This is probably the only oneshot that has a positive-ish ending so, for that reason, I decided to keep it.
I don't know why, but some people hate Oikawa and just love Karasuno, so if you're one of those people who pick a specific side and go against anything that their chosen ones treat as enemies or opponents, don't read this. I entirely changed plot for the season 2 since I made Seijoh win instead of Karasuno. It's for the plot, okay? For the plot of this oneshot. I'm writing this at school and I'm surrounded by people who are gaming on their phones.
And just ignore the "+ theory" written at the end of the title because apparently, it's going to be nothing but another pile of trash at the end. But... ugh, just, go on and read if you'd bother to, and keep in mind that there is a theory hidden in the most unusual spot.
⚫⚫⚫
This was finally it. They were finally here, inside this court, on this floor facing the opponents that they had so longed to defeat. Ever since the downfall of Karasuno during their match for the summit, he had been waiting for this day, practicing, training and polishing his skills in playing volleyball more than anyone else, and his teammates knew that. His teammates who also have been so focused on this goal that they lost sight of what they called "relaxation". As the days passed, they kept on training and training, every single day without a shred of absence in their attendance records. That's because it was for this day that they had been trying so hard to crush all things that stood in their way.
As Oikawa breathed in a wave of air, he closed his eyes and looked back to the expressions of the 'Fallen Crows' as they had watched the ball roll outside of the playing field and look at the scores flip out. Set three, 37 - 35, Aoba Johsai claiming victory. It was a close call, much too close for comfort. For a moment, he had doubted their win as Karasuno managed to win the second set, but the ending was half and half expected. He outmatched the genius setter, Kageyama Tobio, and looked down at his form as he dove for the ball. The shrimp watched with horrified eyes as the ball went outside of the court. And right now, there most likelywould be one person blaming himself and it would surely be the ace.
He had failed to break through the blockers. His spike had faltered at the most crucial moment when a single miscalculation could cause them to lose everything in that match. As the ace, nothing could be worse. Nothing could be worse than having your teammates rely on you then failing what they had expected you to do, like when you got stuck in an island and they gave you the last bullet to shoot a possible candidate for food and you missed the shot in fear. The team captain, the setter who was replaced by Tobio, the Guardian Deity, the bald wing spiker, each and every one of them including the second-years who quit and came back due to their natural love for volleyball, the tall middle blocker and the pinch server.
All of them surely cannot and would never forget any of this. Well, that's half and half a good and bad thing because the loss would simply serve as coal to the flames burning inside them called 'passion'. Really, Karasuno was a formidable team. All of their members hold the same adoration and dedication towards the sport which brought them together to form a flock of crows seeking to become a polished spear in order to penetrate the wall that stood infront of them from the other side.
Even so, just because a spear was polished and shiny didn't mean it could win, for the members of Aoba Johsai were those which could be considered as old and battered ones. They didn't always win. In fact, they never did. But having dents and scratches and being close to turning into splinters was a sign that they had fought many, many battles and gained as much experience and knowledge. Oikawa could feel his heart thumping faster and harder against his ribcage with every second as he imagined his teammates shouting with joy as they realize that they have achieved victory.
He never felt so motivated and excited. This was his last year, and his last chance to beat Shiratorizawa for all he was worth. He would never let this opportunity pass by, not after all the effort they had put into this. He wanted to see everyone cheering as they scored the last point which would draw a close to the match, he wanted to witness tears, this time of happiness, fall from his teammates' eyes. He would make sure he would give them a reason to do all of that. He would make them win. He surely would.
As the last spectator entered the court and as they moved from a warm-up drill to another, he couldn't help but get a feeling that something was... something bad was going to happen. Though involuntary, he reached for his ankle and stopped doing the current drill. His teammates and coach called out to him and told him to resume the activity, but his brain just couldn't help but block the sounds out.
"Please... hold out..." he took a deep breath and stood up straight before giving them an apologetic smile. He ran back to where his team was and did as the coach had said, taking their insults like always and having fun witnessing their reactions. That's right. He shouldn't think about it too much, but that didn't mean he should forget about it. "... until the end."
The whistle of the referee blew, telling him it was finally time to do a serve. This was the fifth set, and they were on par with a score of 19-19. Oikawa looked at Ushijima, who stood infront of the net paying attention to the court and the entirety of his surroundings. He let the ball leave his hand as it flew up high into the air. His eyes followed every movement of the volleyball and prepared to perform another flawless jump serve which he had worked so hard to polish over the years.
It shouldn't fail now. It could not fail. He and his teammates worked so hard for this. It was their last year; Mattsun, Makki, Iwa-chan... he wouldn't forgive himself if he failed this. As the team captain, he would never forgive himself after seeing the tears of his friends who had experienced loss because of one simple, lame mistake. As he took the third step and felt the impact of his right heel against the floor, the world around him started to go in slow motion. He jumped. He hit the ball with all the force he could muster. Somehow, he had a feeling that this would be his last jump serve, and channeling that feeling towards his palm, he managed to get it to the other side of the court following a sharp direction.
And as soon as it hit the floor, he also did. He lost sight of what was supposed to be kept in his mind. He successfully pulled off a service ace, but without him even noticing, their manager was already running towards him as he lay on the floor, right foot twisted into a sick curve. The fangirls who had supported him all the way were panicking on the spectators' seats, but instead of being concerned about them, the other people simply stared at the fallen player. That's when he knew he had made a stupid mistake. A very stupid one, indeed.
"Call the medics!" Aoba Johsai's coach directed the command towards no one, in particular, as Oikawa's teammates gaped at the scene unfolding infront of them in confusion. Once the stretchers arrived, the brunette sat up and pushed the guy in white away.
"I can still play." He looked at the net furiously. "Let me do it. If I won't, I will never forgive myself for the loss." He attempted to stand as he said that, forcing the coach to yell at him, telling him he was doing something unreasonable. For a few seconds, confused murmurs flowed inside the gymnasium like a river, only to be put into silence by the sound of a fist landing against someone else. It was Iwaizumi.
"What do you think you're saying, Shittykawa?" He bellowed, standing infront of Oikawa whom he had just punched square in the jaw.
"You mean if you're out of the team, we'll lose? That's an insult! Do you really dismiss us as people that weak? You never fail to brag about your skills, do you?"
"But that's not what I meant, Iwa--"
"Then what? Tell me your thoughts in three--"
"Iwaizumi, that's enough." A voice interrupted, which turned out to be coming from the coach.
He nodded at the player as the medics took the setter away. The black-haired ace returned to his spot on the playing field as they all looked at the substitute player who ran nervously to the assigned post.
And all at once, the game resumed.
___
It's been a week since Seijoh's match against Shiratorizawa, and the outcome wasn't exactly as they had wanted it to be. The points were evened out, but in the end, Shiratorizawa still had managed to take the set.
"Maybe having their setter injured and taken away is a very large subtraction to the team's morale." One of the spectators whispered to the other as the points continued to remain stagnant. 32-32, far past the first deuce. The players on Seijoh's side of the court were visibly exhausted, both physically and emotionally as their opponent prepared to make a serve once more. It hit the net, arousing confusion as to where it might land, but as expected, it went to the said school's side. Obviously, they weren't able to get it, causing a point to be taken by the other team. If they would fail to get this one next, everything will be over.
In the end, the odds went against them, still, but it wasn't as if they had failed to make a move inside the playing field. It was due to the mindset they had. They feared the loss instead of looking forward to the victory they could grasp. They chose the darkness instead of opening the door which lead to a stage filled with light. Of course, none of them were aware of this fact only up to the second that their setter, who was currently inside of the hospital in white clothes, pointed this out.
When the results reached his ears, Oikawa didn't know what to say. He didn't want to blame himself. Not after what Iwaizumi had told him just before he was taken away by the medics. He didn't want to say that they lost because he wasn't there, but he didn't want to say that they lost because they weren't good enough, either, with or without his aid. So he just kept quiet and absorbed all of this information to himself while he stared at the setting sun, remembering the fact that these hours were exactly those he and his teammates would be training inside the gymnasium if club activities weren't suspended, that is. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He knew that all of them would be thinking about this too much.
Then, at that very moment when he heard the footsteps of a visitor coming closer, he remembered the reason why he had fallen right at a moment where he needed to have been stable. The door opened, revealing the team's ace standing by the frame with a look on his face which no one has seen before. It was kind of like a mix of depression and irritation, though Oikawa couldn't determine which was more dominant among the two. With a sigh consisting of mixed emotions, Iwaizumi stepped into the room and shut the door behind him. "Well, how's life in this boring room, Shittykawa?" He mused, taking a seat beside the bed.
"Boring, of course, Iwa-chan. Who would have fun in a torture chamber?"
"Well, masochists", he thought.
"Even though you're literally bedridden right now, you never cease to get into my nerves."
Silence walked between them, only to be broken after a moment by soft chuckling coming from the both of them. The wind blew against the glass window, slightly startling the brown-haired setter. Nothing else was heard besides the blowing of the wind outside for several minutes. Oikawa looked outside at the orange sky which was now getting darker and darker as the moon had slowly begun to take its place in the sky.
"Remember the day I broke my left ankle in practice?" He murmured absentmindedly, but it was loud enough for Iwaizumi's ears to pick up. He snorted, masking the worry that he was feeling as to what might happen next, or what his teammate might say.
"Of course I do. That was so stupid. If only the situation wasn't as dire, I would have laughed my head off."
Knowing him, Oikawa couldn't help but smile. Whenever his teammate was trying to be all 'tough', he would usually start spouting overused lines that he had meant to sting someone right in the eye. He still really was a kid, wasn't he?
"Yeah, I know. If only I didn't get stuck in another hospital for three days, I would have laughed at myself."
"But you were supposed to stay there for a few more days. Yet you went ahead and defied the doctor's orders. Goddammit, Shittykawa. You never changed. You were also as bratty when we were young."
"So were you." He turned his head to look at his friend who sat by the side of the bed. "And you still are."
They went back to the time which the setter had talked about. It was also somewhere around afternoon, when he was trying to practice his jump serves again. The match against Shiratorizawa was no more than a week and a few days away, and for some reason it made him feel edgy. Just as he was about to hit the ball, the doors to the gymnasium opened, and he lost concentration. He never took surprises that well, and so, he lost balance and didn't quite manage to land safely. It was a slightly hilarious scene, if not for the sprain he had acquired during the fall. It was nothing serious as he managed to walk to the hospital quite well after that. The doctor was a worrywart, pacing the room back and forth while muttering prayers as to 'miraculously' heal the injury just in time for Aoba Johsai's match against Shiratorizawa. Turns out he was a big fan of the sport.
Iwaizumi sighed as he remembered the cause of Oikawa's mini heart attacks.
"This is why I keep on telling you not to get too lost in your own deep thoughts no one knows whether are about aliens or 'Tobio-chan'. You think too much, you just keep dwelling on things inside your mind. Learn to relax."
"I don't think about Tobio-chan all the time, but thanks for the concern, Iwa-chan!"
"Now I'm starting to want to take it back." The ace retorted, crossing his arms, though the expression of annoyance plastered on his face didn't reach his eyes.
They were instead filled with worry and sincere apologies waiting to be released, to be let go and poured out towards the setter who was currently stuck in the hospital bed for the second time this month. Seeing this and knowing his childhood friend, Tooru couldn't help but smile softly as he put a hand to the black-haired male's head, ruffling his hair. This action caused him to remember that day back in their childhood when he did exactly the same, and earning an identical reaction from his friend. Hajime raised his head in a swift motion and slapped Oikawa's arm away, his face slightly red from embarrassment.
"What the actual heck do you think you're doing, Shittykawa?" He bellowed, his voice filling the entire room. In turn, the brunette simply smiled his usual, bright one and formed a peace sign with the other hand.
"Don't..." he imitated the gesture and continued talking. "... me! You're being irritating. If only you weren't in this bed right now I would have hit you. More than once."
"Oh, you look cute doing that. Let me just get my phone, you need to get a picture--"
A knock on the door was heard, interrupting Oikawa from whatever sentence he was about to form. The doctor's voice was heard from the other side, telling them that he was going to be entering the room. Iwaizumi answered for the two of them, and in a moment, the same man who was in charge of the sprained volleyball player was already spouting fanatic tales about his reactions while watching the match, though he didn't have as much excitement as an ordinary person. He was a professional, after all, and it would look too stupid to see a man with a stable job squealing like a kid who saw his lifelong idol.
"Sorry for that. I was just amazed in the latest match." He stated, earning nods from the two players. "I just am sorry to see what had happened in the final set. Well, accidents are inevitable, and we should be glad it isn't any worse. It is far worse than the first one but atleast, it didn't lead to anything more." He said, though a glint of hesitation flashed in his blue eyes.
"I agree, sir."
"Oh, no formal adressing needed. I would like to be just an ordinary fan for now."
"I see." Hajime replied, not knowing what to do with this queer doctor. He was too familiar with his patients and it made him wonder if he treated everyone he gets to watch over like this.
They talked for a while more and the two learned that the doctor was a former varsity player back in his days, though he didn't seem to be that old. It was only then that they noticed he was actually really tall, somewhere around six foot five, catching up to an average NBA player's height. He informed them that was quite idle today, so he decided to spend some time with other people rather than laze around in his office all day. At the time when visiting hours clicked as over, Oikawa was left alone in his room, still lingering on the conversation from earlier. Iwaizumi was not being himself throughout the entire hour and he kept glancing at the setter from time to time with a look of mixed emotions. He lay down on the bed and decided to check his phone. Before he could get it from the top of the bedside table, it suddenly started ringing loudly.
He realized that he still had the ringer volume in max, so he quickly sntached it from the surface and answered it so as not to disturb the others, if the sound ever got through the walls, without looking at the caller ID. At the voice he heard, he knew immediately that it was his childhood friend. He ranted for a few seconds about his purpose not being because he was worried so much, but because he had to get a few messages from their teammates who couldn't visit across to their setter. After several of them, he went silent.
"Iwa-chan, what's wrong?" Oikawa asked as he shifted his gaze to the stars that shone in the night sky.
"I..." he anticipated the next words as his friend was never this hesitant to say what was on his mind, though the entirety of the message left him boggled. "I hope you take the news well. Sorry." Then he hung up.
___
"What..." it's been almost two weeks since the visit from Iwaizumi that day and now he and Oikawa sat inside the doctor's office. He was informed that the brunette was to be discharged today to which the setter kept wondering about why it had taken so long. Now he had seated himself a few feet away from the patient and the doctor, staring at the floor as their exchange of words had went flowing.
A bang was heard which came from palms hitting the table as Oikawa stood up abruptly. "What do you mean I can't play volleyball anymore? Doc, this is just a case of sprain, I'm not going to be kill--"
"Like I said, Mr. Oikawa, it isn't the same thing that had happened to you at first. The fall had left your ankle permanently damaged, and this is exactly the same as having your kneecap broken."
"But why would you lie about that? I know you're lying. This isn't true. None of it is. This isn't--" he collapsed back into his chair as he looked at the X-ray results once more. Hajime felt his fists' grip tighten, allowing his nails to dig into the flesh of his palm. "... this isn't real."
Now the ace understood why the doctor had come to visit Oikawa that day, chatted about how wonderful the game was and why he lied. He wanted the setter to believe that the game which had left him permanently injured was something worthy of being remembered, was something worthy of having gotten ruined for. He wanted Oikawa to believe that the match was a very, very spectacular show so as to atleast give him a little reassurance that he didn't play his last match in a pool of foolishness. Because he had experienced the same thing, and he knew how it felt to have something you love taken away from you caused by some stupid vulnerability of the human body.
"You better tell your friend soon, Mr. Iwaizumi. If you inform him about this when he thinks he's good enough to go back on court once more, it'll be more... it will be harder to accept."
That was what the doctor had told him. But he didn't do it. He lied further. He hid. He ran away. He didn't want to break it to someone who had so much positive outlook for the future. He didn't want to see his friend as his mind absorbed the information. He didn't want to see his friend's broken look if he told him; he couldn't bear to do so. He was afraid of what might happen if he was left to see his friend's tears which had now escaped his eyes at this very moment.
"This can't be happening..." Oikawa let his head fall to the surface of the table and allowed one of his hands proceeded to tug at his hair in frustration, anger and sadness. Despair, at most. The doctor eyed him sympathetically, knowing exactly how much it hurt to hear this kind of news. He ran a hand through his black hair and sighed, silently praying for this child to find his way back to the path he has always been taking. He had silently prayed for Oikawa Tooru to remain the Oikawa Tooru his son had and still admires so much despite his desperate attempts to push him away. The office was silent, save for the sobs that the patient occasionally released as the sun continued to sink and as the sky was painted with hues of pink and orange and purple littered with wisps of transparent clouds.
The news spread fast like wildfire, and as one would expect, it caused quite an uproar in the volleyball industry. Fans and other team players had questioned, chatted and ran around ranting about the unacceptable occurence, especially among girls. Once it reached the ears of his teammates, they had started to look back to what had happened one by one and realized what exactly had went wrong with their setter and his mindset. He was sharp-witted and very much a natural in spiralling logic and deception, but as they say, even the simplest mistake can lead a hero tumbling down a pile of corpses as he becomes one of them, himself.
The third years had graduated in due time, leaving behind every other underclassman in their teams missing them, and them missing people too. The third years went their separate ways and as another schoolyear had begun for every student, Oikawa Tooru had finally grown to adapt to his new lifestyle, successfully managing to tolerate his urge to go back down to the court and start performing a flawless act of service. It was difficult, but because of how much support and inspiration people around him had given, he would return them the favor by recovering and being someone whom they could always rely on even if he could no longer be on court. He just couldn't stay down for too long after how much effort they had given to get him return back to the top.
Of course, he had kept in touch with his former teammates through wireless connection and social media since his schedule was much too cramped to go visit anyone, not even his childhood friend who was probably working his brow off somewhere in another university. He smiled as he remembered the times they had played together on the same side of the court, going against opponents that were far too interesting.
Karasuno... how they were doing now? Their reliable captain was already a graduate, along with Mr. Refreshing, their trusty manager and the ace who could be quite a handful regarding how fragile his heart was. There sure were new members of the club. Speaking of first years, how many would have joined their school's volleyball team? He chuckled softly to himself. He was going to have to ask that sometime. But well, he could always go, himself.
It wouldn't hurt to cram extra later on.
He grabbed his bag and started to slip on some outdoor clothes. He had already taken a shower a few minutes ago, so that wasn't a problem. Judging by the time, he would probably arrive to his destination by lunchtime, and that would be a perfect time to loiter around in the campus and look for the previous first and second years. Searching for them would be such a hassle, but he didn't want to ruin the surprise by informing them through calling or messaging. He got into a pair of combat boots which he strangely had taken a liking to about a few months ago. He ran to the train station and boarded one vehicle after all the necessary processes such as squeezing through a number of people.
As he stepped into the grounds of his former school, he couldn't help but feel such a thick air of nostalgia blowing through his senses. He closed his eyes and absorbed the aura of one he hadn't seen for so long when suddenly, someone bumped into him.
"Ah, I'm s-- wait, Shittykawa?" An ever familiar voice reached his ears, and he slowly turned around as his eyelids flew open. Standing behind him with a look which was just as surprised... was indeed, Iwaizumi Hajime who now just looked more exhausted apparently from college life stress. "What the hell are you doing here?" He yelled through a whisper, not wanting to catch any attention. In turn, Oikawa simply stared at him as a grin slowly made its way into his face. He grabbed the dark-haired male by his hand and started to pull him to the gymnasium. He didn't know why he was headed there, himself, but he just had a feeling that everyone would be there.
This was the exact same day that they had their first practice match as a team, after all.
His hunch proved right because as soon as they stopped infront of the door, all signs of activity inside the gym had stopped, and their former teammates had looked at them, shocked. What's more, there was Matsukawa and Hanamaki inside, making fun of the batch of first years that decided to join.
"Looks like we all had the same plans." Iwaizumi mused before the underclassmen had started calling their names out and running to them. Not having been there last year, the freshmen simply stood and watched their senpais act very much unlike themselves upon seeing those older than them after some time.
They exchanged stories for a few minutes, forgetting about their outdoor shoes, before one of the first years asked a favor, a sudden burst of courage taking over him. He was shorter than most of the players, but not any shorter than the orange sun who had aspired to become the next Little Giant. "Um, can we watch you all play?" As the gym fell silent, he started to panick. "I-I mean it would be good to see the better players have a match against each other and--"
"Alright, we get your point." Kindaichi laughed, ruffling the younger student's hair.
"Oh, that would be nice. I haven't been working these muscles out in a long time!"
"Stop making it sound as if we're 65."
"Alright, who'd be on my team?"
"Wait, you're wearing sneakers. You'll get the floor dirty!"
Several conversations rose from them, when suddenly, Iwaizumi remembered something. He turned to Oikawa, who was simply standing still with a soft smile on his face. Noticing his childhood friend's concerned glance and the sudden dying down of the laughter in the gym, he started moving towards the spectators' corner, the seats. He looked back at them and smiled wider. "I'd be more than happy to watch everyone play, too!" They broke into smiles of their own, then proceeded to continue being as noisy as ever. When they had finally decided on the teams and what to do with the cleaning later on, they went to take their place on their respective sides.
"It'd be uncomfortable playing in casual clothes, but we'll manage." Matsukawa called out. "Ah, I feel so old."
"But you are old, Mattsun." Oikawa cheered from the seats, sending laughter darting across the walls one last time before they had gotten serious. Ever so serious, they really were, before beginning a match. The former setter watched as they began to play, and it was quite different from last time considering how much their juniors have improved and how much skill would possibly have rusted. His former teammates were much better now.
Then, he thought 'former' wasn't something to describe them. They were still his teammates, weren't they?
As the match progressed, a wave of sadness washed over him once more as he remembered the careless incident which caused him to be unable to play. Even so, he pushed that loneliness and guilt to the back of his mind, focusing solely on enjoying the game that was set out before his eyes. Just like a phoenix, he had surely fallen, but even so, he will continue to live because he already managed to rise from the ashes of his defeat, his downfall. A long time has passed, but in this gym, it was as if they never left Aoba Johsai at all, and it was as if their loss against Shiratorizawa was nothing but a failure in a practice match. He leaned on the backrest and adjusted his glasses as he remembered what Iwaizumi had told him back then. He couldn't help but release a silent laugh, remembering his companion's crying as he said it. Really, Iwa-chan was such a kid.
"All of this happened because you didn't work hard enough, Oikawa."
"'It's because you worked much too hard'... huh?"
⚫⚫⚫
*hides in a corner of the gym and chews on a volleyball* Yum-- wait, what?
...
And yeah. That's the story.
Goddammit, it was so poorly made at the end. I SUCK AT THESE KINDS OF ENDINGS, OKAY? HAPPY STUFF AREN'T MY THING, AND ESPECIALLY ADAPTING TO CHANGE AND STUFF THOUGH I CAN SAY THAT I AM QUITE... RESILIENT. KINDA. AND THAT TITLE WAS SERIOUSLY THE BEST I COULD THINK OF. FORGIVE ME, I'M AS OLD AS THE WITCH OF THE WASTE ON HMC. I GOT THAT FROM HP THOUGH. LIKE... I REMEMBERED DUMBLEDORE'S QUOTE LAST MINUTE.
SO YEAH, IDK THE CAPSLOCK. IT'S GOLD, AND DID YOU ALL CATCH THE THEORY? I HOPE YOU DID AND MOST LIKELY THE ANSWER WOULD BE YES. JUST TO CLARIFY IN CASE YOU'RE LEFT SWIMMING FREE IN YOUR THOUGHTS LIKE HOW NANASE HARUKA SWIMS FREE IN BODIES OF WATER, HERE'S A SUMMARY OF THE THEORY:
The doctor is Kageyama Tobio's father.
...
*crickets*
Okay, see you. EHEHE. TOO MUCH SHORTCUTS AGAIN AGhHh.