Chapter Text
January 2013
If someone is meant to be for you, the red thread of fate won’t ever be broken, right?
This was, what Oikawa had believed all along.
It wasn’t possible.
Not with Iwa-chan.
They had been friends since a forever.
They knew each other through and through.
There was no way their thread would ever tear.
Rip.
“When did you make up your mind? Have you ever thought of telling me?“
Iwaizumi’s voice was a loud yell. Loud enough that even the boys, who just left the clubroom, could hear it metres away.
Oikawa flinched. Of course, Iwa-chan wouldn’t be happy.
Of course, Iwa-chan would be angry.
He had been played through this scene almost four times in mind, but the reality hit harder.
“Iwa-chan…” the captain tried, lifting his hands as a gesture that his best friend should calm down,
“I’m sorry, that it came out like that, but-”
“Stop fucking around!!”
He wasn’t angry. He was furious.
So much, that the furrow between his brows reached another level of depth. More than ever.
His emerald-green irises sparkled in anger, but…wasn’t it also some kind of sadness? Disappointment?
“You know…” Iwaizumi began quieter now, whereas his voice was still trembling, suppressing all the wrath because this wouldn’t do any good,
“That you want to go to Argentina, that’s not a big surprise!”
Averting Oikawa’s eyes, he blinked aside and stared at the grey lockers. He stared at the dent of one metal door. Somebody had been utterly frustrated and kicked against it.
“Paths will part, after graduation. That’s not the point. However…”
And the way, Iwaizumi was raising his head now again, facing his best friend, was something Oikawa would never forget.
Not tomorrow, not the day after, but also not for the rest of his life:
“That you spilt it out to the team first, bringing me in such a shitty situation that everyone nags me about it. Because I surely knew before… seriously? Oikawa, you should have told me! I was the one who you were rambling about it all the time, who kicked your ass and who tried to encourage you going! And then you haven’t even thought of telling me, that your confirmation letter arrived last week? That you applied for that?”
Was it disapproval, which glimmered in his eyes?
Hatred?
Oikawa wasn’t sure, if Iwaizumi ever had felt hatred for someone.
He seemed aggressive. Sometimes he was with him, because Oikawa provoked it, but never ever had Iwaizumi said something about hatred. Distrust.
Not if it was
him
.
For now…Oikawa wasn’t so sure anymore.
“Iwa-chan-”
“Screw that!” the vice-captain cut him off, “I don’t wanna hear it. Congratulations on your access to the world. Do your best.”
Never ever had Oikawa heard sarcasm taking over Iwaizumi’s control.
And then his best friend turned his back towards him, grabbing his shoulder bag and stomping off, Oikawa could see it:
How the thread between their little fingers was strained.
How it got tighter and tighter. Hurting his skin. And then…
Rip
The ends of the thread hung loosely by their side.
* * *
It wasn’t what Oikawa had planned.
He hadn’t planned, that they wouldn’t talk to each other.
He hadn’t planned, that Iwa-chan remained silent and didn’t want to speak about it.
He hadn’t planned, that their last school day would be so ruined…
“What? Iwaizumi, since when you have a girlfriend?”
Oikawa’s eyes widened, when Makki pointed out to their former ace, wh o walked up with a cute girl, a bit shorter than him, to their group.
“That’s not how to greet someone?” Iwaizumi grumbled, then shooting a look at the unknown girl,
“Kari-chan, these are my friends: Hanamaki Takahiro, Matsukawa Issei and...Oikawa Tooru.”
What was that pause?
“Nice to meet you, I’m Tsukuda Karin,” she smiled gently at them, a bit shy.
Kari-chan… really? Since when was Iwaizumi such a boy, being cute with someone ?
But there was no time for that. He had to act. Do something.
And so Oikawa turned to her with a bright smile, polite and fake, and took a step in their direction.
Of course, he noticed Iwaizumi’s suspicious expression.
Don’t do anything weird!!
He heard his best friend's voice inside his head.
“Iwa-chan, what’s with the dramatical pause before saying my name?” Oikawa joked flatly, still looking at her, “Or did you already forget it, since you have that beautiful girl as your girlfriend?”
“Oikawa…” A threatening undertone.
Yes.
He provoked him.
On full purpose.
“Nice to meet you, Karin-chan! Please take good care of Iwa-chan!”
The girl blinked twice, nodded lightly, then smiling back at Oikawa.
“Nice to meet you, too!”
“How long have you been together?” he continued asking her, receiving another dangerous spoken “Oikawa!” but the aforementioned ignored it.
“Did he confess? Or was it you? Iwa-chan is usually pretty shy among girls!”
“Uhm…”
That’s it.
“Oikawa, enough. That’s none of your business!”
A big silence filled the air. And even if Makki and Mattsun had wanted to intervene here, right now they didn’t.
While other people were happy or sad about the graduation, while other people were talking about the future…they were fighting. Again.
And Oikawa was about taking that role.
The role of the enemy.
Iwaizumi was convinced that he was the traitor?
Fine! Then he would act like one!
“Yeah, you’re right. That’s none of my business,” his brown eyes flickered with aggression and hurt now,
“Nothing is my business, since you kicked me out of your life.”
“Oi, Oikawa, that’s not the right-” Makki tried to stop him, as Iwaizumi’s hands already clenched to fists, but was interrupted by his captain all along,
“I know Makki. It’s never the right time!” Oikawa gave him a quick look over the shoulder, while smiling all sarcastically now,
“Because he didn’t even bother to make time!”
“That’s so enough, you shithead!”
Iwaizumi grabbed him by his collar, pushed him away.
This was something, Oikawa had actually planned while being so snarky:
Because like this, Iwa-chan couldn
’t be with that girl.
Like this, at least Iwa-chan would
look
at him.
“What do you want? What’s your damn problem??”
Shouting again.
Iwaizumi couldn’t talk to him anymore without shouting.
He didn’t know how to reach out to Oikawa.
How to handle him.
He didn’t know anything, at this moment.
But Oikawa did.
It should've been me.
“Iwa-chan, are you happy now?” Oikawa’s voice sounded hollow.
Not because he ran out of air, but because his whole being was like this: hollow.
And his best friend, who had been so upset, just stared at him.
Now only staring at him with a confused expression.
“What?” the shorter one asked in a whisper, “What are you-”
“Are you happy now?” Oikawa repeated with a more secure voice.
“Y-yeah…?!”
“That’s good.”
The brunette’s hands reached to Iwaizumi’s, and he freed himself out of his grip.
Nothing else mattered.
“Then she can take care of you.”
“Oikawa, what are you talking about?!”
Scared.
Iwa-chan sounded a bit scared.
“You know, what I’m talking about, Iwaizumi.”
Flinching.
Iwa-chan flinched.
“You made it clear, that you won’t forgive me, I’m off to Argentina in two weeks anyway, so let’s end this.”
And Oikawa’s voice became stronger. Steady.
He had to.
As he had to sound strong and determined about this decision.
Ending things with Iwa-chan.
The thread was torn.
It couldn’t be repaired.
You can’t just knot the thread of fate together again, right?
Right.
“You’re serious?! What the fuck are you doing?!” Iwaizumi yelled again, making a step forward, but Oikawa stepped back,
“Isn't it obvious? I’m breaking up with you. Our friendship. It ends today.”
“Tooru-”
“I don’t care, okay? I don’t care what you think, what you do, what will happen to you in the future! You’re happy with your girlfriend, you left me aside for weeks now, and I’m tired,” the words rushed over the captain’s lips.
Although he still had that fake smirk on his lips, his eyes showed otherwise,
“I’m tired. And I don’t want to be anymore. Goodbye, Iwaizumi.”