In their final year of high school, Oikawa became the captain of Aoba Johsai's volleyball team with Iwaizumi at his side as vice captain. [Name] would usually stay late after school so that she could walk home with the two boys but the day they had gotten appointed the positions, she had been busy at home studying for an upcoming exam the next day. Oikawa had shown up at her front door that night with the news and she knew it was one of his goals so she proudly congratulated him, suggesting that they go out this weekend to celebrate. He agreed and passed it on to Iwaizumi through text.
The weekend came quickly and the trio was now standing at the corner of the street, trying to decide where to go for the night. The street lamp above their heads made a low, electric buzzing noise and flickered slightly every so often. Pale shadows of bugs flying around the lamp danced on the concrete beneath their feet while the wind brushed through the trees, creating a faint whooshing sound that was calming to the ears.
"Hmm. What about some grilled meat?" Iwaizumi suggested, scrolling through a list of places on his phone just like the other two were doing.
"Sounds good." [Name] and Oikawa agreed.
The savory meal was filled with laughter, teasing, and inside jokes. It ended as quickly as it came however, leaving the trio outdoors once again.
"Wow, I'm so full." Oikawa stretched his arms above his head. "I could really go for a nap right now."
[Name] raised a brow at him, meeting his gentle gaze that seemed to linger on her even after she looked away to Iwaizumi who had the same thoughts she would speak. "A nap? You're gonna sleep like a whole day."
The brunette boy waved his hand. "Yeah, yeah. Anyways, I don't think I can walk home with you tonight. Sorry, [Name]. It feels like I'm gonna collapse in the middle of the road going from your house back to mine."
The girl sighed at his exaggeration even though their house were just across the road from each other. "It's okay. You should go home and sleep it off."
They said their goodbyes and good nights before heading off, Oikawa in one direction and [Name] and Iwaizumi in the other. The new vice-captain had offered to walk her home in place of Oikawa and so here they were, in front of the gate to her house. Crickets chirped loudly, their sounds overlapping one another and creating a commotion. The breeze that night was a cool, refreshing touch when it would brush past however it was getting a little too cold as fall would be approaching soon. The ground crunched beneath her feet as she turned to go in but Iwaizumi stopped her.
"[Name], I-" he paused and she could see the reluctance in his expression.
"What is it?" She asked, worried that it might concern Oikawa and trouble since he would get into some conflict every once in a while. Though it didn't happen often, it was enough for her to worry since she didn't want him to end up getting kicked off the volleyball team.
"I like you, [Name]."
"Iwaizumi…I'm sorry, but-"
"I know. I-" He raised his hand to the back of his head in awkwardness, dejection overtaking his gaze as he stared past her at the ground. "I thought this would happen. I know you like him but I…I just hoped…"
Hoped that you liked me too.
—☆—
Ever since Iwaizumi confessed to [Name] that night, things had become kind of awkward between them. They still remained amicable for the most part but now that their feelings had been laid out before them, they found it hard to maintain eye contact or stand too close to each other like they had done before. This behavior didn't go unnoticed by Oikawa but he didn't say anything about it for fear of jumping to the wrong conclusions about what may have happened between the two friends in his trio.
His curiosity took the better of him however, during volleyball practice after school that day. [Name] was there watching them and doing her homework as well. During a break, both Iwaizumi and Oikawa approached her since she would usually hand them their water bottles at this time.
"Today's practice feels harder than usual." Oikawa exhaled heavily as he plopped down on the bleachers next to her, his shoulders heaving with each breath he took in exhaustion. He wiped the sweat rolling down his forehead with the back of his hand before it could fall into his eyes and happily accepted the refreshing bottle of cold water [Name] handed to him.
Iwaizumi silently agreed to his statement with a small dip of his head and when he went to take his water from [Name], he accidentally brushed his hand against hers and flinched slightly in response. Neither of them said anything and the studious girl averted her gaze from his. Oikawa saw the interaction but continued gulping down his water, his chest aching slightly at the sight.
"Well, you know what they say, Tooru." [Name] chuckled, her voice lighthearted as usual but her fingers told another story as they nervously fidgeted with one another. "No pain, no gain."
The curly haired boy grinned pridefully and slung his arm over her shoulders despite the ache in his muscles pleading for him not to move. "Yep." He didn't notice, however, the way Iwaizumi dejectedly glanced over at the smiling pair. "And we'll be at nationals soon."
"I need to go to the restroom." Iwaizumi hurriedly muttered, his words tumbling over the other as he quickly got up from his seat.
Once he left, Oikawa took this chance to question [Name] about their strange behavior. He retracted his arm and he didn't know why but he felt kind of nervous. "Um, [Name]. . .did something happen between you and Iwaizumi?"
The girl met his soft gaze, concern painting itself into his features. "Ah, uh. . ." She stumbled over the syllables, her tongue twisting itself into knots. "T-the other day. . .when we went out to eat and he walked me home. . .he confessed to me."
No more words were needed for Oikawa to understand the situation his friends were going through. He pressed his lips into a thin line and the grip he had on his water bottle tightened. "So, are you two going out now?"
"N-no! No. It's not like that, Tooru." [Name] blurted and he felt a breath he didn't know he had been holding escape him in relief. "I didn't accept because. . .well, there's someone else I like."
Her voice grew quieter during the last few words of her sentence and Oikawa didn't know exactly what to do. He felt nervous and relieved at the same time. When he spoke again, his voice was almost a whisper.
"Who is it?"
"I–" [Name] didn't know why it was so hard to say when the name was sitting just on the tip of her tongue and the image of him was just at the front of her mind. His eyes, a brown as sweet as chocolate and as soft as silk, were patient, awaiting her answer.
Before she could tell him though, the corners of his lips lifted into a slight smile but the look in his gaze was different from how it was just a moment ago. "It's okay if you don't want to tell me."
The coach's whistle rang out right at that moment, signaling the end of the athletes' break. The high trill echoed throughout the gym and remained in her ears even after it was over. "W-wait, Tooru-"
But he had already risen from his seat and in place of it was the water bottle he'd been holding. She peered up at him but he had his back to her and was stretching out his limbs. Just before he ran back onto the court, he glanced at her one last time but she couldn't read his expression as he said his next words.
"Whoever it is, they'll be lucky to have you."
