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“You are the partner that I can boast about. A really awesome setter.”
As Iwaizumi spoke, Oikawa listened with his head held high and gaze fixed straight forward. “Even if we are on separate teams, that will never change. But,” Iwaizumi's eyes shone with rock-solid resolve, “when we battle, I will defeat you.”
Oikawa thought back to their childhood when they would crowd in front of the Oikawas' large TV and watch the national team play in the Olympics. Armed with their inflatable cheering sticks, the two would sit through game after game, fist-bumping immediately after throwing their sticks into the air during exciting plays.
In middle school, they were defeated time and time again by Shiratorizawa. The first time that Kitagawa Daiichi won a set against their long-standing rivals, instead of their usual high five, Oikawa pounded fists with an exuberant Iwaizumi.
Throughout high school, the fist bump was a sign of victory, of great joy and promises of more to come. With a smirk, Oikawa replied, “I expect nothing less.”
No more words were needed. With smiles on their lips, they raised their fists once more.
-----
Oikawa placed the last box down in his new dorm room with a heavy sigh. He arched his back, stretching the tension from his muscles after a morning of moving-in. Hands on his hips, he surveyed the room and tried to estimate how many more hours he needed in order to finish unpacking. His roommate had not arrived yet, and Oikawa wanted to make a good first impression by having all his belongings neatly organized. However, with all of these boxes in his room, there was little room left to walk.
Even though he wanted nothing more than to simply flop down onto his bed and rest, he opened a random box and stared at its contents. On the top was a little alien plush that Iwaizumi had gotten him one year. He lifted the toy out of the box and held it gently, smiling to himself. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and sent what was probably his 50th snapchat to Iwaizumi that day. He typed a quick, “Look what I found! o(≧∇≦o)” and sent the photo. He opened a few other snapchats before refreshing to check for more. He noticed the red arrow next to Iwaizumi’s name had gone white. Satisfied, he placed his phone back into his pocket and continued going through his boxes.
-----
It was mid-afternoon when Oikawa’s roommate showed up in a whirlwind of trash bags and boxes. There was so much in his hands when he first entered the premises that Oikawa immediately went to offer his help. The first thing he noticed was that his roommate had the most unbelievable mess of hair in the world. Along with his half-lidded eyes and lazy smile, the man was the image of nonchalance. “Thanks man,” he said as he dropped his boxes and bags. “Kuroo Tetsurou. Just Kuroo is fine. None of that honorific bullshit.”
Slightly, though not unpleasantly, surprised, Oikawa chuckled. “Oikawa Tooru. I’m fine with Oikawa as well.” He spoke in his smoothest voice while giving Kuroo his most pleasant smile, one he was well-versed in flashing over the past few years. At the same time, he was sizing up his new roommate.
Kuroo was tall. Taller than him. It didn’t intimidate him, however, since he was used to being around Mattsun and Makki all the time. Oikawa noticed a shift in Kuroo’s lazy eyes. They got sharper and more calculating. Oh, so his roommate had some bite in him. “You’re pretty tall. Do you play any sports?” Oikawa inquired.
“Volleyball. I’ll be joining the team here as well. I was the captain of the team at Nekoma High School in Toyko.”
Well that certainly was another surprise! Oikawa perked up, a friendly smile lighting upon his face to replace the previous one. “Ohhh? Well, what a coincidence! I’m also joining the team. Former captain of Aobajousai High’s team in Miyagi. Setter.”
“Is that so? In that case, I look forward to spiking your sets.” Kuroo started heading for the door, calling over his shoulder, “I still got more things to move in here, so I’ll be back.”
Oikawa flashed him a peace sign as Kuroo disappeared around the corner of the door frame. He grabbed his phone and opened his text dialogue with Iwaizumi.
15:36 PM To: Iwa-chan (´∀｀)♡
I met my new roommate! He was Nekoma High School’s volleyball club captain! Can you believe it? He seems like a cool guy though. Cooler than you Iwa-chan~.
15:40 PM From: Iwa-chan (´∀｀)♡
Don’t go and start shit with him, Shittykawa. I know how you are with new people.
15:41 PM To: Iwa-chan (´∀｀)♡
Rude! We’re already best of friends!
-----
Oikawa was glad that Kuroo was his roommate. After a while, they stopped trying to intimidate each other and fell into an easy-going atmosphere of small talk and familiarity. Kuroo even asked for hair advice one time and Oikawa found, to his amusement, that his roommate’s rat’s nest for hair was really a bad case of bedhead. Even his best hair products couldn’t help, so Kuroo resigned himself to a lifetime of messy hair since he refused to stop sleeping with his head sandwiched between two pillows.
Oikawa’s new teammates were also amiable and he very quickly fell into rhythm with his new team. There was still a substantial part of him that felt at a loss, constantly yearning for the presence of a certain wing spiker. Kuroo was very good at syncing up to his sets, but his presence was different. Foreign. Oikawa missed his Iwa-chan, powerful and bursting with confidence.
Still, he got along well with everyone and the first years often went out to dinner together after practice. They soon found a place they all liked, and it quickly became their usual hangout. After a week of going there, Oikawa ordered the Agedashi Tofu and sent a snap to Iwaizumi. He got back a photo of a loaf of milkbread, with a caption saying, “The bakery here is my team’s favorite.”
A pleasant warmth filled Oikawa as he gazed at the photo until it disappeared with the timer. He was brought back to the present by an incessant poking on his shoulder, courtesy of Kuroo. He had a shit-eating grin plastered on his face that Oikawa had come to recognize and, often times, dread.
“Was that your girlfriend or something? You had this look on your face.” The way he said ‘look’ made Oikawa scrunch his nose.
“Just my best friend. He’s also out with his volleyball teammates for food.”
“Oh ho ho? Let’s send him a team pic then.” Kuroo got the attention of the others and of course Oikawa wasn’t going to turn down a selfie opportunity. He took the photo and sent it along to Iwazumi. He got a speedy response and was met with a face full of an excited man with spiky white hair accented with black stripes.
“Kubro?” He squinted at the caption and the man, who seemed familiar. Suddenly, he was jolted by Kuroo clapping his hand firmly on his shoulder.
“YOOOO. It’s Brokuto!” he exclaimed excitedly.
“…Brokuto?”
“Yeah. One of my good friends and one of the top spikers in the country at his grade level. Bokuto Koutarou. Hey, that’s incredible that your friend is going to school with him. What a small world.”
That’s why he seemed familiar. Oikawa did know about the top names in high school volleyball. While he was zoning out from this new development, his phone was hijacked by Kuroo, who began to send snaps back and forth with Bokuto. By the time Oikawa got his phone back, his tofu was lukewarm and he ate it with a huff.
-----
Midterm season had Oikawa scrambling between classwork, volleyball and his new job waiting tables at a nearby café. He picked up the job to earn some extra spending cash. His volleyball scholarship paid for most of his tuition, but he still had living expenses to pay for and figured he could take some of the financial burden off of his parent’s shoulders. While he enjoyed flirting with all the girls coming into the café every day, it was taking a toll on his sleep schedule. He found himself staying up way later than Kuroo, studying for classes and finishing up homework.
He ignored Iwaizumi’s texts for a few hours to focus on the midterm he had in the morning. That was quite the feat considering he tended to text back immediately and it was Iwaizumi, not him, who always took his sweet time replying. At least this usually gave him time to work between texts. Right now, though, he was really worried about his grade in this class, so he decided to turn his phone on silent and buckled down to study. Right before he retired for the night, he checked his phone and found a slew of messages from Iwaizumi. Baffled, he opened all of them up to read their contents.
22:45 PM From: Iwa-chan (´∀｀)♡
Yeah, I have a midterm tomorrow as well. Beginning bio is pretty easy though, so shouldn’t be too bad. How’s yours going?
23:31 PM From: Iwa-chan (´∀｀)♡
Basically done studying, so I’m going to bed in a bit. Don’t stay up too late.
23:53 PM From: Iwa-chan (´∀｀)♡
Hey are you still awake? You didn’t pass out or something right?
23:55 PM From: Iwa-chan (´∀｀)♡
Shittykawa, don’t go and overwork yourself again. You’re always doing that.
00:02 AM From: Iwa-chan (´∀｀)♡
Like when you said you got a new job I knew you were going to be doing too much. You already overdo it in volleyball to the point that you hurt yourself. Take a break if you need to. Make sure you’re getting enough sleep. And eating properly. Don’t just eat milk bread all the time.
00:04 AM From: Iwa-chan (´∀｀)♡
You better sleep tonight or I’ll come and kick your ass.
00:08 AM From: Iwa-chan (´∀｀)♡
I’m sleeping now, so good night. Good luck on your exam in the morning.
00:10 AM From: Iwa-chan (´∀｀)♡
Don’t stress too much. You’ll be fine.
Oikawa glanced at the clock. It was nearly two in the morning, though that was nothing new to him. He typed up a quick response as he slipped underneath his covers.
01:57 AM To: Iwa-chan (´∀｀)♡
Sorry Iwa-chan! I was studying! Thanks for the encouragement. I’m going to sleep now though! Good night~
He laid his head down onto his pillow and closed his eyes. Not a minute passed when he felt a buzz from his phone. He patted his desk for his mobile, the screen lit up with a text.
01:57 AM From: Iwa-chan (´∀｀)♡
Good. I should kick your ass for going to sleep this late.
01:58 AM To: Iwa-chan (´∀｀)♡
Why are you still up, Iwa-chan? So hypocritical! Maybe your ass is the one that deserves a little punishment~
01:58 AM From: Iwa-chan (´∀｀)♡
Just go to sleep. Good night.
01:59 AM To: Iwa-chan (´∀｀)♡
Good night, Iwa-chan! ♡
-----
Once midterms were over and Oikawa didn’t feel the bags under his eyes making him look twenty years older, he started sending daily snapchats to Iwaizumi, most of which were selfies. Iwaizumi mostly sent him back things he saw around campus or his homework.
After a week of his, Oikawa sent a snap of his pout, asking Iwaizumi to send him back a photo of himself. Oikawa wondered how his friend looked. Did he still look the same after a couple of months? Did he also have bags under his eyes? Did he put on more muscle?
As he pondered the possible changes that his friend might have gone through, his phone buzzed with a new notification. It was a snap from Iwaizumi; Oikawa excitedly tapped on his name to open the snap.
He really did send a photo of himself. Oikawa always felt like Iwaizumi’s neutral expression looked like a scowl and teased him a lot for him. But right now, he could only stare, his jaw ajar. Iwaizumi’s features did seem a little more chiseled. His hair was longer and probably in need of a haircut soon. His scowl seemed less tense and gave his face a mature appearance. Oikawa’s eyes stayed glued on the screen until the photo disappeared forever.
He continued to stare as his vision went blurry. He blinked, feeling a tear that had built up stream down his cheek. Surprised, he wiped away the one stray tear and gave himself a couple minutes.
He took a selfie, just a simple smiling one and captioned it with a single word.
Beautiful.
-----
Oikawa was sitting back in his room, icing his right knee. It had been acting up again the last few days, and the extra practice he crammed in probably wasn’t helping his recovery. He was sent home early from practice because he had collapsed where he stood, causing his coach and teammates alarm. Kuroo had helped him back to the room. After throwing ice at him and warning him to stay put, he left to go back to practice.
Oikawa sighed, biting his bottom lip at the throbbing pain in his knee. “Shit,” he cursed under his breath. He needed to get it checked by a doctor to make sure that he didn’t exacerbate his old injury. The silent room led him to dwell in his memories of volleyball back in middle and high school. He recalled the time he got the injury in his right knee. He was crying on the floor out of pain and fear that he had done something irreparable to his knee. Iwaizumi was there, holding him up by the shoulders and rubbing his back in comfort while the coach went to get the first aid kit.
His phone buzzed with an incoming call, pulling Oikawa back to the present. Startled by the name on the screen, he answered with a confused, “Hello? Iwa-chan?”
“Stupid Oikawa! I thought I told you stop overworking yourself! Do you ever grow up? I bet you were staying late doing extra serves or sets again! You know the doctor said you can’t keep working your knee more than a typical practice session!” Oikawa couldn’t say anything as Iwaizumi paused in his chastising to release a loud and infuriated sigh. “This is what happens when I’m not around to kick your ass for these kinds of things. Good thing Kuroo told Bokuto what happened. I’m going to make sure he stops you from being stupid from now on.”
Iwaizumi’s angry voice continued to blare from the phone, but all Oikawa could think about was how happy he was to hear his best friend’s voice.
-----
Oikawa hovered excitedly around the inn near the school, checking his watch every few minutes or so. Kuroo was beside him, just as eager. Last week, their team found out that they were going to have none other than Iwaizumi and Bokuto’s team over for a weekend-long training camp. Oikawa was so excited that he told Iwaizumi that he was going to take him out to dinner the first night he was there. So, there he waited for Iwaizumi to arrive.
Soon the coach buses appeared and crawled to a stop in front of the inn. Students began filing out of the bus one at a time. Oikawa scanned each face, searching for the scowl and heavy-set eyebrows he was so used to. Finally, Iwaizumi appeared and Oikawa only just managed to stop himself from jumping on his best friend and enveloping him in a huge hug. The same couldn’t be said of Bokuto, who was right behind Iwaizumi.
“Kubro!”
“Brokuto!”
Bokuto practically flew at Kuroo, giving his friend a hearty bear hug. Iwaizumi sidled up next to Oikawa, watching the spectacle unfold.
“He reminds me of you, except on ten times as much caffeine,” he quipped drily.
Oikawa only grinned. “Hey Iwa-chan.”
To his surprise, Iwaizumi smiled back with a small, “Hey.”
The party of four walked over to the restaurant frequented by Oikawa’s team for dinner. Bokuto was talking a million miles a minute and Oikawa wondered in awe how Iwaizumi could put up with someone like that.
As if reading his mind, Iwaizumi commented, “Don’t look so surprised. He’s still better than you.”
Oikawa feigned insult and pouted, “How mean Iwa-chan! Anyone would be thrilled to have me around!”
“Right.”
“They would!”
Iwaizumi rolled his eyes and Oikawa caught himself staring at his best friend again. Iwaizumi turned to him to say something else, but before he had a chance, Oikawa blurted out, “I miss you a lot, Iwa-chan.”
Cursing himself for saying such sentimental things, Oikawa casted his eyes forward for a second before turning back to Iwaizumi, who was looking at him curiously. There was something intense in his eyes that made Oikawa’s heart skip a beat. He remembered the times when Iwaizumi looking at him set him ablaze with some kind of familiar emotion. It made him feel like he was both floating and simultaneously being dragged down by a heavy weight in his stomach. It was like he wanted to be closer to Iwaizumi, to always be able to stare into those dark chocolate eyes of his and gaze at his chiseled face.
As Oikawa was about to try to put his feelings into words, Iwaizumi softly replied, “I miss you too.”
With that, Oikawa closed his mouth, the split second of courage fading into the chilly breeze of the night.
------
The final match between their teams during the weekend was intense. All the other matches beforehand had been more laidback, with lots of taunting on Oikawa’s part at Iwaizumi’s expense. More than once, Iwaizumi had to be held back from throttling his best friend and Oikawa was chastised by his seniors for provoking the other team members.
Bokuto was a force to be reckoned with, darting around the court and slamming down sets with terrifying power. Though dwarfed, Iwaizumi was just as formidable, breaking through some of their best blocks. Oikawa knew he was staring more than once and hoped it passed off as him watching for the direction of the spike.
He was so busy watching for Iwaizumi during one play that he didn’t pay attention to Kuroo blocking one of Bokuto’s spikes. He only was brought back to reality when he heard the wing spiker howl in frustration and Kuroo’s taunting laugh. Bokuto promised revenge as Oikawa geared up for his serve.
Oikawa took a deep breath and narrowed his concentration to just the ball and the court on the other side of the net. Within a second, he had a location picked and threw the ball into the air. He leapt into the air and served the ball with deadly precision. It was barely received by their libero, which threw their formation into disarray. The setter barely got the ball into the air as Bokuto leapt for it. Oikawa caught the glimpse in his eye just in time to catch the feint. It gave the other team a chance ball, so they prepared for the next attack.
Throughout the game, Oikawa was still able to read Iwaizumi relatively well just as he was sure his best friend was able to do the same with him. However, for this final play, he couldn’t see it coming.
He was sure that the setter was going to set to the right, but he did a back set to the spikers waiting there.
The first was a decoy, swiping at air and making way for the actual spiker.
Oikawa caught on a second too late and dived for the spike that Iwaizumi sent rocketing to the back edge of their side of the court. He caught it on the corner of his fist and it went careening out of bounds.
That had been match point for Iwaizumi’s team. Their side cheered at their victory and everyone was ruffling Iwaizumi’s hair. He laughed along with them, mouth opened in a wide grin.
Oikawa only watched on, feeling a punch in his gut. It was a feeling of loss, but not of the match.
The two teams lined up to bow and shake hands. Oikawa faced Iwaizumi, who raised his hand to shake. They locked eyes. There was a strong glint in Iwaizumi’s eyes that spoke volumes of his promise on their last day of practice in volleyball. But when we battle, I will defeat you.
Then Oikawa knew that his feeling of loss was that he wasn’t the one helping Iwaizumi improve anymore. He wasn’t the one who was alongside him anymore, and he wasn’t the one who set the balls that he spiked and scored with. Because of that, however, Iwaizumi was improving. Oikawa would be lying if he said that he wasn’t improving himself. They both needed this, so that they can face each other headfirst and show how far they’ve come. He was so, so very proud, but also so very sad.
He shakily raised his fist, knowing that tears were streaming from his eyes. He grinned, closed his eyes and waited. Almost immediately, he felt another fist slam forcefully into his and stay there. He opened his eyes and they continued to widen in incredulity.
Iwaizumi was crying too, large tears falling from his eyes. His lips were pursed in a tight and wobbly smile.
“Good job, Oikawa.” His voice cracked at his name, which only made Oikawa throw all restraint to the wind and duck under the net to give Iwaizumi a crushing hug.
“You’re great, as always, Iwa-chan,” he whispered. Despite Iwaizumi smacking him on the back and crying out to let go, Oikawa held on tight. Because at least, for this moment, he didn’t want to let his precious best friend go.