa could respond. Iwaizumi managed to slip away, but he could feel the brunette’s eyes on the back of his head.

The room where the elimination was filmed was uncomfortably dim and too warm. Iwaizumi felt a trickle of sweat roll down his back and sighed. They’d already been here twenty minutes and nothing had even happened yet. The host had just been rambling about the dates Oikawa had been on with a few of the contestants and asking some intentionally heated questions about the drama that had gone down the last couple weeks. Iwaizumi just wanted to get to the part where he wasn’t chosen and he got sent home.

Finally the host announced that it was time for Oikawa to give out his remaining fifteen roses. Five contestants already got theirs on group or individual dates, none of which Iwaizumi attended. The host explained there’d be five contestants sent home tonight and one chosen by Oikawa to go on an overnight date.

Oikawa began calling up multiple different names, most of which he just gave a rose and no explanation. There were two, however, who he explained he didn’t feel much chemistry with or didn’t like the energy they brought to the house, and asked them to leave. Iwaizumi found it rather brutal and hoped he wouldn’t have to hear why he was being rejected.

“Iwaizumi Hajime,” Oikawa called next. Iwaizumi’s shoulders tensed as he stepped forward, ready to hear about how Oikawa wasn’t interested in men who didn’t participate in nightly parties and played with bugs in his freetime.

Oikawa took a step forward and picked up the second to last rose from the side table, handing it to him. Iwaizumi narrowed his eyes and reached for it, almost believing Oikawa would just snatch it away. He didn’t, though, and Iwaizumi took it in his hands.

“The fuck is this, Shittykawa?”

Iwaizumi heard muffled laughter from some of the other contestants. Even if his face read unamused, the corner of Oikawa’s lip twitched up. Smug asshole.

“Cut!” The producer called, not masking the annoyance in his voice. “I thought it should be obvious we can’t have swearing. Step back and reshoot.”

Iwaizumi scowled and handed the rose back to Oikawa, shuffling back to his place in line and mumbling explicits.

“No swearing, kid. And try not to scowl so aggressively,” the producer snapped. “Action!”

Again, Oikawa called his name. This time, Iwaizumi walked up to him, snatched the rose, and walked over to the other men who had made it past the first round. He heard an audible sigh from the producer, but they didn’t ask him to redo it.

Iwaizumi tried to hold back his scowl as he watched the rest of the elimination unfold. He watched with jealousy as the five eliminated contestants walked off set.

Iwaizumi dropped the weights bar back onto the handles with a bang. His heart was pounding along with the music blaring in his earbuds.

The gym here was just as impressive as everything else. There were multiple appliances for different sports as well as an abundance of weights. Iwaizumi went to do his workout in the early morning when usually only one other guy was there, but recently he’d been going in the afternoons, too. Since he didn’t partake much in the show activities and was off work for however long he was trapped on this show, he found he had a lot of free time.

Sweat dripped down his torso as he sat up from where he was doing bench presses. There were a couple other guys in here as it was later in the day, but thankfully none of them talked to him. The only person he’d exchanged a few words with in the gym was an eccentric looking guy named Bokuto who said he was a pro volleyball player. He had a ton of energy, which usually threw Iwaizumi off, but he actually liked the guy.

Recently, days on the island have been hot. They were hot before, but about five days into week three they started getting in the high nineties, and even broke a hundred a few days. There was air conditioning in the gym, but Iwaizumi could still feel the effect of the heat.

His muscles ached when he put his weights away and left with a towel draped over his shoulders. Normally he’d head straight to his room to shower, but now the thought of jumping into a cold pool was irresistible. He’d avoided the place like the plague ever since he got here because it tended to be the most social area in the whole house; however, glancing out the window now, he actually couldn’t see anyone there.

Iwaizumi didn’t hesitate to dive into the deep end of the pool. Just being exposed to the sun for a few seconds was too much, even though he was used to the heat from living in LA. The water was cold, especially at the deepest part, and sent a pleasant shock through his body. He blew the bubbles out of his mouth before swimming over to the stairs to step out.

They were a few days away from the next elimination night. Iwaizumi hadn’t approached Oikawa again after he, for some still unknown reason, had chosen him to stay for another two weeks. He’d been annoyed at first, thinking it was his way of getting back at him for confessing his desire to leave then somewhat insulting his personality, but eventually figured he might as well just enjoy another two weeks off. His work and friends had known he’d be leaving for a range of time, so the worst thing he’d have to deal with when going back was Matsukawa and Hanamaki making fun of him for managing to stay on through more than one round.

Iwaizumi didn’t even bother grabbing a towel as he stepped out. With the sun being as hot as it was, he’d be dry in a matter of seconds. Thankfully he tanned naturally, and over the past weeks he’d gotten darker than he’d probably ever been. He ran his hands through his wet hair and sighed at the feeling of cold water droplets snaking down his back.

His eyes snapped open when he heard the shattering of glass.

“Shit! Oikawa, how much have you had to drink already? It’s only five.”

Iwaizumi made eye contact with a slightly gaping Oikawa standing on the porch by the pool, talking to some blonde contestant Iwaizumi hadn’t bothered learning the name of. Glass was shattered at his feet and one of the employees was rushing over to clean it. It was almost laughable the way his mouth snapped shut and he visibly swallowed. Iwaizumi scowled.

“Aren’t you gonna help clean up your mess, Shittykawa?” Iwaizumi murmured just loud enough for him to hear as he passed by without stopping. Oikawa’s face snapped back to normal as apologized profusely and bent down to help them. At least he wasn’t so rude to just ignore them.

Iwaizumi was halfway down the hall to his room when he heard footsteps running up behind him.

“Iwa-chan! Wait a second,” he called. Iwaizumi hunched his shoulders and walked faster. “Hey-- what the hell?”

Oikawa ended up catching up to him, unfortunately, and fell into step beside him. Iwaizumi didn’t spare him a glance.

“What a nice surprise! I swear I never run into you inside the house, and I’ve definitely never seen you at the pool,” Oikawa flirted, tipping his head to try to get into Iwaizumi’s field of vision. “I couldn’t find you at your hiding spot, either.”

“I wonder why.”

“Iwa-chan, have you been avoiding me?”

Iwaizumi huffed.

“No,” he lied, “I just don’t actively sniff you down like the rest of these people.”

Oikawa pouted. “You know, I think you may actually like some of them, if you give them a chance. I’m sure it must be lonely not having any friends here.”

“I do have friends!” Iwaizumi snapped, thinking about whether or not the limited conversations he’s had with Bokuto could be counted as friendship. Oikawa hummed doubtfully. Iwaizumi turned to open the door into his room.

“Well, looks like I’ll be going-- what the fuck, Shittykawa?”

“Ooo, Iwa-chan’s room is so nice,” Oikawa chimed as he waltzed in uninvited. “I haven’t seen any room except mine.”

“Why do I find that hard to believe?”

Oikawa glared at him, a real glare, and Iwaizumi felt himself flinch a little in fear. If looks could kill he’d be six feet under.

“I do hope you’re joking, Iwa-chan. Just because I came on this show doesn’t make me easy,” Oikawa said, settling into one of the chairs by the table.

“Why are you here?” Iwaizumi grumbled, going to grab a shirt from his dresser. Oikawa pouted as he pulled it over his head. His shorts were already dry so he figured he could just leave them on for now. He grabbed a bottle of water before sitting down in the chair opposite his guest. The sun was getting close to setting, and Iwaizumi had a great view of it sinking into the ocean.

“I can never find you anywhere, and every time I look I run into someone else. I figured here we could have some privacy.” He winked. Iwaizumi glared.

“Couldn’t you have forced me to go on one of those shitty dates, or whatever?”

“Honestly I don’t have that much say in those,” Oikawa muttered. Iwaizumi detected the bitterness in his voice. “The producers dictate basically everything I do, and they don’t seem very interested in you, Iwa-chan. Maybe it’s because of that ugly scowl of yours.”

Iwaizumi glared at him before taking a drink from his water, noticing the way Oikawa unsubtly eyed his throat. “Fuck off, Loserkawa.”

“The only thing I really get to decide is some of the eliminations and who goes on the overnight.” Oikawa continued. “But even then they decide most of the people.”

“I’m guessing it wasn’t their decision to keep me around.”

“No,” Oikawa confirmed. “It actually took quite a bit of convincing. And they’re probably gonna be pissed when I ask you to come on the weekend date with me.”

“Ugh,” Iwaizumi groaned. “Don’t tell me you plan to keep me here longer.”

“I’m not gonna let you leave before we even have a chance to get some real alone time,” Oikawa purred.

“Please,” Iwaizumi scoffed. “That shit is probably the opposite of alone time with those cameras and mics on you at all times.”

Iwaizumi shuddered at the thought of his intimate moments being recorded for the rest of the world to see.

Not that he, like, wanted intimate moments with Oikawa.

“Well,” Oikawa sighed, interrupting his mildly concerning thought process. “I did want to give you a heads up that I’m dragging you to spend a night with me.”

“Couldn’t you have done this last week, realized we have no chemistry, then released me from this prison?” Iwaizumi half joked. Oikawa smiled in a way that read ‘I know so much more than you, stupid Iwa-chan’.

“I tried, but they basically forced me to take Terushima to increase the drama.” Oikawa scowled. “Fucker tried to get in my pants like ten times.”

“He’s tongue piercing, yeah?”

Oikawa hummed. The sun was dipping below the water now, making the sky turn a pretty orange.

“But I negotiated that if I had to take him last week, I’d get to choose you this week.”

Iwaizumi audibly sighed.

“You don’t want to?” Oikawa asked. Iwaizumi turned to look at him.

“I was hoping maybe I could get away with being so unnoticeable they wouldn’t air any footage of me, but being picked for the overnight seems like a death sentence for that plan.”

“Oh,” Oikawa frowned, looking back outside the window. “I guess I could change my mind. I didn’t know that’s how you’d feel.”

Iwaizumi picked up on the disappointment on his features. They didn’t seem disingenuous, like many of Oikawa’s faces. He groaned and leaned his head back on his chair.

“You suck, Shittykawa. Just take me on the stupid date.”

Oikawa smiled brightly and looked at him. “Really?! You don’t have to force yourself for little ol’ me.”

“Just shut up before I change my mind,” Iwaizumi barked. “And if you even think about choosing someone else now that I expect it, I will literally shit in your bed.”

Oikawa laughed. “I won’t. I promise.”

They fell into a comfortable silence for a couple minutes as the sun faded away. Oikawa’s pager rang with one of the producers asking him to come to the main lobby.

“Sadly I have to go,” he sighed, his lip pulling down into a slight pout, “but I can’t wait for this weekend! It’ll be so fun, Iwa-chan!”

He basically skipped his way to the door after dramatically waving goodbye to Iwaizumi, who just scoffed at his antics.

Surely he could survive a couple more weeks of this.

As promised, Oikawa not only kept him on the show, but also chose him to go on the overnight trip with him. Oikawa also seems to be the only one in the room who’s happy about that decision.

“Jesus, everyone looks like they wanna kill me,” Iwaizumi muttered to the Bachelor when the producer had signaled the end of filming time for the day. Five more contestants had been sent home this week, leaving them at fifteen left.

“Don’t worry about them, Iwa-chan. Who cares?” Oikawa had responded, quietly enough so only Iwaizumi could hear him. “I promise I’ll make this weekend fun.”

“Iwaizumi.” Kiyoko walked up next to them. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but we do need you for an interview.”

Iwaizumi sighed but began to follow her down the path he had been just a few times in his time here. They had asked for an interview from him five or six times in his near month on the island, but Iwaizumi had quickly learned that he wasn’t the greatest at answering their questions the way they wanted him to. A lot of the questions they asked pertained to how he felt about the drama or the other contestants, and he never really had much to go off.

The lights still hurt his eyes as he sat down in the interview chair.

“So, Iwaizumi,” the producer began with the familiar faux chipper voice, “you not only got a rose, but you also got selected to go on the overnight with the Bachelor. How do you feel?”

Iwaizumi shrugged. “Fine, I guess.”

“It was expected that Kuroo would be selected for this week's date. Do you think this will cause tension between you two?”

Iwaizumi vaguely recalled that Kuroo was a tall guy with messy black hair. Bokuto talked about him sometimes, and they seemed to be good friends.

“No, I don’t think so. He seems like a chill guy.”

There were more questions like that -- obviously targeted to get Iwaizumi to say something bad about someone -- but since he had no strong opinions on basically everyone here, the interview puttered out quickly.

Kiyoko led him back to his room and told him that they would be leaving early the next morning and he should pack whatever he would need for staying out one night. Apparently, the overnights were always something different and extravagant, but the participants wouldn’t figure out where they were going until they were there.

Iwaizumi sighed when he realized his swim shorts were still salty from when he went swimming in the ocean a couple days ago. He would have to wash it before going to bed. The show offered a washing service to the contestants, but Iwaizumi would feel weird just giving them one piece of clothing. Plus he needed it to be dry by tomorrow morning.

The laundry room was at the end of the hallway near his room. Iwaizumi assumed this room wasn’t used often because it was small and had poorly painted white walls. There were a couple cheap chairs in the corner and two washing and drying machines. Iwaizumi threw in his suit and sat in one of the chairs, electing to just wait out the twenty five minutes instead of going back to his room.

He somehow managed to drift off as he awoke some time later to the drying machine door being shut.

“Ah, sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you,” Oikawa apologized, standing smiling where he was pushing start on the drying machine. “I moved your shorts to the dryer, Iwa-chan. I hope you don’t mind I put mine in, too.”

“Oh,” Iwaizumi said dumbly, scratching his head as became fully awake. “Thanks. I didn’t realize I drifted off.”

“You’ve been asleep for half an hour. Maybe you’re tired,” he suggested as he sat down in the chair next to Iwaizumi and sighed. They were close enough their legs brushed together.

“From what? Lounging around all the time?” Iwaizumi joked. Oikawa smiled through a yawn. The clock ticking on the wall showed it was past midnight.

“Good point, Iwa-chan.”

“You don’t use the service for your clothes?” Iwaizumi asked. Oikawa shook his head and waved his hands.

“Sometimes, but I like the sound of the machine,” he smiled. “It’s nice background noise.”

Iwaizumi huffed and didn’t say anything more. They sat in comfortable silence for a couple minutes, listening to the whirring of the machines. Their legs bumped together occasionally.

“What do you do?”

“Huh?” Iwaizumi asked, snapping away from his zoning out.

“For a living,” Oikawa continued. “I never asked.”

“Oh,” Iwaizumi said. “I’m an athletic trainer in Los Angeles.”

“That makes sense. You look like an athletic trainer from LA,” Oikawa teased, raising his eyebrows suggestively as he looked him up and down. Iwaizumi rolled his eyes and roughly nudged against his shoulder.

“And what do you do? Flirt professionally?”

Oikawa laughed. “I’m an astronomer.”

Iwaizumi looked at him in surprise. “Wow, really?”

Oikawa frowned. “Is it that unbelievable I’m not stupid?”

Iwaizumi shook his head quickly. “No, that’s not what I meant at all. You’ve always come off as smart. Probably too smart for your own good,” Iwaizumi said honestly. “Your personality just made me think you’d be a businessman of some sort.”

Oikawa tilted his head quizzically, a flirty smile coming back onto his face. “My personality?”

“Yeah, you know. Charming, outgoing,” Iwaizumi explained with a dismissive wave of his hands. “Vaguely reminiscent of a snake,” he added to make sure he wasn’t being too nice.

“Iwa-chan thinks I’m charming?” he purred. Iwaizumi hadn’t noticed him leaning closer to him over their chairs. He flicked the brunette’s forehead.

“Also annoying.”

Oikawa just leaned back into his personal space and pouted as he rubbed the sore spot on his head.

“So have you found any evidence of aliens?” Iwaizumi said after a moment; a teasing smile grew his face.

“Do you believe in them?” Oikawa answered his question with a question. “In aliens?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “I never really thought about it much.”

It went silent again for a moment before Iwaizumi continued.

“Although it’s hard to believe that we’re the only form of life in the whole universe.”

“Right?” Oikawa agreed with a smile. “That’s how I’ve always felt. It’s almost egotistical to think that in the entirety of the universe there’s not a single other living creature than the ones on earth.” His hands started gesturing with excitement. “And isn't it addicting to think about? To wonder that maybe somewhere out there could be a whole other civilization? Another species we’ve never even thought of?”

It went silent as he cut himself off, seeming to just notice how his voice had gotten louder.

“Ah, sorry,” he apologized, slouching back into his chair with his hands in his lap. “I got a little carried away.”

“Don’t apologize, Nerdykawa,” Iwaizumi scolded. “I like hearing about it.”

Oikawa looked at him for a moment before tinting pink. “Most people think it's weird.”

“It is, a little bit,” Iwaizumi admitted. “But people who aren’t a little weird are just boring.”

“I used to go UFO hunting. When I was a kid.” Oikawa smiled wistfully and twirled his fingers in his lap. “I would bring out a big blanket onto a hill outside my house and spend hours looking for them. I did it so much I memorized the pattern of the stars and all the constellations. My parents would get pissed whenever they caught me.”

Iwaizumi found his heart warming a little, like Oikawa’s nostalgia was so potent it flowed into him as well.

“Is that why you became an astronomer?” Iwaizumi asked.

“Yeah, mostly,” Oikawa nodded, mindlessly dragging a hand across his right knee. It sounded like there might be more to the story, but the dryer beeped to signal it was done. Oikawa’s shoulders dropped like he was relieved he wouldn’t have to continue.

“That was fast,” Iwaizumi said, standing from his seat to grab their warm clothes. He handed Oikawa his bright blue swimsuit.

“It was half an hour.”

“Really?” Iwaizumi swore it couldn’t have been longer than ten minutes.

“Time flies,” Oikawa teased, winking at Iwaizumi. He scowled in response.

“I can’t believe I have to spend the whole weekend with you.” They made their way back into the hallway.

“I wonder where we’re going,” Oikawa said as he tapped his chin. “I hope it’s an onsen.”

“It’s summer, Shittykawa. And I don’t think they're flying us home for a few hours.” Oikawa’s lips twitched up at his use of ‘home’.

“Good point, Iwa-chan. Way to use that brain of yours to full capacity!”

Oikawa yelped as Iwaizumi hit him upside the back of the head.

“You don’t know?” Iwaizumi asked.

“Hm?”

“Where we’re going tomorrow,” he clarified. Oikawa shook his head.

“They never tell me anything,” he sighed. “I’m as much in the dark as you.”

“Where’d you go last time?”

“With Terushima?”

Iwaizumi hummed.

“We went to an amusement park where we could skip all the lines. It was pretty fun, except when Terushima would flirt with any pretty girl or guy we passed.”

Iwaizumi barked a laugh. “Did he really?”

Oikawa nodded with a pinched look on his face.

Silence fell upon them for the last time as they came up to a room a few doors down from Iwaizumi’s room.

“Well, this is goodbye for now, Iwa-chan,” Oikawa said, opening the door to what Iwaizumi assumed was his room. “Unless you’d like to come in?”

Iwaizumi glared at Oikawa's exaggerated suggestive look.

“In your dreams, Shittykawa,” he snapped, turning to walk the rest of the way to his own room. Oikawa sighed dramatically.

“See you there, Iwa-chan!” He called, closing the door before Iwaizumi could retort.

He found himself smiling as he crawled into bed.

It turns out their date would be on a small nearby island famous for their seafood and welcoming locals. Iwaizumi and Oikawa had to take one of those tiny planes to fly over to it. Oikawa was giddy the whole time because he called dibs on sitting up front with the pilot and using the co-pilot headgear.

A woman was waiting for them when they landed. She had long black hair and naturally tanned skin, and she was wearing what looked like some kind of traditional clothing. She greeted them politely and led them to a restaurant on the beach where they ate lunch. The menu was preordered for them, and Iwaizumi swore it was the best fish he had ever tasted. He and Oikawa made easy conversation, but Iwaizumi was uncomfortably distracted by the large cameras trained on them the whole time. They had also strapped a mic to him for the first time, and the box dug into his lower back as a reminder that everything he did would be scrutinized by a huge audience.

The same lady from before led them to where they would be staying once they finished lunch.

Although it was advertised as their hotel room, it was more of a small house than anything. There was a kitchen and a bathroom with a large bath and shower, and the main bedroom had one wall that was entirely glass and led from a porch directly down onto the beach. The living room had a couch facing a television, and there was a bottle of champagne and a basket of fresh fruit on the center table. Iwaizumi noticed with a sigh that there was only one king bed; he probably should’ve seen that coming.

“What’re you just standing there for?” Oikawa asked in a teasing tone. Iwaizumi turned to see him already changed into his bathing suit. He was pale, and on the thinner side like Iwaizumi had suspected, but he had more of a defined stomach and chest than he’d thought he would. It was evident he made an effort to keep in good shape.

“Stop ogling me and change, Iwa-chan!” Oikawa snapped his fingers as though getting Iwaizumi out of a trance. Iwaizumi scowled but felt his face heat as he’d been caught in the act. “They said that we have dinner reservations at seven, and I wanna make sure we have plenty of time to swim.”

Iwaizumi didn’t bring up that it was several hours away and instead just went to put on his bathing suit. Oikawa was dramatically tapping his foot with his arms crossed over his chest, but stopped and smiled deviously when Iwaizumi returned in just his swim trunks.

“Ah, mm, yes. Very good. Perfect!” Oikawa said while nodding, not even trying to mask the was he was basically eye fucking Iwaizumi’s body. Iwaizumi smacked his head and mumbled something about ‘Pervykawa’ as he walked past him onto the beach, mostly to make sure the brunette didn’t see his blush.

It was hot out, but not as bad as it had been the past week. The sand was pleasantly warm on the soles of Iwaizumi’s feet instead of burning hot, and the sun made his skin buzz pleasantly. Oikawa came up next to him holding a bottle of sunscreen.

“Iwa-chan, can you do my back?” He asked, already handing him the sunscreen and turning around. Iwaizumi glanced to the right and saw a camera not far away trying to be inconspicuous about their filming. He sighed, spraying some of the lotion onto his hands.

“I hate the cameras,” he grumbled, beginning to rub the sunscreen into Oikawa’s shoulders. Oikawa tensed for a second at the sudden coolness, but relaxed when Iwaizumi started to rub it in. He could feel the tough give of muscle under his fingers as he rubbed it in.

“I can tell,” he said quietly. They had taken the mics off when they changed to swim, but he wasn’t sure how far their big boom mics could pick up. He’d be shocked and sort of afraid if they could reach them all the way here. “I’m sorry. Try to pretend it's just us.”

Iwaizumi just huffed as his response. Iwaizumi trailed his hands lower, covering the lean muscles of Oikawa’s back. His skin was flawless.

Iwaizumi stepped back when he was finished, handing Oikawa the bottle who just tossed it back towards the house. Iwaizumi walked down to the water and didn’t hesitate to dive under the waves. The ocean reminded him of his home back in LA.

When he came up from under the water, Oikawa was waist deep dipping his hands into the water.

“Aren’t you coming in?” Iwaizumi asked, wading towards him.

“I am in,” Oikawa said with a tilt of his head.

“What? No you’re not. You’re only waist deep,” Iwaizumi argued. “What, don’t wanna mess up your hair?” He joked. Oikawa sputtered and looked away, his face reddening.

“It doesn’t look this good naturally, Iwa-chan. I don’t blame a brute like you for not knowing basic hygiene.”

Iwaizumi’s eyebrow twitched in annoyance.

“Alright, pompous asshole,” he snapped, closing the distance between him and Oikawa and grabbing him by the waist. He easily hoisted him over his shoulder. “You are not coming to the beach and not getting your hair wet.”

“Eek!” Oikawa squealed, trying to squirm out of his hold and banging his fists on his back. Iwaizumi was walking further into the water. “Iwaizumi, I’m not kidding! Put me down! You’re acting like an animal, you-- AH!”

His sentence was cut off when Iwaizumi threw him forward into an incoming wave. Oikawa popped up a moment later with his normally fluffy, perfectly styled hair dripping sopping wet over his face. Iwaizumi burst into laughter.

“Oh-- oh God,” he gasped. “Your hair--” His sentence was cut off by a wheeze and he had to put his hands on his knees to not collapse from laughing too hard.

“You’re so mean!” Oikawa squaked, making his wave over to him. “And its not fair because I can’t even make you ugly because you already are, stupid Iwa-chan!”

His insult only made Iwaizumi laugh harder. Oikawa pouted more and splashed him as he finally got a hold of himself.

“I haven’t laughed that hard in ages, fuck,” Iwaizumi smiled. Oikawa was trying to rearrange his wet hair in a way that wouldn’t cover his eyes like a wet dog. Iwaizumi used his hands to cup water and dump it over his head again. Oikawa shoved his shoulder.

“Jerk,” he pouted, crossing his arms over his chest. Iwaizumi chuckled and pushed his bangs back off his face.

“Don’t worry, Poutykawa, you look fine.” Oikawa looked at him through big eyes. The water made his long eyelashes clump together. He looked cute.

“Just fine, Iwa-chan?” He blinked innocently. Iwaizumi rolled his eyes and shoved his forehead, making Oikawa squawk and splash into the water.

“I take it back, ugly,” he snapped, wading out of the water.

“It’s awfully ironic for you to call me ugly,” Oikawa said, but Iwaizumi was already distracted by something he saw a little ways down the beach.

“Hey,” he said to get Oikawa’s attention, “there’s a volleyball court. Have you ever played before?”

He turned to see Oikawa smiling. “Have I?! I was going to go pro after high school! Did you play?”

“What? Yeah all through high school,” he said. “It was like a huge part of my life. I still play for fun on the weekends.”

“Seriously?” Oikawa was practically vibrating with how giddy he was. “What position?”

“Outside hitter. I was our ace by third year.”

“Iwa-chan, we are going to play right now,” Oikawa said, already grabbing Iwaizumi’s arm and pulling him towards the court. There were some people already playing and a few onlookers tanning in the sand. They didn’t look half bad. “I can’t wait to set to you. I can’t believe this didn’t come up earlier! Why did we never meet in highschool?”

Iwaizumi didn’t have a chance to respond as they walked up to the court. They were playing five on five, and it seemed a game was just ending. The group looked like locals who probably played here frequently.

“Can we play?” Oikawa asked. The players turned to them.

“Uh, sure,” one of them said. He was tan and had short brown hair. “Do you guys know how to play?”

Iwaizumi wasn’t sure how he felt about the dangerous look that appeared in Oikawa’s eyes. It was terrifying, but also a little bit of a turn-on.

“We both played in highschool,” Iwaizumi supplied, reaching his hand out for a handshake. “Iwaizumi.”

“Sawamura,” the man introduced himself, returning his handshake. He and Oikawa did the same. The rest of the players came up and introduced themselves as well. They were all naturally tanned from playing out in the sun year round.

“I guess we should reshuffle teams,” Sawamura said, glancing around. “Do you guys wanna be together?”

Iwaizumi hadn’t even opened his mouth yet before Oikawa responded with an enthusiastic yes.

It took only a couple minutes to get the sides situated and the game going. Apparently they fit in well as they were down a setter.

Iwaizumi was starting up front with Oikawa. One of the opponents, a pretty buff guy with a shaved head, spoke through the net as their team was getting ready to serve.

“Hey, no worries if you suck, pretty boy. We’ll try and take it easy on you,” he said to Oikawa. Thankfully his tone was clearly teasing, but Iwaizumi couldn’t help feel the sting of truth behind the statement.

“Tanaka, no harassing the foreigners!” Sawamura scolded his teammate from the other side.

Oikawa just smiled, the one Iwaizumi came to recognize as his plastic smile, and said, “I’ll do my best!”

For some reason it got Iwaizumi’s blood pumping.

Their teammate served. The other side returned it with the bald one - Sawamura had called him Tanaka - hitting it down. Their middle blocker and Oikawa managed to jump for a block, but it didn’t land.

Iwaizumi had to admit Tanaka had a damn good arm, but even so the shortest of their teammates managed to get it up and perfectly towards their setter.

“Damn it, Noya!”

The receiver, Noya, gave Tanaka a cheesy thumbs up and a smile.

Iwaizumi didn’t focus on them for long, though, because he had to step back to get ready for an approach. He was thankful he played a lot of beach volleyball in LA because adjusting to the sand beneath his feet had been strange at first. He watched as Oikawa positioned himself under the ball and…

Wow.

The brunette was laser focused. His eyes darted to see his options briefly, and his long finger stretched up in perfect form to set the ball. If Iwaizumi wasn’t playing, he’d be entranced.

“Iwaizumi!”

Iwaizumi exhaled a breath, suddenly nervous, and watched as the ball went up towards him.

It was a perfect set.

He slammed it down with ease, breaking through the one blocker who was on him. It was their point.

When he stood back up straight, he expected Oikawa to make some joke about their chemistry, but instead he looked to see the setter staring at him with sparkling eyes.

“Nice hit.”

“Nice set,” Iwaizumi countered. They bumped fists like it was the most natural thing to do. Oikawa’s lips twitched up. A low whistle came from the other side.

“Damn!” Tanaka clapped his hands together. “Looks like you two actually know what you’re doin’!”

Their team lost the next point as one of their hitters got a good line shot. Oikawa went up to serve. He took a few steps back from the line, and Iwaizumi’s eyebrows raised; a jump serve?

Oikawa palmed the ball in one hand, using a finger to point to Sawamura in their center back. Iwaizumi was suddenly very thankful which side of the court he was on.

It was almost like watching a machine the way Oikawa moved. His technique was textbook, and any volleyball player who saw it should know the sheer hours that went into perfecting a serve like that. If that wasn’t enough, his strength sent the ball spiraling easily onto the other sides court.

“Ah, looks like I’m out of shape.”

Iwaizumi looked at him like he had grown another head. If this was out of shape, Iwaizumi had to see what his in shape was.

Their team ended up winning the game by a pretty decent margin, though Iwaizumi had to admit the islanders were actually very impressive. Oikawa, however, was a monster.

It seemed the more they played, Oikawa only got better and better. If Iwaizumi thought his first set had been perfect, the following ones were even more so. For a period he thought the hitters on their team were all fantastic, but then he realized they were fantastic because Oikawa was making them fantastic. It was incredible.

The teams switched around as they kept playing, but Oikawa always insisted on being with Iwaizumi. The only reason they stopped was because one of the show’s crew came up to them and told them they were late for their dinner reservation.

“What?” Iwaizumi said, panting. He had worked up a serious sweat from playing; he had kinda forgotten he was on that god forsaken show at all. “It’s been that long?”

Oikawa seemed just as disappointed as him that they had to leave. They said their goodbyes to the locals (Tanaka bowing and giving Oikawa his utmost praise) and went back to shower and change.

When they came out, they were surprised to see that dinner was being served to them in their room. The table on their porch had been set up with flowers and a candle. Iwaizumi had to admit it was a pretty incredible spot to eat.

Dinner was mostly quiet, though comfortable. Iwaizumi was a little surprised to learn over the past couple days that Oikawa was one to appreciate natural silence; he’d kinda expected him to be one to talk no matter what. They were both exhausted from playing so long, and Iwaizumi had worked up more of an appetite than he anticipated. The sun was long set by the time they finished dessert.

“Do you want a drink?” Oikawa offered, leading Iwaizumi into the living room as someone came to clean up their dinner. Iwaizumi shrugged. They already had a few glasses of wine with dinner, but he wanted to stay up with Oikawa longer.

“Sure.”

He practically sank into the couch when he sat down. He hadn’t realized how tired his legs were, and his stomach was pleasantly full from the dinner they ate. A satisfied groan slipped out of his mouth unintentionally as he relaxed. Oikawa giggled and handed him a champagne glass to match the one he was already drinking.

“Tired?” Oikawa asked. Iwaizumi huffed.

“Little bit. Those games got intense.”

Oikawa hummed. “You were amazing.”

“Me?” Iwaizumi blurted. “You were incredible. I just… I’ve never seen anyone play like you. I thought you were kidding when you said you were going pro.”

“How did we not know each other in high school?” Oikawa asked. “I mean, we played Karasuno before.”

Iwaizumi opened his mouth to respond when he remembered something.

“C’mere.” He gestured Oikawa over, reaching towards his lower back.

“Iwa-chan this is awfully forward of you. I must say I didn’t expect this.”

“Shut up, Shittykawa,” Iwaizumi mumbled after turning the switch on his mic box to ‘mute’. He did the same to his own. Oikawa smirked and drank his champagne.

“You’re just begging for trouble, aren’t you?”

“How long do you think we have until they notice?” Iwaizumi asked with a smirk. Oikawa shrugged.

“To answer your question,” Iwaizumi continued, settling back into the couch, “I have no idea. We were honestly not very well known until my third year when we got Hinata and Kageyama on the team, but we still should’ve met then. Maybe we just forgot each other?”

“I wouldn’t have forgotten you,” Oikawa said with full confidence. Iwaizumi resisted the urge to agree that there was no way in hell he would forget Oikawa. “Tobio-chan was your setter?”

“You know Kageyama?” Iwaizumi asked, taking a drink from his champagne. He wasn’t usually one for the drink, but he found himself surprised to enjoy this one.

“Yes. We went to middle school together. We had a…” Oikawa’s nose scrunched, “complicated relationship.”

“What do you mean?”

Oikawa sighed. “It’s kind of a long story, but he was the only one I couldn’t beat. It was like no matter how hard I trained I could never outdo his genius.” Oikawa frowned. “It made me act in ways I regret.”

Iwaizumi frowned with him. He knew well the prodigy that was Kageyama Tobio. He let his knee bump up against Oikawa’s. “What happened?”

Oikawa took a gulp of his drink. “After middle school, I was determined to become the best setter in the prefecture. I wanted to beat all my opponents, naturally gifted or not.” He paused and swallowed. “But I… I got selfish. I spent too many hours training and my knee gave out.” He shook his head. “I should’ve stopped, but it was like an addiction. Every game, every point we lost I would convince was my fault for not putting in enough hours, that I was letting my team down.”

Iwaizumi listened with interest.

“My third year is when my knee finally hit its breaking point.” He sighed and ran a hand over his leg. “My whole life changed then. I couldn’t play anymore. I didn’t even get to finish my last year.” He shook his head vigorously. That must’ve been why they never crossed paths. “I was so close to going pro and living out my dreams, but I fucked it all up.”

“You were just a kid,” Iwaizumi said, putting a hand on top of his. “Someone should’ve been there to stop you.”

He shook his head. “I should’ve known better.”

“Probably,” Iwaizumi agreed. “But you can’t blame yourself for wanting to be better.”

Oikawa sighed, flipping his hand up to grab onto Iwaizumi’s. “Maybe in another life you were there to knock some sense into me.”

Iwaizumi snorted.

“It’s alright, though,” he continued with a smile. “If that hadn’t happened I wouldn’t have gone on the career path I did, and I love where it led me.”

The conversation took a lighter turn then. They talked about their childhood, and growing up in Miyagi. Iwaizumi talked about his friends back home, as did Oikawa. It was easy to lose track of time talking to Oikawa, and before they knew it, it was nearing two in the morning. The champagne bottle was finished and Iwaizumi realized they were sitting much, much closer together than before.

“Iwa-chan,” Oikawa said through lidded eyes. He was leaning closer. Iwaizumi could smell his shampoo. “Can I--”

“Wait,” Iwaizumi cut him off and put a hand on his chest. “I think I know what you’re going to say, and I don’t want to. Not here.” He glanced at the camera that was installed in the ceiling then back at Oikawa.

“Oh,” the brunette said, immediately backing off. He smiled, and Iwaizumi nearly cringed as he recognized the too-tight pull of the edges. Oikawa was upset and trying to hide it. “That’s okay. I think… I think I may just go to bed.”

He stood, and Iwaizumi followed. “Oikawa--”

“Really, Iwa-chan, it’s alright. I totally get it.”

Iwaizumi sighed but decided not to push it. He could explain why another time, but right now he felt the eyes of outsiders on them.

They climbed into bed, each on their own side. It wasn’t as awkward as Iwaizumi had thought it would be, but he still found himself pissed that the show was literally forcing them into a bed together. He felt an unpleasant churn in his stomach that Oikawa had done this with someone else last weekend and would have to keep doing this with new people in the coming weeks.

He sighed heavily and laid his head on the pillow. He didn’t like thinking about the show. It made it feel like the way he and Oikawa were getting to know each other was just an act, even though he was sure it wasn’t. Iwaizumi could admit to himself that he had growing feelings for the man, and he was pretty sure Oikawa felt the same way, but he just couldn’t stop thinking about the comment Oikawa had made a few weeks ago about only idiots falling in love on a show like this.

He didn’t want their first kiss to be on camera. He didn’t want their intimate conversations to be heard by millions. Oikawa opening up about his experience was for Iwaizumi and Iwaizumi alone to hear about, not a bunch of random, nosy Americans.

He shut his eyes, trying not to think too hard, and fell asleep.

They had a buffet breakfast when they woke up, followed by them packing and leaving to return to the house. Oikawa seemed more closed off than he ever had before, and Iwaizumi was sure it was because of what happened the night before. The first second they stepped back into the house, Oikawa was swept away by the other men. Iwaizumi went back to the safety of his hidden areas, outside the view of the cameras.

It wasn’t until a couple days later that he saw Oikawa again.

It was early, around five in the morning. The house was eerily quiet. It usually had echoes of conversations throughout the day, but now Iwaizumi could only hear the thud of his footsteps on the ground. He was thankful; if he was going to pull this off he couldn’t have anyone up and wandering around.

Earlier that day he’d ask Kiyoko for what he would need: a large blanket, a thermos flask, and a way to get out of the house without anyone noticing. She had just smiled and provided the things without any questions.

Now, Iwaizumi was creeping into Oikawa’s room and tiptoeing to his bed.

The brunette was unsurprisingly sleeping. His hair was fluffy against his pillow, and Iwaizumi noticed again just how attractive he was; long eyelashes, a round but sculpted face, a defined jawline, soft lips. He took just a moment to appreciate it before gently shaking his shoulder to wake him up.

“Oikawa,” he whispered. “Oikawa, wake up.”

Oikawa’s eyebrows furrowed with a whine before his eyes fluttered open. They were droopy when they made eye contact.

“Iwa-chan?” He rubbed his eyes and pushed himself to sit up. “Why are you here? What time is it?”

“Five in the morning.”

“What-- five?” He spoke through a yawn. “What’s happening?”

“Sorry,” Iwaizumi apologized. It might’ve been a little too intimate, but he brushed one of Oikawa’s hairs behind his ear. “I wanted to surprise you. Will you get up?”

“You sure you don’t wanna join me here?” Oikawa teased, picking up the corner of his blanket. “It’s awfully comfortable, Iwa-chan.”

“C’mon,” Iwaizumi said, standing and taking hold of one of Oikawa’s hands. He had his supplies wrapped under his other arm. “I promise you won’t regret it.”

Oikawa nodded and got up slowly, blindly following Iwaizumi through the quiet halls of the house. He made sure to be quiet so not to wake anyone when he opened one of the side doors that led towards a small grass hill above the beach. The air was cool, but since it was summer it wasn’t unbearably cold. Although the moon lit the ground from how bright it was, Iwaizumi still used a flashlight in the hand not holding Oikawa’s to make sure to see where they were going as they followed the small path to the top of the hill.

“Hiking is usually a daytime activity,” Oikawa remarked. Sleep still lingered in his voice, but he was more alert than before. “Are you trying to kidnap me, Iwa-chan?”

Iwaizumi didn’t respond as he laid out the blanket on the ground. It was big and thick, enough so that they would be able to sit on it and still pull up the backside around their shoulders. Iwaizumi sat down and gestured for Oikawa to join him.

The brunette gave him a calculating look before scooting up next to him. His body was still hot from when he’d been sleeping under his covers, and Iwaizumi pulled him in closer to his side before covering them both with the remaining blanket.

The hill broke off into a small cliff that ended at the ocean. The sound of waves crashing against the beach was audible, and it smelled of salt. Best of all, though, was the view of the night sky. Since they weren’t near any cities, the stars were sparkling clear and decorating the blackness of space.

“Are we...” Oikawa whispered, “are we UFO hunting?”

Iwaizumi smiled. “Mhm.”

“Wow,” Oikawa gasped. He leaned his head against Iwaizumi’s shoulder and took a hold of one of his hands. “It’s beautiful.”

“Sorry to wake you up so early,” Iwaizumi murmured. They were both speaking quietly, like they didn’t want to disturb the dead of night. “I figured this might be the only way to get some alone time.”

Oikawa hummed. They fell into a comfortable silence of enjoying the night sky. Iwaizumi rubbed his thumb along the back of Oikawa’s hand, and his hair tickled his cheek. It was burning hot under the blanket.

After a while, Oikawa spoke.

“That’s my favorite constellation,” Oikawa said, pointing to a spot in the sky. “Those five stars are called Cassiopeia.”

“Why is it your favorite?”

“I saw a shooting star pass through it when I was younger. It was the first one I had ever seen.” Iwaizumi could hear the smile in his voice. “Cassiopeia is a queen.”

Iwaizumi huffed. “You do act like royalty.”

Oikawa laughed tiredly. “Maybe that’s why it’s my favorite.”

Iwaizumi suddenly felt nerves settle into his stomach and he took a deep breath, hoping Oikawa didn’t notice.

“Oikawa,” he said, turning his body to face the other. Oikawa hummed and took his head off his shoulder to face him. A small, curious smile danced on his lips.

Iwaizumi swallowed. Before he could talk himself out of it, he closed his eyes and leaned forward.

Oikawa didn’t seem surprised when their lips connected. It was soft, and slow, seeming to match the energy of the quiet night. Oikawa’s lips were cold from being exposed to the air for so long, but they were just as soft as Iwaizumi expected them to be. Iwaizumi let his mouth relax slightly and their lips slot together one more time before pulling away.

When he opened his eyes, Oikawa was looking at him like he’d just been looking at the stars a moment ago. He promptly looked back towards the view as his cheeks surely turned pink. Oikawa chuckled and let his forehead fall against his shoulder.

“God,” he breathed. “I’m so into you.”

Iwaizumi smiled slightly, knowing Oikawa couldn’t see it, and squeezed his hand.

They stayed like that for a long time, exchanging words occasionally. Oikawa would point out different constellations and Iwaizumi would tease that he saw a UFO (“Where, Iwa-chan!?”). Eventually the sun began to rise, and Iwaizumi poured them both hot tea from the thermos he brought up. They watched as the stars were covered by sunlight and the sky was painted orange. They exchanged more kisses.

Iwaizumi realized after a few minutes of silence watching the sunrise that Oikawa had fallen asleep on his shoulder. He nudged him gently.

“Hey, bedhead,” Iwaizumi said. “Wake up. It’s time to go back.”

Oikawa groaned. “Nooo. Why don’t we just fall asleep here?” He snuggled up against Iwaizumi’s arm.

Iwaizumi sighed and poked his cheek. “I don’t want the cameras to come out and catch us.”

Oikawa deflated. “Oh, right.”

He begrudgingly helped Iwaizumi pick up the blanket and cups and began walking back to the house.

“Why do they bother you so much?” Oikawa asked after a couple steps. “The cameras?”

“They don’t bother you?” Iwaizumi asked, glancing over at him. Oikawa shook his head.

“I don’t really care, honestly. It doesn’t matter to me what other people think.”

Iwaizumi thought about that for a moment, but he couldn’t find it in him to agree.

“There’s a lot of reasons,” he began. “For one, it makes this,” he gestured between them, “feel staged.”

Oikawa looked at him with something akin to panic in his eyes. “It’s not. Iwa-chan, I really like you. It’s not for the stupid show.”

“I know,” he sighed. “At least I think I do.” He paused. “I guess it’s more because our story should belong to us, not for a bunch of strangers who have nothing better to do.” He frowned. “I don’t want to share it.”

Oikawa looked at him for a long moment before his cheeks turned a pretty pink. “I never expected you to be such a romantic.”

Iwaizumi shoved him with his shoulder. “I’m not a romantic, Shittykawa.”

“Please,” Oikawa scoffed. “There’s nothing you can say to convince me you’re not after you just took me to UFO hunt and see the sunrise.” He spoke the next sentence quieter. “No one’s ever done something like that for me before.”

Iwaizumi huffed and looked away. Oikawa let out a laugh.

“What?”

“You’re a total tsundere,” Oikawa teased. “Iwa-chan is the ultimate tsundere.”

Iwaizumi scowled. “I am not a tsundere, oh my God.”

They kept bickering all the way back to Oikawa’s room. It was still early, so no one seemed to be awake. Oikawa hesitated in his doorway.

“Iwa-chan, doesn’t this technically count as our third date?” He said with a devious smile, opening his door a little wider. Iwaizumi felt his face heat at the implication.

“Get your mind out of the gutter, Hornykawa,” Iwaizumi scolded. He thought for a moment. “Did you count the laundry room as a date?”

“I’m sorry to tell you that my mind has been in the gutter ever since I’ve seen you come out of that pool.” He sighed dreamily as though remembering it, and Iwaizumi blushed further.

“Shut up, Shittykawa.” Before he could think better of it, he glanced up and down the hall before stealing a quick kiss. Oikawa smiled into it.

“You’re sure you don’t want to come in?” Oikawa offered again, more seriously this time. “I would be okay to just cuddle, too.”

Iwaizumi hesitated, very tempted by the offer, before remembering who he was talking to. “Cuddle my ass. Is that what you say to all the guys?”

Oikawa hummed through his lips and leaned in to kiss him again. “Only you, Iwa-chan.”

Iwaizumi sighed, forcing himself to step away before he did something he regretted. “I’ll see you later, Oikawa.”

Oikawa smiled with a hint of disappointment, but nodded. “Thank you,” he said earnestly. “That was amazing.”

Iwaizumi turned and walked away before he gave into the urge to tackle Oikawa into his bed.

Unsurprisingly, Oikawa kept him on at the next elimination, too. He chose Kuroo for the overnight that week, but he later explained in private that it wasn’t his decision, and that he wasn’t interested in anyone other than Iwaizumi.

It was difficult seeing him interact with the other men knowing that they were all after the same thing. He and Oikawa’s relationship was still just budding, and it was hard to have so many complications when they didn’t know each other that well yet. As if that wasn’t enough, Iwaizumi remembered that the end game for this shit was marriage, and he was not going to marry Oikawa after dating for only a couple months.

Oikawa reassured him over and over again that he was only interested in him, and that he was actually interested in him and not just playing along for the show. Unfortunately, he also had to keep up the ploy that he was still deciding between him and other contestants, which meant that Iwaizumi had to watch his kind-of-boyfriend-thing go out on dates with other extremely attractive men. It was frustrating, to say the least.

Still, the producers caught on that Oikawa was not going to let Iwaizumi leave without throwing a fit that may ruin the whole season of the show. That meant they not only let him stay, but they started sending the two of them on more dates. He was also pulled in for way more interviews, and there were a few times he swore they attempted to start drama between him and Terushima. Iwaizumi was sure it was to try to make up for the weeks of content they didn’t have on him. It would certainly be strange for Iwaizumi to be in the top three, as he was now, without being in any of the episodes.

For a while, Iwaizumi refused to show any sort of affection in front of the cameras. He and Oikawa would find ways to set up meeting points without the producers knowing, and for a while it was actually fun; it was almost exhilarating being so sneaky. Kiyoko, the angel, actually helped Iwaizumi and even Oikawa set up a lot of their secret dates. There were a lot of picnics, some hiking, and once they found a cave on the edge of the island that overlooked the ocean. They hid there and made out for hours.

It took a couple weeks, but Iwaizumi eventually let Oikawa kiss him on their dates in front of the cameras. No matter what, though, he refused to further than just short kisses. Regardless of how much he liked Oikawa, there was absolutely no way he would be caught making out, or, God forbid, doing something more on camera. He may not watch reality TV often, but he’s seen clips of hidden nighttime cameras showing couples in bed. He couldn’t imagine the relentless teasing he’d get from Matsukawa and Hanamaki back home. Or thinking of his family seeing that. It sent an unpleasant shudder down his spine.

The two leftover contestants, as well as a lot of the ones already eliminated, knew what was happening between them. They may be able to hide their relationship from the cameras, but it was not as easy to do so from their roommates.

To Iwaizumi’s surprise, they didn’t really care. He’d gotten closer with a couple of them as Oikawa and the crew forced him to start coming to some of the social events. He and Bokuto started to become good friends through their shared passion of working out, which led to Iwaizumi being introduced to Kuroo. It seemed that Oikawa was right and none of them necessarily wanted to find love, but instead had some ulterior motive for getting on TV.

Unfortunately, Bokuto had left the show last week after making it to the top five. He dropped out voluntarily after confessing that he had fallen in love with one of the earlier eliminated contestants, Akaashi, and felt he could no longer continue. It was the most Bokuto thing Iwaizumi had ever seen.

Now that there were only a few of them left, every week for the past five weeks one contestant would get eliminated. Last week, Terushima was the one who didn’t receive a rose and was sent home. That left him, Kuroo, and another man, Sugawara, as the last remaining contestants. Tonight was the night Oikawa would propose to one of them.

Iwaizumi woke up in his bedroom with the sun coming in through the window. He remembered with a small smile this would be his last time waking up here. As fun as the last few months had been, he desperately missed talking to his friends. He was already mostly packed up, as were the other contestants.

“‘Morning.”

Iwaizumi looked down to see Oikawa peering up at him from where he had slept on his chest. He leaned down to kiss him.

“Happy three months,” Oikawa said, beaming as he kissed Iwaizumi again. They tended to share a bed more often than not recently, after Iwaizumi had been reassured over and over by Kiyoko that there was no hidden camera in his room as that would be very illegal.

“Jesus,” Iwaizumi sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Has it really been that long?”

Oikawa hummed and pushed himself up so that he was on all fours over Iwaizumi, who was still pissed that he could still look so incredible just after waking up. He leaned his head down to kiss Iwaizumi more, poking his tongue out to deepen it. Iwaizumi had learned that Oikawa was a very good kisser.

They both jumped when their door was kicked open.

“Good morning sleepyheads!” Suga called, waltzing in uninvited with Kuroo right behind him. Oikawa glared at them.

“Can’t you let us have sex in peace?” He snapped. Iwaizumi blushed furiously and headbutted Oikawa off him, who yelped in pain.

“What the fuck, Shittykawa?! Don’t just say that!”

“Well Iwa-chan am I wrong?!”

They continued to bicker when Suga and Kuroo both flopped into bed with them.

“Are you two really gonna spend your last day as boyfriends fighting?” Kuroo teased, laying sideways on the bed in a faux seductive pose.

“So, beach or mountain wedding?” Suga asked with raising eyebrows. Iwaizumi let out a groan and put his head in his hands.

“Why has my bed become a meeting point?”

“Suga-kun,” Oikawa said, ignoring Iwaizumi’s complaint, “who said I won’t pick one of you to be my lawfully wedded wife?”

There was a moment of silence before everyone but Iwaizumi laughed.

“Okay, seriously, get up,” Iwaizumi said, shooing the group out of the bed as he stood up. “Let’s just get today over with.”

It seemed Iwaizumi had no power as the three of them stayed talking in his bed even as he walked away to change and brush his teeth. Oikawa said he kept the two of them on because they were his closest friends, and Iwaizumi could tell from the way they all got along. They still hadn’t moved when Iwaizumi returned fifteen minutes later.

“I wonder how they’re going to react to Terushima getting the boot,” Suga finished saying. Iwaizumi pulled one of the chairs over with a sigh when he realized they wouldn’t be moving any time soon.

“How who’s going to react?” He asked. Kuroo turned lazy eyes to look at him.

“Suga and I were talking with some of the crew yesterday about the fan favorites,” he explained. Apparently the first episode had just been released a few days ago. Iwaizumi wondered if his friends had watched it, and he wondered if he was in it. “Apparently Terushima is by far the favorite, even though he caused the most drama.”

“A lot of people liked Kuroo, too. And Bokuto was high in the polls as well,” Suga said. Kuroo smiled deviously at Iwaizumi.

“They said no one talks about you.”

Iwaizumi laughed. “I can’t say I’m surprised.”

Oikawa hummed. “I bet Iwa-chan wasn’t even in it yet.”

They continued talking for a while before someone knocked and said they would have to conduct final interviews today, as well as a group date in the afternoon before filming the finale. Iwaizumi pulled Oikawa aside before he had a chance to leave.

“You’ve avoided this conversation long enough,” Iwaizumi said, crossing his arms. “We need to talk about what’s going to happen after the show.”

Oikawa sighed. “What do you want to happen?”

“I’m not getting married,” he said immediately. Oikawa rolled his eyes and smiled.

“I’m hurt, Iwa-chan,” he teased sarcastically. “I talked to Kiyoko yesterday, and she said there’s no rules surrounding what we do with the wedding after the show finishes, which includes whether we have it at all, but you do have to accept my proposal or else I’ll be forced to do it to someone else.”

Iwaizumi huffed. “I figured that much.”

“We can just go through with it tonight and then pretend it never happened,” Oikawa suggested. He paused for a moment and glanced down at his shifting feet. “That is, if you want to stay together after the show.”

“I do,” Iwaizumi said immediately. “I… I really like you.”

Oikawa smiled and hummed, kissing him quickly. “I really like you, too.”

“Do you think it’d work long distance?” Iwaizumi asked, pointing out the obvious problem that they lived a five hour plane ride away from each other. While it wasn’t ideal, he’d be willing to try for Oikawa.

Oikawa paused and exhaled a breath. “Actually, I was thinking I could move to LA.”

Iwaizumi’s eyebrows raised. “I can’t ask you to do that.”

“You’re not asking. I want to do this. I’ve told you before that I never really felt like I settled down in New York, and I’ve only been there for a couple years,” Oikawa confessed. “I was going to move soon anyway, and I’ve always liked the heat,” he said with a teasing smile. “Plus there’s plenty of connections to the company I’m at now. I’m confident I could find a job quickly.”

Iwaizumi hesitated, chewing slightly on his lower lip.

“I wouldn’t have to move in with you, either,” he said quickly. “I know it hasn’t been long. I just… I’ve never felt this way about someone before.”

Iwaizumi gave him a long look before sighing. “Just let me think about it for a little, okay?”

Oikawa nodded.

“By the way,” he said as they were leaving the room to join the others, “I’ve thought about this, a lot, and I know it’s without a doubt it’s what I want.”

Iwaizumi just hummed in acknowledgement as they caught up to the group in the main room. It was a big decision for Oikawa to make, and despite what he said Iwaizumi wouldn’t believe that he wasn’t the main motivation for him moving. He didn’t want Oikawa to regret it if for some reason they broke up in the near future. No matter how much they liked each other, three months was certainly still in the honeymoon faze.

That being said, Iwaizumi’s heart swelled at the thought of waking up to Oikawa in his room back home, and introducing him to Matsukawa and Hanamaki. They could play volleyball on the beach whenever they wanted, and Iwaizumi would come home to someone; someone he was coming to love. His chest ached thinking about only getting to see the man twice a year and trying to stay in touch over the phone.

He sighed as they listened to the producer drone on about the schedule for the day. It seems his decision was already made.

“Oikawa, now is the moment when you make your decision. Are you ready?”

The lights dimmed dramatically so the spotlight was only focused on the four contestants. Iwaizumi tried not to show his displeasure on his face; what a horrible way to be proposed to.

He was wearing a very nice suit that was provided for him by the show. They had spent what seemed like all day talking about this proposal, even though all of them already knew it meant nothing. Iwaizumi was just buzzing to get home.

“I’ve thought about this a lot,” Oikawa lied, “but my final decision is an obvious one. Though I’ve grown to care about all of you deeply, there’s only one man I can see spending the rest of my life with.”

Despite knowing it was fake, Iwaizumi felt his heart skip a little. The dramatics of the show must be getting to him. Oikawa smiled and confidently strode over to Iwaizumi, taking a hold of one of his hands.

“Iwa-chan,” he started, “I know reality TV isn’t your thing, but I’m so happy you and I were able to meet here because of it.” He looked into Iwaizumi’s eyes. “I have had the greatest three months of my life because of you, and I can’t wait to have so many more, no matter how they may look.”

Oikawa’s eyes were open and honest, and despite knowing this was the peak of the show, Iwaizumi couldn’t help but feel the honesty in his words. He knew with that last sentence he was referring to his decision about LA, and he was grateful to be in a relationship with someone so understanding.

“That being said,” Oikawa took a theatrical deep breath and lowered himself to one knee. He looked up at Iwaizumi with shining eyes; it reminded him of those moments in romance animes when the main guy had flowers dramatically flowing around him. “Iwaizumi Hajime, will you marry me?”

Iwaizumi smirked down at him for a moment before grabbing him by the base of his tie and hoisting him up, pulling him into a deep, over emphasized kiss. He had gone months on this show without giving them anything, so might as well go out with a bang. He swore he felt Oikawa laugh into his mouth before kissing back.

“Yeah, dumbass,” he grumbled, breaking away from the kiss. “I’ll marry you.”

The studio erupted into applause and Iwaizumi had to resist the oncoming eye roll as he and Oikawa put rings on one another. When they were finished, Oikawa slipped his hands into Iwaizumi’s and turned to face the host.

“Congratulations!” The host said overenthusiastically, before beginning to talk about sponsors and the end of the season. Iwaizumi didn’t care enough to listen, instead leaning in to Oikawa’s ear.

“If you’re still willing,” he murmured, “I want you to come live with me in LA.”

“Really?!” Oikawa cried, turning to him with a beaming smile. He threw his arms around his shoulders in a hug. “Oh, Iwa-chan, I can’t wait!” He leaned back for a moment to make eye contact.

“I lo--”

“Wait!” Iwaizumi cut him off, slapping a hand over his mouth. Oikawa paused comically mid sentence. “Not here. Later.”

Oikawa’s eyes widened for a second before he started to laugh.

“I probably should’ve seen that coming, Iwa-chan.”

“Your friends are absolutely horrible at gambling,” Oikawa said, taking a handful of chips from the center of the table. “How on earth did you ever lose to them.”

“I have no idea,” Iwaizumi confessed.

“This is so annoying,” Hanamaki complained. “I totally know you guys are trash talking us whenever you speak Japanese. Just because we can’t understand doesn’t make it okay!”

“What?” Oikawa said innocently, switching back to English. “Makki, you know I would never.”

Iwaizumi just snorted as he dealt the next hand of cards.

It’d been two years since they left The Bachelor Men. Oikawa had moved in with Iwaizumi a month after they left the island, and they’d been living together ever since. There’d certainly been a few fights, and neither of them would claim it was the perfect relationship, but without fail they always bounced back twice as strong. Not once had Iwaizumi even considered leaving him.

Oikawa was working a job he loved at a researching agency in a nearby university. Iwaizumi was frankly a little freaked out by how well he, Matsukawa, and Hanamaki had gotten along since the first time they met; it was like they’d been friends forever.

The two of them fell into a pattern living together. They’d play volleyball on the weekends, watch a movie together on Wednesdays. Iwaizumi might’ve thought at some point that such a domestic life may get boring, but with Oikawa that was never the case. Every morning he was happy to wake up to his stupid, gorgeous face.

Suga and Kuroo stayed in touch; although they were living in different parts of the country, they were all still good friends. Kuroo said that after the show he’d gotten the courage to confess his love to his childhood friend, and Iwaizumi and Oikawa would be flying out to their wedding next month. Just a couple weeks ago they had all met up when Kuroo was the best man at Akaashi and Bokuto’s wedding.

Iwaizumi and Oikawa had thrown the ring from the show into the ocean when it finished airing. Of course Oikawa made him watch the whole season with him, and he wasn’t surprised to see why he wasn’t a fan favorite with the way he came off. Oikawa insisted that it was all editing and none of the viewers had any taste.

Now, the four of them sat gambling together as they did most Friday nights. It was a little concerning and yet unsurprising how good Oikawa was at poker.

“Are you fucking counting cards or some shit?” Matsukawa snapped when Oikawa took more chips. Iwaizumi watched in defeat as he lost more of his money to his boyfriend.

“Mattsun, don’t think so lowly of me,” Oikawa teased. He had an ever growing pile of chips.

“I’m done,” Hanamaki declared, standing up. “Come on, Matsukawa, we can’t take any more of this.”

Oikawa stuck out his tongue at them as they left. Iwaizumi huffed a laugh, though he was tense.

“Iwa-chan, everything okay?” Oikawa asked, snaking a hand onto his leg. “You seemed off tonight.”

Leave it to Oikawa to be able to read him like a book.

“Yeah, everything’s okay.” He paused for a second. “Could we go get ice cream on that pier near here?”

Oikawa tilted his head in question, but nodded. “Sure, let me just grab my jacket.”

Iwaizumi nodded and stood up to grab his own as well. He was about ninety five percent sure Oikawa was faking ignorance about what would happen on the pier tonight, but he couldn’t be sure. His hand slid into the familiar hold of Oikawa’s as they stepped out the door and began walking together away from their home. The weight of the engagement ring box sat heavy in his pocket. Oikawa squeezed his hand in reassurance.