Chapter Text
“Take five and start on your cooldowns!”
Ignoring the chaos that comes with a whole gym filled with over-excited Olympic athletes, Iwaizumi stretches hard and long, the kind of stretch that re-aligns your spine. He leans back on the chair with a grunt, rolling his shoulders to get the last of the kinks out. Nearly 12 hours of flight time to and fro California will do that to you.
Thank god I'm not one of the players, he thinks wryly.
It’s only been a day since he visited California for a friend’s wedding and he’s still adjusting. Now, normally he wouldn’t have gone on any international trips this close to his first Olympics as the team’s official athletic trainer but he really couldn’t miss Juan’s wedding. That man is the only reason he passed his Biomechanics class, and one of his first-ever friends on a whole new continent.
Honestly, the only reason Iwaizumi had travelled without worrying was the free upgrade to first class that Oikawa got for him. It was hard to accept but Oikawa was persistent when he wanted to be and even made surprisingly logical arguments this time around.
“Iwaizumi-san!” comes a cheery call from the man of the hour himself, Hinata Shoyo. He's a terrifying little shrimp but Iwaizumi would be lying if he said he wasn’t fond of him.
It's hard not to be, he thinks as he watches Hinata bound up to him with a blinding grin.
Unlike his other more exhausting teammates, it is always a 50-50 chance with Hinata. Iwaizumi has had surprisingly insightful conversations about sleep hygiene and nutritional science with him but also wanted to tear his own hair out after seeing some of the shit the kid gets up to with Kageyama, Atsumu, or Bokuto.
“Iwaizumi-san!” he calls again, pausing in front of him with a huff.
“Hey, Hinata. What’s up? Need help with any of the exercises?”
“No No, I’m good with those," Hinata waves him off. Then, his eyes widen.
"Oh! That reminds me! Thanks for the modified squat, really helped my knees,” he says and punctuates his words with a couple of springy, high bounces.
Iwaizumi can’t help but grin, “That’s what I’m here for! You take care of the court, I take care of you lot.”
Hinata’s answering grin is wide, creating little creases near his eyes from the sheer force. It’s a little disconcerting to be the sole recipient of such blatant admiration.
“I almost forgot! I came to ask about your trip! How was it? Were you comfortable? Long flights are the WORST, your muscles feel like they’re locked up for hours after,” Hinata blurts out, looking at him expectantly.
This…. was not what he thought he would ask at all. Iwaizumi raises an eyebrow, wondering how Hinata knew of his trip. He had tried to keep it under wraps, worrying if the team would think he's not committed to being their trainer. It's silly, Iwaizumi knows, but he can't stop the doubts sneaking in.
"It was fine. Thank you for asking, Hinata-kun. Thankfully it was a more comfortable flight this time around," he replies, keeping it brief.
Hinata nods wildly.
"Yeah! First class is a game changer, truly! One of the few things that you just have to splurge on you know?"
Iwaizumi's other brow raises to join the first. Hinata clearly knew more of his plans than he thought he did.
Hinata continues unknowing of Iwaizumi's inner turmoil, "I mean, I've certainly splurged enough to rack up a few miles. Glad that it helped, Iwaizumi-san!"
Now, Iwaizumi's jaw drops. Is he understanding Hinata correctly? His miles?
"Ah… Hinata-kun, I'm not sure if I heard that right. Did you mean the miles were yours? Oikawa offered to let me use them."
Hinata cocks his head, face scrunched up with confusion, "Uh, yeah?" he offers, like it was obvious.
Iwaizumi's mind blanks out. It was obvious to Hinata but not to Iwaizumi, clearly. Hinata, noticing his expression, provides more context hoping that will help.
"I mean, it's my miles but I know that Oikawa-san offered them to you. Like I said, it was going to expire soon anyway!"
Iwaizumi can feel he's about to spiral, as the situation sinks in. His exhaustion makes him think of absolute worst case scenarios.
Oikawa took Hinata's miles and offered them to him! What did Shittykawa tell the kid to get his miles? Did he use his status as a senpai to coerce him? Hinata's always been too kind for his own good!
"Hinata…." he starts, unsure of how to tackle this mess that shitty Oikawa got him into. He mentally curses Oikawa one final time and takes a deep breath.
"Hinata… you needn't have done that. I can manage with economy class," he tries, in a low, serious voice, hoping his sincerity comes through.
The sudden shift in tone seems to throw Hinata off. He scratches his face, feeling unsure. He thought it was a simple conversation asking how Iwaizumi's trip went but Iwaizumi seems to be taking favors very seriously.
"I know… it's fine like I said! It was going to expire soon and I couldn't use them up in time. I would have offered it to anyone," he replies stiltedly.
God, Iwaizumi needs to try desperately to get it into Hinata's mind that he shouldn't let Oikawa walk all over him. Looks like it's time for a more direct approach.
"You can say no to Shittykawa if he asks something you don't want to do. And most importantly, you should not let him bully you into giving away your things."
Hinata chuckles at that. He still has a bemused look but looks more amused this time around. "Don't worry, Iwaizumi-san! I wanted to give it to you, Oikawa-san didn't force me in any way."
Iwaizumi is still not fully satisfied, "Yes, but he shouldn't be offering things on your behalf," he presses.
Hinata grins fully now.
"Roger! I'll make him buy me lunch in return."
That's not exactly what Iwaizumi meant, but it's good enough. He nods at Hinata, satisfied for now and Hinata takes that as his cue to get back to his cooldowns.
Unpredictable on the court and off the court too, Iwaizumi thinks as he eyes Hinata focus fully on his stretches. Well, he just has to find Shittykawa and give him a good smack. That should take care of this mess.