You wouldn't be able to pinpoint it even if you tried but you wondered when Oikawa started being such a big part of your life. He gave you a push at the right times and always managed to support you when you needed it most.

As great as a friend Oikawa was, you noticed time and time again just how childish he can get.

Recently, he's been displaying more of his childish tendencies, pouting like a kid when your attention was away from him. To be fair, you realized that was also a part of him but his present actions these days were starting to get questionable.

"There you are Rudolph~" You see Oikawa bounding over to you before slipping his arm over your shoulders, ruffling the top of your head. He leans away from you slightly so you can look up at him. "Where's your friend today?"

Exhibit one. He was just so touchy these days.

You promptly shrugged off his arm, ignoring the pout present on his face. "She's just running late." Looking over behind him, you see an irked Iwaizumi.

"Trashykawa hold your own damn bag!" He throws the bag towards Oikawa's face, hitting dead and center before it slid off to reveal a red imprint.

"Hm~ Spotty strikes again." Your fingers form a makeshift camera as you teasingly close one of your eyes to pretend to make a nice shot. "Perfect, looks good! What do you think Iwaizumi-kun?"

Iwaizumi chuckles at your antics and plays along. "A little more to the left and that picture is golden."

Oikawa quickly takes his bag from the ground and shields his face from you guys. "I'm offended! All my angles are great!"

You roll your eyes. "Yes of course, I could see it in your selfies," you drawl out with your words laced in sarcasm.

He huffs at your comment but nonetheless resumes his position with his arm slung around your shoulder. "Aren't you lucky to see such wonderful selfies~" He winks at you but you couldn't take him seriously with the imprint still fresh on his face and snort.

Pulling out your phone, you turn the camera to face the two of you and snap a quick photo with Oikawa talking mid-sentence. You hear a horrified gasp by your side and you smile smugly at the photo.

"Hm you're right, I'm pretty lucky~" You shrug off his arm yet again and begin walking off to your classroom. "I'll be going on ahead, see you guys later!" You give one last glance at Iwaizumi who shoots you an approving smile before you look at Oikawa's dumbstruck expression.

Yep, this photo is definitely a keeper.

~~

The moment you walk in your classroom you hear a voice call out your name. Turning towards the direction the sound came from, you see Tadashi stepping away from his group of friends and walking towards you. "[Surname]-chan! Just wondering if the offer still stands for helping me out on my painting?" He glances at you in an almost shy manner, scratching the back of his head.

You pause and blink at him for a moment before you recall him asking you about it a couple days ago. "Oh! Right, yes of course!" You shoot him a big smile. "We can do that during club time right?"

His eyes dart around the room before looking at you again. "Oh, uhm, well I was wondering if we could do that after club time?" He notices the surprised look on your face and quickly waves his hands in front of him, mildly flustered. "It's just that I don't want to barge in your time with Ami, she can't really stay after right?"

Taken back and a little touched by his comment you nod. "True..." You look up in thought before you face him again. "After club time it is!" You think back to Oikawa and inwardly sigh in relief at the fact that it wasn't Monday. Whenever he visited, you never managed to get much done, with him fluttering about the room and all.

...He couldn't possibly cause a disturbance today...

~~

As you and Ami settled yourselves with your canvases in the art clubroom, you saw her raise her brow at Tadashi that situated himself on the other side of you. "Heh~ Looks like someone is joining the team!"

Tadashi looks up after putting his canvas down and smiles at the two of you. "It seemed like the best option since I'll be getting some help from [Surname]-chan after."

Ami snaps her head towards you after Tadashi goes back to setting up his materials. "After?" She leans closer to you and inspects your face for information before just giving you an expecting look.

You roll your eyes. "Since I want to hang out with you while you're here." You jab your thumb in Tadashi's direction. "He also felt the same way."

Ami gasps and exaggeratedly touches her hand to her chest. "Both of you are too sweet to me~" Her gaze rests on Tadashi once he looks over at you guys again. "Best of luck to you!" She gives him a wink to which he flushes slightly.

You chuckle at Ami. "Don't we all~"

Ami huffs at your response and Tadashi lets out a sigh of relief.

As you guys were painting, you heard Ami mutter something under her breath. "Another challenger enters the ring!"

You quirk your brow at her. "...what are you going on about now?"

~~

After the last few members of the club step out to go home, you and Tadashi continue painting away in comfortable silence. More than halfway into your guys' time, Tadashi clears his throat making you turn to look at him.

"Hey...I'm having a bit of a problem here." He points to an area on his canvas. "Doesn't look right to me. Any ideas?"

You look at his work thoughtfully. "Hmm. Maybe try using a more subtle color on that part?"

"Hm, where?" He leans forward a little towards his canvas, trying to focus where your eyes were looking.

You lean in towards Tadashi's side and hover your finger over his canvas to pinpoint the area you were referring to.

His eyes pick up where you were pointing and proceeds to look over your suggestion. "O-oh, I see. Yeah, I'll try that out." He picks up his palette while you lean back into your seat to continue your own painting.

...At least, that's what you planned anyway.

"Rudolph..!" The door slams open and you don't even bother looking to see who it was anymore. Tadashi however, was startled by the noise, causing his paintbrush to swivel off track.

"—Ah man." Tadashi looks back to his canvas with furrowed brows.

Ignoring Oikawa for now, you face your attention to Tadashi. You give him some tips to cover the slip up, partially noticing the unpleasant look Oikawa was giving the both of you. After you finished talking to Tadashi, you glance over to Oikawa who still hasn't budged from the door. "Well? Aren't you coming in?"

Oikawa sends you a broad smile and walks over to you, sitting at the chair by your canvas. "I don't think we have properly met." He turns his attention to Tadashi. "Hm~ Must be nice to be classmates~" His eyes seemed to drill into Tadashi. "Tadashi, right?"

You couldn't help but give Oikawa an unimpressed look as you noticed how his stare seemed to make Tadashi more and more uncomfortable as time passed. "Yeah, he's also part of the art club. He just wanted some tips on his painting." You turn Oikawa's attention away from an uncomfortable Tadashi, relieved when he takes the bait.

"Ah~ So he's also an avid art club member like yourself!" The broad smile on his face returns and you smack his arm before he made Tadashi uncomfortable again.

"Hey you, you're early leaving practice today." You throw him a questioning glance. "What happened?"

He dismisses your concerned tone. "Nothing you need to worry about dear Rudolph~" He settles himself in his seat and waves his hand as if to shoo away the attention on him, surprising you to a small degree. "Don't worry about it, just keep painting like usual~"

You and Tadashi glance at each other confusedly before shrugging and continuing on.

You don't know how long you were in a trance while you were painting away but you snapped out of it when you felt a light poke on your arm.

"Hey, hey!" Oikawa's voice was insistent as he continued to get your attention.

Your eye twitched slightly before you finally turned to face him. "What is it—"

You froze. Did he just... Your eyes snapped towards him when you heard a camera snap a photo.

"Ah~ I forgot to turn off the sound..." You look at his pouting expression which was currently focused on his phone. "...And perfect! Looks good, what do you think Tadashi?" Oikawa shoots you a smug grin before showing the photo to Tadashi.

Tadashi's eyes dart between you and Oikawa with a conflicted expression and settles by just looking at the photo on Oikawa's phone. "...I can see why you're called Rudolph now..."

You narrow your eyes at Oikawa as you shoot up from your seat with your hand covering your nose. "What was that for?!" He responds with a cheeky grin and you felt your eye twitch more. "Ugh, I'm going to wash this off. Be right back." You stomp away from them and made your way to the washroom.

You huffed out a frustrated sigh as you were a little ways away from the clubroom. You had an inkling feeling this was to get back at you for the picture in the morning and you were a bit impressed by how quickly he managed to even the playing field.

But still...! Paint on your nose!

Finally at the washroom, you glance at yourself in the mirror, eyes focusing on the red paint Oikawa dabbed on your nose. You made a mental note to keep your paint palette on the opposite side and away from Oikawa in the future.

Washing away the evidence of the paint ever being there, you dry off your face and walk back to the clubroom.

Upon arriving at the clubroom, you glance over at the clock as you enter. "Hey, I think it's just about time to pack up." The two guys turn their attention to you as you called out.

"Welcome back~" Oikawa's airy voice sang out. You shoot him an unimpressed look, his antics still fresh in your mind and walk past him to start packing your things.

When you look up, you see Tadashi's gaze on you and shoot him a smile. "It was nice painting with you again Tadashi-kun! We haven't done this in a long time."

He gives you a soft smile. "...Yeah, its been a long time." He pauses for a moment as you patiently wait for his next words. "Uh, would it be okay for me to stay after as well sometimes?" He gives you an embarrassed look. "I mean, I respect it if you don't want to have the company..."

You shake your head. "No, it's fine by me! Like I said, it's nice painting with you again." You give him a warm smile to calm his nerves. "Besides, I could use some more company."

Right as you said it, an arm slipped around your shoulders. "Hm~ I should be enough!" Oikawa gave you a little wink to which you rolled your eyes at. You pinch Oikawa's arm making him wince and slide his arm off you before turning your attention back to Tadashi.

"The more the merrier." You shrug. "Plus it'll be nice to have different company." You stuck your tongue at Oikawa, catching his infectious childish tendencies. "Anyway, it's time to get going."

Tadashi nods at your prompting and lets you and Oikawa through the door first before taking his place on the opposite side of you as you guys walked to the exit.

As you guys make your way to the exit, you notice Tadashi make side glances in your direction. "What's up Tadashi?"

He jumps at the question before settling himself. "Oh! Um, well there's this art exhibit coming up in a couple weeks for starting artists and I was wondering if you would be interested in showcasing your work?" He looks to you for a response but is met with your dumbstruck expression. "You don't have to! I-I mean it's just an option." He rubs the back of his neck embarrassedly. "My dad is holding an exhibit and he need a few more artists..." Tadashi trails off and stuffs his hand in his pants pocket before pulling out a card. "There's more information on the website, here."

You blink at him a couple more times before you take both his hands excitedly, not noticing the surprise from both the males. "This is—oh wow!" You grin at Tadashi. "I am definitely interested!"

Tadashi flushes at the contact and Oikawa narrowed his eyes at the sight of your joined hands.

Finally letting go of Tadashi's hands, he proceeds by fishing his hand in his pocket and pulls out his phone. "Would you mind if we traded numbers? I can answer more questions you have whenever the time arises and I can update you on any further details."

You nod to Tadashi excitedly, not even bothering to nudge off Oikawa who settled his chin on top of your head and wrapped his arms over your shoulders. You pull out your own phone and trade numbers with him, beaming up at Tadashi once his number was stored in your phone. "Thank you so much for this opportunity!"

Tadashi lets out a small laugh at your enthusiasm and waves his hand. "No, thank you! An artist dropped out last minute for personal reasons so my dad was freaking out about it. The first person I thought of to enter was you."

"Hm~ Are you in the exhibit too?" Oikawa pipes in, his eyes locking onto Tadashi's.

Tadashi shakes his head. "Ah, no. I don't really show my works at my dad's. I want to apply like everyone else. Get in or get rejected, at least I learn to see what I can do next."

Oikawa nods at his response. "Heh~ You're not so bad."

"Likewise." Tadashi grins at Oikawa.

When you guys reach the entrance of the school building, Tadashi faces the both two of you and waves. "My place is this way so I'll see you tomorrow." He shoots you a soft smile before resting his eyes on Oikawa. "Nice to officially meet you, Oikawa!" They share a look you don't recognize before Tadashi starts walking off.

Once Tadashi was a little ways away, you turn to Oikawa. "...Just what were you guys up to while I was away?"

His waves his hands dismissively. "Pay no mind to it~" He elaborates a little more once he sees your unimpressed expression again. "It's just a...refreshing talk between friends!"

You felt irked by how much Oikawa was brushing off your questions lately. Just what couldn't he tell you? Especially since this problem seemed to involve you... You turn away from him and let out a disappointed sigh. As much as you wanted to settle the inner turmoil Oikawa had that seemed to bother him considerably, it wouldn't settle because he was surprisingly adamant about keeping it from you. Just what did you do? You bit the inside of your cheek in thought, filing through possible scenarios that may have led to Oikawa being upset with you and silently telling you that you should figure it out on your own.

Your thoughts wandered more and travelled to the exhibit Tadashi told you about. As thrilled as you were, you felt a sinking feeling in your stomach at the thought of some people who wouldn't share that feeling with you.

You snapped out of your thoughts once you felt a familiar arm slip onto your shoulders. "You know the story of Rudolph?"

"Yeah, the reindeer that got picked on because he was different. What about it?" You felt drained at this point. All this thinking was making your head throb. You internally sighed at the different phases you had to go through just to get to the bottom of things. Unfortunately, you seemed to be a great distance away from finding any solutions to the problems you were thinking about just now.

"You're missing the whole point of the story!" He leans on you slightly and lightly pokes your nose to which you scrunch your face at moments later, swatting his hand away from your face. "Rudolph lit the way, making it easier for everyone to see their path." He gives your shoulder a squeeze of reassurance as if he knew just what you were thinking about moments before and then slips his arm off your shoulders. He shoots you a smile you were unfamiliar with before he walks on ahead.

"And just so you know, I have time to spare if you need a live model~" He called out and you couldn't help but chuckle.

You processed the analysis of his take on the nickname. You don't know how he does it but he somehow manages to know when your thoughts start spiraling down and proceeds by presenting you with some words you needed to hear. Your steps quicken to catch up to his retreating form before a smile etches itself on your face.

You wouldn't admit it, but maybe you could live with that name Rudolph.

~~

Once you guys got situated on the train you notice Oikawa contemplating something.

"Penny for your thoughts?" You pipe up.

He gives you a side glance and faces forward again. "I prefer milk bread."

You roll your eyes at his quick response, huffing and turning your head away from him. You take a little peak at Oikawa's conflicted expression, feeling accomplished that your little act worked.

"So...Tadashi huh?" He finally says.

You look at him with a curious expression. "What about him?"

A beat later, a mischievous smile plants itself on his face. "Hm~ Into those artsy types I see?"

You blinked. It felt a little strange talking about these things with Oikawa. But after a few moments you contemplate his question before answering. "I don't really have a type." You notice his questioning gaze. "If I had to choose, I think my type would be someone I fall in love with you know?"

He pouts at your response. "Is that even a type...Why not someone who enjoys similar things?"

You tap your finger to your chin in thought. "If I wanted to date someone like me, then why should I settle for second best? I might as well date myself." You quirk your brow at Oikawa's gleeful expression. "What's this all about anyway?"

"Just wanted to see what you thought about the subject," he hums nonchalantly.

A few minutes on the train pass but you notice he's still a little off, his expression not being able to hide the slight scrunch of his brows and his pursed lips.

"You know you're great right?" You speak up.

He faces you with a questioning look. "Where is this coming from?"

"I just wanted to make sure you knew..." You give him a side glance. "Just in case you were doubting yourself or something."

He huffs and looks away from you, making you inwardly snicker that you hit the nail on the head. You pat his back lightly.

"I'll tell you a secret." You lean towards him slightly.

"Hm? What now?" He was still pouting from your teasing but also couldn't hide the curiosity on what you had to say.

To the guy who came crashing into your life, changing your routine so suddenly...you had to make sure that he understood how valued he was too. His presence was just so...colorful.

You gave his back one last pat before you stood up as the train called your stop.

"You make a pretty good Rudolph too."

_____________

(So many things happened I'm sorry it's a mess, I'm a mess, and those two are also a mess)

Just to glue together more loose ends, I am planning another side chapter sooo hurray you guys have another chapter to read this week!

More exciting news is that I have received lovely fan art for this story: http://kagurachama.deviantart.com/gallery/59155105/Splash-of-Color

Thank you for the support! You guys are such fantastic readers <3