———— JUST FRIENDS.
the day seemed to drag. it was unbearably hot for some reason, and to top it off, [y/n]'s period was late. a million possibilities ran through her mind, each one playing back numerous times. there was no way she could've been pregnant. not only did she have the implant in her arm, she was also very cautious in making sure protection was used.
this was ridiculous.
there was no time to continue dwelling on it, though. she got ready for her day and headed out to get breakfast, meeting up with iwaizumi and kuroo. "you fools look like hell," she pointed out, taking in their exhausted expressions.
"we had to literally drag bokuto and hakuba home. do you know how heavy those two are?" iwa shook his head.
"all dead fucking weight. i am so sore from lugging hakuba's tokyo tower sized ass up the fucking stairs," kuroo whined.
"oh shit, the elevator was out of service," [y/n] remembered.
"yeah, what impeccable timing," kuroo shook his head. "did you get home okay? i didn't even realize you left."
"i was so damn tired, and i needed to get out before y'all embarrassed me," [y/n] chuckled.
"after rewatching the videos from last night, you made the right choice," iwa snorted.
"did you come back by yourself?" kuroo asked.
"no, kageyama went with me," [y/n] shrugged.
"okay, good. i don't like the thought of you being on public transport that late on your own," kuroo let out a breath of relief, snatching the muffin off her plate. "what? you know i like blueberry."
"you're lucky i don't beat the shit out of you right now," her eyes narrowed, taking a sip of her coffee.
"you could just get your own muffin," iwa pointed out.
"that seems like a lot of effort," kuroo sighed, taking a bite of the muffin.
"i hate it here," [y/n] slumped back in the chair, glancing around the dining hall. "you guys talked to anyone in the other teams?"
"eh, not really. unless i have to for something work related," kuroo muttered with his mouth full.
"same. i'm so busy trying to babysit the idiots, so i barely have time," iwa added. "we talk to nova, but that's because she's usually with you. other than that, though? not really."
"fair enough," [y/n] sighed, glancing at her watch. "alright, we heading out yet?"
"i guess," kuroo took a final chug of his drink.
[y/n] gathered their trash and tossed it out, grabbing her bag and slinging it on her shoulder. "let's go, i don't wanna miss out on watching brazil's practice."
"is that who we play today?" iwaizumi asked.
"wow, am i the only one that does my job around here?" [y/n] flatly asked, pushing the food hall doors open. they flagged down a golf cart and hitched a ride to the court.
they made their way inside, iwaizumi heading down to set up while kuroo disappeared towards administration. [y/n] wandered a bit, checking out the brazilian team and watching their practice.
iwaizumi watched as [y/n] stood off to the side, eyes trained on each of brazil's players to watch their moves. her focus was unparalleled, eyes flickering back and forth between each person on the court with precision. she wasn't one to take notes, but she didn't need to; she had fantastic memory.
something swelled inside of him as he watched her work; this feeling of yearning. pining. wanting. it was a stupid feeling, because he knew he couldn't have her. she was never his to begin with. she was a free spirit, which made everyone attracted to her. he couldn't compete with dozens of others for her affection because she never reciprocated it back.
in other words, no one could have her.
the walls she put up were tougher than they seemed. though it felt like she let everyone in, it was simply a façade. there was much more of her to be discovered, but she played on their superficial attraction of her body. it was easy enough, as many could tell. the way she kept them all wishing for more, hoping to get another taste.
all to be disappointed.
"hey!"
iwaizumi snapped out of his thoughts, turning to see [y/n] standing there, "hm?"
"i've been calling your name for the last minute and a half, what the hell are you so dazed about?" she asked, scanning him to make sure nothing was off.
"i'm fine, you idiot. don't you have better things to do than bother me?"
"hm... no," she gave him a cheeky grin, bumping him with her hip before leaning against the table. "you think they'll make it all the way?"
"of course i do," iwaizumi furrowed his brows.
"don't answer subjectively. answer objectively. do you think they'll make it all the way?" [y/n] held her gaze away from him.
iwaizumi sighed, "yeah, i do. they're a great team, they've got a lot of drive, and this is something that a lot of them have been working towards since their youth. this is everything to them, and i don't think they're going to give it up that easily."
"well, i'll be damned," [y/n] muttered, nodding her head slowly.
"you don't think they will?"
"no, i know they will."
"but?"
she sighed, "once this is over, then what? it's like you've reached the highest point, and once it's over, is it all just the beginning of the decline? does it plateau? where do we all go from here? or, well, i guess you guys don't have to worry about that. me, though? i don't exactly have the same luxury. i'm not exactly swimming in options."
"why are you worrying about all that again?" iwaizumi asked, but she didn't answer, so he took it as that being the end of the conversation. he returned to his work, but it still lingered. why did she feel that way? he cleared his throat, "[y/n]."
"iwaizumi," she mocked, though it didn't have the same heartfelt mockery as before. she sounded scared.
"you know you're not alone, right? plenty of people are here for you, no matter what."
"yeah... i know," she nodded, turning towards him. "iwa?"
"hm?"
"thanks for being my friend."
"no problem."
but that was the problem.
they were just friends.
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ngl i got the worst writers block for this book
happy holidays !
stay safe and warm, and pls take care of yourself 🤍