I Can’t Believe I Fell For It

dialogues: look me in the eye

❀ timeskip! miya osamu, suna rintarō x gn! reader

summary: you can’t seem to look your crush in the eye

miya osamu

you were seated on one of the counter seats at onigiri miya. the closed sign turned out. osamu leaning over the counter.

“you look at my brother just fine and we’re identical twins.”

“he’s different! i don’t…”

“don’t?”

"i just don’t know you as well as him,” you said, lying through your teeth.

he raised his brow, the slight ghost of a smirk gracing his lips, “hmm, you barely see him though?”

“well it’s just,” fumbling through your worlds, “time is not indicator of quality.”

he laughed amused, walking over to you before slowly leaning in, caging you between his arms and the counter, his grey eyes boring into yours as you felt a heat rising in your cheeks, butterflies fluttering aggressively in your stomach, trying desperately to turn away.

“yn, let’s try this one more time okay?” his voice gentle as he titled your chin towards him, eyes meeting his again, a calloused thumb dragging along your cheek. “why won’t you look me in the eye?” half lidded gaze trained on yours in anticipation.

you were locked in with nowhere to escape, defenceless against his captivating eyes, feeling yourself sinking deeper into the pools of grey, “i…i like you,” you whispered, eyebrows furrowed, “okay? you happy now? you jerk,” lips pressed into a line.

he broke into a wide cheeky grin. “now that wasn’t so hard was it?” he removed his cap, wearing it on you before squeezing the top of your head and patting it affectionately.

“ow, that hurts samu,” you pouted.

“i like you too dummy,” he chuckled.

suna rintarō

laugter resonated from your corner booth as you giggled at some stupid thing the twins were bickering about. suna sat beside you, a lazy arm hung over your shared booth seat as he side-eyed your cheery expression.

the twins having been forewarned to leave a little earlier so suna could finally talk to you alone, came up with some excuse and sciddled away.

you kept it up your facade, asking him some questions about volleyball, small talk, though you were never able to hold his gaze for more than 3 seconds.

in contrast, his faded emerald eyes never left you as you eagerly scrambled to calm your ferocious beating heart. the quickening pulse fuelled by a reluctant combination of excitement and anxiousness as his attention continued to be undisturbed, solely fixated on you.

you fiddled with the ends of your top, sipping more of your drink again, but in your moment of haste, condensation lubricating whatever friction, the cup slips, cold liquid spashing, drenching suna’s top and torso.

in shock you manage to choke out a string of apologies, frantically gathering up tissues to clean your mess despite suna’s reassurance that he was okay.

“bold now are we?” his lip curving into a small smirk as he peered down at you. aggressively dabbing a damp spot on his chest.

“shut up just don’t want your coach complaining if i got you sick or something,” you pouted, grabbing a few more fresh tissues.

“how about this. i’ll forgive you for spilling something so cold on a little ole athlete like me and you tell me why you never look me in the eye.” he proposed, face inching closer towards yours.

“i look! sometimes….” you tried defending yourself before quickly averting your eyes.

“yn, look at me,” his voice soft as your head hung low, still shaking your head defiantly.

“you’re too attractive. you make my heart feel weird,” you grumbled, frown deepening as you looked up to see a wide smile on his face.

“so you have a crush on me huh?” he pinched your cheek, tugging it a little.

“i never said that!” you huffed, swatting his hand away, rubbing the sore apples of your cheek.

“you soo do yn,” he teased as you crossed your arms indignantly.

“well at least it’s convenient, because i have the biggest crush on you too,” he grinned.

sol’s comments ❀: have a great weekend cuties and sorry i always post things at 12am LOL. also this was supposed to include issei :((

m.list ·˚ ༘ ꒱ | each and every reblop is appreciated ☻ (+ free hugs)

how about shoji, sato, and Tenya on your anniversaary (if u write for them)

what would they do on that day? how clingy are they?

anniversary day with them - mha

genre: fluff, gn reader warnings: none ft: iida, kirishima, bakugo a/n: hiya,, i don't write for the first two (idk how to portray them) but i included iida !! thx for the req <3 i know they all end the same but i want the day to end like that 🤧

©bubble-bootie 2022: do not copy, repost, or modify my works in any way. masterlist

TENYA IIDA ⤷ he has everything planned— he'll try to make it as special as he can. maybe an amusement park, or a restaurant in the higher class, he'd go wherever you want!! he'd be super nervous because he'd want the day to go perfectly, but that anxiety is boiled down to nothing when you assure him that you're having fun. "thank you for this, tenya. i love you so much." he smiles, relieved. "i love you too, y/n."

KIRISHIMA EIJIRO ⤷ with kirishima, it's always an adventure, and there's no exception this time. he'll take you hiking! but if you don't like vigorous activities then he'd settle for a picnic. he took a deep breath and shouted, "I LOVE YOU, Y/N!!!" you laughed and pulled him down, "hey! you idiot, stop that!" you held his face and kissed him briefly, "but i love you too."

BAKUGO KATSUKI ⤷ he doesn't shoot for anything big, you might go outside to eat for an hour or two, then spend the rest of your time at home watching movies together. i'd like to think he'd be extra affectionate, maybe not outright, but in subtle ways. "i love you," he mumbled, his usual angry demeanor nowhere to be found. "i know i don't show it much, but i do. happy anniversary, y/n." you chuckled, "i love you too, 'suki."

reblogs are appreciated!

hii!! i love your writings! you’re basically my fav haikyuu writer🤗anywaysssss can i request a scenario where akaashi has a crush on his girl classmate, she’s oblivious but everyone knows because of how gentleman he is acting towards her compare to others thank you in advance!(๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵) stay safe and keep up the good work!╰(*´︶`*)╯♡

You, My Oblivious Dunce (Akaashi Keiji x Reader)

Yesss my first Akaashi scenario!!! I’m back everyone!!

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“Oi. Wake up.” 

You jolt in your seat at the feeling of someone’s fingers tapping on your exposed skin on your neck, raising your head from your slightly sleepy stupor to make dazed eye contact with the boy next to you. 

“Akaashi, can you ever just cover for me? Please?” 

“And who’s the one who doesn’t get enough sleep at night?” Akaashi hums back in response, resting his defined chin in one palm as he scrawled at his paper. You pout in response, huffing slightly before flinching at the sudden squealing that came with the ringing bell, signaling class had come to an end. 

Oh God. Again?

You blink as you almost fall out of your seat, some of the girls clamoring into the room almost on top of one another to talk to the pretty setter. Quirking an eyebrow at the death glares some of them sent you, you ignore the every day commotion before shuffling in your bag for your lunch. 

“A-Akaashi-senpai, will you join me for lunch?” 

“I made this for you!” 

“P-please accept what I baked! I spent all night baking it!” 

You miss the glance the pretty boy had sent you as you lift yourself out of your seat, ready to meet some of your own friends for lunch as you head towards the door, excited to eat. Akaashi’s eyes scan the selection of sweets before choosing one carefully, nodding his head in thanks as the girls surrounding his seat swoon at his stoic nature. 

The class watches Akaashi manuever his way through the herd politely yet somewhat forcibly as his usual moderate walking pace seemed to pick up before you could exit the door. Akaashi catches your bag strap, causing you to pause in confusion as he shoulders it, tapping the tin of sweets on your head. 

“You like this kind, right?” 

“Uh...I’m not sure you’re supposed to regift-” You start, blanching at the angry herd of female underclassmen before Akaashi shrugs, holding the door open for you as you step through it, the class all collectively sighing as Bokuto’s hearty laugh rings through the room. 

“Will she ever get it?” 

“I say give it about three months.” 

“No way! Akaashi-senpai would never-!” 

“Uh, can you like, leave our classroom?” 

It had started off as a shock at first. Akaashi Keiji was a guy who kept to himself, not feeding into the attention he earned from his rep as the talented setter who was known to be Bokuto’s right hand, the best friend of the star ace. He hadn’t really pushed it away either, and didn’t show any interest towards anybody- 

until he noticed that your features were really really pretty in the sun from your spot in the window seat beside him. And that your laugh wasn’t forced or obnoxious like the girls who threw themselves at him. Your cool nature was so relaxed, and you didn’t treat him any differently than any other friend-

before he knew it, Akaashi Keiji had developed a crush on the girl who couldn’t see the softness in his irises when she entered the room. 

“Akaashi, I can’t have these! They were made for you!” You protest, unwrapping your bento as Akaashi attempts to hand you the tin for the third time. Your lunch plans with friends fell short when Akaashi led you (and your bag) to a spot on the school fountain, giving your class full view to watch the two of you from the window as if it were some kind of reality TV show. 

“Well, they’re mine. I can do what I want with them.” Akaashi’s answer was short as you scoff, his eyes falling on the half-bitten rolled omelette on the end of your chopsticks. “That looks good.” 

“You want one?” You offer, moving to grab a new one before Akaashi leans forward, his mouth capturing the one you had just bitten into, face inches away from yours as you blink. 

Blue-green eyes are calculative as he takes in your body language. 

“She has to understand after that!” 

“That was so smooth, Akaashi you little hoe-” 

“ShHH I wanna see how she responds!” 

Unfortunately, you carried on as if nothing happened, flicking Akaashi’s temple with an eye roll. 

“You tainted my chopsticks!” 

Cue the class’s collected groan, Bokuto laughing so loud he had to hold his stomach as a look of annoyance passes over Akaashi’s face momentarily, settling back to his stoic nature as his eyes flicker up to the window. He had noticed the nosy classmates, causing the class to scatter away from the window, some tripping over one another in the process. 

“I’m kidding. I don’t really care.” You laugh at Akaashi’s serious face, nudging him in the shoulder as you pick up some more food into your mouth. “You still wanna bite?...Akaashi?” 

The setter had looked off to the side, cheeks tinged with an annoying heat as he wills it to go away, suddenly thankful he noticed the class when he did. 

You had just indirectly kissed him, and hadn’t even batted an eyelash. 

--------------------------------------

“Whaaa?! Is this a love letter, Y/N?!” Bokuto snatched the paper from your desk as you lurch forward without missing a beat, snatching it back. 

Akaashi’s pen stops mid-sentence. 

“None of your business, Hoe-kuto.” You snip, causing the owl-haired boy to laugh as you roll your eyes, continuing to write as Bokuto casts a smug glance towards his best friend. 

Akaashi’s eyes narrow ever so slightly. Don’t. 

“Do you have someone you like, Y/N-chan?”

Akaashi lifts his head, pen dropping on the desk as he reaches into his bag, cheeks tinged with annoyance brimming blue irises as you stutter out an answer. 

“W-what-who just-nobody just asks-” 

Music filled your ears as you lift a hand up to the pair of headphones resting on your head, Akaashi looking away when you snap your head towards him in confusion. 

“Listen to this song. I’ve been meaning to show you it.” 

You nod, eyebrow quirked as you go back to writing, missing the glare the setter sent towards the ace as Bokuto simply shrugged, eyes knowingly smug as Akaashi groaned into his palm. 

Why couldn’t everyone just let him be? Can’t he just be quietly in love with you?

---

“Are you ready to go home?” 

“Uh, no need to walk me today, Keiji.” You reply distractedly, shuffling in your bag before emerging with a folded piece of paper, a tick forming in the messy haired boy’s jaw at the sight. “I have something I need to do-” 

“I’ll wait for you. Give me your bag.” 

“I said it was-!” 

Akaashi rolls his eyes at the silence that filled the room purposefully, taking your bag with him out of the room in stride as he pauses at the corner of the hall, glancing back to see your figure walking quickly down the hall, purpose in your steps. 

Do you have someone you like, Y/N-chan? 

Literally fuck Bokuto for getting into his head. 

Are you writing a love letter? 

Before Akaashi knew it, his feet were following yours, hand clasped so tightly around the strap his knuckles were turning white. 

What would he do?

His pace quickened.

What would he do if he was too late?

--------------------

“Oh! You made it!” Your sweet voice filled Akaashi’s ears as you walk further out onto the rooftop.

Akaashi pauses, feeling like an absolute stalker as he leans his back against the entryway to the roof, wondering if he was going too far. So what if you didn’t like him? Who cared if you were about to confess your love for someone else? 

The male voice that responded to you caused a pain to erupt through Akaashi’s chest. 

“Thanks for coming.” 

“It was no big deal, I’ve been working on it for awhile.”

He does. He cares if you have feelings for someone else. 

Before Akaashi could make the mistake of revealing that he had followed you, the next sentence makes the pressure lighten off his chest completely. 

“Here’s the English notes I made! These tips made me pass last year’s exams for sure, and well, I’m kind of an idiot, but so are you.” 

“Wah! You’re the best Y/N-senpai!” 

Akaashi’s back slides down against the floor until he’s sitting, a humorless chuckle slipping his lips as his heart beat begins to regulate again. 

Just what was he doing?

He ignores the underclasman who casted him a weird glance as he left the rooftop, making a decision as he listened for your familiar footsteps. 

Fuck quietly being in love with you. 

“Keiji?”

No response. The boy’s long legs were bent in his position against the wall, forehead resting on clasped fingers as you poke him, as if you were waking a sleeping bear. 

“This is a really weird place to nap, you didn’t have to wait-” 

“You’re right.” 

A startled gasp slips your lips as Akaashi’s strong grip pulls you down so you’re sitting between his bent legs, his arms crossing over your torso as he pulls you tightly into his chest. You freeze, soaking in just what was happening as Akaashi buries his face into your neck, feeling his heartbeat pound against your back. 

“I don’t want to wait anymore.” 

“W-what? I said-” 

“I love you, Y/N.” 

The silence that filled the air was painful as Akaashi’s only comfort was holding you tighter, thoughts spinning in your head as you force your lips to move.

“You do?” 

Your voice was quiet, uneasy, and soft. So unlike your usual voice all Akaashi could do was nod into your neck, feeling your tense body relax ever so slightly as your fingers dance across his tightened grip.

“Then...um...why don’t we...uh-” 

Akaashi cuts you off as a surge of confidence washes over him at the feeling of the heat that rushed to your neck, tilting your chin up from his position behind you to kiss you deeply, almost as if he was feeding a hunger that had built up inside him after so long. You responded shyly, feeling heat rush to your cheeks as Akaashi’s hand rests gently on your cheek, deepening the kiss before pulling back with uneven breaths. 

“Date?” He offered, breathless as your eyes find everywhere to look besides his blue-green orbs. Your shy nod had Akaashi holding himself back from kissing you again, not wanting to overwhelm you as he smiles into your neck, comfortable with holding you close. 

“Keiji?” 

“Hm?” 

“Is...is this why our class stares at us when we’re together?”

“You’re oblivious. It’s your fault.” 

“Hey-!” Your normal self returns only to be shut down again by Akaashi stealing another kiss, much lighter this time as you’re only able to let out a small squeak in response as you clasp at the setter’s hands. 

“That’s for making me wait so long.” 

Another one stolen. 

“This is for being dense.” 

And another. 

“And this-” 

Akaahi freezes when you lean up to cut him off mid-sentence, shyly pecking his lips as his widened blue eyes look down at you. 

“-is for not confessing to me sooner.” You mumble, causing Akaashi to roll his eyes as he snaps out of his faze with a smile ghosting his lips. 

“Then, my apologies...” He flicks your temple. “Dunce.” 

“How does one go from kissing me to bullying me?” 

“Oh? Then do you want me to kiss-” 

“Nope. Bully me. I’ll report you to the school so you won’t be able to kiss me or bully me.” 

“Mhm. Do that.” Akaashi replies evenly, thinking your flushed nature was cute as he hugs you gently, contrasting greatly with his starved actions before. 

“Either way you’re mine, dunce.” 

“How about you be mine?” You retort.

“Nope. I’m the one who’s been waiting.” Akaashi tilts your jaw up gently, nose brushing yours as you attempt to shy away again. His fingers hold you in place as his lips move against yours as he speaks, not pressing them together. 

“You, my oblivious dunce, are mine. I love you.” And for the countless time, Akaashi kissed you next to the stairwell that led to the roof, both chests brimmed with the unknown feeling of the warmth in their beings. 

Although completely unexpected, Akaashi Keiji, the guy who kept to himself, had suddenly allowed something within him to be stolen by the likes of you, the girl who had the sun in her hair and the bubbliness in her laugh. 

But did he regret what was stolen?

“I’m not saying it back.” 

“Acting defiant, are we?” 

“Kissing me won’t do anything!” 

“We’ll see about that.”

No. Not one bit.

He confesses to you with a letter. 

The letter was something you weren’t really ever expecting and it took you three times to read over it to fully process what it was. What he was saying. 

For a moment you wondered why he just didn’t call you, or tell you how he felt in person, but then again a writing you a letter seemed like something he’d do. 

It was simple, not too long; about one page of neatly written words that held so much more meaning in them than any other letter you’ve read before. 

With each and every word you read your heart beat quickened until your heart was practically jumping out of your chest. 

What he’d written wasn’t completely out of the blue, the connection between you was strong and something more special than you’d felt with anyone in a long time. But still you found yourself more shocked at the confession. 

What stuck in your head the most was the very last line.

‘”I’ll wait for you, love. Whenever you’re ready, I’ll be here.”

When you can finally think clearly again you waste no time in calling him, hands trembling as you find his contact. 

“Hello?”

“I don’t want you to wait.” You words are more rushed than you’d like them to be, barely giving him time to answer before you cut him off. 

“What?” You can hear the confusion lacing his voice when he speaks again. “Wait-”

“I got your letter.” You say almost breathlessly heart still pounding in your chest.

“Oh, you did?” He’s quiet for a moment and you can practically hear him tense through the phone. “And?”

“And I think you should come over.” 

Your response is quieter than everything you’ve said before and for some reason you feel nervous, like you aren’t holding his literal confession in your hands. 

“Want me to leave right now?”

“Yes, if you can I mean.” You stop yourself taking a deep breath before continuing. “I don’t think I can wait long enough for you to get my letter saying the same thing.” 

“Okay, I’ll be over soon.” Just like that the uncertainty in his voice was replaced by an audible smile, one you couldn’t wait to see.

AKAASHI, asahi, KITA, semi, ennoshita, sugawara

— how to woo the acting grand sage 101

wherein you pull out all the stops in an effort to persuade alhaitham on why he should date you, only… he woos you instead?!

CONTAINS : gn!reader, 7.8k wc, fluff, (attempts at) humour, angst if you squint, reader gets ill from overwork in one part, slight spoilers for 3.2 archon quest (brief mentions/recap of end events)

A/N : reader is struggling but they’re trying their best, alhaitham is a (smitten) menace and bad at feelings (kinda); the embodiment of u fall first, he falls harder (i just think we need more energetic/cute readers with haitham TヘT)

It wasn’t anything special. Really. Just you, your first day jitters, and the calm boy beside you in his Haravatat beret; the same one as yours.

Perhaps he’d noticed your flitting eyes, your shifting feet, or your wrung hands that swung gently in front of your robe-clad body because, when your eyes met (and, oh, what pretty eyes he had), he gave you a small nod. Of what? Comfort? Acknowledgement? Salutations?

You couldn’t tell, and you couldn’t ask. By the time you regained your senses he’d already walked off, the blank space beside you feeling strangely empty.

It wasn’t anything special.

But to you, that one, singular moment was all you needed; the comfort it gave was immeasurable, your first day jitters nonexistent.

Keep reading

Idk if you're taking requests but I just read the deku having a crush on his wife and it was so cute. If possible can I request one of shoto??? Ty!!

men being their wife's #1 supporter >>>>> Warnings: fem reader, shoto’s a little feral Word Count: 1 K ~~~

The interviewer holds a stack of question cards, eyes skimming the first one before looking up at Shoto, “So, the story is that you, apparently, are a newlywed?”

“Yes, and it’s the happiest time of my life - don’t say it’s the honeymoon phase,” Shoto looks over at the camera, “I plan on only growing more unhinged in my love for my wife as the years go.”

“Well, we look forward to that!” the man chuckles.

.

.

.

“Uh, babe?” you turn to where your husband sits beside you on the couch, his arm thrown over your shoulders, “Did you ever see the title of the video for that interview you did?”

“No,” he switches his gaze from the TV to you, “why?”

“Oh, nothing,” you grin before shoving your phone in his face to show off the video, “Just this.”

Shoto’s eyes scan the title - “Prohero Shoto Shows Off Massive Crush on Wife”.

He merely nods, “Sounds about right. It was that same guy from a few years ago, when we first got married.”

“Can I watch it? I think I should know what was said about me.”

“As if I would say no,” he pressed a kiss to your forehead before standing, “Put it on the TV, I’ll make tea.”

Once Shoto comes back to his favorite spot on the couch, beside you, you hit play and after the intro is a shot of the interviewer sat across from your husband. He grins as he introduces Shoto to the camera, as if people wouldn’t already know who the hero was.

“I think just right off the bat, I have to ask,” the man’s grin is cheesy, but it conveys enough joy to keep the energy up, “what’s ridiculous to you about the media? And since your father hated interviews, do you think you’ve gotten any of that from him?”

“Interviews are fine. People are just doing their jobs, I get that,” he presses his lips into a thin line as he thinks, “What’s strange to me about the media, however, is actually a specific moment.”

“Oh? And what is that?”

“There was this one gala that I took my wife to a few months ago and everyone was obsessing over her look,” he nods curtly, “as they should have. But what was weird was how everyone was just now paying attention to her. It was like… like watching a piece of art go unnoticed.”

“Like the Mona Lisa?”

“No, like actual art.”

The chuckle bubbling from the man’s lips is genuine as he says, “I see. Well- “

“And I remember for our wedding she was tired of trying on things and said she was going to wear sweatpants,” he shakes his head, “I- I could only ask what color so it’d match with my tie. You know?”

“I imagine,” he nods.

“And on our wedding day,” Shoto puts up a finger to stop the interviewer before he can even begin speaking, “we had a private, not really dinner, but a moment, before the reception. And we just kept calling each other by first and last name, because she was taking my last name and it was,” he tilts his head, “I don’t think I’ve ever been happier. And I do have a lovely mother and great siblings and friends, but truly they do not compare.”

“Well, speaking of your wife being so pretty to you- “

“I’ll reach over there and wrangle you if you don’t correct that.”

“Well, speaking of your wife being so pretty,” Shoto nods, muttering a quiet ‘good’ under his breath as the interviewer continues, “I’d like to bring up a recent ‘scandal’ for lack of a better term.”

“Is this about the ‘damn mommy’ incident,” Shoto wrings his hands together nervously.

The man can’t help but laugh as he nods, “It is. What’s the story behind that?”

“I sneezed and accidentally commented ‘damn mommy’ on my wife’s post,” Shoto crosses his arms and leans back in the chair, “Freak accident.”

“According to my research,” the man shakes his head now, “it was on every single one of her posts.”

“I had the flu.”

“Understandable,” the man flips to a card, “we have a few questions from fans. First of all, what would you say is the strangest thing that you own?”

“Strangest thing I own,” Shoto taps the armrest of the chair, “sometimes I have to leave for long periods of time for work and I’m very clingy, obviously, and so my wife surprised me with a teddy bear. But the teddy bear actually has her voice in it and it’s her saying she loves me. It’s the most incredible thing ever. I’d say that everyone should get one, but I don’t think they deserve it. At all.”

“I see. Well, another question that we have for you is what’s your favorite phrase or a phrase that interests you?”

“One time my wife was on the phone with me while I was away for work and she was telling me that ‘wish you were here’ in Persian is…” he pauses to mutter under his breath, “is jāy-e shomā khālīst,” he looks at the camera, “apologies for poor pronunciation, but it apparently translates to ‘your place is empty’. And I’ve never forgotten it because it felt so true.”

“Right, of course,” the man flips to another card, “And just to finish it off, what was a big moment of pain in your life that you had to overcome?”

“One time I asked my wife if she still would’ve married me if I was a worm and she said that she didn’t think it was even legal, so she couldn’t. I honestly still don’t think I’m even over that.”

~

Turning away from the video, you look at Shoto, “Aw, baby. I’m sorry about the worm thing.”

“No, no, dear,” he leans over to kiss your forehead, “I’m not mad. I could never be mad at you over something like that.”

“Well, that’s good,” you take his chin in your hand to tilt his head and press a kiss to his lips, “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” he brings you closer to his side.

“Yeah, I think that everyone who watched this knows that, but thank you. You’re such a good husband.”

“Only the best for my incredible wife.”

cosmically in love with you

pairing: oikawa tooru x reader w/c: 9.4k synopsis: the first time you meet him, he scowls. and then he cries right in front of you, and subconsciously, you keep wishing to see him again. oikawa tooru keeps you captivated and the more you get to know him, the faster you fall. a/n: finally finished this oikawa fic !! there's wayyy too much star imagery but like... oikawa is cute so it's okay <3

Everyone thinks it starts off with a bang, or with a whisper, or maybe even a laugh. When really, it starts off with a scowl.

He can't be serious, was the only thing you could've thought of the moment he entered your life.

The first time you meet Oikawa Tooru, you were 16 and full of caffeine. April weather at night couldn't be predicted and you should've brought a jacket. Midterm season sucked. Too many topics stuffed into an exam sheet with barely enough space for more than three lines of words. Too many things to revise and too little time. Too many subjects crammed into a limited number of days. Or maybe you were just bitter about being terrible at History.

Walking to your local convenience store, you let your eyes take a break from squinting so much. For a measly 30 minutes, you promised yourself not to think of Stalin and his stupid dictatorship and the pros and cons of his industrial revolution and- oh you've already arrived.

A hand comes up to rub your eyes sleepily, despite having just inhaled a can of instant coffee. You're so into browsing for a specific type of milkbread that you don't hear the little chime of the store's bell. When you spot the loaf you want, you go to reach for it, your hand almost grabs it when another hand topples onto yours.

The first time you meet Oikawa Tooru, he scowls at you. Actually scowls at you for trying to steal his milkbread, as he puts it. The frames of his glasses make his eyes look funky, you think. Or at least, you think you thought that in your head. Much to the boy's dismay, he heard you loud and clear and he reaches up to self-consciously toy with his glasses.

Quickly, you make use of him being distracted and snatch up the bread. However, he's quicker than you and grabs hold of its little plastic edge. Swiftly turning around, you try glaring at him with the little energy you have left in you. His hand stays on the loaf and so does yours and the two of you continue to stare- glare- at each other for God knows how long.

"Literally why can't you just grab another loaf of bread, pretty boy?"

It's you who speaks first, and yet you're a bit shocked that you broke the silence at all.

"Aw, you think I'm pretty?" The stranger croons, and using whatever critical thinking skills you have left, you tell him yeah, you're so good-looking and while his attention is diverted, you greedily seize the loaf of milkbread and scurry away to the counter.

The stranger gasps indignantly.

No, he actually inhales so loudly, you had to stop and do a double take. This boy- oh my God he's coming back for the bread. Mr. Stranger runs up to you and for a second you think this boy is about to start shouting. But that's not the case. What he does, is ten times worse, actually.

This random boy starts almost tearfully begging you to give him the bread. He's a head taller than you and here he is, pleading for some bread like some medieval peasant. Despite the emptiness of the store, you look around warily to see if anyone else is witnessing this pathetic man or if it's just your hallucination from a lack of sleep.

The pleas start coming out faster and faster and he literally looks like he's about to get on his knees in the middle of this old convenience store at 10p.m on a random Wednesday. It's testing your patience and your stubbornness is testing his and maybe that's why, at the same time, the two of you blurt out, "THIS LOAF HAS A SPECIAL ALIEN PRIZE STICKER!"

It's quiet after that and you're sure the poor underpaid employee is going to throw you both out the store if neither of you buys something in the next minute.

The cute stranger fucking pinches his nose, as if he's exasperated at you. He gives you a smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes and tells you, "Let's ask someone if they have extras, yeah?"

They, in fact, do not.

The stranger is devastated and you hurriedly buy the little loaf of milkbread before he tries to steal it away again. He ends up buying an alienless loaf of milkbread.

The two of you exit the store quietly, and just to spite him a little, you open your loaf and flash him the little green extra-terrestrial sticker with a toothy smile.

Suddenly, it's not funny anymore. Because this boy's eyes legitimately start to water and- yeah. This child starts crying in front of you, one hand rubbing his eyes and all. Crocodile tears. Tilting your head up towards the sky, your eyes bounce from one star to the other, individually asking them why this is happening to you.

With a sigh, you shove the stupid little sticker into the boy's other hand and beg him to stop crying, oh my God, before I start crying too.

The stranger looks at you tearfully and warbles out a watery thanks before smiling softly down at the sticker and safely pocketing it into his wallet.

You're about to bid him goodnight when he asks, "Listen, I know this might be weird and probably creepy because we just met but- do you mind if I walk you home? A teenage girl walking home alone doesn't sound like such a good idea, you know?"

"Well I got here all by myself. Plus, this is a safe neighbourhood. Also, if you walked me home, you'll know where I live and that's even more dangerous."

The stranger smiles, genuinely, this time. He's quite cute when he smiles like that. You wave your hand dismissively in his general direction, basically telling him to do whatever he wants. As you walk away, you hear the sound of his footsteps catching up with you and you stop until he's by your side.

The only things that can be heard are the crinkling of the plastic bags and the sound of your footsteps and his. It's a quiet walk home, with this tall boy following you. It's silent until he starts to talk to you. And then it was never silent again.

"Okay, but think about it. Just think about it for a bit. Like I know it's totally impossible but- the moon landing, yeah? Let's say it was faked but because extra-terrestrial life was present at the same time, they shapeshifted into humans to pretend it was real!"

For the past seven and a half minutes, that's all you two talk about. Aliens. You're not really into aliens at all, to be honest. You only wanted that sticker for a scrapbook page. Although, listening to this boy talk and hearing his voice and how it lingers with barely contained enthusiasm, you don't mind so much.

"Alright, I hear you. But why though? How would helping us prove that we landed on the moon, help the aliens?"

The boy scoffs at your question, like the answer was supposed to be obvious when he says, "Well, now we owe them a favour. That's how they'll start abducting us, one-by-one."

"Ah. I hope you're first."

He clicks his tongue in retaliation and you smile at him. The conversation ends when you tell him he's safely completed his mission, because you've been delivered to your doorstep. The boy bows dramatically and, in his head, he unconsciously remembers the route to your house. Force of habit, he figures.

The stranger looks at you. His eyes are glittering and you think he must've bewitched you when he asks for your name because you're happy to give it away without a second thought. Oikawa Tooru, you learn, plays volleyball for his school team and he wanted, no, he needed that sticker as a good luck charm. That's the last thing he tells you before waving goodbye to your retreating figure. Before he gets too far, you wish him good luck for his next game, loving the way the stars illuminate the slight redness on his cheeks. Ah well, back to studying.

⚝ ⚝ ⚝

The second time you meet Oikawa Tooru happens almost exactly the same way. It's late, but not as late as the first time you encountered him. The sky was freckled with little lights here and there and you were much happier this time around. No longer was it midterm season and though the exhaustion from a long day at school could clearly be seen on your face, you were much more relaxed than before.

Walking into the same convenience store, you reach for a single cup noodle and some chips. It's a lazy dinner night. As you go into another aisle to grab a loaf of milkbread, your eyes light up in surprise when you someone else's hand grabs the same one.

Oikawa Tooru looks at you, his face mirroring your reaction, and the two of you won't admit it but you've both been hoping to run into each other. With his hand still on the same loaf, you hope he'll be the bigger person this time.

"C'mon Oikawa, there isn't even an alien sticker in this one."

He sighs dramatically and lets go, letting you take it. "Well, I guess I do owe you for last time."

He smiles at you then, and it's only once he's grabbed another loaf for himself that you snap out of it. He's way too cute, you grouse internally. He's not wearing his spectacles this time, but he still looks just as attractive as the last time you saw him.

Once you two buy your stuff, he looks at you like he's about to say something but you beat him to it when you ask, "So are you walking home this time around too?"

Oikawa nods and you ask again, "Even though it's not late?"

"Yeah, even then."

Yeah, he's way too cute, you think again. And as you two walk home, you decide you want to find out more about him. So you ask him which school he goes to since apparently you see him around your neighbourhood but not in your school. He tells you his best friend (Iwaizumi, or Iwa-chan) lives around here and he always stops by the store before leaving his house, and that he lives further away.

When he walks ahead of you for a bit, you notice his school jacket with the print 'AOBA JOHSAI VBC' and you exclaim, "Ah! Aoba Johsai! I know that school, yeah, your volleyball team is really good!"

You know you hit the right spot when he grins like he's holding back his pride, because his team is really good. His eyes can't lie, he loves his team and he wants you to ask him more about it, even if you have minimal knowledge about volleyball.

Oikawa fiddles with the plastic bag he's holding and your eyes suddenly take note of how red and raw his palms look. Your nose scrunches in discomfort when you ask him softly, "Were you practising? At this hour?"

He looks away from you, eyes hardening for a moment when he replies, "Yeah. I have to."

"Well, that’s not healthy.  You're going to overwork yourself and I think you're too pretty for that. What if you walk home one day and you're too tired to notice giant UFO above your head, huh?"

Oikawa softens at your rambling, mumbling out a yeah, you're right, and you don't see the way he looks at you because you're too busy rummaging through your bag to take something out. If you had looked up, you'd have seen the way his eyes gleamed at your words, the way he looked at you like you said everything he needed to hear that night.

Once you finally find what you're looking for, you wave the small tube of hand cream in his face happily. With boldness you didn't know you had in you, you rub the cream into his hands. Your palms massaging his much larger ones, getting the cream into every crack of his hands, down to his wrist.

You're so focused on making sure his hands are alright that you miss the way Oikawa is absolutely flustered to the max. He's blushing, even though he'll never admit to anyone. And then suddenly he realises you've stopped your motions, because his hands have decided to interlace with yours and now both of you are an absolute mess.

"Oh- oh my god, I'm so sorry!" Oikawa stutters and you can't help but smile cheekily at the way he stutters. You're so lost in the way he's being so shy that you don't even realise you've already made it home.

Oikawa scratches his cheek nervously and tells you he can't wait for the next convenience store meeting. When he's about to leave, you tell him good luck for his next game again, just like last time. And you say, "Goodnight, Oikawa Tooru," loving the way he says it back and you're glad the stars have charted this in their memory.

⚝ ⚝ ⚝

The third time you meet Oikawa, you don't actually meet him.

Of course, it happens in the same small convenience store. While walking through the aisles of the store, you catch a glimpse of that teal green jacket and brown fluffy hair that you'd recognise anywhere. Or at least you think  you recognise.

Feeling cheeky, you go up to him and tap him on the shoulder, "Oikawa! Seems like the aliens led you to me again."

It is decidedly not Oikawa Tooru that turns around to look at you quizzically. Yahaba Shigeru feels slightly proud that someone mistook him for his captain. You, however, feel like dying right there and then. The awkwardness of the situation catches up with him and you start stuttering out apologies, trying to leave as fast as you can.

Yahaba smiles at you kindly and exits the store. From a distance you can hear him call out, "Oikawa," and you already know who to expect when the store bell jingles soon after.

Oikawa Tooru stands in front of you, breathless (flawless) and looking right at you. A stupid smirk makes his way across his face when he practically preens, "You really thought my sweet little junior was me?"

The sad face emoticon can be heard from the way he says that and you love the way he rolls his eyes when you tell him that he and Yahaba look identical from the back. Someone from outside calls his name and he looks back out at them before looking back at you.

"I'm afraid I can't walk you home this time. Though, I'm sure someone like you can make it back safely." And he waves at you, seemingly making his exit when he hesitantly turns around to face you again. It's not noticeable, not really, but his ears are slightly red when he walks closer to you and pulls out a pen from his pocket.

Oikawa's eyes meet yours and he reaches out to take your arm and starts scribbling something on your arm. Your eyebrows shoot up in surprise when you realise it's his number. Oikawa bites the inside of his cheek, his heart's racing but he tries to play it cool when he breathes, "Maybe now I won't have to use this store as an excuse to see you."

He leaves after capping the pen and you're still in absolute shock at the move he just pulled. You're also very impressed and even more endeared when you see his teammates slapping him on the back outside the store as they walk away. Glancing down at the mess of numbers, you can't hold back the grin that makes its way across your face.

Pulling out your phone, you input his number immediately. Setting his contact as 'cute alien guy 👽🏐', you send the first text to him, not shocked at all anymore when he replies two seconds later.

hello alien man HIIIII!!!!!!!!

⚝ ⚝ ⚝

Ever since the first time you texted him, you haven't stopped. Oikawa texts you during class, even though you don't always reply. He texts you during break and in between practise and you text him just as much too. He's practically your online best friend at this point. He knows all your gossip and you know all of his. Like:

this bitch in my chemistry class thinks she’s better than me >:// DO YOU WANT ME TO GET MAD DOG TO SPIKE A VOLLEYBALL INTO HER DUMB BUS SHAPED HEADASS?

Things start to progress between you and him soon. A month into texting, he tells you he has an upcoming game.

hey. i got a game coming up on like tuesday at 4 if you wanna come (((o(*°▽°*)o))) actually ykw i'm not even gonna deny it, i'd love if u came (⊙_⊙) FR?? yeah of course i'm coming!! stfu as if you didn't know i'd say yes right away

Oikawa sends another dumb emoticon afterwards and you won't tell him but you scream into your pillow in excitement. And he won't tell you but he yells in triumph so loud that his sister throws a volleyball at his head.

You don't expect to see so many fangirls for him when you make your way into the stands of the Aoba Johsai gym. There are practically infinite rows of girls whining out, "Oikawa!!!" and you kind of knew he was popular, but it's still so... jarring.

You push your way to the front of the stands but there's so many people crowding you that you doubt he sees you anyway. Quickly taking a picture of a peace sign with him in the background, you send him a text so he knows you're there. He won't see it anytime soon but you send it anyway, captioning it with rooting 4u!! if u lose the aliens won't take u >:O.

Your eyes widen in surprise when you see him walk to the bench to look at his phone. Oikawa smiles at his phone and he looks up you, his eyes catching yours and he grins and your breath catches in your throat because he saw you. And when his focus shifts back to the court, you're eternally glad that you're not standing opposite him because his eyes have a certain glint to them and it's then that you find out how menacing his grin can become. His opponents know it and you know it, that Oikawa Tooru can be absolutely fucking frightening when he wants to be, and you've never wanted anyone to win more in your life than now.

Oikawa Tooru takes a deep breath. He glances at his shoes, he lets the ball sink into his palm and he knows you won't believe it but he swears he can hear you over the crowd. He hears the whistle blow and he bounces the ball once, then twice, before running and flying. He's practically airborne, you swear it, and his jump serve makes a ricocheting noise so loud it bounces in your body. He wins the first point.

By the time the second set ends, in Aoba Johsai's favour, you're pretty sure you've lost your voice from how hard you've been cheering. You don't really care though, the only thought that consumes your mind is the fact that he won. Well, his team won.

Oikawa smiles as he wipes down his face, he saw the way his phone periodically lighted up throughout the match. You basically texted him as if you were the match's commentator. And if you stayed until the end, you'd have felt it yourself, the way his cheeks ached from laughing so hard.

Oikawa doesn't ask you why you walked home without him. He knows you know he'd want to celebrate with his teammates, but he wouldn't have minded if you wanted to be selfish. He wouldn't have minded if you wanted to join him. He wouldn't have minded if you wanted to monopolise him for a bit.

Before your eyes succumb to sleep that night, your phone lights up once and you fall asleep dreaming of one boy.

thanks 4 cheering me on. could hear you all the way from the stands to the court. only you (⁠/⁠^⁠-⁠^⁠(⁠^⁠ ⁠^⁠*⁠)⁠/

What a player. There's no way he could hear you, the crowd was too loud for that. You reply with a simple '<3' anyway.

Ever since the first match, Oikawa tells you about every other match and even invites you randomly to hang out with him. You go and see him play whenever you're available, and you start to get more comfortable with his friends too.

The first time you meet his best friend, you can immediately tell that they hold each other together. Two sides of the same coin. And when Iwaizumi pays for your meal, you decide you like him even more. When Iwaizumi tells you all about Oikawa’s embarrassing childhood events, much to Oikawa’s whining and pleading not to, you decide that Iwaizumi is one of the best people you’ve ever met.

Oikawa slowly introduces you to his whole team once you and him have become proper friends. You meet Hanamaki and Matsukawa randomly on a cold night in a hotpot restaurant and you immediately decide they're your favorite in the group. That night, Oikawa fights everyone with his chopsticks, knocking his against theirs to let you get all the good meat.

Oikawa also finds out about your scrapbook and collects every sticker he sees for it. He peels off the sticker on his onigiri packets and tears off the stickers he finds on his classmate’s desks and pastes them on your arm whenever he’s with you. Your sticker collection grows a lot because of him, not that you’re complaining. And one time, you make the mistake of telling him that your class was going to have a karaoke party, to celebrate the end of a school year. And oh, what a coincidence, he shows up there as well with the entire seijoh team. They would never snitch on their captain but you know he planned all of it. That night, you and him do a duet of every single High School Musical song, fighting over who gets to be Troy and Gabriella.

⚝ ⚝ ⚝

It sneaks up on you. Brushing over your shoulders so lightly that you don't notice it until it happens; your third and final year.

It's one cold January night when your phone pings with an ominous text from Tooru (you call him that now). Your eyebrows furrow as you read his text and you laugh lightly at it.

coming over rn.

It's quite late but you're sure he's already outside of his house. Waiting for him, you sit on the steps outside your house. Rubbing you palms together and watching the way your breath floats in the air.

In a few minutes, you hear him before you see him. The pitter-patter of his footsteps as he jogs, the way his breath comes out harsh and ragged like he sprinted here (he did).

Above, the sky seems starless but you know they're there. They always are, whenever he's with you. Oikawa Tooru and the stars come in a package, you never see one without the other.

Anyway, here comes a freshly out of practice, out of breath and an absolutely elated looking Oikawa Tooru. The moment he sees you walking towards him, he starts running and then all you know is warmth and the way his arms are long enough to engulf you completely.

"I- I fucking made team captain. Coach just suddenly pulled me aside after practice and said they made me captain. Oh my God, they think- I'm the captain. Holy shit, I'm the fucking team captain."

Your eyes start to water at the way he sounds breathless. Not just because he ran all the way here but because he sounds like he's in disbelief. His voice, breathy and in awe, rings in your ears and you wonder why he sounded so unsure. As if everyone doesn't know how fucking hard he works, as if everyone doesn't know he deserves to be captain.

You're ecstatic for him. Your hands grip the back of his jacket so tightly that you're afraid it's going to tear. And when he pulls away, just far enough to look at your face, his eyes are shining and if you look close enough, you can see the moon reflected in its glassiness.

"Did you run all the way here to tell me that? You could've just called," you chide, not because you didn't want to see him but 'cause you know he's probably tired from practice.

Tooru looks at you, tilting his head the way he does when he can't figure out a math problem. His eyes soften imperceptibly and he bites the inside of his cheek so hard to keep himself from kissing you when he exhales, "You were the only person I wanted to tell. And, I wanted to see you."

Tooru let's go of you then. But he doesn't go home, not yet. He sits with you on the steps of your house. And even though you're cold, you're happy to sit with him. You'd stay freezing all your life if it meant you could always have him with you.

Tooru lets his body heat seep into you while he talks about everything and nothing all at once. He tells you about the stars and how he's scared about not being able to lead his team to the best of his ability. You tell him that he doesn't need to worry about that and asks him to tell you more about the stars.

Tooru exhales, let's the tension in his body go slack. He goes on then, telling you how it's not like he's going to study astrophysics or anything like that. Ever since he was little, he's simply been unusually in love with everything that's out of this world. It's why he's in love with you after all, not that he'll tell you anytime soon.

And it's not only the stars, he talks about space and the planets and he talks your ear off about different galaxies and the possibilities of endless alternate universes and you wish upon every single star that time would stop so you could listen to him go on for hours.

Once he leaves, after hugging you one more time and after you congratulate him once more, you let his words replay in your head.

You're the only one I wanted to tell.

Oh.

Oh.

It's something so simple and yet you know, you both do. That's the moment you start to fall.

⚝ ⚝ ⚝

The whistle blows. The echo of the resounding smack of a volleyball rings in your ears. The ball falls into Aoba Johsai's court, and Tooru's team loses by two points.

The opposing team, (ushiwaka's team), looked like a tough match from the start and your chest tightens at the redness of Tooru's eyes when he begrudgingly shakes the other team's hand.

You can't see it very clearly, but you can tell how much Tooru's beating himself up over this. As the newly appointed captain, it's a hundred times tougher for him this time to deal with the loss.

Your hands are jittery as you wait for him outside his school gates. You've always walked to the station with him ever since he made captain, so you figure it wouldn't be any different this time. He calls out your name as he approaches you, looking bone weary. All locked jaws with eyes dull but still burning.

Half-heartedly, he smiles at you and thanks you for waiting. You don't say anything yet, afraid you might set him off somehow.

It's quiet as you walk beside him. The remnants of his loss lingering in the space between his body and yours. He says, very softly, like he's ashamed to admit that, "I tried my hardest. My team tried their fucking best yet we never seem to win against Shiratorizawa."

Your eyes can't seem to meet his. He keeps looking away from you and it's making it harder for you to say anything consoling. When you try, he snaps at you.

"Tooru, there's still a few more months to keep trying. You've still got a chance to beat him!"

Tooru scoffs at your words. And you try again but he cuts you off. His words cold and sharp, "What the fuck would you know."

He stops walking. He looks at you with wide eyes like he's surprised at what just came out of his mouth. You wave it off and even though he apologises, his words silently sting. You're well aware that he said those things because he's frustrated with his loss, but it hurts all the same. It's awkward then.

When you enter the train, he doesn’t wave goodbye to you as you leave, he doesn't even look at you at all. Somehow, that's the worst part.

The same achey feeling festers even more when he doesn't text you at all over the next few days. After three missed good morning texts, you finally start spamming his phone. It's an unusual switch, for you to be the one texting him first and this rapidly. But unfortunately, he still doesn't answer.

Disappointment weighs heavily in the pit of your stomach when he doesn't show up at the convenience store either. You don't normally frequent it daily but you thought maybe if you did then there'd be a chance to meet him, but he's never there.

When a whole week and a half passes, you finally decide to see him yourself. You don't really care that he's so hell bent on avoiding you. You miss your friend, you miss Tooru and his stupid emoticons and his dumb jokes and the way he laughs with his whole chest.

Walking into his practice session, you expect to see him talking to his team or practising receives. You don't expect to see him all smiles and rosy cheeks. You definitely wouldn't have expected to see a girl you've never seen before all over him.

Okay, she's just handing him a water bottle but whatever. Maybe the way he's smiling is forced too but again, whatever. Huffing and turning around, you walk out of the gym not two seconds later. You shouldn't have bothered, he's clearly all buddy-buddy with someone else, and he's clearly feeling fine so you shouldn't have worried in the first place.

Whatever.

At the same time, Iwaizumi, ever the wingman, sees you glaring holes in the back of Oikawa's head. He laughs softly before spiking a volleyball at his best friend's head. Hard enough for said best friend to fall forward and yell. Iwaizumi grins slyly and points in the direction you just left in.

"Shittykawa. The girl you won't shut the fuck up about just left."

"Shit. Thanks, Iwa-chan."

Oikawa Tooru thanks the setting sun for the first time that his coach makes him run like hell every practise. His athleticism pays off for once as he dashes for you. How you're walking so fast, he has no idea. The only thing he knows is that he has to catch up to you.

He does. Of course he does. He'd run around the moon to get you, and he'd do it in a heartbeat.

When you're finally within his reach, he spins you around to make you face him. He's barely panting but it's obvious he's been running. Without waiting for him to speak, you jerk out of his touch to snap, "You know. If you wanted to ignore me and make me feel like shit, congratulations. You did it."

Oikawa's face falls. You don't wait for his response and continue walking towards the station. Oikawa follows and spins you around again before you can get away again.

He puts his hands in front of him, begging you to wait. He sweeps his fingers through his hair nervously before babbling, "I'm sorry. I- It was stupid for me to ignore you like that. I kept over practising and then Iwa-chan had to literally drag me off the court the past seven days and I know that isn't an excuse not to talk to you but I couldn't handle talking to anyone. And I know that isn't a good enough reason to hurt you like that but- I was scared. I didn't wanna accidentally say something stupid like when I snapped you the night I lost against Ushiwaka."

"So, you thought isolating yourself from me was the best solution?" You deadpan, putting aside the desire to chastise him for overexerting himself again.

"Yeah. I'm a bit of an idiot like that."

Rolling your eyes, you push past him. "Hm, I can tell. Whatever. Glad we cleared that up. Have fun with your new girlfriend, or whatever."

Oikawa balks. His eyes do that Loony Tunes popping motion at your words. He watches you walk away for a second, a satisfied grin spreads its way across his stupid smug face. He catches up to you and spins you around again, and you almost punch him for looking so happy.

"You're jealous."

"Fuck off."

"You're jealous. And also, stupid. But I guess we're both stupid then. Anyway, she's just a fan. I don't even know her name."

Squinting, "She was all up in your space, Oikawa"

Oikawa's grin dims when you revert back to using his last name. Though, he supposes he deserves it for ignoring you. He tries again, placing both palms on your shoulders gently, gauging whether you'll let him or not. You do, and he takes it as a sign to carry on.

Oikawa looks at you like you're everything he's ever wanted, and then he says, "There's nothing to be jealous of. I don't care for her. I don't know her at all. I don't know her like you. I'm sure she wouldn't fight over an alien sticker with me. I don't think she looks at the stars  whenever she's particularly sad, because she knows the darker the nights seem, the brighter the stars shine. I don't think she hated how corny she sounded when she told me that."

Oikawa breathes in and exhales unsteadily when he barrels on, "I don't think she'd sit with me in the freezing cold just to talk. And, I really, really,  don't think she'd come all the way to my court just to see me if I ignored her for a week. No, I don't think I'd be so disastrously interested in anyone unless they did all those things."

The world keeps spinning on its axis. It doesn't stop turning, but it sure fucking feels like it. As you take in his words, you don't know if you've breathed even once. Your heart beats so loudly, you think it overshadows the sound of the incoming train.

Oikawa holds your gaze still, eyes soft and waiting, and you want to reply but the train comes. So, quite cruelly, you leave him on the platform and hope he doesn't notice how your face feels like it's burning. You tell him you'll text him and try to forget about how disappointed he looks as the train speeds off.

⚝ ⚝ ⚝

You don't text him. It's not that you don't reciprocate his feelings, because obviously you do. You absolutely like him back, no, it's more than that even. You love the way  his feathery hair falls into his eyes when he nods too enthusiastically, you love the way his eyes light up whenever he figures out a new way to improve his plays and you love how caring and considerate he is for his teammates. You love the way he never seems to falter, how he's steady as a rock and how he's the embodiment of the word 'hardwork'.

Yet, even with all those feelings, you're terrified of telling him. You don't think he'd reject you, and maybe that's why you're so afraid. Because you're not sure he's meant to be with someone like you. Someone of your calibre.

It's not like you're so horrifically insecure but you just think maybe he won't shine as bright as he could with you weighing him down. In the back of your mind, you can hear Hanamaki's voice saying, "It's really not that deep, girl-" but you cut it off instantly.

Apart from that, there's no real concrete reason why you don't text him back. Maybe it's the fear and anxiety and the fact that you don't know how long the two of you will last and the thought of being so irrevocably in love with him just for it to fall apart sooner or later? That thought scares you the most, the fact that- unlike the stars, which are infinitely present- the two of you are not a permanent fixture.

Your overthinking does not stop Oikawa Tooru from being insane though. It seems Iwaizumi was right when he called Oikawa petty and the biggest sore loser, because he decidedly does not like or care for a taste of his own medicine. What with the way he's been blowing up your phone.

Oikawa has been tossing and turning every night you don't talk to him. He thinks about how this is how you must've felt when he did the same thing to you and it makes him even more restless. He picks up his phone to try you again.

His neverending texts range in severity and you're not sure how long you can keep him away. See the following:

omg PLS text me back  (〃＞＿＜;〃) hey, if you don't wanna talk about what I said, it's totally fine with me. just talk 2 me :( MF ISTG,, if you don't txt me back rn, I'll manifest your alien abduction ☆ｏ(＞＜；)○ i can literally SEE you reading these messages, please text me back.

It keeps on going. Oikawa has never known when to give up. He'll keep trying until you respond. He's also known to be very impatient and after a week passes by, he decides he will not stand for this. He won't let your radio silence deter him. He won't let this chance slip away, he won't.

⚝ ⚝ ⚝

On the seventh night of your Oikawa Tooru strike, you're rudely awoken to the sound of your bedroom window rattling. You were always warned to lock your window at night because having a room on the ground floor would be easier to break into. Man, you should have listened.

Snatching your phone from its charger, you shine the torchlight at whoever it is. Unfortunately, the light shines directly into Oikawa's eyes, causing him to loosen the grip he has on your sliding window. He yelps and the window grille falls on his back, and the two of you stare at each other until he breaks the silence.

His eyes dart back and forth from your look of incredulity to anywhere else in the room.

"I just kinda feel like we're meant to be together. I mean look at how the universe keeps throwing us at each other!"

"It's 3 in the morning and you're stuck in my window. How did you even get there?"

"The universe, I just told you. Aren't you listening?"

At the way his voice lilts, you can't help but crack a smile. Damn it, you've missed him so much. It's only been a week but it feels like so much longer.

Oikawa pulls himself out from your window and stands on the other side of it, looking at you expectantly. You're about to go and apologise for your behaviour when he cuts in to tell you to follow him. He asks you, "Do you trust me?"

"Who are you? Aladdin?" You reply snarkily, but take his hand anyway, and let him pull you into the night. You don't even question where he's taking you.

He makes sure he gets you out safely and then he starts walking. He doesn't say anything about the way you trail slightly behind him instead of how you usually walk next to him. He knows you're sorry, he can see it in the way your eyes shift each time he tries to meet yours. He can see it in the way you laugh softly at his stupid jokes even though they're not that funny. He  can see it in the way you keep trying to apologise but you can't get the words out so instead, you let him talk the entire time.

And talk Oikawa does. He speaks to you about everything he did in the week you didn't talk. He fills you in on the gaps in his life that you missed and it feels like you weren't absent at all.

"I finally got the timing for Kyoutani's quick right. And during break, Hanamaki dared Matsukawa to eat twelve pieces of Oreos at once, and then they both threw up. Hanamaki did 'cause he saw matsukawa do it first. Iwa-chan spiked three volleyballs at me this week."

You reply periodically and laugh at the right timings, but your heart isn't fully in the conversation. You're sure Oikawa can pick up on that, but you're grateful that he doesn't comment on it. Halfway through the journey to wherever he's taking you, he stops by your convenience store.

"Wait here!" He exclaims, and then five minutes later he comes out with a bag filled with snacks. Oh— it's all your favourite snacks and the guilt comes back full force.

The wind blows past you, and strands of your flyaway hair falls into your eyes. Oikawa reaches out and tucks your hair behind your ear, and you think he's the prettiest boy you've ever known. Another gust of wind blows past, hard enough for it to make the swing set in front of you creak and sway. It turns out that he's brought you to a playground in your neighbourhood.

You've been here before. Not with him, but you've been here nonetheless. When you were small and not worried if Oikawa Tooru was going to break your heart. It's an irrational fear, because Oikawa Tooru would rather shoot a hole in the moon itself than commit such a crime.

Oikawa walks towards swings. He sits on the left, and you on the right. He hands you the box of Pocky he bought. Both of you slowly kick off the ground, swaying slowly in the night. The streetlamp flickers and the sound of crickets drown out the sound of your munching.

Tooru (you want to call him that again) turns to you and stares, waiting for you to explain yourself. It's hard to do that while he's looking at you so intensely, so you slowly stop swinging and choose to look at the colourful ground instead.

There still isn't a concrete reason for ignoring him, at least nothing you can put into words just yet. So that's where you start, you suppose.

"It wasn't like I was ignoring you. If anything, I couldn't stop thinking about you no matter what I did."

Tooru stops swinging too. He's so confused , "You can't just ghost me every time you need space. If you want space, just tell me and I'll give it to you. Ignoring me like that was really shitty."

"Yeah, well. You're one to talk."

"And I apologised, didn't I? I'm still waiting for yours."

Biting back a frustrated groan, you stay silent. God, you hate this, you were supposed to talk things out. Not fight even more. Suddenly, the reality of it all hits you like a punch to the gut. This was what you were afraid of. Making him mad, being bad at communication, the two of you just don't fit and now he's annoyed at you and-

Tooru looks at the sky and sighs. He gets up when you stay quiet and takes your hand to drag you to the talking tube. It connects one end of the play area to the other. He brings you to one end, makes a motion with his hand that means stay there and then he walks to the other end of the talking tube. He sits down on the ground because he’s practically twice the height of the tube.

His voice echoes through the playground speaker. He asks, ‘Hey? Can you hear me?’

You hum in answer and then he clears his throat and says, “You know, I like the moon. I like space and I like the galaxies. I like memorising the names of different constellations and I like the stars. And, I like you."

"I like everything about anything that's outside of earth but none of those things compare to you. Not the stars, not the moon, not any other planet and not even aliens. You're the only cosmic element I'm in love with, for now and for forever."

He takes a breath and you’re surprised you can hear it through the old worn out tubes. He goes on, "And I'm sorry if that scares you but you're gonna have to deal with it. So, either tell me you don't love me back, and we can forget I ever said anything. Or tell me what I think you're gonna say, because I may be an idiot, but I like to believe I'm not entirely stupid.”

He's right. You hate how intuitive he is, because of course he knows. Sitting criss-cross on the ground, you let your forehead rest against the metallic rim of the tube.

"You're right. I do like you. It's more than that, but Tooru- I'm so scared."

Your eyes find comfort in the space above you, as they always do. It dawns upon you just how tiny the two of you are in this endless universe. If Tooru's so insignificant in the vastless galaxy, even when he glows as bright as he does, then you're even less than that. You lean back down onto the tube.

Fiddling with your fingers, you whisper, "In a few months, we’re gonna graduate and you’re gonna go somewhere amazing and be you know- all you, and I’m just, I think I’m just going to stay here. Probably. Anyway, I'm not someone you should be with, you know. You're- you're gonna go out there and be great and I'm just. I'm just, me. I know I'm not making any sense but like, see, I don't know anything about volleyball, so it's not like I could help you with- with the one thing I know you try your hardest at. Tooru, I like you, a lot, but I don't really think we're meant to fit."

Oikawa Tooru has heard many stupid things in the sixteen years he's been alive. He hangs around Hanamaki and Matsukawa for God's sake, but the nonsense that just came from you might be dumber than anything he's ever heard. He inhales, and then with a burst of breath, he echoes in a voice that’s much too loud for the time of night, ‘Bullshit.’

The volume makes you wince. Sucking the air between your teeth, you rub your ears and look over at him in annoyance. Your irritated look does nothing but make him smile, and he walks over to you. Tooru looks down at you.

Next, Tooru's scowling at you. Just like he did the first time you met him. It really hits you then, just how much time has passed since he came into your life. He makes a sound that gets stuck in his throat, something in between a scoff and a gasp.

"That's actually the dumbest thing you've said so far tonight. First of all, you still haven't apologised. Second of all, you don't like me, you're clearly in love with me," and then he waves three fingers in front of your face, 'and third of all, everything you just said is irrelevant."

You start to get up then, indignant, but Tooru beats you to it and crouches down to your level. When he's this close, you can count the freckles and spots on his cheeks and if you connect all the dots, you'd be able to form constellations. When he's this close, it's hard to pretend like you don't want to pull him in by his shirt just to wipe the audacity off his face.

"Everything you just said, everything, is irrelevant. I don't care if you’re going to stay here. I don’t care if I’m going somewhere three hours away or a plane flight away, I don't care. I love you. I’m going to- no, we’re gonna make this work. And it’s not ‘we can’ make this work, we’re going to make this work, because you and me? It's written in the stars actually, the aliens told me themselves."

This time, the world really does stop spinning. You have no idea if your lungs work or not, maybe it's that Tooru stole your breath, but you can't seem to breathe right. It's always a little hard to breath when Tooru's near you. Your head wraps around what he just said and you wish something would come out of your mouth.

Tooru sees your struggle and huffs, laying down flat on his back beside you. He looks up, away from you, but slowly reaches out his arm towards you to pull your hand down to his lips. He kisses your palm once, and mutters so softly, "And I wish you didn't talk about yourself like that. You're not someone I should be with? You're the only one I want to be with. If you think we're not meant to be, that's fine. I'd choose you myself each time anyway."

For once, you're the one holding his gaze. But he takes the same hand you're holding and places it over his eyes before continuing, "If I had to choose between a million things I love and you, I'd always fucking pick you. And I don't care that I can't talk to you about volleyball, that's why I have a team. Just coming to every game you can is more than enough for me. Look, I believe that everyone has one great love of their life and I'm telling you, you're mine."

At that, you inhale sharply. Tooru removes your hand from your face and instead, grasps it in his and places it over his chest. He starts talking again, and maybe he's trying to knock you out when he says, "I am not gonna let you throw us away before you even give us a chance. So, there you go, I cleared up all your doubts, haven't I? The only thing stopping us from being together right now, is yourself. So why don’t you save us the trouble and tell me you’re in love with me already."

Taking your tongue between your teeth, you bite down to stop yourself from beaming just yet. Letting his confession wash over you, the more it starts to make sense. You and him. You should be more confident in yourself. After all, you're the one he came running to when he made captain. You're the one he texts all night long even when he has morning practise. If anything, the only thing that doesn’t make sense in this whole thing, is the fact the two of you aren’t already dating.

Fuck your commitment issues.

Swinging a leg over him, both your kneecaps bracket his waist. You lean over him with your forearms on the ground and whisper, ‘Okay, you win. I love you. I love your stupid face and the way you talk about space and how passionate you are about volleyball," your voice breaks,  "and- and I love you even though you always overwork yourself and you never think you’re good enough. I love you, and I always think you’re more than enough and I’m still really scared about us but 'm gonna try anyway 'cause I know it’ll be worth it."

By the time you're done speaking, you're winded onece again. Tooru, however, is all wide eyes and rosy cheeks and red ears, and then he grins so fucking wide that you're sure his mouth must ache afterwards.

The reflection of the moon disappears as his eyes crease and he brings a hand up towards your face to pull you down. Right before he kisses you, he murmurs, ‘that’s my girl,’ and then he closes the distance.

Everyone says not to expect too much for your first kiss. But they’ve never had a first kiss with Oikawa Tooru, and if you can help it, they never will. Tooru kisses like he speaks; languidly, sweet, and to the point.

His lips brush against yours, feather light at first and then harder. He brings a hand up to the back of your neck, pressing you harder against himself until you’re practically smashed up against him.

He pulls away for a bit and you chase after him but he flips you over so that he’s the one above you this time. He leans back down and it feels like everything is okay again. He has a hand on the back of your head, pushing you closer to him. Every doubt, every insecurity and everything you were afraid of gets erased with a single kiss.

When he holds you close like this, it’s hard to think about what you were scared of in the first place, because how could you have been so fearful of something that feels so fucking right?

Unfortunately, the need for air surpasses the longing to keep kissing him and you pull away to catch your breath. He rests his forehead against yours and whispers, “Thank you for giving us a chance.”

Laughing into him, letting your giddiness pour into his mouth, you say, “I never stood a chance, not against you. You knew you’d have me, Tooru. You’re a winner after all.”

He hums noncommittally, "You’re right about that," and kisses you again. With his lips on yours, open-mouthed and pressing down, you come to understand what the movies meant by 'seeing stars'.

When the sky grumbles and flickers, Tooru pulls away. He had to bring you home sometime. He gets up first before pulling you up as well. Up close again, you can tell that his lips mirror yours; wet and raw and loved.

He doesn't have to say he's walking you home. It's an unspoken agreement now that he's your boyfriend. As you walk home with him, his hands never once let go of yours. Your hand swings casually with his as the two of you walk as slow as possible back to your house, trying to prolong the journey as much as possible, taking every detour possible and laughing at nothing.

"Tomorrow, you're going to buy me dinner for ghosting me. And then I'll buy us dessert because I'll feel bad for ordering the most expensive item on the menu."

"Sounds good. Here’s a better plan— how about we just dine and dash?"

Tooru giggles into your hair at that. As you both approach your bedroom window, a thought comes into your mind like an unwanted rat and you immediately verbalise it to him.

"When you said it didn't matter if you were a plane flight away… does that mean you’re definitely not staying here?"

He whips his head around to face you, eyes shining with barely restrained glee, "I've always known I wanted to go overseas to play. Maybe not immediately after we graduate, but... soon. And I kept that in mind when I said we're going to make this work. And you agreed, so no take backsies!"

Despite his excitement reflecting onto you, your worries and doubts start to resurface unwillingly, "Okay, but wouldn’t it be hard to focus on us and going pro at the same time? Tooru, I can’t stand the thought of being a burden to you. what if you-"

He doesn't let you finish, doesn't let that thought spiral into a million other things. He cuts you off with a simple press of his lips against yours. Kisses you against your window until you're silent and doesn't let you speak until your heart calms down.

When he pulls away, the streetlight lightens up his eyes and the stars illuminate his face, it makes his hazel eyes dance. He rests his forehead against yours and tells you with a steady voice, with full certainty, “You’re worth it. You’re worth everything to me.”

Oikawa Tooru’s kisses taste like starlight and his words ground you better than gravity ever could and somehow, he gave you his whole universe without even trying.

12:30 am

Feat. Kuroo

Kuroo didn’t know when he decided that dating you would be a bad idea, but he did. But looking at you know, he couldn’t remember why.

Seeing you after a long day was like taking a fresh breath of air, or maybe not. Seeing you, an indescribable feeling came over him.

You made water taste better, the sun shine brighter, and his heart beat faster.

You first met Kuroo your first year, on the first day of school. He sat beside you in class and offered his name so you returned with yours. After that interaction you spoke with him regularly in class and it only took a few months before you were speaking outside of class.

You two got close, and for some reason, he got scared. It wasn't often that he let people get too close, or that people wanted to get close.

He let his feelings fester for two years, nearly forgetting that there was another option besides dying in silence.

But here you were, leaning down in front of him whispering in his ear, telling him to come with you. Goosebumps rose on his skin as your hot breath hit his ear. He willingly followed you, not that he had much choice because you were holding onto his hand tightly.

His mind jumped from several different conclusions as to what you were gonna do to him, some shoujo status, others being horrifically humiliating.

You lead him out of the classroom to behind the school.

"What are we doing here?" He asked.

You shushed him and grabbed him by his tie to lower him in front of a cardboard box. He almost lost it then and there. You looked around in every direction before opening the box to reveal a single black kitten sleeping in it.

"I found her in a bush near the entrance. You know, I was running late so it was quiet when I was walking up so I heard her meowing." You explained, petting her head softly with one finger. "I found a box and went back and grabbed her. By the time I had done all of this, 1st period was over."

He looked over at you as you looked tenderly at the kitten. He wondered if he was looking at you with a similar expression.

"What are you going to do with her?"

You looked up at him with a bashful look and he knew that whatever you were going to say next he would agree to immediately.

"I was thinking you could take it? My dad would never let us take her in, but maybe your parents would be ok with it? I would have to come over constantly though."

"Of course, I'll take care of her." He spoke without really thinking about it, but his answer would have been the same.

"Really? That's so great! I was super worried for a bit."

"C'mon, I'd do anything I could to help you out." After watching your expression change, he wanted to take it back immediately, or at least rearrange his wording.

"Thanks, Tetsurou." Shit. He was down bad.

With the way you were looking at him now, he was asking again, why hadn't he made a move sooner.

He spoke your name softly and you held your breath as he spoke. "Before we go back to class, I have something I want to say." He paused to find the right words, but nothing seemed better than just saying them. "I like you."

You finally let out a breath as a shaky laugh and beamed at him. "I like you too."

You both were caught up in a moment of bliss that was broken by the weak cry of the kitten in front of you.

"She's awake!" You pulled her into your arms as you showed Kuroo to her. "This is Tetsurou, your new dad."

"If I'm her dad, does that make you her mom?" He hoped to pull a flustered reaction from you, but the best he could get was a blush and a smile.

"I thought that was obvious." You mumble, placing her back into the box.

"Well, we should probably head back, class will be starting soon." He said, taking the box into his arms.

“What are you doing?” You ask.

“Taking her to the gym, Nekomata won’t mind. She’ll be safer where no one else will find her. She can be like our mascot or something.” You smile at him and it sends the same electric shocks through his heart, just without the pain this time.

this made my day already 😭

if no one told you today, i love you

ejp !! (and iizuna)