deciphered

slow-kyo drifting I

"An issue with factor VIII physiology is that the active protein is inherently labile and possesses a short half-life in circulation, making it difficult to produce..."

You wrote down the last bit of information quickly into your notebook, glancing between the board and the clock on the wall. There was only a few minutes left before you finished your last class of the day, finally able to take the monorail home to your apartment.

Several weeks had passed since you'd last seen Oikawa in person, the last conversation in the car ride home turning into a session of getting to know the small things about him. He already knew everything about you somehow through Iwaizumi, down from your childhood antics to the types of movies you liked to watch. It was almost impossible for you to bring up something new about yourself as Oikawa already knew what you were going to say, finishing the sentence before you could.

It was quite unfair; he said he'd done his homework getting to know you through your cousin. He mentioned when you and Iwaizumi finally got back in contact with each other after a decade, he couldn't stop talking about you for over the course of several months. Oikawa said that it sounded like Iwaizumi was purposefully trying to sell you to him—hyping up your personality, your knowledge in biochemistry and how gorgeous you were based on the sole fact that you were related to him.

The minute Iwaizumi showed the most recent picture you took of yourself on your social media accounts, Oikawa was sold. He thought you were the most beautiful person he ever laid his eyes on.

That car ride was more of you getting to know him rather than him getting to know you. Oikawa brought up his family back in Osaka, a mother and his older sister who had a son. He also mentioned that he was out of contact with them for six years immediately after he joined the Kitagawa, missing out on the birth of his nephew. You remembered him pulling out his phone from his pocket, letting you go through the photos of his young nephew, Takeru.

Oikawa promised that he'd take you to meet his family if you wished to do so, even if it meant he would have to go back to Osaka. He said he always wanted to visit the United States, specifically the state of Hawai'i—mentioning that one day, he'd love to settle down and live there when he was old and gray. He even asked if you ever wanted to go there as well, idealizing the situation of you two happy on a beach, playing in the sand and swimming in the water.

You wondered if that was the same escapism he was talking about before, the thought of being whisked away to another country, living off the grid and away from the fast paced life he lived here in Japan. To slow down his life a bit, a form of normalcy he always craved—something you were able to provide for him too, a distinct contrast between your lives.

Another few weeks had also passed since you last saw Iwaizumi. He mentioned another big race was coming soon at the end of March, a celebration for the beginning of spring. You thought about possibly swinging by the Seijoh Tune Shop later after class to say hello and drop off a few things for your cousin. Your eyes shifted to the clock on the wall again, waiting for the hour to end. You tapped your fingers against your desk, resting your chin on your palm as you sighed heavily to yourself.

"...The majority of these antibody inhibitors target either the C2 or A2 domains of factor VIII and commonly disrupt the function of the cofactor in vitro."

Just as your professor finished his sentence, the hour ended. He wished everyone a great weekend before you closed your notebook and placed it into your bag. The moment you pulled the handles up, a man dressed in a black muscle tee and over-the-knee athletic shorts walked up to your desk clearing his throat.

"Hey," He spoke out. You lifted your head up and squinted your eyes a little bit, trying to recognize the man. "That lecture was confusing wasn't it? Do you wanna...I don't know, go get some coffee and review the material together after class?"

You looked up at the man, the smirk plastered diligently on his face as he leaned back on his right leg, resting his left hand inside the pocket of his jeans. Several of your classmates had already left, leaving you both alone in the classroom as your professor packed up his things.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" You sneered as you got up from your desk, the sound of your chair squeaking as you pushed it in.

"Come on, we've been in the same class all semester." The man chuckled, slicking back his dyed blonde hair with his right hand. You swung your bag over your shoulder, tucking your left hand into your jacket pocket as you stared at him with a confused and annoyed expression. "I'm Yuuji Terushima, we've had o-chem together before."

"Oh," you trailed before you began to walk away from him, insinuating your disinterest in his proposal. "No thanks."

"Hey, wait a second! Wait up!" Terushima followed behind you, running straight out of the classroom. Sighing to yourself, you clutched the handle to your bag and began to walk faster, putting on your earbuds in the process.

The monorail left exactly twenty minutes after your last class ended and you didn't want to miss it. You sped up your walking pace as you maneuvered through the influx of students throughout the campus. Terushima trailed behind, still wanting to grab coffee with you.

While walking through the University of Tokyo, you noticed the campus cherry blossom trees beginning to bloom—the wind bristled throughout the branches as the sakura petals dropped down and scattered the walkway. The beginning of April was right around the corner, Spring finally coming in. You noticed lots of students sitting down in the grass, enjoying their late afternoon lunches as the weekend approached.

"Look, I think you're really cute." You heard Terushima's voice faintly behind you through the music blasting in your ears. "I just wanted to know if I can take you out on a date or get your number, 'ya know, so we can get to know each other better."

You stopped in place, taking out your left earbud. You gave him a disdained expression, pulling the corners of your mouth to the left. Terushima crossed his arms and gave you a cocky smile, the arrogance exuding off of his demeanor. He placed his hand on your shoulder tightly and turned your body, forcing you to face him.

"If you give me a chance, I can treat you right—"

Vroom!

Terushima was then cut off by the rev of a loud engine down the street, the echo of the exhaust pipes spitting out crackled flames as the loud pops turned the heads of many students. Several women descended down the steps hurriedly in front of you into the bustling sidewalk a few meters away. They formed a large crowd at the base, peering over the street to get a glimpse of the action.

As you looked down the grand stairs to the entrance of campus, a white convertible Mazda MX-5 rolled up and parallel parked effortlessly on the side of the road. The sound of a trap song with a heavy bass boomed through the speakers, the car rumbling along to the beat.

Without turning off the engine, a familiar man swung open the door and stepped out onto the sidewalk—your one and only boyfriend, Tooru Oikawa, pushing back the bangs from his forehead while running his fingers through his hair.

He adjusted his slightly oversized moniker bomber jacket before checking the time on his phone, ignoring the greetings of several women coming up to admire him and his car. He then reached in and pulled the keys out from the ignition, placing it in his pocket.

The moment he looked up, his eyes fixated on you; the same mischievous smirk forming on the corner of his lips as a canine tooth poked through his smile. He cocked an eyebrow when he made eye contact with Terushima, lowering his eyelids down as he shot him an ominous glare.

You turned around and aggressively shrugged Terushima's hand off your shoulder, looking at him in the eyes with a smug expression on your face. "Sorry, my boyfriend's waiting on me."