You watch in a distant daydream behind the paned glass, fixated on the blossoming trees rustling amongst the gentle breeze, stolen away by each leaf that drifts side to side. You've tuned out your perky teacher, oblivious to her energetic words of motivation as she runs through an assignment.
However, the sudden slam of her coffee mug landing against her desk snaps you straight out of your stupor. "...And make sure you hand in those slips on your way out." Mrs Gregory continues, only half her sentence storing a place in your ears. "Have a nice lunch!" She then beams, the class responding with great difficulty to mirror her enthusiasm. You whirl your gaze back to the front of the room at that, checking the clock to see that class is in fact finished. And not wanting to waste any more time, you pack up your things and swing your bag over your shoulder, strolling out of class behind your many other classmates.
When you finally make it to the cafeteria, you're surprised you don't see your friends at the usual table, the four empty seats looking rather sad and dismal in the far corner. You assume Hana's at basketball club. Emi, however, you remain unsure of.
You take a seat anyway, not caring if you might look like a loner to some, their opinion isn't exactly your problem. And You don't mind it, actually; sometimes it's nice to eat in peace, to be alone once in a while. Maybe you'll even listen to a bit of music...
"Excuse me," a smooth voice sneaks up from your right. You glance up, but not quite far enough when you realise how tall they stand. Craning your neck up a little higher, you're met with a male's gentle smile whose dark curls match his soft, brown eyes. "You mind if I sit?"
Surprised, but not exactly opposed, you nod and offer a polite smile. "Sure, not at all."
He takes the seat directly across from you, and you notice he doesn't have any food with him...or anything really. Not even a book or some work. But that doesn't stop you from beginning to take out your own lunch like usual.
"I'm Riku, Y/N right?" He speaks up, leaning back in his chair as he eyes you somewhat curiously.
You're not sure how to react, but you'd be lying if you said you didn't feel a little caught off guard, and you worry it's a little too obvious in your current expression. "Um yeah, how'd you know?" You finally say.
"I listen around..." you nod with confusion at his vague words, unsure of what he could possibly mean by that, "How come you were sat on your own?"
You chuckle lightly at his odd question, "How come you're sitting with me?" You retort playfully.
He laughs at that, "Fair point."
Settling with a smile, you prepare to take a bite of your sandwich before realising that may seem rude, "Is there something you need?" You ask honestly, still a little unsure of his spontaneous intrusion.
"Well, I'm friends with Hana, so I guess I just wanted to introduce myself."
"Oh." You falter your gaze back to him, a little bashful as you finally recognise the name. He's in the basketball club too, he probably sees her in the gym all the time since they have to share. "I'm sorry. Does it help if I say you looked familiar?"
He laughs as his smile slips into a playful one, "Depends if your only saying that for the sake of my feelings."
"Ah, your right. No point in lying then." you joke along.
"Y/N." A cold and eerily serious voice interrupts, your laugh falling flat. You recognise it immediately and feel your stomach swirl a little. You honestly don't know if it's out of nervousness or a swish of butterflies, maybe even both considering all that's occurred recently.
You glance up at Oikawa, confused. You immediately catch his null expression, eyes a scary kind of calm. Your eyes then falter behind him to where the volleyball club is sat, all looking curious, including your brother. You let your eyes fall back to the presence before you, unsure what to think. "Oikawa." You respond firmly, a little worried underneath, though.
He stares like he's waiting to speak but then turns to Riku with an even colder expression, that coolness to his gaze sharp and intimidating. You can see Riku shift in his seat slightly before clearing his throat, "I'll...see you around Y/N," he utters before leaving, glancing back with a look of reluctance.
You wave before looking back at Oikawa. "What the hell was that for?" You snap.
"I need to talk to you," he explains simply, still looking rather serious. You swallow thickly, this strange aura of intense seriousness making you a little uneasy.
"Okay..." you can't help letting your glance falter back to the table behind him, Iwaizumi still staring your way with a look of suspicion. One you don't like at all. "Not here, Iwaizumi doesn't look too impressed." You sigh.
He glances behind him. "Fine, walk home with me."
"What about practice?"
"Cancelled."
"Oh, okay then."
"Meet me behind the library."
"Sure."
He nods, walking back to his table before you can ask any further questions. The whole exchange was quick, only making you all the more confused and unsettled. You don't know what to make of it.
An anxiousness resides within you for the rest of the school day, plaguing you wholly for every spare second like some sickly disease. All while the same question plays repeat on your mind; what could he possibly want to talk about? You have a fair few guesses, but neither you seem to like, which only makes it harder to push these consuming thoughts away for the time being.
Somehow though, you manage to make it to the very last bell (you're sure the endless doodles graffitied on your notes were a good outlet, although your teacher will be the least impressed) and you rush yourself out the room as swiftly as manageable, eager to have this anxious feeling eased. You're surprised, however, when you find Iwaizumi outside your class waiting for you, his cheesy smile greeting you warmly.
"Hey, slowpoke." He nudges you, you frown at the name, ironic since you tried your best to have some hurry about you. "You ready to go?"
It now dawns on you that you didn't even think to cook up an excuse not to walk home with your brother, too wrapped up in your own worries to have an ounce of common sense stored up in there. "About that..." you chuckle nervously.
"What? You got somewhere to be?" He frowns, raising an eyebrow in mock accusation.
"Well, me and my friends were gonna walk together, maybe get an ice cream on the way back." You lie, too easily once again that you almost recoil. You hate how easy it is for you to lie straight to his face, you've never thought yourself a good liar before, but then again you were never one to try and find out; honesty has always been one of your biggest values to stand by. Yet here you are...
"You? Friends? That doesn't sound right in the same sentence," He jokes.
You frown before turning on your feet. "Okay, you just made this ten times easier to walk away."
"Don't be so butthurt, that only proves it's true." He snickers as you stride down the hall, ignoring him and his playful remarks.
You soon make it outside, sneaking your way behind the back of the library. You can't help feeling like some troublesome child who's up to no good, or some kind of youth criminal. It makes your stomach sink a little, a reminder that you shouldn't even be doing this. Why are you even doing this? Oh yeah, he wants to talk, whatever the hell that means.
Turning a sharp corner, you're immediately met with Oikawa's waiting body, his body leaning with arms folded against the brick wall. "Hey." He says, smiling slightly, a little tease to its tilt. And although it would usually make you bubble inside and want to wipe it right off his face, this time you can't help feeling a little relaxed at the sight, less anxious about whatever he has to say.
"Hey." You say giving back a small smile.
It's weird, standing here together, completely alone in each other's company, secretly. It's not exactly awkward, but maybe that's just you. But neither of you make the move to take any more steps closer, like breaking the few feet of current space could cause some kind of damage; like this space is some kind of safety net. Something necessary.
You're the first to break eye contact as you peek behind the sharp corner previously turned, and it shows the front gates almost empty. "Should we go?" you ask uncertainly.
He takes a look now too, his eyes more swift and steady than yours, like everything about this is normal. You're not sure if that should ground you, or make you even more nervous. "Yeah, let's go," he says, beginning to walk, but what catches you off guard is how he takes your hand in his when he strides past you, his hold gentle and cautious. He doesn't intertwine your fingers though, just carries yours by the tips of your fingers. It makes you smile a little yourself. You hate that it makes you smile. For more reason than having to admit you like it.
He notices though, and you definitely don't enjoy that.
Neither of you says a word as you walk. Not when you make it to the open, and thankfully, empty grounds. Not even when you pass through the gates. You're mostly waiting for him to speak first, to bring up what he wants to talk to you about. To tell you what's been racking your mind half the day; the reason you're here waking with him instead of your brother. The reason you lied to him. But once you realise that he isn't planning to say anything, you take it upon yourself to bring up the subject yourself.
You stop in your tracks, forcing him to stop and turn to you, his gaze a little confused, but you can't quite tell. "You wanted to talk." He raises a brow at you, and you let go of his hand as a result, even though you don't really want to. "So talk." You keep your voice steady and firm as you speak.
He sighs before letting a hand run through his hair as if thinking it over. But it wasn't a question. You'll force it out of him if you have to. "If this is about forgetting that anything happened again, just spit it out already," you say bitterly, not intending to reveal your true disdain towards the idea. But you keep going anyway. "If that's what you wanna say. Fine. But just know that you have no right to keep going with this. You can't just pull me in and then push me back out again and expect me to go along with it. You can't play with people like that, it's just cruel-"
"I like you."
"And I get that you probably feel guilty because of Iwa, but so do I- wait what?" Your eyes lift wide and your hands freeze mid-gesture, utterly stunned out of speech.
"I like you." He repeats simply. Like it's just that easy.
"You...like me?"
"I like like you. A lot."
"Oh." you don't know what else to say. You weren't expecting such a blunt confession. So that's all your mouth can muster at the moment, a simple and pathetic 'oh'. It's safe to say your brain feels a little like putty.
He takes a step closer, and another and another. Until he's stood right in your bubble of space, popping it like he always manages to do, once again breaking that barrier that should remain. Then his hand finds your cheek like a magnet, and you feel yourself melt a little. You hate that his touch does that. It shouldn't, yet it does. And you shouldn't want it to, and yet you do. "I...like you too," you mumble, like his close presence and electric touch drew the words right out of you. And right now, you feel like that same small touch of his is what's supporting your weak knees from giving in as you let the words fall from your mouth, finally admitting it aloud. Finally letting everything shatter.
You like like him too. A lot.
"Good," he says.
"Good," you repeat, but you prefer the way he says it. However, you try not to focus too much on that.
"But..." Ah, there's always a but. You should have expected a but. When isn't there one? They ruin everything.
"But...?" you hate how honest your disappointment shows through the despicable word.
"I can't do anything about it, you're my best friend's sister." You feel the words cut right through you like a blade, and you swear you even hear your heart crack a little. You hope he didn't.
"And you're my brother's best friend." You sigh, reminding yourself more than him. Because no matter how much it hurts, he's right.
"But..." Oh? There's another but. Maybe you don't hate that words so much after all. You hope.
"But what? What are you saying, Oikawa?" You can't help anticipating what he could possibly have to say; what could possibly dismiss the obvious reason he just gave. The unmistakable truth that means no more buts. Nothing. You can't be anything.
"But...can you keep a secret?"