Work Text:
“Y/n, there’s something I need to tell you.”
-----
Fingers intertwined, Tooru gently pulled her along. The dying sunset glowed at their sides, lighting up everything around them a pale, pinkish hue. The world seemed so much softer. And with him there, safer too.
She exhaled a shallow sigh and steeled her nerves.
I’m going to tell him
No matter what happens today, I’m going to tell him.
-----
Tooru Oikawa was the one that people confessed their undying love to, not the other way around. He was used to politely turning down people’s affections but now…
Now he was the one who could be rejected. He was the one in the vulnerable position. And it was terrifying.
So he kept walking. He pulled her along, desperately looking for the spot he wanted to find.
Despite the long day, just the thought of what he was planning to do sent a rush of adrenaline to his tired limbs. So he trekked on, his steps falling in sync with hers.
Minutes passed and not a word was shared. He couldn’t bring himself to say anything more until it was all perfect.
He could just imagine it. The grassy spot on the hill, alone with her and surrounded by stars. He would pull her close and tell her everything. And then he would kiss her. And then maybe kiss her again.
That was the only way he could do it.
There were no more ‘maybe laters’ left. So it had to be perfect. It had to be just right.
That was the only way it would be enough for her. It’s what she deserved.
He straightened up and looked back at y/n.
A smile spread across her face as they locked eyes with each other.
His eyes crinkled at the corners as he returned a grin, but the nerves started to prick at his stomach.
Soon , he thought. I’m going to tell her very soon
But what if she says no? A tiny voice whispered in the back of his mind. You might not be enough for her…
Terror flooded into his brain. He could lose it all. He might lose her.
The torrent of unwelcome anxiety welled up in his throat. His breathing quickened. His mind whirled. His heart beat faster. Faster. Faster. Faster.
Tooru halted in his tracks.
He couldn’t move a step further.
“Hey,” he heard her murmur. “You alright?”
He swallowed the fears that were threatening to overwhelm him and pivoted back to face her.
“Yup!” he responded with the fakest, most cheerful tone of voice he’d ever had to muster up. “You worried about me, y/n-chan?”
He felt her poke him in the side. “Yeah, a bit. You’re acting kinda funny”
“I’m sure you’re imagining things”
“Okay…” she paused. “Then what did you want to tell me?”
Oh shit.
It was getting harder to stall.
He scanned the scenery, looking for a way out.
Just a little longer, y/n. Then we can talk.
He whipped his head around and just his luck. A public bathroom. Nestled in the corner by the walkway.
He let go of her hand, noting her small whine of indignation at the loss. “I’ll be right back! Wait for me here,” he said, shooting her a cheeky grin.
“O...okay?” she stood there, head cocked to the side in confusion.
Tooru made a beeline for the restroom, making very sure not to turn back and watch her. If he did-
If I do that, I’ll lose my nerve
He wrenched the bathroom open and quickly whisked himself inside.
The door shut behind him with a creak and he let out a deep breath.
He stood there, leaning against the door for a few moments and scrambling to collect his thoughts. Everything in his head was going a mile a minute in a hundred different directions; like a car crash waiting to happen.
Taking in another deep breath, he pushed himself off the door and walked over to the sinks.
Lucky him again, there were mirrors.
The squeak of the old faucet echoed across the walls. Tooru cupped his hands under the flowing water and splashed it on his face. He could feel the sweat from the game still clinging to his skin. He didn’t care at the karaoke place, but now… now it mattered.
He ran his fingers through his hair, tousling it up in some places and smoothing it down in others.
He met his own eyes in the mirror.
Tooru wasn’t a complete mess. If anyone had seen him as he was right then and there, they would’ve said he was as handsome as ever.
But she wasn’t anyone.
So he had to look better than ‘not a complete mess.’
He pulled his phone out of his pocket to check the time.
A sharp flash of panic jolted through him. He’d left her alone out there waiting for him for almost 10 minutes.
Tearing the door back open, he stumbled back out into the brisk evening air. She wasn’t where he left her. His eyes darted around the area, looking.
Taking a few steps forward, something moved in the corner of his eye.
And there she was.
Y/n had sat down on a bench on the edge of the sidewalk. Her backpack had been lazily plopped on the bench next to her, looking like it was seconds away from falling onto the ground.
The waning sunset peeked out from behind the horizon one last time and the world caught fire.
Blazing yellows and reds and oranges and pinks rained down over the scenery, illuminating everything in brilliant color.
Quiet breezes washed over the landscape, sending gentle chills down his spine.
It was beautiful.
But he only had eyes for her.
She sat there silently; absentmindedly fidgeting with her backpack strap.
The sunset had set her aglow. Warm colors drenched her body and the wind gently ruffled her hair.
And her eyes.
He could see everything in her eyes.
Her happiness, her affection, her contentment, her love-
Then those eyes turned to meet his own.
A wave of calm spilled over him like a waterfall when her gaze reached his. His misgivings were quieted. His anxieties pushed aside.
She did that to him.
She made it so easy to disregard everything and only think of her.
Her smile, her movements, her words. It was all perfect.
Thoughts of the idyllic confession had long left his brain.
Now.
I need to tell her now.
He blinked and he found his legs to be moving on their own. She drew him in like a moth to a flame. Next thing he knew, he was standing at her side.
“There you are,” she said with an exasperated grin. “I was starting to think you’d ditched me.”
“I’m hurt y/n-chan. Do you really think I’d do such a thing?”
“Yes.”
“Hey!”
A wide smile split across her face as she fell into full bodied laughter. The sight alone stole his breath away.
“So. You said you had something to tell me,” she said, spurring the conversation forward faster than he wanted. “Are you ever going to say it or should I start guessing…Oikawa-kun?”
“Huh? Oh, right-”
She patted the spot on the bench next to her. Taking the invitation, he got as close as he could, making sure not to touch her yet, as if afraid to scare her off.
He rolled his shoulders back and held his head up high. Inhaling deeply through his nose, he held his profession of love on his tongue, ready to announce it with all the confidence in the universe.
He shifted to face her and it all fell away again.
Her expectant expression pushed every suave, flirtatious inclination of his out the window.
Again and again and again, she made him feel so…
Different.
“I- You, you… uhh-”
His voice fizzled out. Hunching over, Tooru averted his gaze away from her, fixating on a particularly crunchy looking leaf on the ground by his foot. His fingers began to ache as he clutched the bench for dear life.
“You make me...act strange-” He finally managed to get out.
“Strange?”
“Yeah...”
He waited for a response. A response she didn’t give.
Tooru slowly turned to face her again. Everything he knew was failing him. His confidence, his naturally flirty attitude, it was all gone. He could only think of her.
She engulfed his mind. There wasn’t anything about y/n that he didn’t want to hopelessly fall in love with over and over and over again--
He met her eyes once more. Gentle curiosity and encouragement and maybe hope emanated from her gaze. Swallowing, he gathered his wits.
“Whenever I see you, I, uh, I feel like I’m not myself”
“Huh?”
Fuck
“No! I mean- I just- Not in a bad way!”
His arms jerked up. One hand aggressively ran through his hair, the other gripped the hem of his shirt tightly.
This is all going wrong- what am I doing!?
It was all spinning out of control. The violent jerking of his thoughts left him reeling and dizzy until-
Gentle fingers brushed against his arm.
His mind stopped.
Y/n slipped her arm around his, untangling him from his shirt. She quietly interlaced her hand in his, pulling him closer in the process. Their bodies pressed against each other as she held on tightly.
He could feel her heart racing against his skin.
“Oh? Your heart beat is going crazy," he asked teasingly in an attempt to regain control. "Are you feeling nervous about something?”
Eyes narrowed in mock annoyance, she pinched him.
“Ow!”
“You were saying?”
“Right, oh, uhh...”
With a soft sigh, she smiled and pressed her cheek to his shoulder. Her warm breath danced across his skin, sending excited chills all throughout.
There it was again. His inability to think or form coherent sentences. It all flew out the window whenever she was there. And… and he loved it.
“Y/n, I can’t think properly around you,” he finally said with a shaky breath. “You make me want to drop everything and…”
He paused.
Should I really be saying this?
“And?” she prompted.
Screw it.
“...and...kiss you…“
She stiffened against him.
Y/n sat upright and turned to look directly at him. Almost as if she couldn’t believe what he had just said.
Squeezing his hand, she gently dragged out what he had been trying for so long to tell her.
“Y/n… I love you”
-----
They say sharing an orange with someone is one of the simplest, sincerest ways to show your love. Countless poems and stories about the simple act of painstakingly peeling the piece of fruit and passing a piece to your loved one have been written, all softly declaring that such a small thing can mean so much.
Not that y/n had known that when she pulled an orange out of her backpack.
“Y/n, I love you,” he had whispered.
So quietly. So tenderly.
She removed her hand from his and reached behind herself to grab her backpack. Unzipping it, she pulled out the fruit.
Her neighbor had given her family a few off their tree the other day. A rare little delicacy for her; one she wanted to share with Tooru earlier that day when he returned from the tournament with a win or when she finally told him she loved him.
But that didn’t happen.
He had snatched the words right out of her mouth.
He loves me
She didn’t know what to say. Or rather, how to say it.
She dug her nails into the orange and began to peel it.
“I just told you I loved you and now you’re peeling a tangerine” Tooru interrupted her thoughts.
His incredulous tone and dumbfounded expression elicited a chuckle from her. “It’s an orange”
He pulled away from her, and moved away. “I think I just got rejected” He laughed painfully.
“No!” She yelped and he jumped.
“No-I just...don’t know how to say what… what I want to say,” she quickly added.
She wasn’t going to lose the person she had been pining after to some stupid misunderstanding.
Finally pulling off the last strand of peel, she delicately pried the orange apart and offered him a piece.
Her outstretched hand beckoned him to come back. To come closer once more.
She watched him visibly relax. His shoulders dropped and his expression softened. All the tension faded and moved back towards her. He got closer and closer until their thighs were pressed up against one another.
She placed the orange slice in his hand and popped one into her own mouth.
They chewed in silence and watched the sun dip below the horizon.
For once, there was no chaos encroaching upon the moment. Their minds simply allowed them to enjoy each other’s company.
She used the time to find her voice.
Tooru reached over to grab another slice of the orange, but she stopped him.
She swallowed the last bit of her slice and placed the rest to the side. Hands finally free, she shifted to face him fully.
She took in the sight.
His eyes were wide and soft. All traces of the endearingly overconfident asshole had vanished. All that was left before her was a vulnerable, hopeful boy who had bared his heart to her.
Slowly reaching up, she placed a hand on his cheek and intertwined her other one with his own.
“Could you say it again?” she whispered. “Please?”
Leaning forward, he pressed his forehead against hers.
“I love you, y/n”
“I love you too, Tooru”
-----
She loved him too.
It was almost too much to bear.
Every bated breath, every hopeful thought, every stolen glance--
It had all been shared.
He couldn’t wait any longer.
He swiftly wrapped his free arm around her shoulders and placed his hand on the back of her head.
With a gentle tug, his lips finally met hers.
He felt her lean eagerly into his kiss, drinking in the warmth and desperate need to feel her body on his.
Their interlaced fingers untangled and he found himself with his hand on her lower back, pulling her even closer. Closer. Closer.
They melted into each other, anxious to share the yearning that they had both held on to for so long.
Hearts ready to leap out their chest, their lips drew each other in, over and over and over. The soft heat of her gasps tormented him as she pulled away to breathe, but not even a moment later and she had already drawn his mouth back to hers.
His tongue brushed along her bottom lip and he felt her hands clutch the back of his shirt.
The festering anxieties in his stomach were gone, replaced now by a welcome ache in his chest.
He wanted her so badly. To love her, to hold her, to kiss her. And now, it was everything he had ever hoped it would be.
The agonizing days of waiting were done. He had her in his arms and he was not letting her go.
She drew back for just a moment. A flash of need seared through his mind and he chased the feeling of her soft mouth. Leaning forward a little too quickly, his lips captured hers once more.
Startled by his sudden approach, y/n jerked away ever so slightly and fell backwards.
A quiet oof caught Tooru’s attention and he opened his eyes and found himself pinning her to the bench, the tips of their noses almost touching.
Her body was contorted awkwardly and her legs dangled off the seat.
His gaze traveled around her face. Her eyes were half shut and her lips reddened and slightly swollen. Tiny puffs of air left her mouth, creating little clouds of fog.
Head finally clearing, Tooru realized what had happened.
“Are you okay, y/n?” he panted.
He could see his breath now too.
The sun had long disappeared from the sky, leaving it full of glittering stars. The moon, not quite full, glowed dimly in the night sky.
The pale light delicately framed the face of the girl beneath him.
She fully opened her eyes. And again, Tooru swore he could see the whole world in them.
Her expression pulled in closer, her gaze sparkled with fondness and amusement.
He leaned down to kiss her again.
Thwip
“Ow!” Tooru protested as her fingers connected with his forehead.
“That’s what you get for knocking me over, you dork,” y/n snickered. “Got a little too excited there, didn’t you, Tooru.”
“Can you blame me?” He whispered. “I have you in my arms”
Y/n threw her head back in laughter. “That is so cheesy!”
“I thought it was romantic!” Tooru said dramatically with a pout.
“It was, it was,” she stuttered through her fading chuckles. “It was a very you thing to say.”
She reached a hand up and brushed a loose strand of hair out of his face before coming to rest on his cheek.
“You’re adorable, Tooru,” she murmured, voice laced with giddy affection.
He felt something warm bloom in his chest.
I love her
“I love you”
She intertwined her fingers in his hair and pulled him back in.
This kiss was much softer, not quite as intense. But no less meaningful.
Soft lips lulled him into a steady rhythm, dragging time out, making everything around them crawl to a halt.
It was just them.
The slow, languid kisses leisurely came to a pause.
“I could kiss you forever,” he whispered.
And he could. He wanted to.
Warm hands rested on his cheeks again, her thumb rubbing small circles on his face.
“Me too,” she breathed back. “But my neck is starting to hurt.”
Barking out a laugh, he sat up.
“Need help?” he asked, offering her his hand.
Bracing herself on an elbow, she reached out and took it.
As smoothly as he had kissed her, he wrapped his arms around and pulled her into a hug. Tooru buried his nose in the crook of her neck, absorbing her presence and everything that had happened.
“I love you,” he whispered, nuzzling closer.
He felt her fingertips skim the back of his neck.
“I love you too,” y/n mumbled, letting her hands get tangled in his shirt once more.
Her lips grazed over his jawline as she leaned closer to press a kiss to his neck. The sensation left him breathless. Gasping. Needing more.
“I love you,” she said again in his ear. “So very much.”
Pulling away, his hands reached up to cup her cheeks. Tilting his head, he pulled her into another kiss.
The butterflies in his stomach rose up through his throat and scattered his every thought.
“And I love you, y/n. Forever and always.”