Haikyuu ~ Iwaoi

Oikawa

Iwa opened the door. He looked as good as ever. Stunning smile, intensely dark eyes. He got a bit taller, Oikawa noticed, but other than that not much had changed. The worn cotton t-shirt he was wearing outlined his muscles nicely. 

Oikawa internally sighed at himself. Say something, Oikawa. Before he could, Iwaizumi nearly knocked him over with a hug. Oikawa blinked in surprise and hesitantly hugged him back, unsure of what to do. Iwa let go to grab the volleyball he'd dropped, and when he stood back up Oikawa couldn't help but keep staring. 

He wondered how other people dealt with this kind of thing. Having a crush on your childhood best friend, too afraid to do anything about it. Ever since he realized it, sometime late in middle school, it was all he could do not to be a complete idiot around Iwa. Fortunately, he learned how to hide it well and Iwaizumi never suspected anything. But he sometimes wished he could somehow find the courage to tell him.  

He heard Iwa stutter something, but he wasn't really paying attention. He shrugged, too transfixed by the happy look on Iwa's face. Dammit, Oikawa say something. Is Iwa blushing?  

"So... a three-on-three, huh?" Seriously. Oikawa cringed inside. Well, let's play What Stupid Thing Will Oikawa Say This Time, shall we. "Kindaichi told me how desperate you are to have me as your setter," he said. WOW. But thankfully, Iwa was still good ol' Iwa. He merely grinned. 

"Yeah, right. Me, desperate? For Shittykawa? Come on, I think my mom's baking something. Wanna set a few in the back before everyone gets here?" He walked back inside. Oikawa followed and laughed a little bit. 

It was so good to be back. 

They headed for the back door, but when they walked past the kitchen area, Oikawa braced himself. Akari gasped. She was as beautiful and tough-looking as ever. 

"Tooru! Sweetie, it's been so long? What happened?" She came up and hugged him, even harder than Iwa had. Oikawa smiled nervously and looked over at Iwa desperately. Even so, he couldn't help but feel like he'd come home after a long trip away. There was something so familiar and comforting about Iwa, about his family and his house. Akari pulled back and looked up into Oikawa's eyes, and a twinge of guilt pinched his gut. She looked like she really had missed him. Her green eyes were filled with love and worry, and Oikawa swallowed as a rush of memories fell over him in a wave.  Akari patted his shoulders and let her hands slide down his arms, sizing him up as if to see how much he'd grown. Why had  he stayed away so long?

"Put your bag down, make yourself comfortable! You sure have a lot of explaining to do. The sata andagi are almost ready. Tofu's in the back, I'm sure he's missed you, too. Once he smells you in here-" 

"Mom," Iwa interjected. Oikawa looked over to see his exasperated face. He laughed, and Akari stepped back a little, like she'd forgotten Iwa was there. 

"Right, right, you came to play volleyball. Sorry, dear. But when it's time for the food break, I expect some answers!" Akari smiled and took Oikawa's bag off of his shoulder. He looked at her fondly, still feeling bad for making her worry.

"Of course. I'm really sorry for staying away so long-"

"No, no apologies! Go catch up with Hajime. He can't shut up about you for one day, I'm sure you two have plenty of things to work out. " And with that, she turned back to the food. Oikawa looked over at Iwa and smiled. 

"Come on," said Iwa, and they stepped out the back door into Iwaizumi's spacious backyard. 

The familiar back deck hadn't changed a bit, and the old table and chairs were even in the same spot. Oikawa and Iwa had tried to convince his mother to get rid of them, but Akari stubbornly kept the eyesores around. Oikawa smiled. He realized Tofu's barking had ceased and looked down just in time to see the dog jump on him, knocking him flat on the ground. 

"Tofu! Ack, Iwa-chan, get this ball of fur off me!" Oikawa whined and laughed at the same time, holding his hands up to shield his face from the onslaught of canine kisses. Tofu's entire body wagged in happiness and Iwaizumi snickered from somewhere above. All Oikawa could see was yellow-brown fur. Stinky dog breath replaced his oxygen and he managed to sit up before the Akita could lick him any more. 

"Well. Tofu missed you," said Iwa, bending to scratch the dog behind the ears. Oikawa snorted. 

"Yeah, a little too much. Ick," he said and wiped slobber off of his cheek. He smiled though, and gave the dog an affectionate pet before shoving him off his lap and standing up. "So, can I set for you?"

Iwa grinned lopsidedly and Oikawa's stomach did a little somersault. Keep it together, Oikawa. He easily smiled back, having perfected his facade a long time ago. His insides were still all over the place, though, and he walked past Iwa down the stairs into the grass. 

The backyard seemed a bit smaller, probably just because Oikawa was older. The volleyball net  still stood in the middle of it, as worn and glorious as ever, missing a few of its threads. The grass had been recently mowed, and Oikawa noticed with a smile the Tsubaki and Sumire flowers Akari proudly grew along the sides of the yard. 

She'd started planting them years ago, just a few, and then gradually the entire border of the yard was boasting beautiful purple and red flowers. Oikawa was glad to see them still growing. 

"Alright let's see if you can still set," Iwa called teasingly. He stood next to the stairs to the deck, around where the edge of the court would be. Oikawa popped his knuckles and walked over to stand in front of the net. He looked back at Iwaizumi with a smirk. 

"Let's see."