It takes four to make a quarrel
This was supposed to be their first date ever. How exactly it had come to this, both couldn’t say. Some time between their jump serve practices together, sending texts to each other more frequently, it just had happened. Of course it had been Oikawa’s idea, but having his former kouhai agree in the first place had come out as a surprise. Asking the younger one so bluntly about a date had been more of a joke in the first place, but here he was, standing at their meeting point and waiting for Kageyama to arrive.
When the dark haired appeared behind a building, his glances seemed nervous, almost insecure, but once he’d spotted the brunet, Oikawa knew he was doing his best to hide it from him. He could spot this pout from miles away.
“Ready for some fun today, Tobio-chan?” To loosen the atmosphere a bit, Oikawa winked at his kouhai, only to have Kageyama quickly avert his gaze, muttering some words inaudible for him. What he did catch though was the faint blush settling onto the younger one’s cheeks.
The older boy smiled sweetly in return, which might or might’ve not gone unnoticed by the dark haired.
Oikawa had been on a few dates before, even planned some by himself, but he had to admit that most of them were with cute, lovesick girls and not with a tsundere, almost grumpy guy. Not that he did mind, but if Kageyama could act a little more like he’d really want this, it wouldn’t hurt. But then again, maybe he’d get less of those moments where the younger one’s cheeks would explode in crimson colour, revealing to him any unspoken thoughts.
Today, the setter hadn’t really thought of anything in particular since both of their interests were mainly volleyball, and there wasn’t anything in particular he wanted to show off anyway. So they’d probably just stroll through town a bit and eventually settle in a café. On the plus side, there wasn’t anything wrong with two guys walking around together and as much as Oikawa would’ve liked to hold the younger one’s hand, he probably wouldn’t allow it anyway. No need to unnecessarily embarrass himself in front of the other.
As the pair made their way down the main street, both preoccupied with their own thoughts, Oikawa couldn’t believe his eyes for a second. He was sure he had just spotted a very familiar looking redhead among the busy shoppers. Even in a crowd, there was no way one could overlook this bright orange. No doubt, that was Karasuno’s chibi in front of them.
Curious, he trailed the boy with his eyes until he disappeared into an alley, dragging a boy with outgrown blonde hair behind him. It might’ve just been a coincidence, but the setter was sure he’d just seen their hands tightly intertwined. Interesting. Maybe he was jumping to conclusions here but this little meeting had definitely made him curious. Not that he cared much about the chibi, but the thought of discovering something secret here wouldn’t leave his mind, yes, almost begged to be discovered by him.
In hindsight it might’ve not been the best idea to confront one of Kageyama’s teammates when they were together like that, but the older just couldn’t pass on this opportunity. On top of that, the shorty’s face when he boasted about being with the dark haired boy surely would be priceless. Not to mention the confession he was about to hear from the shorty.
Nudging his date into the direction Hinata and the other boy went, they started following them. How long would it take Kageyama to spot his teammate, he wondered.
His question was answered a second later as the other setter hastily grabbing Oikawa’s sleeve.
“Hey, can we go somewhere else?” He was straining his voice to speak quietly.
The older smirked in reaction to this. He had to distract Kageyama just a little longer until they reached the others. Also that came pretty close to holding hands, right?
“Could it be that you’re afraid to walk through a dark alley with me? Don’t worry, I’d never do anything to you – in public I mean…” The desired reaction came as a sharper tug on his shirt.
“I–I’m serious! I think I saw someone I know…” A pout spread on the younger one’s face as he trailed off with his words.
Oikawa pretended to be surprised. “Heeh? Then how about we go and greet them? It’s not nice to ignore your friends in public you know, Tobio”
“Are you even listening to me? Hinata is the last person I’d wanna meet while being with someone like you!”
A few more people had passed them on their way, and now that the alley was as good as empty, Kageyama’s enraged voice echoed off the walls. The older just looked up in time to see the two boys at the other end of the passage turn their heads sharply. With a pleased smirk, he also didn’t fail to notice the blond quickly letting go of Hinata’s hand. If he looked closer, something about the guy seemed familiar to him, but it wasn’t until his date actually raised his voice again that he realized.
“What the hell is Nekoma’s setter doing here?!” Kageyama’s surprise was apparently greater than his anger about being spotted. A volleyball player, huh! So was right about having seen this boy before.
Now Hinata also sprang into life, vigorously defending his friend.
“Kenma is visiting me over the weekend, so naturally I’m showing him around! And anyway, what kind of business do you have with the Grand King?!”
Seeing outrage cross his date’s face while he was feverishly trying to come up with an answer, Oikawa decided it would be best to answer in his stead. Protectively, he laid an arm around the dark haired boy’s shoulder, drawing him closer.
“Tobio-chan and I are on a date today”, he said with an innocent tone. “Not that you’d know anything about dates.” A cold smile appeared on his face.
The older had to be quick about removing his arm again before Kageyama shoved him off, face flushed. However Hinata’s expresssion had been rewarding enough to fend off an angry date any time.
“I told you to keep it a secret! And especially in front of..”
The setter’s increasing voice was interrupted by the skinny boy next to the redhead.
“Uhm…” Having kept silent until now, Kenma made a small step forward. For a second it looked like he wasn’t going to say anything at all, his eyes aimlessly wandering around until they focused on the setter pair.
Even Oikawa felt an unpleasant shudder down his spine while he was targeted by these unpredictable, catlike eyes.
“Actually, me and Shouyou are on a date too.”
His voice wasn’t loud at all but the air around them had tensed up so much that even the small boy’s words seemed to linger like a threat.
However the impression was immediately disturbed when Kenma took a step back and immediately gazed at his friend nervously, as if seeking the other one’s approval. Hinata’s eyes had lit up with joy and he eagerly nodded at the setter in return before speaking up again.
“That’s right! Don’t think you guys are anything better than us!”
“Why, you..” Having his plan backfire so badly, Oikawa was getting pissed off. First name basis already, just how close were these brats? And here he was with a guy who still refused to call him anything but Oikawa-san. Well if those chibis dared to question his judgment, then how about he showed them how a proper date looked like? Maybe that would also open Kageyama’s eyes about him.
The corner of his mouth twitched once more before he regained his usual cool composition.
“For real? What a coincidence! Well we were just on the way to a café, so how about you guys tag along? We could turn this in a double-date you know…” Holding in his anger, he managed another sickly sweet smile.
Hinata looked at Kenma, silently asking for permission. When the taller boy shrugged, the middle blocker nodded energetically.
“That’s fine by us!!”
Seemed like he was getting fired up as well. Having a dating competition was also a first for Oikawa, but it was quite something to spike up this so far eventless date. Except that the only person he wanted to impress the most was also the one who disliked the idea the most.
While Hinata and Kenma already set in motion, he was once again held back by a noticeably pissed off Kageyama.
“Wait a minute! I never agreed to this! Why do I have to hang out with this dumbass now??”
The older setter sighed and crossed his arms. “Sheesh, you’re really not cute at all when you’re angry. If you wanted to spend time with me alone, you should’ve just said so!” Kageyama ended this line of conversation with a pout and Oikawa shook it off with a smile. That was definitely a yes and could be marked off as success.
“Anyway, I’m gonna treat you, so just order anything you like, alright?”
Seemed like he managed to calm his date down again. Luckily, food always seemed to work for this guy. And the truth was, maybe he would’ve enjoyed a quiet time with the two of them as well, but his pride was simply preventing him from turning down this perfect opportunity of embarrassing his rival. Well, maybe Hinata couldn’t really be called his rival, but he was probably the closest thing to a best friend Kageyama had, and therefore he needed to be … tested. And put down on in his place, if necessary.
Tagging along behind the two shorter volleyball players, Oikawa came to realize that maybe it wasn’t the dark haired boy’s relationship with the middle blocker he should be worried about, but rather the way this guy behaved with his blond friend. Hinata jumped everywhere, explaining things about the city and telling random stories about places and when he got too excited, he’d grab the setter’s hand and they would linger like this a little longer before stepping a bit further away from each other again.
However when his and Kageyama’s hands brushed for a moment, the younger one would immediately pull away, leaving Oikawa with only the gesture of running a hand through his own hair to make it less awkward. He’d definitely get these chibis back for that.
When they finally settled down in a café, Hinata and Kenma in one side of the booth and him and Kageyama across from them, he hoped things would get better soon. His date hadn’t talked since and for once, that pout on his face actually seemed a bit worrying to him.
After they had their drinks served, Oikawa mustered up another innocent smile. It was time to start the conversation.
“So how did you guys meet?”
It was obvious that the unknown setter probably wouldn’t respond to his questions so he directed them straight at the redhead. It wasn’t that he really cared about their story, but maybe he could pick up some interesting details to use later.
Hinata started talking in his really excited way again and the oldest wondered how anyone could stand this much energy on a long term. Apparently that nekoma setter didn’t have any problems, or could it be that he just got forced into this by the shorty?
When he shot another glance at the blond to confirm his theory, he was again met with these irritating small eyes, looming over the rim of his glass of juice. It was as if this guy actually tried to stare a hole right through him, and he couldn’t deny getting goose bumps for a second. Just what was wrong with this person? Could he have read his mind?
Almost disgusted, the brunet directed his attention back to the bubbly redhead.
“So it’s a long distance relationship? How cute!” he smiled cheerfully, earning a blush and a rushed mumbling as an answer.
“But to be honest..”, the smirk returned on Oikawa’s face, “I always thought you had a thing for Tobio” He received a death glare from the boy next to him and barely managed to cover his mistake with a laugh. The dark haired could give the scariest looks as well.
“I guess you must have a thing for setters then? What about me?” He pointed at his own face innocently while still smiling. As expected this also earned him the attention of the two silent boys.
“Cut it out already”, Kageyama growled, trying to keep his voice as level as possible. Meanwhile Oikawa directed his smile to his date. “No need to get jealous now, you know I was just joking, don’t you”
Before the dark haired boy could reply, they were interrupted by the red haired shorty’s voice.
“So uhm… what about you?”
“Hmm?” Looking at the boy across from him, he noticed a tiny bit of concern in his eyes. Also compared to his usual cheerful voice, there seemed true interest in it.
“How did you guys, uhm… you know” The faintest hint of a blush spread across his cheeks.
“Oh, about that”
He knew that he shouldn’t have started talking about these things in regards to his already pissed off date, but wasn’t this what he’d been looking forward to all along? He’d been waiting for a chance to brag about their relationship for a while, so why was anybody still surprised when he jumped at first sight of this opportunity.
“Tobio finally talked me into practicing that jump serve with him and he was being really cute about it”, he barely dodged a murderous glance from his side, “and at the end of the day he was so exhausted I actually had to carry him home”, an impressed sound from the shorty was heard.
“You should’ve seen it, it was really adorable how he clung to me!”
Kageyama tugged at his arm yet again and hissed a low “Stop it now” but when he noticed, that Oikawa would go on regardless, he settled back, hoping to at least find comfort in his juice.
“After that we met a few more times for practice and then…”
Liking the sound of his own voice too much, the brunet went on and on, proudly taking in Hinata’s fascinated face. This was exactly what he’d been seeking. Something that shorty couple could never come up with, something that would make them look up to him. Because yes indeed, he himself had managed to get a hold of this volleyball obsessed tsundere.
“….speaking of, have you guys done it yet?” he dropped casually. Of course his own relationship hadn’t even progressed past one awkward hug but if he could at least give off the impression of being very experienced, he’d take it.
Awaiting amusing reactions, the brunet setter leaned back with folded arms, pleased with himself. And just the moment he finished speaking, Kageyama choked on his juice and started coughing.
Trying to help, Oikawa reached over to pat the dark haired boy’s back, but his hand was forcefully knocked away. While the younger one still gasped for air, he could only watch and wait what the problem was now.
Once his condition had returned to normal, Kageyama stared at his former senpai with true disappointment.
“Enough already! I’ve had it, I’m going home!” he declared in a loud voice, not even trying to hide the fact that he was hurt. To prove a point, he stood up to loom over the older, threatening.
Oikawa narrowed his eyes. This was not the reaction he had wanted to provoke.
“Haa? Are you serious? You were the one who agreed to go on a date with me on the first place! You can’t just leave now!” He got up as well and used his small advantage in height the same way Kageyama had done before.
“I don’t care anymore, I don’t wanna be around someone like you any longer so I’m going!”
Before the boy could so much as turn around, Oikawa gripped his arm tightly. Any amount of kindness seemed to have vanished from his face.
“Sit. Back. Down.” He commanded, his voice having lost any sort of emotion as well.
Kageyama winced at the sudden grip but straining against it just made the older setter angrier.
“I said sit down, are you deaf or something?”
In blind rage Oikawa didn’t even notice the distress in the other boy’s face.
Getting embarrassed by someone in a situation like this simply was a no go for him. Even if he knew that it was partly his fault, there was no way he’d admit his mistakes. This was something that should be talked out in private, not in public. And yet the black haired still kept struggling against him, not even trying to cooperate.
How unbelievable.
How dare he..
“Hey, over there isn’t that Oikawa-san from Aoba Jousai?”
Hushed high voices distracted his anger. While he slowly turned his head, he felt like detached from the whole scene. And as the brunet laid eyes on the group of girls sitting a few booths away, they suddenly stared squealing loudly.
“It really is him! Waaah! Oikawa-saaan!”
One of the girls started rushing up to him and in the exact moment, Oikawa let go of Kageyama’s arm and allowed his smile to return to his face. As he turned his back to the dark haired, his whole posture seemed to change. Two more girls started crowding around him and he greeted them all with his usual warm words, completely leaving the previous scene behind him as if nothing had happened at all.
Being so occupied with his role as the popular highschooler he was, he didn’t even notice the other setter standing and watching a moment longer before he too turned his back and left the café quickly.
Returning in the evening, Oikawa was still in high spirits. He’d ended up hanging out with the girls and completely forgetting about what had happened before in the café. But now that he was back home, his parents still out, his thoughts started circling back.
The pained look in Kageyama’s eyes actually made him wince, that was how lively he actually remembered it. Maybe he’d said some wrong things and maybe he’d acted a bit inappropriate but you couldn’t really but the whole blame on him, right? Since that brat would’ve actually said something if he’d gone too far. Oh wait, he faintly remembered something..
Damn it.
So maybe it was his fault. Did this mean he had to go and apologize now? Yeah right, and not live that down until the rest of his life, like he’d let that happen. There surely had to be another way to make up for his small error.
How about food? He could try cooking, right? But what was the point of putting effort in it if Kageyama was really mad at him? He wouldn’t even show up, would he.
Oikawa checked his phone. Of course no new messages. The day the dark haired boy would text him first was probably the end of the world. And on top of that the last bus would just leave in a few minutes.
Sighing dramatically, he shuffled back to the front door to get his shoes. So he was going over to Kageyama’s house and… say something. He’d probably figure out on the way there what exactly to say but even if he didn’t like it, honest words like “It was my fault” or “I’m sorry” would never leave his mouth. At least not towards his kouhai.
Just as he reached the little step, the doorbell rang, completely startling him for a second.
What the heck, who actually rang the bell at such an hour? Was it his mom who’d forgotten her keys? Well it better wasn’t some kind of guy trying to sell something. After all he was in a hurry. Kinda.
Opening the door, he was met with dark blue eyes staring back at him. Confusion spread on the younger ones face and then he quickly lowered his head to avoid the gaze.
“Tobio-chan?”
Oikawa was surprised as well to find the dark haired standing outside his door. “What exactly are you do-“
“I-….I’m sorry.”
The hastily spoken words left them in silence for a moment.
“Excuse me..?” His ears weren’t betraying him, were they? Kageyama had just apologized to him and by the looks of it, he really meant it, too. Incredible. And there he was, actually wanting to leave the house. He wasn’t sure whether to be actually proud of his kouhai for coming here all by himself or be angry at him because he beat him to making the first move to apologizing. But now that they were already standing there, he’d just take it as it was.
Laughing in a really artificial way to loosen the tension, Oikawa put a hand on the other one’s still slightly bowed shoulder.
“You know, I’m really glad you said it. How about you come in?”
When he raised his head, the dark haired still looked a bit puzzled, but he quickly nodded and followed inside.
To guide him through the apartment, the older gently took hold of his hand. His mood was back to perfectly happy again.
To think that he didn’t even have to go out of his ways and that they could leave their little scene behind them just like that, wasn’t that reason enough to feel good about himself? And here he was, so worried before how it would affect their relationship.
“No, please listen… I’m really sorry how I reacted…”
Wait, he was still going on about that? And to think they’d actually be done with it, yet Kageyama still wanted to prove some more, huh. Or was he expecting something? Not even turning around, the older setter decided to let him know that it was alright to stop now.
“Yeah, you were terrible.. I can’t believe you behaved like that! To embarrass me like this in front of..”
His walk was interrupted as the person behind him simply stopped moving and even as he tugged on the hand he was still holding, he wouldn’t budge. Well great, what was it now? It was obvious that he was being sarcastic and yet when he turned around..
What a pitiful sight.
With his dark blue eyes fixated on the floor, Oikawa couldn’t even detect a pout on the boy’s face.
He sighed heavily. This was worse than he’d thought.
“You know I was joking, right? Please tell me you know..” This was starting to sound a bit desperate as he took a step back to face Kageyama. When the boy finally dared to look up to him, he could see that he’d in fact believed his words and was truly ashamed about their whole argument.
Seeing this much honesty so close almost frightened the brunet. People in this kind of emotional state were just frail, too easy to break for someone like him and if they hadn’t come on equal terms in their relationship earlier he knew he’d actually enjoy shattering the boy’s confidence. And dispite having many people apologize to him before, he’d never felt so guilty for accepting an apology.
“You’re so incredibly useless..” He muttered softly before taking another step closer and cupping the setter’s face with his hand. With his thumb he pushed a few strands of hair away from Kageyama’s temple and then gently placed his lips above his brow. He could feel the other tense for a second before relaxing again against him. Considering that this was their first close contact, this wasn’t so bad.
Moving his lips down across the younger one’s cheek, he managed to mutter a “I’m sorry as well” into his ear before withdrawing. In front of him stood a very flushed Kageyama with his eyes closed and nose wrinkled slightly in anticipation. As he opened his eyes again, Oikawa still detected some uncertainty from him.
He couldn’t help himself but run his hand through the black strands of hair again.
“Sheesh I wish you weren’t that adorable”
