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It all started when they were stupid and snotty adventurous kids.
Oikawa had been looking through a box of his father's old movies when he found something so legendary he couldn’t even contain his excitement. It was an alien movie. The Alien movie to be more precise.
His excitement was not so surprisingly short lived because that movie was way too intense for seven year old Tooru. Even though it scared him shitless, he still couldn't help but be intrigued by the idea of extraterrestrials. (Sometimes he regretted smuggling the movie into his room. He figured his mind would have been more at ease if he ended up watching that stupid documentary on lions like he was planning to).
Regardless, Oikawa spent the next month babbling about it to his parents. When more suitable material for him to watch was found, he snagged his friend Iwaizumi after they played and forced the poor kid to sit through marathon after marathon.
Iwaizumi was amused to say the least, but it wasn't exactly his thing. Iwaizumi was more into action and superhero movies, not sci-fi. But it made Tooru happy, and that was the most important thing to him.
For Oikawa's 8th birthday, Iwaizumi got him a handful of green alien charms and a book on astronomy. He had said that if he was going to get interested in space, he might as well like the actual thing and not some ‘fictitious green men’. That earned a pout and a short cry from Oikawa (he was a really ugly cryer, jeez). Iwa reluctantly apologized and promised to watch more alien movies with him if he would just “shut the hell up and stop crying already!”
Of course Oikawa perked up right away.
Throughout the next year, if Oikawa wasn't hanging out with Iwaizumi or practicing volleyball, he was obsessing over aliens. He did consider Iwaizumi’s words though and decided to learn more about the natural habitat of his elusive (and very real) green men.
It got to the point where Oikawa would always be lounging around in his favourite alien pajamas (which Ms. Iwaizumi had so kindly bought for him). He was always in need of new green pencils, because he wouldn't stop drawing Iwa and him as aliens.
His obsession had tapered off somewhat by the time he became 10. He never took his alien movie posters down and never got rid of his old pajamas though. He never gave away the alien plushy Iwaizumi got him for his 9th birthday either. (He treasured it too much. Besides, Iwa-chan had got it for him).
He just stopped talking about it all the time.
Instead he talked about space. About the vast nothingness and the stars and nebulas that lay scattered amongst it. He talked about the insignificant size of them and their planet compared to the sun and galaxies that Oikawa had no right knowing about as an 11 year old.
Iwaizumi was impressed to be honest. A phase of Oikawa's had turned into a genuine interest, and if Oikawa was happy, then Iwa was happy. (Besides, it was a lot better to hear the kid say he wanted to be an astronaut than a pokemon trainer or alien wrangler. It was a lot more probable too).
Overtime, Oikawa's blatant love for space had dissipated too, but Iwaizumi never missed how his eyes lit up at the very mention of the topic.
He still kept his alien posters, except now the space between them was littered with print outs of nebulas and stars and planets. Oikawa had managed to tack up a few volleyball posters too, but those were mainly from sports magazines he had snagged on the way home from school.
Needless to say, Oikawa's room looked like an utter disaster.
There was nothing charming or nice about it. Not even the occupant of said room could make it better with his dumb hair and even dumber alien head boxers. Iwaizumi had seen those about ten too many times in the changeroom after volleyball practice, and Oikawa didn't even have the audacity to be embarrassed.
Iwaizumi had to be embarrassed for him.
When Oikawa’s 14th birthday rolled around, Iwaizumi had decided he was going to do something special. His gift was going to be better than alien themed objects or the volleyball gear he had gotten Oikawa in the past. It was going to be the best present shitty Oikawa had ever gotten because Iwaizumi was going to take him stargazing.
He could already imagine the look on Oikawa's face, and it brought a bashful smile to his own. He would never admit it, but seeing Oikawa happy made him happy. It also did stupid things to his heart.
Stupid things he would never admit to.
The setup required to pull off his incredible gift was a lot more work than Iwaizumi bargained for. He needed to find an ideal spot for stargazing. One where there wasn’t too much light and wasn’t too far away from where they both lived. Iwaizumi needed to be able to sent up a tent too. He figured that if they'd be up half the night looking at the stars, they might as well sleep there too.
After a lot of debating, Iwaizumi decided on a park a few blocks down from either of their houses. They never really hung out there, so he figured why not.
Now that it was the big day, Iwaizumi had to put his plan into action (if he could even call it a plan). He hung out with Oikawa like normal, was extra nice to him (which definitely wasn't normal), and even offered to buy him lunch. The offer didn't last long though, because before he knew it a short and cute girl was shoving a bunch of things at Oikawa only to run away a moment later. The stuff she gave him consisted of homemade bento, a chocolate box, and a couple letters that were clearly from different people.
So Oikawa got a free lunch and a few confessions on his birthday. So what? That was normal for a guy like Oikawa, right? It’s not like it made Iwaizumi's heart clench or anything. His stomach definitely didn’t curl either when Oikawa so graciously read all his letters aloud.
There was no reason for that to be happening anyway. Iwaizumi didn’t like Oikawa that way. That was stupid. He just wanted the day to be over already so he could give Oikawa his birthday present already. That was all.
Like normal, Iwaizumi was staying over at Oikawa's. They had been halfway through their pizza dinner when Oikawa spoke up, his head tilted and eyelashes batting.
"Iwa-chan? Did you not get me a present this year?" God, his expression matched that of a needy puppy. Iwaizumi wanted to wipe it away with the dirty napkin he was crinkling up in his hand.
"I did, Assikawa. But you have to wait to get it." Iwaizumi grumbled and promptly shoved the rest of his pizza into his mouth.
Oikawa pouted, which Iwaizumi ignored. He ignored the way he incessantly nudged Iwa under the table too. And he most definitely ignored how the look Oikawa was giving him made his heart beat speed up and his face flush.
Now that it was late and dark enough for the stars to be seen, Iwa quickly tied a blindfold around Oikawa’s eyes without another word.
He didn't listen to him complain and completely dismissed the others shout of, "Ow, Iwa-chan! Not the hair!" Instead he grabbed Oikawa's arm and unceremoniously dragged his flailing best friend out the door.
They were about halfway there when Oikawa stopped complaining. He grumbled something under his breath and let his hand slide into Iwa's, their fingers clasping together. It was easier to be lead this way, according to Oikawa. Iwaizumi didn't care. He was just glad that Oikawa was blindfolded so that he couldn't see the blush spreading to his friend's ears.
They hadn't held hands since they were kids, and lately Iwaizumi's heart had been... doing things to him. He ignored it all like normal. It wasn't important.
What was important was that they were there and it was time to reveal his big surprise.
Iwaizumi could see the tent at the corner of the park and the blue blanket laid out in the middle of the small field. He marched Oikawa over to it and stopped, prompting Oikawa to stop too.
"You can take off your blindfold now." And let go of my hand. But that didn't happen.
"Oh, finally. It's not nice to kidnap your friends, you know. On their birthday of all days too." Oikawa was muttering to himself as he pulled off the blindfold. Iwaizumi just rolled his eyes.
"...Iwa-chan. Why are we in the park? I thought you said we were too old for the monkeybars." Oikawa's gaze had drifted over to the playground, and Iwaizumi rolled his eyes again. Of course he’d miss everything Iwaizumi had set up.
"We're not here for the monkeybars, Stupid Oikawa." He then pointed Oikawa's attention to the tent and then to the blanket at their feet. Oikawa was still confused, so with an exasperated sigh Iwaizumi pulled him down to the ground.
They got settled on the blanket and Iwaizumi used his free arm (why were they still holding hands anyway?) to point up at the sky. "I brought you here for this."
Oikawa’s eyes followed the path of Iwaizumi’s strong arm and when he finally looked at the sky, his breath caught in his throat. Above them, dozens upon dozens of bright stars faded in and out against the black sky.
It was a beautiful sight. Oikawa hadn’t seen that many stars before, and he couldn’t help himself from smiling widely. The next thing he knew he was giggling, his right hand covering his mouth while the other gripped Iwaizumi's even tighter.
He had seen the stars before, but not like this and not with Iwa-chan.
Iwa on the other hand didn't so much as bat an eyelash at the stars. He kept his gaze on Oikawa, his gaze tracing the contour of his cheeks and the angles of his nose and jaw.
No wonder so many girls swamped him. He was gorgeous. (He would never admit to thinking that out loud). Iwaizumi felt lucky though, because he knew none of those girls could ever see this. They could never see an uninhibited Oikawa Tooru, grinning widely, genuinely, at the vast expanse of star while he held hands with his best friend.
This became a yearly occurrence.
Iwaizumi would take Oikawa to a new place every year to stargaze on his birthday. Oikawa had somehow managed to wordlessly find his hand in Iwaizumi's every time, not that Iwaizumi minded. He had gotten used to ignoring how he got flustered by the simple action.
Now it was Oikawa's 18th birthday.
This would be the last birthday they would celebrate for Oikawa before they graduated high school. It would also be the last time they went stargazing before the uncertain shadow of university loomed over them and consumed them whole.
Everything was going to be fine though. Iwaizumi just had to believe that no matter what happened and no matter where they ended up.
That day they ended up with their team.
They practiced like normal. (Oikawa worked extra hard, the praise and birthday wishes from the girls watching them having gone to his head). Spent another Oikawa Tooru Birthday Lunch like normal. (Confessions included). And had a small party with their teammates and friends after school in the gym. That was new, but it was welcome nonetheless. (Hanamaki and Matsukawa even worked together to buy Oikawa some new alien pajamas).
Finally, after scarfing down as much pizza and sugary drinks as they could, Oikawa and Iwaizumi finally had some time alone.
"So where to this year, Iwa-chan?" Oikawa drawled as they walked to Iwaizumi's car, their shoulders brushing a lot more than Iwaizumi would have liked. Well. He did like it, he just didn’t want Oikawa to know that.
"You'll see. But I doubt you'll like sleeping in the middle of nowhere so we'll be coming back here after."
Oikawa pouted but got into the car without another word. If Iwaizumi was taking him somewhere remote, he had no doubt that the sight was going to be spectacular.
After an hour of driving and listening to Oikawa sing off-key to shitty k-pop songs, they arrived at Iwaizumi's desired location. It was a huge field far from the city. Iwaizumi pulled off the highway, parked in the grass, then yanked Oikawa out of the car. They walked for a little, and once again Oikawa slotted his hand against Iwaizumi's calloused one with a hum.
Iwaizumi never asked why Oikawa did this before, so he didn't now. He moved onto laying out a blanket and getting comfy with Oikawa next to him instead.
Like all the years before, Iwaizumi found himself watching Oikawa more than the night sky above them. He could get lost looking at the stars, but he preferred to get lost looking at Oikawa's face.
He was beautiful like this, breathtaking even. It was dark, but the wonder and happiness in Oikawa's eyes shone brighter than all the stars that Iwaizumi could see. He watched Oikawa's thin lips pull up into that soft genuine smile of his. He listened to his slow and reassuring breaths as he relaxed completely.
Oikawa really was beautiful, and with the way Iwaizumi’s heart was pounding against his chest, he realized he really did feel that way about him. He loved him.
Next to him Oikawa shifted, and that quickly reminded Iwaizumi where his eyes were supposed to be. Moments passed, and then he heard Oikawa gasping as a thick streak of light shot across the sky before fading into the rest of the stars.
Oikawa’s hand was now holding onto Iwaizumi's with a crushing grip, and from his mouth tumbled forth a giggle so childish Iwaizumi hadn't heard one like it since they were 14.
"Iwa-chan! Iwa-chan, did you see that?" His eyes were impossibly wide as he turned to Iwaizumi, the brown of his iris having completely disappeared.
"If you're talking about the shooting star, yes, I did." Iwaizumi couldn't help chuckle lowly as he watched the amazement take over Oikawa. He was so unbelievable happy, and Iwaizumi had to turn his head away to keep himself from smiling too much.
"Aaand? Did you make a wish, Iwa-chan?" Oikawa hummed and propped himself up a little bit to look down at his friend. His expression was that of complete bliss and also complete gratitude, almost like he was thanking Iwaizumi for making the shooting star appear.
At the back of his mind, Iwaizumi was thanking whatever gods he could think of for making that happen. He had never seen a shooting star before and he sort of doubted Oikawa had as well, considering how ecstatic he had looked. Iwaizumi was going to have that face (and the sight of the shooting star) stamped into his brain for as long as he could.
But his more prevalent thoughts were that he needed to do something. He needed to at least say something, right? He needed to do something before their friendship spiraled down hill and their lives would become a mix of "when are you free?" and "we haven't seen each other in a month".
"Of course not, Trashikawa. Did you? Wait let me guess, you wished for your aliens to be real?" Iwaizumi quirked a brow at Oikawa as he looked at him. The teasing words put off the weight that was settling on his shoulders and constricting around his heart.
"That's not what I wished for, Iwa-chan. But they are real! And one day they're going to come and abduct you for being so mean!" Rolling his eyes, Oikawa huffed and settled back down against Iwaizumi.
"Alright, then what exactly did you wish for if it wasn't aliens?" Iwaizumi was looking at Oikawa, but Oikawa was looking at the sky again. He probably hoping to see another shooting star.
Oikawa was quiet for a while, and the silence stretched between them until all Iwaizumi could hear was the pounding of his own heart. He felt his palms get sweaty and his fingers twitched. He really wished that Oikawa was too deep in thought to notice.
It seemed he was, because when Iwaizumi looked over, he saw that Oikawa's face had fallen into something serious and thoughtful. When he spoke up, his voice was surprisingly quiet yet steady. It was kind of like how he got before a match.
"This," Oikawa started, raising their joint hands a little. "To keep being a thing." It was such a simple statement, but Iwaizumi felt like a dam had been opened in him.
"What?" Iwaizumi sat up this time, his brow furrowing at Oikawa as his heart rate picked up even more. "What do you mean?" He couldn’t possibly mean what Iwaizumi’s wishful thinking was hoping for.
"What I mean, Iwa-chan." Oikawa sounded almost exasperated as he sat up, having no regards for personal space as his nose was almost touching Iwa’s. "Is that I wished for us to be together, forever." There was more confidence to his words, and he tipped his head forward, hoping that his somewhat dense friend was getting his implications here.
He was. He definitely was.
Swallowing hard, Iwaizumi lightly bumped their noses together. He didn’t trust himself enough to speak, knowing he’d just say something stupid and ruin the moment the two of them had been waiting for. Still, he couldn’t stay silent, so he just mumbled something low enough for Oikawa to hear.
“Kiss me.” It wasn't a question or a request. It was more of an order and Oikawa was more than happy to comply.
Iwaizumi was still frozen despite what he said, so Oikawa just sighed and moved forward, pressing his lips against Iwaizumi's in a light peck. It took Iwaizumi a moment to respond and he felt like a robot coming to life. A warmth had spread throughout his body, spurring his muscles and gears to to move forward, to kiss Oikawa once more.
Iwaizumi was quite uncoordinated at first, and his chapped lips fumbled awkwardly until Oikawa had nudged him into some sort rhythm. He slid his hand out from Oikawa’s and brushed it up his arm before cupping the edge of his jaw. Iwaizumi let out a shaky exhale as Oikawa pulled him even closer. His hands were resting on Iwaizumi’s shoulders, digging into the muscle somewhat desperately.
Iwaizumi was the first to tilt his head, the first to deepen the kiss as Oikawa just responded to it eagerly. He nipped at Iwa's lower lip before sliding his tongue along it, silently asking for something more. For some reason, that made it finally dawn on Iwaizumi how much Oikawa wanted this. How much Oikawa wanted him.
The thought hit Iwaizumi hard and he pulled away with a quiet gasp, moving his arms to grab Oikawa before he could speak or question why he moved. He held onto the other tightly, his chest heaving slightly and his voice coming out hoarse. “Stupid Oikawa. I’m not going anywhere.”