Den Iwaizumi X Oikawa

Takeo

Warning: includes language.
Disclaimer: all the characters except Nakamura belong to Haruichi Furudate. Nakamura is a fictional character of my own making. None of the art is mine. Full credits go to the artists. Author-chan out!

The crowd laughed and whooped.

Iwaizumi wondered if he should let Nakamura go. I won, right? What are the rules about winning? Do they have to concede defeat, or is there a time limit on them not getting up, or what?

Thankfully, Nakamura solved the problem himself. "Okay, kid," he grunted into the floor. "You can let me up now, you won."

Hajime immediately moved away. He offered him a hand. Nakamura grinned and took it.

"You're a good fighter, kid. I haven't been beaten that quickly in a long time. What's your name?"

About to say Iwaizumi Hajime, he closed his mouth. If I want, I can make up a name for myself. I don't want any news of this getting back to the school. I need to maintain a good reputation to get into college. I can use an alias and no one will ever know.

"Takeo," he said decisively.

"No last name?"

"Just Takeo," Hajime told him.

"That's a strong name," Nakamura replied. "Fierce warrior. Or violent male depending on the translation. I like that." 

They walked out of the ring together. Nakamura raised Iwaizumi's hand over their heads. "Everyone, meet my new friend Takeo!" He shouted. "Now, let's drink!" Everyone cheered. The bartender worked faster. Someone shoved a bottle of alcohol into Iwaizumi's free hand. Nakamura let go of him. "Ahh, kid, they got you the good stuff," he said, eyeing the drink. "I don't suppose you'd mind sharing?"

Hajime held the bottle out to him. "All in good sportsmanship," he said. "You're a good man, Nakamura-san." The fighter took the bottle and drank. He licked his lips appreciatively. 

"Mmm. Yep, that's vintage stuff all right. Try some. And just call me Nakamura." 

Iwaizumi hesitated, but he didn't want to be rude. Nor did he want to stand out any more than he already had. He took a short sip.

Fiery liquid burned his mouth, searing his tastebuds. "Plaaah!" He yelped. He wiped his mouth with a wrist, since they were both still shirtless.

Nakamura chuckled. "It takes a bit of getting used to. Drink some more, slowly."

Hajime eyed him suspiciously, but he had drunk it too, so it wasn't poisoned or anything. He slowly raised the bottle to his lips and sipped again. It still felt like fire, but it was duller now. He drank a little more and passed it to Nakamura. They shared it for a while.

Other people came up to them. "Hey, Takeo, that was impressive," one guy told him.

"Yeah, I haven't seen Nakamura here be taken down like that in a while," a tall bedhead added.

Nakamura chuckled good-naturedly. "Yeah, yeah, rub in Kuroo. I can still take you down easily, you know."

"Caught!" Kuroo laughed, holding his hands up. They vanished into the crowd.

"Nice going," another guy told the ace. 

"I won good money on you," someone else, who introduced themselves as Konoha, said cheerfully. 

The alcohol buzzed pleasantly in his stomach. He got his shirt back at some point. Over time, almost everyone came up to Iwaizumi, chatting for a minute or two. He felt accepted. Other fights occurred, but he refrained from betting. He wasn't ready for that yet.