Haikyuu ~ Iwaoi

Present time (like the beginning of their second year)

Oikawa groaned and put the side of his head down on his desk, blowing hair out of his eyes. He let his eyes come in and out of focus, looking longingly out the window to the old volleyball gym now used for storage. Someone stepped in front of his line of sight, making him close his eyes.

"Oi-oikawa? Tooru Oikawa?" A girl's voice prodded. Oikawa sighed and opened his eyes, taping a small polite smile on his face. He sat up.

"Hello," he said. The girl was small, probably a first year. Her flat brown hair brushed her shoulders as she looked down at her feet. She blushed nervously and smiled a little. Inwardly, he sighed. Normally, he'd be fine with a little popularity, but today it was a bit tiring. The girl cleared her throat.

"Well, um, my friend just wanted to give you this." She set a piece of paper down on her desk and ran out of the room, and in the hall Oikawa could hear giggles and squeals. He rolled his eyes. He picked up the folded piece of paper and written inside was a phone number and a name. He put it in his pocket. He returned his head to his desk with another sigh.

"Shouldn't you be studying?" A familiar pain-in-the-butt voice made Oikawa hit his head on the desk. Kindaichi chuckled and sat down in the seat next to him. "Hey, Iwaizumi was wondering if you wanted to throw a ball around after school. That is, if you aren't too busy with the upcoming exams." He put his paper lunch bag on the table and took an apple out. Oikawa sat up again.

"Why's he been asking me more lately? And why'd he send you to do it?" Oikawa's stomach growled and he slumped in his seat.

"Well, we all know you still practice by yourself in your backyard. And I only volunteered to pass the message along because I was headed here anyway. And we're planning a three on three tonight, and he wants you to be his setter. He figured it was worth a shot even though you've been less than social lately." Kindaichi spoke through mouthfuls of sandwich and apple. Oikawa gave him a disgusted look, which he ignored.

"Tell him I'm not interested." Even as he said so, a twinge of guilt and longing pinched his gut. Or maybe that was hunger. Kindaichi sighed.

"Come on. You won't be studying, will you? Or did you finally get a date?" He snorted at that and took a sip of his water bottle. Oikawa glared at him. "What?"

"No, and no. But my parents will want me to study so I might as well fake it." He opened his book to signal the end of the conversation, but Kindaichi had a way of disregarding social cues.

"Oh, it's one evening. It won't take up more than a couple hours. Come on, man. You're missing it, I can tell. Why've you been such a recluse?"

Oikawa closed his book and looked at Kindaichi, exasperated. Yahaba walked in at that moment, taking the empty desk in front of Kindaichi. He was eating a meat bun and looking back and forth between Kindaichi and Oikawa expectantly. "Did you convince him yet?" But he talked with his mouthful, too, so it sounded more like "dud yough cunvonce ham yeh". Oikawa gave him a look like he wanted to slap the meat-bun right out of his mouth. Yahaba only swallowed and smiled.

"I'm working on it. A little help?" Kindaichi smirked.

"Oh, now you're ganging up on me?" Oikawa threw his hands up as if to say "great" and put his head back down on his desk. Yahaba chuckled.

"If you joined Iwaizumi and Kunimi, then we'd have a perfect three on three. Me, Kindaichi and Kyoutani are the other team. And don't tell Kyoutani I said this, but if you teamed up with them there's kind of no way we could beat you. At least, if all the big talk Iwaizumi throws around about you is true." Yahaba took another bite of his meat bun and looked at Oikawa as he sat up again.

Big talk Iwaizumi throws around? What's that supposed to mean? His confusion must've shown on his face, because Kindaichi nodded and grinned.

"Yeah, all we ever hear about is how great a setter you are and how you practice all the time and how much you miss the game. It's annoying, to be honest, how much he talks about you when we play. I'd like to see if it's true," Kindaichi said with a smile.

Before Oikawa could say anything in response, the lunch period ended and Kindaichi and Yahaba got up to leave. It looked as if they tried to hide it but Oikawa noticed disappointment on their faces. Before they got to the door, Oikawa grumbled.

"Wait." They turned around expectantly. Kindaichi looked at Yahaba with an expression of barely contained glee. Oikawa rolled his eyes. "Right after school? Just a couple hours?"

Yahaba grinned. "Yeah! Iwaizumi's backyard! So you'll be there?"

Oikawa looked at the worn old bracelet on his wrist. "You'll find out." He heard them both say "YES" at the same time, quietly so they thought he wouldn't hear.

"See ya, Oikawa!" 

Oikawa waved without looking up.