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IWAIZUMI stopped the car in front of Rin's house and put it into park before pulling out the keys. Rin looked at Iwaizumi with a head tilt, wondering why he pulled the keys out.
"I'll admit it... I'm jealous," Iwaizumi muttered under his breath. "Really? I didn't take you as one to get jealous easily," Rin teased him, leaning on the armrest in between their seats.
"I don't... he's just so tall and big, and I'm so... average," Iwaizumi said with a groan.
He pressed his index finger and thumb into his temples on his forehead as he pressed his eyes shut. Rin sighed and reached up to undo her ponytail she's been wearing all day long. In no way did she find Ushijima better than Iwaizumi. Iwaizumi was definitely her type of guy, and only that type. Rin didn't want anyone other than Iwaizumi, but it upset her when he thought low of himself.
Rin reached over and took his hand off of his head, beginning to massage his rough, calloused skin which prompted his eyes to open up. His olive green orbs glanced up at Rin's determined look, the same one she gave the last time she massaged his hand. Just like last time, Iwaizumi melted at the feeling of her fingers digging into his skin to relieve the pressure he felt in there.
"Don't go comparing yourself to other people. Sure you might be smaller than Ushijima-kun, but that doesn't make you any less of a person. I like you for you, not just the way you look," Rin said, focusing on massaging Iwaizumi's hand. "Yeah, but... there are so many other guys you could have gone for. Why me?" Iwaizumi asked.
Rin stopped massaging his hand and looked up to meet his serious gaze. She furrowed her brows as she pieced together her response, "Because you're the only Hajime-kun in this world."
Iwaizumi widened his eyes a little as Rin went back to massaging his hand. A small blush became evident on his cheeks at the little comment Rin made.
"Oh... I should get going now. It's almost seven, and I haven't eaten dinner," Rin said, looking down at Iwaizumi's wristwatch, "Ugh, now I have to make dinner as well."
"Do you want me to stay for dinner?" Iwaizumi asked, gaining Rin's attention. "You don't have to if you don't want to," Rin replied, smiling at Iwaizumi before gathering her things.
"Mm, I think I will," Iwaizumi said, opening up the door to get out.
Rin widened her eyes a little as she watched Iwaizumi jog over to her side of the car. He opened the passenger's side door and held out his hand to which Rin clasped immediately, allowing him to help her out. Rin was still dressed in the cheerleading outfit she made just for today's game, and she was just about tired of wearing it all day.
Iwaizumi held onto Rin's hand as he locked his car and pocketed his keys before leading her to the front door of her house. Rin pulled out her keys and unlocked the door, prompting the couple to enter and slip their shoes off.
"Why don't you... go get changed, and I'll go make us some food," Iwaizumi said as he pulled on Rin's hands, bringing her closer to him with a smirk. "I do think there is only rice or something, so good luck with that," Rin replied.
She quickly stood on her tippy toes to press a kiss to Iwaizumi's cheek before walking off to her room. Iwaizumi sighed contently and made his way to the kitchen to make the two of them food.
Rin entered her room and immediately grabbed her pack of makeup wipes sitting on her dresser to rub off whatever makeup remained on her face. Afterwards, she brushed through her tangled hair and braided it into a side braid for a casual but comfy style. Rin made her way to her closet and picked out a neutral colored floral set of pajamas which consisted of a collared, short sleeve shirt with matching shorts.
It didn't take Rin long to change out of her cheerleading outfit and into her pajamas, and in due time, she grabbed her phone, pocketed it, and walked out of her room. The smell of something cooking on the stove drove Rin to walk into the kitchen. She instinctively let out a light yawn as she walked up to the boy leaning against the countertop next to the running stove.
Iwaizumi opened his arms, and Rin immediately clashed with his hard chest. His strong arms wrapped around Rin's small form, and he rubbed her back lovingly as he glanced at the pot full of noodles from time to time.
"So, I got a message from Shittykawa, and being the idiot he is, he's throwing a little party tomorrow night," Iwaizumi began, catching Rin's gaze as she looked up curiously, "Apparently, it's because we're going to beat Karasuno again tomorrow, and he wants to celebrate before the actual game."
"Sounds just like him," Rin stated with a light giggle. "And I was wondering if you wanted to tag along," Iwaizumi replied, kicking himself off of the countertop.
"Um... I don't know. I have some work to do for college entrance exams, and I kind of promised... you know what? Never mind. I'll go," Rin said, hitching a breath as she tried not to speak on the matter.
Iwaizumi drained the noodles through a strainer, and with the help of Rin, he equally separated the pile into two bowls, topping it off with soy sauce and extra seasoning for taste. The two grabbed sets of chopsticks, and Rin led Iwaizumi into the dining room. They sat down on the floor and sat their bowls on the table.
"You were saying something about a promise?" Iwaizumi asked, curiosity getting to the best of him. "Uh... no I didn't. Forget I did, and let's eat," Rin replied.
"Rin."
Rin looked up to meet Iwaizumi's semi-threatning, piercing gaze as he sat straight with his legs crossed in front of him. She sighed and ate some of her noodles before wiping her mouth.
"I–I made a promise to my mother before she died. Basically, I promised her I would go into the medical field and become a doctor so I could help people with chronic illnesses... because... nobody helped her enough," Rin said, ending up mumbling the last bit, "I, eventually, grew to love studying medical science, so I do see myself achieving that promise... but it's stressful."
Rin sighed, rubbing away a few new tears that formed in her eyes.
"If I do become a doctor, it'll be like I'm helping her through the same kind of people with the same kind of illness she had," Rin added, pulling on a smile.
Rin's mother had died a few years ago due to stage four pancreatic cancer, and the doctors couldn't do anything to prolong her life. The day before her mother died, Rin idolized the idea that she could have be the one helping her mother to a full recovery since she felt she could do way better than the doctors here. And it definitely did inspire her to pursue that career after her mother's death.
Ever since then, Rin lived up to her promise to her mother. She didn't seem like the studious type to anyone who's just watched her from afar, but she was always passionate about getting the highest grades and recognition within the school. Nobody knew of this side of her, not even her closest friends Oikawa and Iwaizumi.
With the topic of Oikawa's party thrown into the air, Rin didn't want to go because she wanted to stay home and study for her college entrance exams, so she could go to a prestigious college after she graduated. At the same time, she enjoyed being with her friends, especially the Aoba Johsai volleyball team to which she felt almost like the manager of it.
"That's a good goal you're living up to, Rin, but not everything in life is about studying copious amounts at a time. To be stable, you need to integrate time management, and that way, you'll have enough time for everything. I'm not saying you should go to the party, but I don't want to be out having fun while you're stuck here studying. It doesn't sit right with me, and I'm sure your mother wouldn't want you wasting your childhood just sitting at your desk, reading from textbooks," Iwaizumi spoke up, catching Rin's eyes.
"And what if I skipped studying for one day? Wouldn't that horribly affect how I do on the test?" Rin asked, crossing her arms. "Okay, when is the test?" Iwaizumi questioned.
"In two weeks."
"Perfect, that's enough time to prepare. You going to that party won't affect it whatsoever, and you'll still have time to study afterwards," Iwaizumi said, grabbing his chopsticks to eat his cold noodles.
Rin smiled a little and rested her head on Iwaizumi's shoulder, hooking her arms with his arm.
"If my mother was still here, she'd probably forget I was in the room and awe at you the entire time."
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