Splash of Color

9: Portraits

You're pulled out of your trance when the door to the art clubroom once again makes a loud creak. You sigh and turn to the regular intruder standing by the door with a pout on his face.

"Rudolph~ Why is this door always closed?" He whines as he walks into the room. "You always stop what you're doing when I come in!"

You roll your eyes at his usual act. "Isn't that nice for you? My attention all goes to you for that one tiny moment."

You can see him hesitate for a moment at your response before he speaks up again. "Well that is nice but..."

You just huff out a sigh to cut him off another one of his complaining tangents before you start clearing up your materials. "Since you've decided to crash here I assume it's time to go?"

He glances at you after his contemplation with whatever complaint he was going on about to you a moment ago and nods. "Yeah! I finished first this time, aren't I such a good friend?"

When you see him do his usual wink you grab your paint palette and pass it to him. "I'm sure an even better friend can help me clean up since he's the best, hey?"

He grumbles at your response but does it anyway. "I am the best..."

~~

"Hey~ Guess whose picture this is!" Oikawa once again shows me another photo on his phone but this time the subject is very familiar...

"How did you even take that?" You quirk your brow at him. It was your finished painting from a while back when his fans did some...adjustments to it.

"Hm well~" He hums, "the same way I took this!" He shows you another photo on his phone which makes your jaw hang open a little. "Ah, ah, ah Rudolph~" His finger goes under your chin, inching it upwards to close your mouth. "Flies might come in."

Was this the reason why he was so nonchalant about the sketch you drew of him? Now you knew what he meant by 'I guess we're even then~'.

You snap your head up to face him with a glare. "Y-you..." You stop for a moment to compose yourself. That photo...It was a picture of you that first day you guys started talking—your Rudolph nose and all its glory. What irked you even more was that smug smirk planted on his face upon your flustered expression. "Why do you have that?" You try to take his phone to delete the picture but he just holds it high above his head so you don't reach. "Why did you even show me that?!"

He shrugs. "You weren't paying attention to my complaints and..." He flicks your forehead lightly, making you step back a little. "Your expression right now is priceless. The only other time I've seen this face was when we talked for the first time." A smug smirk takes over his face. "Like a fish out of water..." He dangles his phone in front of you. "Like a deer in headlights..."

You noticed there were hints of this taunting personality here and there but it was definitely out in the open now. This was another side of Oikawa, right before your very eyes. You weren't sure how to deal with it since your friendship mostly consisted of playful banter. You thought back as to what might have triggered it.

Coming up with nothing, you decided to figure it out on a later time. First you needed to figure out another way to get rid of that picture...

The gears in your mind kept turning until it finally clicked with an idea and you quickly dug through your bag to pull out your sketchbook that held that sketch of Oikawa. "Then lets do a trade!" You open your sketchbook and carefully rip out the page, dangling it in front of his face. "You can have this sketch if I can have that photo."

He contemplates on your compromise for a moment before nodding. "Deal." He takes the sketch from your hands and then focuses on his phone as he sent you the picture.

You feel your phone vibrate and you look to see that Oikawa has kept his word. "Okay, now delete it."

He looks at you smugly. "Hm~ That wasn't part of the deal, was it?" He smirks at the gaping expression that you once again have.

"Oikawa-san!" You try reaching for his phone again but to no avail.

"Oikawa." His eyes catch onto yours and you could feel your next words catch on your throat at his unfamiliar tone.

"What?" You stop your movements for the moment and look at him questioningly.

He pays no mind to your confused expression. "Call me Oikawa, okay?" He gives you a little wink and tops it off with a light poke on your forehead before he starts walking again.

You instinctively reach up and cover your forehead from future attacks. "Maybe I will if you delete that picture..." Suddenly, a thought came to you. "Wait...You didn't by any chance...show anyone that picture did you?" You felt yourself cringe when you saw him flinch at the question. "Ah! Who did you show?!"

He turns to you with a sheepish grin. "Just a few friends..."

You grimaced. His version and your version of a few were substantially different. "...Few as in?"

"Well...Iwa-chan..." He trails off.

Your eyes widened. Is that why he laughed that time he looked at you when Oikawa mentioned what happened to you? You took a deep breath. Well if it's just Iwaizumi...

"—and maybe the volleyball team..." You realized he wasn't finished yet. But you weren't even surprised anymore.

You put up your hand halfway to halt him from speaking further. "You know what, I don't even want to know." You were a little upset that he would show people a picture of you in what you considered an embarrassing moment. Turning away from him, you just walk away so you wouldn't blow up at him.

"Aw Rudolph-chan!" You hear him call out as he catches up to you. You pay it no mind and ignore him.

That is, until he successfully stops you in your tracks by gripping your wrist. "Please don't be upset..." His voice resembled a little kid whose just gotten scolded by their parents, which in this case, is not far from the truth. "You might find it embarrassing but I find it a really good memory."

Your head snaps towards him, frustrated. "How is that a good memory?"

He pays no mind to your sharp tone and gives you a broad smile with his usual wink. "Isn't that the very reason we became friends?"

Your frustration for him started to die down once his words started to seep into your brain. You didn't take Oikawa as the sentimental type but here it was in all its glory. You sigh and let your arm fall limp in his grasp, signaling he was forgiven. "...Just don't show anymore photos of me without my consent, okay? And no candid shots of me either!" He nods vigorously and you pull him to the direction of the station—you guys have derailed from the path a lot today. "C'mon Spotty."

It's mostly quiet the rest of the way back until Oikawa's arm slips his way around your shoulder. "Hey, hey, tell you what!" He glances at you from the corner of his eye before looking ahead again. "I'll make it up to you by sending you a picture of all the pretty scenes I see from now on!"

You quirk your brow at his proposition since you had an idea on how he worked already. "That excludes your selfies, Oikawa."

"Che, you caught me~"

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Points to you if you noticed the chapters I referenced in this one! *cough* 2 & 5 *cough*Thanks for being patient with me about the weekly updates! Have a nice week everyone<3