Today was the day you were dreading. As a result, you were more than a little off today. Your energy seemed to be drained before the day even started. You sighed as you linked your arm with Ami's and leaned on her slightly. Ami doesn't question it and lightly pats your head in a comforting manner to which you were thankful for.

The morning walk continued on quietly until you noticed a familiar figure running towards you from the corner of your eye. You braced for the impact as you felt a body cling on the other side of you. "Morning to the both of you~!" Oikawa releases you from his grip, a bit thrown off that you haven't shrugged him off yet. "Rough morning?" He tilts his head in confusion.

You nod tiredly. "Pretty much." You didn't hear him say anything else and just felt a hand ruffle your hair gently. Lazily looking up at the culprit, he just shoots you a refreshing smile, easing you a bit from your present concerns.

He takes your free hand before placing something in your palm and closing it. "I was going to save it for later, but I don't mind giving it to you~" He winks as he steps away to give you back your space. "I'll see you after practice!" He waves at the two of you before he takes off.

You watch him take off before resting your attention to your closed fist.

"What did he give you?" Ami peers at your closed hand curiously.

You open your hand, pleasantly surprised at the spontaneous gift.

In your hand was a small individually wrapped chocolate. You unwrap it and pop it in your mouth moments later. Chocolate was definitely what you needed right now.

"How is it?" Ami pipes up.

You contemplate the taste in thought. "It's really sweet..."

~~

When it was time for the art club, you tried to push back your concerns for the time being as you sat with Ami and Tadashi. Luckily, you found comfort as you quickly got into your painting and you could feel some of your strength come back to you. You give a quick nod to Ami who lets you know she has to meet Hanamaki for something and went back to your painting.

A few minutes into your work, Tadashi calls for your attention, his hands fiddling with a thin stack of tickets.

"So I finally got a hold of some tickets and I was wondering how many you needed..." he trails off and waits for your response.

You look up in thought, thinking about the people you wanted to invite. There was Ami, Oikawa... You turn your attention back to Tadashi. "Are you going to be there?"

He blinks at your question and nods slowly, processing your words. "Y-yeah, I'll be sure to check out your work too!"

Once you got your answer, you resume your thought and pause for a moment. There were three other people to invite as well but... Your hands clenched slightly as you nodded to yourself resolutely.

"I'll take five."

Tadashi nods at your confirmation and pulls out five tickets for you to take. "I hope to see all of you there then!" He smiles at you gently and you try to give him back a smile of your own.

You hoped that you would see everyone there as well.

~~

The day flies by and you grimace at the clock in your clubroom. Your thoughts are confirmed when the door slams open following after. "Ah! Looks like I finished before you!" Oikawa's voice echoes in the room, relieving you from your thoughts.

He strides over to you with a pout on his lips. "Eh~ You didn't start cleaning up yet!" He starts grabbing your brushes before walking over to the sink. "Well, I don't mind giving you my wonderful expertise." He turns behind him to give you a wink before turning back. "I was called a master paintbrush washer in my past life you know~"

You're brought back into reality from his silly antics and let out a giggle. "Not sure if that's a good name to be called in your past life." You start clearing your other materials and take your palette over to the sink beside him.

He hums, his tone light and airy, "you're right. I'm fonder of the name Spotty in this present life."

You smile and shake your head at him. "As it should be."

As you guys finished up cleaning your mess in record time, you and Oikawa start making your way to the train station like usual. The next few words that come out of Oikawa's mouth surprise you.

"I feel like walking you home today~" He shoots you a teasing smile. "Since you've been rather spacey today, I wouldn't want you to get lost along the way."

You roll your eyes at his explanation but feel mildly relieved that he presented you with that option. "I want to disagree but you're right." Glancing up at him with a grateful smile you softly say, "thanks Oikawa."

He glances at your expression before his head snaps up a beat later, facing away from you. "...No thanks needed!"

~~

When the train calls for your stop, you and Oikawa both get off. Surprisingly, the walk to your place was a quiet and comforting one. Oikawa only spoke when he asked about where to turn which was quite surprising to you—it was a different side of Oikawa you didn't see often. Right now he seemed so sure of himself and reliable. He walked at your pace, even when it got agonizingly slow as you were closer to reaching your destination. It was times like these that you were even more thankful for his presence.

Your steps halt once you notice three figures outside your house. Oikawa stops walking soon after and shoots you a quizzical look before tracing where your eyes were focused on.

It was your parents greeting your older brother that made time to visit at least once a year. Your hands unconsciously clenched as you realized you didn't feel as ready as you did while you were painting. But just like this morning, your anxiety was eased when a hand clasped itself over yours, gently nudging your clenched fingers open and then lacing his fingers with yours. You don't face him, worried that your anxious expression was still stuck on your face. Thankfully, he says nothing, giving your hand a soft squeeze before letting go. His hand moves behind to your lower back and gently nudges you forward as he starts walking again.

Once you were close enough, his hand parts from your lower back as the three figures looked up to see you and Oikawa. "Oh my! Who is this [Name]?" Your mom blinks up at you in surprise.

"This is Oikawa Tōru, a friend at school." You usher your hand towards Oikawa, prompting him to beam at them with his broad smile.

"It's nice to meet you!" He gives a small wave as he glances at the three family members before him.

Your mom looks between the two of you with her hands on her hips. "We were just about to have dinner! If you have time, would you like to have dinner with us?"

Oikawa looks to you for confirmation as your eyes lock onto his, as if to say you weren't opposed to the idea. "...Thank you for the invitation!" He reaches in his pocket to pull out his phone. "Would I be able to call my parents about the change of plans?"

Your mom nods and the rest of your family members walk themselves in. "We'll be inside then. [Name], tell him where to put his shoes."

You nod as they all enter the house, leaving you and Oikawa at the front. You let your arms dangle at your sides as Oikawa ruffles your hair again and gives you a smile. "I'll be right inside, where should I go?"

"Dining room, it's to your left when you enter," you mumble, "the shoes go on the mat on the right."

He gives your head a pat, fixing your hair a bit before removing his hand. "Got it, I'll see you inside in a bit okay?"

You nod and shuffle inside, taking off your shoes before taking a deep breath. Your older brother was finally here. Although you didn't have a terrible relationship with him, both of you felt more than a little awkward around each other.

After you put your stuff away, you made your way into the dining room. Quietly, you take a seat diagonal from your brother, him greeting you with a welcoming smile. "Nice to see you again! We always seem to miss each other so I'm glad I can see you this year."

You give him a small smile. "Nice to see you too."

He shuffles in his seat, straightening his posture a little. "Actually, since I was given a vacation, I'll be staying here for a little longer than usual." He glances over at your expression, gauging your reaction. "If it's alright with you, would you have time to catch up with me?"

You notice your sibling's attempts at conversing with you. He was always so patient with you even if you were being difficult. It seemed like you never grew up in the first place. After a few moments, you nod your head firmly. "There's this nice café my friend and I like, I could show you tomorrow," you offer.

He beams at your invitation. "Sounds great!" His fingers tap against the table. "...You go to the café with Oikawa?"

You blink up at him and shake your head. "Oh, no my other friend, Ami."

He shoots you a soft smile. "Ah, you're still hanging out with Ami, that's good."

You racked your mind for what else to say to your brother but came up with nothing. When your parents walked in with Oikawa in tow, you felt relieved. "Lets start dinner, shall we?" You mother sings out as she sits by your brother, your father taking a seat at the head of the table. Oikawa finds his way beside you and plops down on the seat.

You turn to Oikawa who was stiff in his seat. "What did they say to you?" You respond to him when your family wasn't paying attention to you two.

"A lot of things..." he mutters.

You were about to ask him to elaborate until your mom calls for everyone's attention. "Cheers for Jun's safe return home!"

For most of the dinner, your parents continued to chat with Jun as you silently ate your food. Oikawa glanced at you often, not sure if he could speak without alerting the other residents of the table. Oikawa didn't have a chance to speak once your dad's voice turned everyone's attention to him.

Your dad places his drink back on the table. "We're proud of you Jun, you're doing very well there."

Your mom nods in agreement. "But we'd be even more proud once you walk in with a fine partner!" She glances over at you and Oikawa. "Like [Name] did!"

You choke on your food and wave off Oikawa's hand that was reaching to pat your back. What in the world did he say to them?

"But I hope you're still studying well?" Your dad looks up from his food and at you. "Don't let...that and your art club hinder you from your real concerns." You bit your lip and narrow your eyes at your food. He takes that as a sign to continue speaking, "Jun studied hard for the university close by our place and got exceptional results, learn from him. It's not long before high school is over."

"Doctor sounds nice right?" Your mom pipes up. "I wouldn't mind having a lawyer for a daughter either, since we already have a doctor in the family." She smiles approvingly at Jun to which you hold in a frustrated sigh and continue glaring down at your food before putting down your utensils.

Jun's brow scrunches slightly and opens his mouth to speak but was wasn't able to when everyone hears a cheery tune coming from Oikawa.

"Ah, I apologize, that's probably my parents." He puts down his utensils and reaches in his pocket to pull out his phone. "I should probably get going. Thank you so much for the meal!" Oikawa looks to you expectantly and you give him a relieved look.

"I'll go walk him out." You also put your utensils down as the two of you stand from your seats.

"Alright, thanks for joining us for dinner!" Your mom smiles at him as your dad nods silently.

"It was nice meeting you Oikawa," Jun throws in a smile of his own.

~~

As you guys exit the house both of you let out a sigh of relief. You turn to each other and laugh.

"Sorry about that, the tension builds pretty fast." You rub your arm to warm yourself up from the cool air.

Oikawa shakes off his school blazer and places it over your shoulders. "Don't worry about it." He stares up at the starless sky before facing you again. "You have time to take a little detour? I saw a small park a little ways away."

You clench your fingers over the blazer placed over your shoulders. "Don't your parents want you home?"

He grins and holds out his phone. On the screen showed Ami's name with a text attached.

You giggle at her text before you felt your own phone buzz. Reaching in your pocket, you see that Ami had sent you a text of her own.

You smile softly at your text and then glance towards Oikawa again.

"I got a hold of her and she said to text her if things get sour. We got your back." He winks at you. "So, park?"

You felt your chest well up with warmth. Smiling up at Oikawa, you nod. "I could go for a walk." You take a few steps away from him until you turn back around to face him expectantly. "Well? Lets go!"

Just like this whole day, your walk with Oikawa was a quiet and comfortable one. On days like this where you struggled to stay positive, Oikawa was there to support you. He said nothing, waiting for you to speak to which you were internally thankful for.

"This takes me back," you hum softly, sitting yourself down on a bench facing the park. "I used to go here with Jun when we were little." You felt nostalgic just thinking about your past relationship with your brother. As a child, you looked up to him but as you got older, you couldn't help but distance yourself from him.

Oikawa sits beside you and listens to you intently. You continue, "he's really great it's just..." You look down at your hands as you clench and unclench them. "...We get compared a lot. He's seriously talented." You sigh and lean back on the bench, eyes closing and feeling the cool breeze brush against your cheeks. "It's not that bad during the year when Jun is away but when he's here it gets hard not to compare us. My dad, he..." you trail off. "...he thinks I'm prepping for university after school." You let out a laugh. "As you can see, he's not fond of me spending so much time with art. He thinks it's just a hobby." You bit your lip, getting frustrated over the fact that your vision started to blur.

Not even a beat later, you found your head resting on Oikawa's shoulder, his hand resting gently on your head. He softly combs through your hair with his fingers, successfully calming down your nerves. "... I paint after school anyway," you mumble after a few minutes of silence. "I figured if I produced something great enough, my dad would finally understand how much I love it. That's why when Tadashi told me about the exhibition, I jumped on the opportunity." You close your eyes and shift yourself on a more comfortable position on his shoulder. "I'm not even sure they would want to come to it." You end off your complaints with a sigh you've been holding in.

"Don't get me wrong, I love my parents," you murmur. "It's just they expect a lot out of me. Especially since they saw what Jun can do." You play with your fingers rested on your lap. "Those things they want me to be...I don't strive to be that at all." You let out a quiet laugh.

Oikawa stops combing through your hair and just rests his hand on your head. "What do you think about someone telling me to choose between them or volleyball?"

You lift your head from his shoulder, surprised. "I don't think that's fair at all!" Your eyes widened at your volume and he just chuckles and urges you to continue. "...I mean, you love volleyball so it certainly doesn't make sense to take it away from you..."

He grins at your answer. "Exactly. Why let anyone take something you love away from you?" He playfully pokes the tip of your nose. "Didn't you talk to me about potential? Now let me remind you about yours."

He leans his side against you, sharing his warmth against the cool night air. "[Surname] [Name]. A person who sees the beauty in what she works on in so many perspectives." He stares up at the cloudless sky and in a soft murmur voices out, "now if only this Rudolph could see that her nose can light a path for her as well." He turns to give you one of his playful winks and you couldn't help but find it so reassuring at this point in time.

"Also..." he lightly pokes your nose, making you instinctively scrunch it. "I better get an invitation for the exhibit."

Taking in Oikawa's words made you feel light, like the burden that you've been holding had slowly begun to let up. You lean on his shoulder and sit with each other in silence, each of you guys already saying what you needed to say. This silence was a blanket of comfort to you, making a silent pact that transferred waves of support to each other.

He reminded you that it was okay that you couldn't be strong all the time and that when you faltered, he would be there for you. At the same time, he encouraged you to move forward slowly but steadily towards the path you created for yourself.

You knew you could get past this hurdle, but just like most problems, it takes time.

I hope I can support you too. Your unvoiced thoughts traveled through the night air.

Oikawa chuckled as if catching onto those thoughts.

"You've supported me more times than I can count."

__________________________

hello teenage angst my old friend

*confetti* cheers, I made people sad I'm sorry but reality isn't

Fanart: http://kagurachama.deviantart.com/art/Name-and-Ami-614797788