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The ball landed on Tooru’s extended forearms and bounced back?
It bounced back?
It bounced back!
“Iwa-chan,it bounced back!”Tooru said,staring at his forearms in awe.He has been practicing volleyball for a week with Hajime after they got bored of the hundredth game of House during recess and it had been fun?
Not exactly;more like infuriating and exhausting!
When Hajime had already mastered receiving and spiking,he was still here,receiving!This was a level of fatigue(?) that he had not experienced in his seven years of living.It angered him to no end how simple and basic the professional players on TV made it look but he couldn’t?!That ignited a fire in him to practice more.To play more.
Everyday,after school,he would play and watch how Hajime did it,analyse it and did his best to understand it;his leg’s position,the angle of his forearms.And finally(finally!),he did it.
“Nice receive,”Hajime said,short and curt.His voice held none of his usual annoyance.He almost sounded proud?Tooru preened at the thought.Hajime was proud of him?Him!?He was so giddy with joy that he couldn’t help but laugh joyously.
It was a high he knew he’d chase for years.
“Of course it was nice!I practiced every day for a week dummy,”Tooru said in faux-confidence cause he honestly wasn’t really sure he could do it.And if he couldn’t,who would Hajime play with?Would they stop playing together cause of it?No,no,no!He couldn’t allow that!
And it was fun.Atleast,once you were good at it.
“No stupid.It’s what the players on TV say to their teammates,”Iwaizumi said as he picked up his school bag,already finished with his practice. “You do want to get as good as them right?”
“Of course I want to be as good as them!Once we join second grade school next year,we’ll join an actual volleyball club and start playing it for reals!Isn’t that exciting,Iwa-chan?”Tooru said,mirth evident in his voice.That received ball just made his whole day!Week,even.
Hajime pauses and tilts his head sideways.He's overthinking again Oikawa thinks.
“Tooru,how do you know we’ll go to the same school.Ma still isn’t sure which school to take me."Hajime said,sadness carefully hidden in his voice.Anybody would forgo too much on it of it but Tooru isn’t just anybody!He's his bestfriend.
“What are you,stupid?There is no way we aren’t going to the same school!No way,No way,No way!You are stuck with me for life.You hear that,Hajime?For.Life!”Tooru said dramatically,arms flailing and all.He notices the small upturn of Iwaizumi’s lips,a small smile on his lips.
“Yeah,I hear you Tooru”Hajime starts walking towards Tooru,holding his palm out, “Now come on.You wouldn’t want to keep Oikawa-san waiting.”
Tooru felt an involuntary shiver run down his spine at the thought.His mother and angry never went well in the same sentence,
“Yeah,”Tooru took the extended hand,palm to palm,smiling, “Wouldn’t dream of it.”
~
“Kaa-san I’m home!”Tooru exclaimed as he stepped into the genkan,Hajime in tow, “And Iwa is here too.”
‘Welcome home Tooru.It’s good to see you here too, Hajime,”Oikawa’s mother,Miori,exclaimed from the kitchen.Tooru and Hajime quickly removed their shoes as they approached her in the kitchen.
“Thank you for having me here Oikawa-san,”Hajime bowed respectfully.He has always had immense respect for his mother.Something he clearly lacked for him!
“Such a respectful child.”Tooru’s mother said as she went around the counter,coming infront of them,mittens hanging from her apron.Her long,chestnut hair pulled in a bun,bangs clipped back by clips nee-san got her for her birthday last year.She had clearly been irritated given her pulled expression.Tooru’s eyes immediately went back the mittens in her apron pocket.Something isn’t right Tooru thought Kaa-san hates baking.
“I’ve told you a thousand times to call me Kaa-san Hajime.I’ve known you since you were diapers,child.Don’t treat me with such formality as though I was but a stranger!”she dramatically exclaimed,pinching Hajime cheeks lovingly as a blooming blush appeared on Hajime’s cheeks.A cute,embarrassed one at that! “Why don’t you and Tooru go freshen up and come and tell me about how volleyball practice we-,”
“Kaa-san,Kaa-san ,Kaa-san!”Oikawa exclaimed loudly,jumping up and down so as to get his mother’s attention.
“Tooru,I told you to not interrupt someone when they are talking!”Oikawa’s mother huffed as she now shifted her attention to Tooru as she pinched his cheeks painfully,contrasting the loving one she gave Hajime “And stop jumping around!You aren't talking with your feet!”
“Ow ow ow!” Tooru hissed in pain,hand going immediately to his bruised cheek “Sorry Kaa-san but I had a question.”
Tooru’s mother sighed tiredly,“Okay Tooru,what is your question?”
“You hate baking.You always complain about how your wrists hurt from whisking the batter too much.You only ever bake when someone special is coming home,”Tooru rants and suddenly stops to gasps in glee,“Kaa-san..is nee-san coming home today?!”
Tooru’s mother sighed again,dragging a palm over her face in exhaustion,“Yes Tooru,Nee-san is coming today with a guest,"she smiles softly,"She wanted it to be a surprise but of course my smart,little boy would figure it out.Always the perceptive one,huh Tooru?”
Nee-san.Nee-san is coming today!To see him!But a guest?And what does perceptive mean?
“Iwa Iwa Iwa!Did you hear that?Nee-san is coming home today!”Tooru jumped with glee as he stared at his best friend,all silent and shy,He always gets like this when he comes over.Does Kaa-san scare him?No,Kaa-san isn’t scary!She’s nice! “Let’s go and get ready.You left some of your clothes from last week’s sleepover but I can give you mine if you want.You are still so short and scrawny so they’ll be a little big tho”
Hajime shakes his head in response “Tooru,are you sure it’s okay to stay?I didn’t tell ma that I will be sleeping over,She’ll be worried if I’m out for too long,”
Always thoughtful of others and not wanting to impose.These characteristics have been imbedded in his character since he could understand the weight of words.He was always more mature than Tooru.Always more understanding of others and always ready to help.Gallant,reliable.kind.
Too bad Tooru didn’t buy it at all!Yes,he was reliable and kind but he was also mean,brash and too independent for his own good!Picks up everyone’s slack but doesn’t want someone to pick up his slack!What else would Tooru be here for if not to slap some sense into him amd pick up his slack once in a while?
So Tooru smacks the back of his head “Dummy,”he retorts as he walks to his room “We’ll just tell Iwaizumi-san that we are having another sleepover this weekend.No biggy.You worry too much for a kid,you know?Plus,Nee-san is coming tonight!Don’t you want to see your crush Hajime~”Tooru lightly teased as he walked to his room,pulling Hajime with him.
“It wasn’t a crush stupid!”he exclaims at Tooru flailing his arms out and about.Tooru laughs at this,an unusual display of childishness from Mr.Mature,“You learn one word during recess and now use it everyday!”
“Yes yes.Crush or not,you do want to see her don’t you?You always get excited when she brings us gifts from Tokyo right?”Tooru stopped as they both entered the room.He removed Hajime’s clothes from the compartment on his shelf’s second drawer labelled ‘Iwa-chan’s clothes’.It was his drawer,decided after their 10th sleepoverversary.
“Tokyo is just so cool and it has so many cool things!Plus Aiko-san always has so many stories of Tokyo and she is just so.. nice,”Hajime pauses mid-sentence and retorts, “Unlike you,”
“Hey!” Oikawa retorts back,turning to look at Hajime who was now sitting on his bed,“Remind me who gifted you the latest Godzilla movie CD for your sixth birthday,Iwa-chan?Me or my sister?”
Hajime sighs exaggeratedly loud at that and Tooru can feel himself preen with pride.He had to use his Kaa-san’s money at a CD shop to get the cyber guy to burn the movie which took hours of haggling and more hours of burning but the look on Hajime’s face when he gave it to him was more valuable than gold.
They ended up watching it that very birthday night and it became a sleepover tradition since
“Thank you,”Hajime said,eyes averted and slightly blushing.Tooru’s eyes softened at that.It was cute,in an orangutan way,“You don’t have to remind me of it everytime tho.”
‘Uh uh yes I will,”Tooru wagged his finger irritatingly in front of Hajime’s face,“Get me a better birthday gift this year then I’ll drop it.”
“Fine.”
A minute passes in silence before Tooru asks in a soft,curious voice,“What do you think Kaa-san meant when she said Nee-san was coming with a guest?”
“It literally means she’s coming with a guest.What are you,stupid?”
“No idiot.I mean,who do you think she’s coming with?”
“Don’t know,”Iwaizumi said,finally standing up with a towel around his neck and pointing to the bathroom door,opposite Tooru’s room,“I’m going to shower first,Is that okay?”
“Yeah.”Tooru said as he hears the door of his room close.
I wonder who Nee-san is bringing today.
~
“Breathe,sweetie breathe,”Aiko,the angel that she is,reassures as she caresses his back in a soothingly with one hand while driving with the other,“My family won’t eat you alive,you know?”
Shota did know that.But that didn’t mean he couldn’t be anxious about meeting his fiance’s family.Specifically her extremely perceptive,judgemental and sardonic seven year old brother.Children could be intimidating okay!
“You can’t know that,”Shota continues dry heaving out the window.They were already in Miyagi and it was only a matter of time before they arrive and he’ll have to go through the motions of trying to placate and convince a seven year old(plus his best friend apparently according to what Oikawa-san told Aiko on call a few minutes ago) that he's good enough for his sister.“I work with children Aiko!I know how ruthless they can be.Especially ones who are too mature for their age.”
Aiko laughs at this.Laughs.At her fiancé of a month and boyfriend of six years who is going through the worst anxiety attack ever trapped in a beat-up scrap of metal on two wheels,“You give Tooru too much credit.He’s just a little observant,that’s all.”
“You say that now but you aren’t the one going to be interrogated by him.I can feel it in my bones,”Shota almost wails as he covers his face with his hands,“I can’t do it!Is it too late to go back?”
Aiko almost looks amused at his antics.She knows that he isn’t serious and that he was the one who proposed the idea of visiting her hometown and seeing her family.If he did have a change of heart,she wouldn’t hesitate to go back.Having already met Aiko’s mother years ago,this was mainly a formality to properly meet Tooru.Last time he saw the kid,he was barely potty trained but he will never forget his eyes.Observant in the ways a two year olds should not be.He had no vocabulary in his arsenal and no concept of sarcasm yet but his eyes said it all:
'Why are you here?’
“Come on!.Toughen up a little Sho-chan~.It’s just a kid and you already look like half a delinquent-“
‘Hey!”
Aiko stopped the car in the middle of road at a small residential area.She turned to face him,big,light brown eyes meeting his dark brown ones,“Do you really want to go back,baby?‘Cause you know I wouldn’t force you if it was too much.”
Shota sighed slowly "No,I want to,”Shota said,relaxing slowly into his seat, “It’s just…”
Aiko nods and looks at him earnestly,a clear sign she’s taking this matter seriously now.She’s seen him at his worst,seen every single anxiety attack and stayed.She had been there when his anxiety was mistaken for cowardice.She knows he isn’t against seeing her brother.She knows everything about him;down to his embarrassing drunk episodes in college to his favorite manga.For all her praise about Tooru’s perceptiveness,she really was the perceptive one.
“It’s important I meet your brother.He is very important to you and that means he is important to me too.I love you and I want to marry you.How will that happen if I’ve barely built a rapport with your most important person,”Shota says in finality,eyes having been averted against the pure love and understanding in Aiko’s eyes.
“Okay,”Aiko says,like it is the easiest thing in the world.As if his anxiety wasn’t his greatest hinderance.As if loving him came as easily to her as breathing.As if she already knew it and was waiting for him to know it too.He loved her so,so much.He would have eloped if he was a less dignified person.
She slowly starts the car and continues driving,“We are almost there.Wanna scream into a neck pillow to cool your nerves,princess?”
“Shut up,”Shota says as he shoves her softly as he finally relaxes for the first time since the trip started.
“And for the record,”Aiko takes his callused hand and presses her lips lightly to his knuckles,“You are my most important person.”
Shota feels a blush bloom over his cheeks he quickly tries to hide it but already hears a light chuckle from beside him saying,“Dork.”
“Asshole.”
Aiko laughs it off and focuses on the road again.They stay quite for a while;long and blissful until Aiko breaks the silence,“You know,we still have some time before we arrive.What if we..”
“No,”Shota said resoundingly.
“Sheesh!Tough crowd,”Aiko laughs,“Some of us need more than knuckle kiss to get hot and bothered,you know?”
“Maybe I should rethink marrying you,”Shota murmurs to himself softly.
“Nah,you love me too much.”Aiko says as a content smile is blooms over her lips.
Shota smiles,eyes going outside the car window.Miyagi is gorgeous this time of year.All green and lacking the suffocating concrete jungles of Tokyo.Maybe they’ll move here after marriage?Nice place to start a family and raise a kid.
He finally responds,“Yeah,I do.”
~
They finally arrive at the Oikawa household.A quaint,traditional house flourished in plants and flowers.It is a clearly loved house,evident in the cracks on the walls,the vines that slithered up and down the gatters and the light scratches on the wooden door.It has been five years since he came here and nothing has changed much.Maybe a paint job here and there and some volleyballs scattered in the courtyard now but still the same house.
A familiar reprieve.Home.
“I’m home!”Aiko bellows from the genkan,already removing her shoes and rushing in.She catches herself and looks back at Shota and whispers softly,“Okay?”
“Yeah,”Shota whispers back as he removes his shoes and arranged them on the genkan.All movements hault as he hears loud footsteps from the house and a shrill voice .He watches a blur of colors jump and wrap around Aiko’s leg in a hug.
“Nee-san!Nee-san!You’re back!”the colour shouts from the top of his lungs.The voice is clearly that of a young boy,shrilly and too high-pitched.He stares at the source of the voice.Chestnut brown hair,big brown eyes familiar to that of Aiko.He had a tooth gap on his front lower teeth,his smile wide and open and filled with a familiar mirth:Oikawa Tooru.
“Tooru!”Aiko crouches and bundles the young boy in her arms.Her arms cradle his head,a similar motion she did when he was younger;when she was but a young first year in highschool.Her love for him matured as she did.Originally awkward and squimish,having never learnt to care for a child,now filled with resolve and familiarty,“Oh how I’ve missed you,kid.”
Tooru melted into her arms,allowing himself to be held and peppered kisses on his face as he giggled, “Ah,nee-san,stop it.I’ll sneeze on you!”
Aiko laughs merrily,a sound he’ll never get tired of hearing.She pats his head,all bundles of messy,brown curls still wet from showering.She cranes her neck and looks over Tooru,“Ah,Tooru.Where is Hajime-chan?”
“Oh,he’s waiting in the living room.He’s kind of nervous again,”Tooru says,eyes moving from Aiko to Shota.His eyebrows furrow and there is a sense of clarity in his eyes.Uh oh.
“Iwa-chan,come over!I know you know nee-san has arrived!”Tooru shouts towards the direction of the living room.A child about the same age appears with cropped brown hair.Aiko is the first to see him as she bounds towards him shouting Hajime,there you are.You are so big now! and hugging him the same way she hugged Tooru.A blush appears on the child’s face immediately and Shota can almost sympathize with the kid a little.But,he has his own problems observing him three metres away.
Tooru’s attention is fully on Shota who is yet to move from the genkan in abject horror,“Nee-san,who is this man?”
“Tooru!”Aiko rebukes as she smacks him on the head,“Is that any way to talk about a guest!?Apologize!”
“No,it’s alright Aiko.No harm done,”Shota says as he finally moves from the genkan into the main hall.He can see Tooru watch him as he moves.eyebrows furrowed and eyes concentrated.Even for a kid,this was a little too perceptive.
“Hey Tooru,”Shota says as he crouches low,as though he was approaching terrified cat, “I know you don’t remember m-"
“I do remember you.You’re nee-san’s friend right?”Tooru says leisurely,as though he was talking about the weather and not having good facial recognition at age two,“Right nee-san?”
Aiko stared back at Shota apologetically,as if she hadn’t friendzoned him to her younger brother.Aiko sighs and finally lets go of Hajime who she had been cooing over for a minute straight.
“Tooru,do you know what a fiancé is?”
“Fiance?Is that like a French snack?”Tooru gasps in delight,having forgotten about his earlier question,“Did you bring us a French snack,nee-san?”
Aiko has the audacity to laugh at this as Shota is already feeling lightheaded and has settled down on the floor for support.
“No silly,”Aiko says as she taps her chin in fake contemplation.She grins and points her index to Tooru’s forehead and flicks it.A loud ow comes from Tooru,“A fiancé is what people are before they get married.”
Tooru looks bemused as he tilts his head in contemplation.A light bulb goes off in his head as he says,“Oh!Like best friends!”he taps his chin with his finger,mimicking his sister from earlier,“Does that mean that Iwa-chan is my fiancé?”
Hajime,who had been quiet the whole time,comes up to Tooru,a confused frown on his face,“No stupid,I think she means it… like a crush?”
Aiko actually guffaws at this,a full belly one with her hair tipped back.She slaps her knee in concession as the two pre-schoolers stare up at her in confusion.Shota covers his hands over his face and lets out a muffled groan of despair.He can slowly feel himself age as the conversation lengthens.
“Yes!He’s my best friend,my crush,my love,my everything!”Aiko lets out after finally calming down,although her voice starts to hiccup here and there,“And I brought him here all the way from Tokyo to see you two.So be nice to him.He’s fragile.”
“I am not fragile!”Shorta retorts in a way to save some of his dignity.
Aiko coos at this,crouching where he is seated on the floor and giving him a kiss on the cheek.This is enough to arouse gasps and murmurs from the peanut gallery:
Nee-san really does have a crush!She kissed him!That’s practically like being married!
Do you think Aiko-san would kiss anyone she doesn’t like?
Well,she kisses you and she doesn’t like you
Not true!She likes me more than she likes you
Nuh-uh!
Yuh-uh!
“Sho,”Aiko whispers softly,her face a breath away from his,“I’m going to leave for a bit to run some due errands for kaa-san,okay?"
Shoto sighs,already understanding the hidden meaning in her words.She wants him to get to spend some time with Tooru and Hajime.He can do that.He’s an adult and they are quite literally seven-year- old snot-nossed kidsa who thought a fiancé was a French pastry.He’s going to be just fine.
“Okay,”Shoto says as he stands up and then he suddenly remembers,“Where is Oikawa-san anyway?”
“Good question,”Aiko says as she gets up as well, “Tooru,where did kaa-san go?”
Tooru and Hajime were busy arguing about god knows what.The only discernable words being dummy,idiot and some variation of nuh uh.They had already started pulling at each others hair which was never a good sign.Aiko noted this too,as they were too busy smacking each other and flicking each others heads to hear her question.
“Boys!”Aiko said,her voice laced with seriousness and annoyance.She hardly ever got like this unless she was truly annoyed and they seemed to know that too.They stopped their bickering,faced her sheepishly.
“Sorry,”They said in unison,all bashful and ashamed.
Aiko sighs and repeats the question,“Where is kaa-san?”
Tooru perked up at this,“Oh!Kaa-san went over to Iwaizumi-san’s house to tell her that Iwa-chan would be sleeping over,”his gaze shifted to the kitchen and pointed in the direction of the oven,“And to give her some remaining milkbread that she baked."
Aiko scrunched up her face,bemusement clear on her features “Milkbread?You are telling me ma actually baked?”
“Ya,I was shocked too but she actually baked it!”Oikawa said,obviously excited at the concept of eating milkbread.Maybe he should have brought some too as a peace offering?Maybe that would have saved him from the onslaught of questions he would receive from a pre school kid.
Aiko walks over to the counter and takes her purse,“Anyway.I’ll be going now.Don’t do too much while I’m gone.Sho,watch the kids.Tooru,Hajime,please don’t terrorize him too much.Just a little.”
“We will nee-san!”
“Yes Aiko-san.”
Shoto stared at the kids.They nod to each other in silent agreement;the unspoken we will totally terrorize him! hanging in the air
Shota gulped as he saw the love of his life close the door,leaving him to the dogs.
~
Tooru wasn’t buying it.
No way.
No way,this was his sister’s crush/lover/fiancé!
He raised his gaze,and made eye contact with the person in question.Buzzcut,piercings,all black attire.He looked like someone who would mug her in Shibuya,not the shy,almost awkward man he had presented himself as.
He was going to get to the bottom of this.
“Iwa-chan,”Tooru commands,stretching out his palm towards Hajime,“Clipboard.”
“Don’t command me idior.I'm not your lacky!”Hajime exclaims,smacking Tooru on the head withe clipboard.
“Ow!We already agreed to this dummy!”Tooru exclaimed,reaching up to grab the clipboard himself,“You play good cop and I play bad cop.”
“Doesn’t mean I have to listen to you.”Hajime mumbles,crossing his arms in defiance.He focuses his gaze on Shota-san,who looks worse for wear to say the least,“Plus look at him,he’s so buff!He’d probably kill us if we tried roughing him up.”
“I’m not going to kill you kid.”Shota-san says a little amused,wipping his palms on his pants as if he made up his mind about something.
“That’s what they all say.So,Shota-san,what do you want with my sister huh?Money?”Tooru says,bringing out the delinquentness(?) that he’s seen in action movies.He thinks he is doing a pretty good job too until he hears a laugh across from him.
“You’re a funny kid.Can’t believe I was nervous too,”Shota-san says as he stand up and gestures to them,“Okay,this was fun but wouldn’t you want to carry out this ‘investigation’ doing something like hm,I don’t know,playing volleyball?”
“Volleyball?!You play volleyball Shota-san?!”Hajime,the traitor,says with stars in his eyes.Actual stars.Shota-san’s expression softens a bit,some nervous tension releasing from his shoulders.A small smile begins to form on his face.
“Used to in highschool.Still do a little,just friendly matches with friends th.”Shota-san says,eyes moving between the two of them, “I heard from Aiko you started playing this week?”
“Yeah!It’s so fun!”Hajime says with enthusiasm,his eyes still starry and in awe.Who knew all it would take to get him like this was just the mention of volleyball?Tooru could feel his curiosity peaking but he wasn’t budging!He crossed his arms,a look of retaliation on his face.Nuh uh.Nope!He won’t fall for this obvious bait!
“What position do you play Shota-san?”Hajime says seriously,as though his answer will determine his future position too.
“Hm,I’ve played a couple positions throughout my life but the one I really loved was the setter,”Shota-san,smiling off to the distance as though remembering a fond memory of some sort,“It’s the best position!Controls the whole flow of the game.A spike can’t be hit without a set,a receive can’t make it to the spiker without the setter.It is,by far,the coolest position!”
“Setter,”Tooru says in awe.He has known of the position,has watched multiple setters on TV,has watched in awe at how nimble their fingers are,how calculated everything they did was,how out of all the players,they touched the ball the most, “That’s so cool Shota-san!”
Shota-san laughed,his remaining anxiety leaving him.Honestly,he didn’t know why he looked like he was about to pee his pants when Tooru looked at him.He was the adult here after all.
“Isn’t it?”Shota-san says,leaving Tooru’s room where he had cornered him and told him to sit on the floor.It’s a wonder he actually did it!Why aren’t all adults this obedient? “Now come on.I’ll teach you some tricks I learnt.”
“Yay!”the both of them cheered as they followed him to the backyard.Nevermind that they had just finished showering and were about to get dirty again but volleyball waits for no one!There were multiple volleyballs littered around.Some Hajime’s,some from the school that they ‘borrowed’,some were his sisters when she was in highschool.Shota-san picked up a soft one and started wipping it with his shirt.
“Okay,let’s start.”
~
They played for an hour.Setting,spiking,receiving,serving.Tooru was amazed at how good at teaching Shota-san was.He explained everything with patience and never admonished them for mistakes.Instead,he guided them on how to do it nicely and for Tooru,who was slowly understanding the volleyball,that meant everything to him.
“Shota-san?”Tooru says softly.They had decided to take a break,just the two of them.Hajime was still practicing spiking,his smile evident and broad.He clearly liked it more than setting,which he ended with him taking multiple balls to the face.Tooru laughed at him good-naturedly and Shota-san chastised him lightly on his poor sportsmanship.Tooru told him it didn’t matter how much he laughed at him because Iwa-chan never cared and would get back up.
“Yes Tooru?”Shota-san says,glass of water in hand.It was already getting late;the sun was slowly setting as they were wrapping up their impromptu practice.They improvised a net with the clothes’ hanging line which wasn’t too high for them but just as high.When Tooru set,it felt like he was in an actual volleyball gym,albeit the external factors weren’t in their favor(wind).
“Thank you for today.And I’m sorry I was mean to you earlier.You really are an awesome guy,Shota-san.”Tooru said with a smile,staring off into the setting sun,“Nee-san is lucky to have you.”
Shota-san chuckles lightly and ruffles Tooru’s hair lightly,“I’d say it’s more like I’m lucky to have her.”he goes silent for a moment,sighs,then asks,“You wanted to ask me questions yeah?”
Tooru brightens at this, “Yes!” he turns towards Hajime and shouts at him to come over.This ends with him getting a volleyball to the face.
“Ow ow Iwa-chan!You are lucky that it was the soft one or else I’d have a consuc…concu..”
“A concussion?”Shota-san says,clearly amused as he is seated cross-legged on the patio.
“Yes.That.”Tooru grumbles as Hajime seats next to him,across from Shota-san.
“Okay ask.”Shota-san asks,clearly having made up his resolve and has stifled his anxiety for the meantime.
Tooru racks his head for a question but Hajime beats him to it,“Shota-san,how did you and Aiko-san meet?”
Shota-san eyes widen in shocked at first,obviously not expecting such a ‘to-the-point’ question as the first one put he later smiles as he says,“We met in high school at an away game.She found me in the hallway of the gymnasium,wracked with anxiety at my first official game in the interhigh tournament.I had caved in on myself,holding back tears and the urge to vomit.She sat with me through it,soothingly talked to me,whispered reassurances of ‘you can do it.Don’t be scared!’to me,a stranger!”
Shota-san sighed lovingly, “I ended up staying on the starting line-up all thanks to her.We won,made it to the next round but lost.Before we left,already suffering the stinging pain of defeat,I went out to look for her and I got her number,The rest is history.”
“That’s so cute Shota-san!”Tooru says truthfully.He still expected that mugging story in Shibuya to be half true.
Shota smiles in response to this until he says,“Okay next.”
“Why do you love nee-san?”Tooru asks contemplatively.I mean yes she helped through his worst times but friends can do that.Hajime does that all the time when he scrapes his knee playing in the playground or when he gets too worried because Kaa-san isn’t back home at her usual time so he uses the landline to call Hajime’s mum to talk to him but that doesn’t mean he’ll marry Hajime,right?
“What’s not to love?”Shota-san says as he counts,“She’s pretty,kind and a bit of ass- a jerk!Yes,a jerk.She’s funny-don’t tell her I said that-caring and always has the right things to say.She already said it before but she is my best friend.Has seen every bad moment in my adolescent-to-adult life and chose to stay.Been there for every win and lose at my volleyball games and cheered or consoled me through it.Even after she quit volleyball after highschool,she always made sure to come to my college games even though she needed to focus on her pre-med studies.She’s never doubted me once.Always believed in me,even when we were just strangers in a gymnasium to big for them.”he paused and whispers softly,”I’ve loved her before I could even understand what love was;I’ve known its meaning through her.Isn’t that reason enough?
Tooru and Hajime stared at each other in confusion.They expected the usual “she’s pretty” or “the heart wants what it wants” not..that!Shota-san said it so easily too,as though it was law and not emotion.As if he had repeated it multiple times.No hesitation,no stummer.Just pure adoration.
“Wow Hajime!Do you think we’ll feel this way someday about someone?”Tooru says in awe.Such admiration!If only he could experience it some day.
Of course Hajime ignored him,cheeks flushed for one reason or another.He asks Shota-san one final question,“How do you know like-like someone?”
Shota-san chuckles as he murmurs like-like to himself in amusement but answers Hajime with the uttermost convinction, “I don’t know about like-like Hajime but when it comes to love,you just know.When the time comes,you’ll know.”
When the time comes,you’ll know.
~
“Thank you for the dinner,Oikawa-san.It was delicious”Shota-san says as he stands up to clear the table only to be stopped by Kaa-san.
“You’re very welcome but I won’t have my guest do the dishes!I'll do it,”Kaa-san stands up as she says,“And I already told you to call me Kaa-san!You are my son-in-law for goodness sake!”
Shota-san laughs nervously,clearly not wanting to appear rude.He sent nee-san a look,clearly a universal sign for help! but she just ignores him in favor of cackling at him in amusement
“I’ll help you Shota-san,”Hajime says as he gets up.
“Hajime no!How dare I let guests wash the dishes when my own children just sit around idly!Sit down now!”Kaa-san says with finality.Hajime and Shota-san sit down as nee-san sighs tiredly.
“Ma,I was the one driving all day long,not him!”she points an accusing finger at Shoto-san,“I should be the one resting!”
“Don’t give me that Aiko!You left him alone for two hours to babysit only to go gossip with your friends at the konbini.You’ve had enough rest.Get up and do the dishes.Tooru,follow her.”
“It wasn’t gossip!At least not at first!I really did have errands to run you know.”Nee-san pouts but stands up anyway to take the dishes,Tooru in tow.
“I wash,you wipe.Who knows what those clumsy,seven-year-old hands are capable of.”Nee-san says as she wears the green rubber gloves from the brand that kaa-san likes.She hands him a pink hand towel
They work in sync and in silence.Sometimes nee-san hums a song,other times Tooru whistles to himself.It is peaceful and quiet,as they both concentrate on their task.The silence is broken by nee-san with a question:
“So,how did you like Shota hm?”
Tooru takes a moment to answer.He was too into the task that he didn’t fully register her words,“What?”
“How was Shota today?He wasn’t crying when I got back so I wagered you guys hit it off?”Nee-san chuckles as she pointed to the living room,where Hajime was uncharacteristically gesticulating as he talked to Shota-san who nodded and hummed every so often,“Hajime seems to like him more than me now.”
“Yeah.He was great.He taught me how to set and spike,after a week of struggling to make a good receive!”Tooru brightens,just remembering how much he accomplished in an hour with a good teacher in comparison to a week alone.He cannot wait to join the volleyball club!
“Yeah,he is isn’t he?”Nee-san’s gaze softens as she looks back at him,completely serious,“There is a lesson to be learnt from this too,Tooru.”
Tooru looks at her in confusion,hand towel forgotten for a moment.Nee-san sighs louder than necessary and flicks him on the forehead with suds in her hands.
“You never have to do it alone.I know I’m not always here Tooru,I do,but remember you’ll always have someone.Ma and Hajime will always be here.Learn to depend on others.”Nee-san says as her attention turns back to the dishes,“You deserve the peace of knowing you are not alone and never have to do it by yourself.”
Tooru could feel..something lift from his chest.A heavy feeling he is yet to understand that nee-san’s words lightened and made it bearable.He smiled to himself,towel in hand again
“Thank you nee-san,really.He was great.You are as lucky to have him as he is luck to have you.”
Nee-san chuckles good naturedly as she finishes up with the dishes,hands Tooru the last ceramic bowl,“He’s almost too good for me sometimes.”
“He looks like a mugger with the heart of a poodle.Let’s not go too far there,nee-san.”Tooru mumbles softly,ever weary of his mother’s selective hearing.
Nee-san,always the risk-taker,guffaws as she whacks Tooru good-naturedly,“Don’t say that!Don’t!I might pee my pants To!”
After laughing and rolling on the floor for a while,she finally gets up.
“Sho is not a mugger Tooru,”she stifles a laugh,“Heck,I could probably out-mug him if I wanted to!He’s just a metalhead.Most of them are just big softies.Plus,he’s a teacher.”
“He’s a teacher?”Tooru chose to ignore the question of what a metalhead was.That would be answered by the man himself in due time.
“Well,more like a teacher in practice,”Nee-san said as she wiped her hands with the kitchen towel,already looking fatigued from just scrubbing a handful of dishes.“But a good one.His students love him.”
“What does he teach?”Tooru asks,curiosity getting the best of him.Does he teach volleyball?Can he teach me volleyball during the summer?
“Foreign languages.Think English and Spanish more so.A bit of French and Portuguese too but he isn’t completely fluent in them.”
Tooru was in awe.That meant that Shota-san knew five different languages;two that he was already fluent in?! “Nee-san,your fiancé is so cool!I want to learn five languages someday too.”
Nee-san laughs as she gestures for Tooru to the living room area.It seems like Hajime has quieted down;the exhaustion of the day getting to him.He was sleeping soundly on the couch,a blue blanket covering him.Tooru could feel the day’s exhaustion get to him too as he yawned and went over to wake him up,“Iwa-chan hey,you’ll wake up stiff if you sleep here.Let’s go to my room.”
Hajime mumbles incoherent words and stands up as they go to the bedroom,retiring to the same bed as they always do.
“Good night Iwa-chan.”Tooru says as he covers both of them with the duvet.
“Good night.”Hajime slurred,already drifting off to sleep.
Tooru stayed for a while thinking about Shota-san and what nee-san said:
He’s almost too good for me sometimes.
Tooru looked at Hajime beside him,sleeping peacefully and couldn’t agree more.
20 years later
“Otou-san,is that Uncle Tooru?”Takeru exclaimed as he stared across the stadium from the bleachers.Shota stared off to the direction that Takeru was pointing at;at the land of sea blue jerseys.When Shota initially heard that the next Olympics would be held in Tokyo,he immediately started searching for tickets.They were expensive,of course it was.It was the Olympics after all!And they were selling out fast.
But,during one of his evening escapades searching every corner of the internet for just three tickets,his beautiful wife came behind him and flopping leisurely over his back,smirking.
“You are still searching for them,Sho?”Aiko said smugly.Even after almost twenty years of marriage,he still couldn’t get over it.He married her!And it lasted long enough to get a son!
Shota turned his head slightly in her direction,already frowning at the apparent amusement in her eye, “What are you looking so smug for?Did you magically happen upon the tickets?”
“Nope.Of course not,”Aiko said dramatically,in a very yes I did find some but I won’t tell you how way,“But I do have a message from my brother.”
Shota straightened up a bit at this,“What did Tooru say?"
Aiko clears her throat,“Tooru called me earlier today and told me to tell you,and I quote,‘Tell Shota-san that unfortunately,families don’t get free tickets to the Olympics and have to pay but because I,Oikawa Tooru,am the world’s best brother-in-law,got you early access to the tickets with the unofficial help of the JNT’s athletic trainer because I am not a traitor to Argentina!’
Shota laughed at that,already missing the kid.Well,I guess he wasn’t a kid anymore,is he?He slowly smiled,eternally grateful to whatever forces that he got on this his good side when he did,nearly two decades ago.
“How convenient to tell me this after I've been stressing over it for a day,”Shota turned,fully facing his wife who has stopped hugging him in favor of staring off into the distance.
“Just a bit of entertainment to keep the romance alive,”Aiko’s eyes soften as she faced him,“Can you believe it?He made it to the Olympic starting lineup!My little brother is an Olympian!”
Shota’s eyes soften,“I still remember when he couldn’t even set and know he’s Argentina’s official setter.”
Aiko smiles slightly,“Yeah.And the damn kid is good too!Pisses me off.”
“Yeah,that’s him Takeru.In the number 13 jersey,”Shota says,as he stares off to the Argentinian team.They are currently doing warm-up stretches,being guided by their athletic trainer on specific movements.Shota is close enough to see everything,only in the third row.He is too lost in thought to pay attention to his son and wife,the two megaphones that they are,from shouting:
“Tooru!”
“Uncle Tooru!”
Shota can see heads turn towards them in confusion.He can feel the embarrassment creep into his soul slowly as even the Japan team turns towards them and it is clear from some of their scowls that they did not appreciate the reminder that they'd be going up against Oikawa Tooru.
He can see Tooru turn towards the voices and instantly smile brightly.He says something vaguely to the athletic trainer who nods and begins to sprint to the bleachers.Shota gets up as well,going to his two favourite people and stops their hooting and hollering before they get thrown out of the stadium.
“Nee-san,Takeru,you came!”Tooru says as he finally stops at the bleachers.It’s been more than two years since he’s seen him,the last time being Christmas at kaa-san’s in Miyagi.He’s grown,not taller by any means but more.. matured.His hair is more cropped,his originally darker brown hair lightened by the San Juan sun.The little baby fat that could easily be seen on his face replaced by sharper,more angular features,He is broader,looked stronger and was radiating an excited energy,one that Shota knows can only be brought about by volleyball.
Tooru’s gaze moved towards him.Still sharp and perceptive but kind.He bowed slightly,“Shota-san.”
Shota replied in kind,“Tooru,thank you for the tickets.We really appreciate it."
Tooru smiled slightly,“It was really nothing Shota-san.I wanted to see all of you and it’s been so long since I’ve seen my nephew!” his gaze turned to Takeru as he patted his head,“How’s volleyball practice kid?Is it still fun?”
“Hell yeah it is!”Takeru exclaimed happily as he turns his head to take in the court,“Where is Iwaizumi-san, Uncle Tooru,”
Tooru’s face fell and he pursed his lips,immediately irritated,“The traitor is there,helping out the competition,”he pointed to the Japan side of the court,where he could vaguely make out Hajime instructing some players in stretches,“I’ll still crush them tho.”
Aiko laughs at this and shakes her head in amusement,“You better!Japan needs to be humbled a bit.”
Tooru laughs as well,a similar sound to that of Aiko,“Oh,they will.Then I’ll banish Iwa-chan to the couch every night after the Olympics is over.”he almost cackles now,“Traitors who lose don’t get comfortable beds!”
Suddenly an announcement comes for people to take their seats.He can see Tooru being beckoned by his teammates to the court.Tooru waves them off as he says,“Your place this time,right nee-san?After the volleyball games are over and I win gold?”
Aiko grins at him and pats him on the shoulder lightly,“Sure kid.I’ll even go for Ma and Iwaizumi-san in Miyagi if you want,"she suddenly grips his shoulders with a competitive fire in her eyes, “But only if you win”
Tooru grins as he turns to leave,“I'll definitely win.”
~
Argentina did not win gold but they did win bronze.
Japan reached the quarterfinals but was eliminated,making it to the top eight.
It is easy to gauge Tooru and Hajime’s reactions:
“Well,well,well.Look what the cat dragged in,”Tooru says as Hajime walks over to the bleachers,greeting them.Hajime choses to ignore him in favor of greeting them,“Hello Aiko-san,Shota-san.Hello Takeru,it’s been a while.”
“Iwaizumi-san!Japan was so cool out there!”Takeru exclaims in awe as he hears Tooru murmur something that sounded like betrayed by my own kin,“Can you get me Ninja Shoyo’s autograph!?”
“Don’t you want mine,Takeru?You know,the bronze Olympic medalist?” Tooru says,holding up his medal and waving it in front of the kid like a hypnotic charm.
“I already have ten of your autographs Uncle Tooru,”Takeru said monotonously and Shota swears he can hear Tooru’s heart break,“Plus,he is way cooler than you."
“You can say that again,”Hajime murmurs as Tooru stares at him,clearly offended.
“You’ll tell me who’s cooler after I lock you out of the house Hajime,” Tooru says sardonically as he stares at husband.
“You talk big for someone without Japanese citizenship anymore,”Hajime bit back, “I’ll just say a random man entered my house and locked me out.Then we’ll see what the headlines have to say about Argentinian’s new rising star.”
Tooru actually pouts at this,looking all defeated for someone with an Olympic medal,“So mean Iwa-chan!You know,most nice husbands would give their partner a kiss after such an accomplishment,not threaten them with deportation!”
“Most nice husbands don’t threaten to leave their partners in the cold night as well,”Hajime says without missin
It means they are important enough for you to careg a beat but still murmurs later, “Good work out there loser.That was a crazy service ace you did in the first set.”
Tooru immediately brightens at this and starts ranting to Hajime about the regimes he had to undergo to improve his already powerful serve,make it more precise and how he changed his body language to confuse the receivers and liberos.Hajime nods along at this,as he always does,already asking him if he followed the stretching routine he recommended.The three of them already forgotten as the love birds go back and forth and leave to their respective teams with a promise of meeting during dinner and a small hug.
Shota suddenly remembers a memory.It happened the morning after he met Tooru,twenty years ago:
Shota-san,what does it mean when a person’s opinion matters to you more than anything else?
It means they are important enough for you to care.