Another Monday had passed and you noticed that Oikawa has once again not visited the art club room. You had an idea on where else he could be but maybe he wanted to be alone? You shook your head of those thoughts. No, he shouldn't even be practicing on a Monday!

Making up your mind, you trudge out of your club room a couple minutes earlier to see where that childish guy might be up to.

You weren't wrong with your guess. There Oikawa was, breaking his no practice on Monday rule, practicing even harder than he did on other days. He notices you walk in but doesn't greet you. You just sigh at his stubborn attitude. You'd ask him about his recent attitude when you guys start walking home. But for now...

You make yourself at home on one of the bleachers and take your sketchbook out. Just so when he does feel like talking again, you'd be there to hear him out.

From time to time, you'd look up from the bleachers to check up on Oikawa's practice. You frowned. His movements were stiff and you could see that he was trying new moves that he hadn't built enough foundation for. He was trying to prefect everything, like there was this huge hurdle he had to jump before time ran out. It was a feeling you knew all too well. But since you did know that feeling, you knew that trying to make him stop practice for the day would do him more harm than good. You sighed. Just for today, you'll let him practice.

For the rest of your practice, you sketched in your book, trying to figure your words out for when you talk to him. As reckless as he may be, he would shut you out the moment you start scolding him. He was smart enough to know the damage he was putting on himself but there was something even more important that let him go past that. And that's what you'll be trying to figure out.

~~

"So...I'm assuming there's a big game coming up soon?" You speak up as Oikawa turns to you with a hint of surprise in his face. You were right, he probably expected you to scold him on practicing on a day he wasn't supposed to.

He gives you a hint of a grateful smile. "Yeah, and we're going to win." His face looks so excited and a little anxious at the upcoming game. His voice drops at his following words. "And put someone in their place."

Your head tilts up in thought. "Hm, could it be that crazy super ace you showed me in that video before?"

He shoots you an annoyed look. "The ace," he corrected, "won't be so super after the game." He jabs his thumb up his chest. "Our team is going to win."

You couldn't help the smile sliding into your face at his confidence in him and his teammates. You wish you could support him in some way too... Oh wait...

"Hey Oikawa, when is your game?" You were sure there was more than enough people cheering for the team but you wanted to do what little you can nonetheless. Plus you feel like Ami would make you go with her to cheer on her crush Hanamaki..."So I could, you know, maybe help cheer you on..."

You were met with a beaming smile, relieving the nervousness of the question you asked previously. "Rudolph! You shouldn't have!"

You roll your eyes. "Always making a big deal of things I see..." You turn to him with a grin. "That team you're facing is going to have a run for their money." He seemed pretty happy with your comment.

But you had a couple more questions swimming in your mind. "Any reason why you're more riled up than usual for one of your games?" The look he gave you at that question make your blood run cold. "...Oikawa?"

"It's simple really," he gives you a nonchalant shrug, "I hate geniuses." He catches your gaze, making you unable to pull your eyes away from him.

Honestly, that comment made you less uneasy than you assumed. Mostly because you understood it way more than you should. It made you realize that Oikawa and you were more similar than you expected. As much as you wanted to disagree with him so he could maneuver away from his self-destructive tendencies, you didn't have the strength to. You ended up nodding in agreement to his comment. "...Actually, me too."

That comment cracked open the lock on the chest in your heart that you weren't ready to face. You willed it away and closed it back up.

Oikawa noticed you quieted down after your response and shifted closer to you, stretching out his arm over your shoulder and pulling you closer to him. "Thanks for coming to practice Rudolph, even though I was supposed to go to your clubroom~" You try squirming away from him but his grip tightens on you, signaling that he wasn't finished speaking yet. "I'll be happy to have little Rudolph be my cheerleader for the game!" You do your usual roll of your eyes when you're met with his wink. "And I'll be your cheerleader too!"

You laugh and shrug off his arm that loosened around you. He always managed to make you feel better even though you planned to do that for him. "I'm not just cheering for you, Spotty." You lightly poke his arm. "I'm cheering for your whole team since it is a team effort."

He gives you a broad smile. "Hm~ You are absolutely right."

~~

The day of the big game came sooner than you expected which made you understand as to why Oikawa practiced like he was fighting against time—mostly because he literally was fighting against time.

Currently, you were on a bus with all the other students from your school who wanted to cheer the Aobajōsai team on. Oikawa and the rest of his team were on a separate bus, considering the amount of people that came. Which means...You look behind you and see his lovely fans sporting their distasteful looks at you. ...You were stuck with these guys. You sighed. Honestly, the things you do for Oikawa.

You ignore the hard glares on your back and face your friend Ami who seems to notice your annoyed expression. "Woah, what happened during the ten seconds I was looking out the window?"

You just closed your eyes to take a deep breath before patting her back. "Just have a little...something glaring at my back."

She blinks confusedly at your choice of words. "Uh...okay?" A few moments later and her eyes seemed to brighten in realization and you were more than surprised to see she understood your vague reply. "Hmm don't worry about those fans, they're just mad that Oikawa was happier to know that you were coming than all of them combined."

You massaged your temples. "...Well, as long as this is as far as they'll go it'll be fine." You lean on Ami's shoulder. "They're pretty persistent though, huh?"

Ami laughs and pats your head. "Oikawa's fans wouldn't be any other way."

"Hah~ Not sure if that's a good thing or not..." You sigh for what seems like the millionth time that day and close your eyes to rest before you got to your destination.

~~

The volleyball hit the floor for the last time as it echoed in the gym, signaling that the last point was given to the winning team. Your eyes flickered to your volleyball team—the team everyone cheered so hard for. Ami clutched your arm tightly and almost painfully but it didn't compare to the pain you knew a certain individual felt right now. You let out a shaky breath at the reality in front of everyone.

Aobajōsai lost.

Your heart clenched at Oikawa's dejected form as you saw the two teams shake hands, solidifying the outcome of the game. You couldn't even imagine the emotions Oikawa went through right now. He was not only a player in the team but also the captain and you knew that said captain probably thought he let his team down.

The ride back to school was a relatively quieter one, everyone mulling on the fact that their beloved team had suffered a devastating defeat.

Once the bus arrived at school, you noticed the volleyball members trudge back to the gym to put their things away. The air around them had lightened up a little but the gloomy presence was still there. You set your sights on Oikawa to see him more toned down than usual, signaling that the game still took a toll on him and kept him weighed down.

You furrowed your brows at his dejected form. Standing up resolutely, you grab your things and make your way towards the gym. You wouldn't dare let him spend the day immersed in that feeling you knew all too well.

Why were you going this far to do this you wonder? You could feel it in your gut but you knew that if it was you feeling that way, he would definitely do the same for you. You had to show him that there was more to winning than successes. But with that you'd need the help of your canvas and your paintbrush.

Somehow, even though they seemed to fail you in the past, you felt more familiar with painting than ever before. Since for you just recently, to win meant to find someone who wholeheartedly supported you through your journey to self-actualization. You weren't sure if he'd be in the mood to listen to you right now but you definitely did not want to leave him with those negative feelings overnight. Although you were not a violent person by nature, you wouldn't mind giving him a little punch to get his act together...

Because hey, that's what friends do right?

~~

You waited by the gym, ears perking up every time you heard the doors open and deflating when you saw it was a different member of the team. All the members were subdued but they were all similar with one thing. Their ways of expressing the message was different but the main idea was clear as day—'please [Surname]-san, get our captain back'.

There were two more members that have yet to come out and once the door opens again you aren't surprised to see it was Iwaizumi. He walks up to you and pats your shoulder, maybe to comfort you and himself. "If he doesn't get his act together today, I'll beat him up tomorrow, okay?" He gruffly speaks, "so don't worry if he's being an unresponsive baby right now." He pulls his hand away from your shoulder and rubs the nape of his neck. "But uh...thanks for going all this way to check up on him. If anything, you always manage to cool him down before it gets out of hand when I can't."

You give him a soft smile. "As I said before, it's a mutual thing. He's always managed to do the same for me." You lightly touch his shoulder in hopes to give him some comfort. You wanted to say something, anything to comfort him but you also knew that sometimes silence is a valid response.

He returns your smile before he begins moving away from you. "That idiot thinks I'm stupid or something because I can bet you that he's practicing right now." He gives you one last glance before he parts with a slight wave. "Just having you around is enough so don't beat yourself up if he's being a kid okay? See you."

You see him off with a wave of your own before you face the gym doors you've become so accustomed to. Opening the door, you spot Oikawa doing exactly what Iwaizumi foretold. You make big strides towards him, moving quicker as you notice that he won't seem to look you in the eye.

"...Oikawa."

He may not have won the game but he won so much more.

And you'll make it your job to show it to him.