"This one?" You hold up a shirt and scrutinize it for a good measure before putting it down and holding up another piece of clothing. "...Or this one?"

Of course, this wasn't because you thought this was a date or anything, you were trying to figure out clothes to make sure it didn't seem like one. The way Oikawa asked to hang out with you was a little strange last night, but now that you were more awake in the morning, you couldn't help but wonder.

You treasured your friendship with Oikawa too much to go any further than that. Friendships could last forever and if you did pursue a romantic relationship with him, what would happen if it didn't work out? He'd be out of your life and you didn't accept that thought one bit.

Now, going back to your more current problem: your outfit for today.

Your room was more than a little messy at this point, most of your clothes strewn all over the floor and on top of your bed. Your mom had popped in and just gave you a teasing smile before leaving without a word. You decided to ignore it for the moment, hoping that she would tell you what she knew one day.

You spent a couple more minutes of mindless searching in your closet until you found something you could wear-a hoodie. It was still new and you wonder why you never wore it before but you guessed that since it was in the back of your closet, you just forgot about it. Nodding to yourself, you pull out the hoodie and hold it up at arm's length. The material was thin and airy, perfect for the sunny weather for today, but also casual enough.

Finally getting dressed, you look to your watch before starting to head out. That is, until you get a text from Oikawa before you get out the door.

Taking a look at your phone, all you see is an address and directions to get there. The next text however, explained the sudden change in location.

You send a quick reply and say you'll be there in a couple minutes, to which he thanks you gratefully and apologizes for the sudden change.

~~

You blink when you're met with a cheeky grin belonging to a certain person's nephew after you ring the doorbell of Oikawa's home.

"Ah, Rudolph is here!" He turns his head to call out to Oikawa who was currently missing at the moment.

Your eye twitches slightly when you hear the nickname. You know you said you didn't mind it but did Oikawa never bother to tell his nephew your actual name?

The moment Takeru calls out for Oikawa, both of you hear loud footsteps quickly making its way to the front door.

"Takeru! I told you that I would answer the door!" He scolded Takeru before turning his attention to you with a sheepish smile. "Sorry to spring this onto you, I still wanted to hang out with you but this guy..." His palm smacks down on Takeru's head lightly. "...Wanted to come when he heard about it."

"But it's not a date, right?" Takeru's voice was clear as it cut through the air.

Oikawa freezes for a moment before he laughs a little awkwardly. "O-of course it wasn't." He rubs the nape of his neck, his eyes not meeting yours.

"Yeah, we were just going to hang out," you agree, smiling at Takeru as you give him a thumbs up. "Plus, the more the merrier right?"

Takeru visibly beams at your response before you put your hands on your hips, biting the inside of your cheek in thought. What could all three of you guys do?

Maybe you were hanging out with Oikawa too much because the first thing that popped into your head was volleyball.

You turn to face the two boys. "Would it be okay if we played volleyball in the park then? There would be lots of space to play there." You knew you made the right decision when you saw both their faces light up at your suggestion.

Takeru quickly grabs onto your sleeve and pulls on it. "Yeah, lets go!" He bounces in his spot, reminding you of how similar Oikawa was when volleyball was mentioned. Your eyes soften at Takeru's excitement, the boy clearly expressing that he wanted to leave as soon as possible so he could play volleyball for as long as he could.

Oikawa glances at you to see if you were uncomfortable with Takeru clinging to you but is relieved to see you genuinely enjoying his presence, laughing with his nephew as he continued to chatter on. Oikawa chuckles before patting Takeru's head. "Just give me a second and let me grab the volleyball."

~~

The walk to the park was filled with chatter, mostly from Takeru as he asked you all the questions that popped in his head during the trip to the park. You deduced that he was just curious and had a blurred line that separated the terms friend that's a girl and girlfriend. Amused, you answered the questions as best you could, not noticing how Oikawa deflated at each response you gave.

Oikawa had mixed feelings at the moment. On one hand, he was glad that you were getting along with his nephew but on the other hand, he was beginning to lose confidence whenever you stressed that the relationship you two held was just that of friendship.

He took a deep breath, reminding himself that he knew what he was getting into and he honestly wouldn't have it any other way. He'd just have to figure out another way for you to consider him since words or even his blatant actions weren't enough.

Your chatter with Takeru dies down as you make a quick glance at Oikawa who was quieter than usual. He seemed to be thinking through something, becoming visibly distressed with his thoughts.

With Takeru in between you two, you couldn't give Oikawa the light nudge on his shoulder that usually got him out of his distress to calm him down. You knew that physical contact was an important thing for Oikawa because it made sure that people were there for him-be it the gentle way that you go for or the tough love that Iwaizumi gave him.

Letting out a thoughtful hum, you bump your side to Takeru's and in turn Takeru bumped into Oikawa. Takeru let out a giggle and Oikawa turned to you with a confused expression. You just shoot him a teasing grin. "Welcome back Spotty."

You're relieved when you see Oikawa's furrowed brows relax into its original state as he returns your teasing grin with his broad smile. "Hmm, I wasn't aware I left in the first place~"

Takeru glances at your back and forth banter with Oikawa before asking, "hey, how did you guys come up with the nicknames?"

Oikawa chuckles as he pats Takeru's shoulder, giving you a smug smile as he does so. "Let me tell you a little story..."

~~

The three of you had played volleyball in the park upon arriving, Takeru finding a spot to claim right away. You guys had just played pass with one another, Oikawa occasionally giving out pointers whenever you or Takeru had trouble receiving each other's tosses.

Just like the time Oikawa had first taught you volleyball during his practice, he went above and beyond, making another game where both you and Takeru would pass to Oikawa respectively and he would pass to each of you guys, making sure everyone had fun. You noticed how Oikawa would toss differently depending on the person, making you respect how much thought he put into each of you guys.

You guys played volleyball until late afternoon and you were starting to become tired. After another round, you call it a quits and offered to buy drinks for everyone to which they gratefully accepted as they continued to play.

Stepping out of the tossing circle, you walk off in search of a vending machine to buy drinks from.

It doesn't take long for you to spot a vending machine and you steadily make your way towards it, eyes widening in surprise when you see a familiar figure beside it. As you reach the vending machine, the figure turns around and waves once they notice you.

"Oh, [Surname]-chan, nice to see you here."

You give a little wave. "Hey Iwaizumi-kun. What brings you here?"

He points his thumb behind him, diverting your focus to the rest of the volleyball team that was also there, still within distance but too far for any of them to notice you. "Just hanging out with the team. What about you?"

One of your brows unconsciously rise at the confusion. "I'm with Tōru-kun and Takeru-kun over...there." You point at the opposite direction. "...Should I call him over?" You say slowly as you take in Iwaizumi's mixed expression.

He stares at you for a moment, huffing under his breath about how Oikawa said he couldn't go out today before shaking his head. "Ah, no...it's okay. He's been overworking himself lately anyway so this will be good for him." He stuffs his hand in his pocket before entering some more change in the vending machine and picking some more drinks.

As the drinks are entered in, they fall to the bottom to be collected, Iwaizumi reaching down to pick them up before handing it to you. "He likes this drink, and Takeru likes this one." Iwaizumi gives you a smile before patting your shoulder. "There should be enough change for one more drink, go ahead and get something."

You try to protest but Iwaizumi shakes his head. "No, if anything...thank you."

"Hm? What for?" You quirk your brow in confusion at Iwaizumi's sudden gesture.

He only chuckles as a response. "I have to go, say hi for them for me." Giving you one last friendly pat on the shoulder, he turns around and walks off to the rest of his team.

You sigh as you look a second longer at his retreating back before punching in a drink for yourself.

Once you got your drink, you walk back to the two boys who were under the shade, sitting at the base of a tree trunk and passed them their respective drinks. They happily take it, pleasantly surprised that you had given them their favorites. "I ran into Iwaizumi-kun on my way to get them," you explained as they sipped on their drinks. "He says hi."

Oikawa chokes on his drink right when you mentioned Iwaizumi before looking at you warily. "...Did he happen to mention-"

"-yeah, he did." You cut him off as you shoot him a teasing smile. "Busy, huh?"

He puffs his cheeks. "Well, I asked you to hang out first before they asked me!"

You let out a hum and nod at his explanation. "Sure..." You stress out the word, wondering if that was the case since he asked to hang out last minute before you went to bed.

The chatter dies down a little until Takeru springs up from his seat, successfully making you jump at his sudden movement. "I want to go play in the playground now!" He points at the playground a little ways away from where you guys were sitting. "You guys can stay here and...uh...watch my drink!" He passes you his drink before he runs off to the park. You weren't able to give Takeru's speedy exit much thought as Oikawa scooted to sit beside you, letting out a deep breath.

"Ah~ The shade is so nice!" He turns to you with a grin. "I can't let you hog this all to yourself~"

You roll your eyes as you scooted over so he could be fully out of the sun. His grin widens as he takes the opportunity to sit closer to you.

"Get away, you're so sweaty." You try to nudge him off you. "And it's also so hot out already, give me some room."

He takes in your words differently as he shoots you a mischievous smile. "Too hot you say?" His lips stretch out into a wide grin as winks at you. "You finally realize my charms~"

You blink at him for a moment and laugh. As ridiculous he was when he flirted so easily with you, you found comfort in how he kept things lighthearted and made sure you were having fun. "But of course~" You poke his chest for good measure, feeling him stiffen.

Oikawa just sits there stiffly for a moment before letting out another awkward laugh, not used to you agreeing with him when he flirted with you. Even if you were just joking around, the words made his chest feel strangely pleasant.

He leans back on the trunk of the tree and closes his eyes to relax. "I wish we could hang out like this after high school too."

You let out a hum and nod to yourself. "Yeah, I'll come visit as much as I can."

That sentence breaks Oikawa out of his relaxed state as he shoots up from his seat and snaps his head towards you. "...Visit?"

You jump at Oikawa's sudden movement before nodding to him. "I was going to apply for the art university close by where Jun lives." You raise your brow at Oikawa's blank expression before continuing. "Considering the requirements, I think I can get into the university no problem!" You're beaming at this point but it falters slightly when you have yet to hear from Oikawa.

At the moment, Oikawa felt his whole world fall when he heard the news. Oikawa's stomach dropped. He knew this routine wouldn't last forever but for it to come to a close so soon made his heart ache. He already had trouble not being able to see you on the weekends most of the time and for that to be halved even more to holiday visits felt like torture.

The pain became a dull ache when his eyes met your excited ones, thrilled about this new experience ahead of you. Of course he was happy for you but...

...He had hoped that you would be able to share those experiences with him.

Your heart just about jumped out of its chest when Oikawa suddenly flipped your hood over your head before pulling you in for a tight hug. For a second, you felt something press itself on your head but as soon as you felt it, it was gone.

He pulls away from you after a couple seconds before giving you the brightest broad smile you've ever seen from him. "I can live with that for now." He mutters to himself before his eyes lock with yours. "But that's great! I'm so proud of you."

Oikawa ruffles your hair slightly before taking a glance at his watch. "Ah, it's getting late~ I'll go get Takeru so we can walk you home." He stands up from his spot and walks off without another word, leaving you by the trunk of the tree feeling very much confused at the events that happened just now.

~~

On Oikawa's side, his face felt flushed as he quickly walked away from you, slightly congratulating and slightly scolding himself at what he just did.

Of course, you wouldn't really know what he just did but he sure did.

He was just so upset that he was upset instead of happy for you. Oikawa knew how much it meant to you and no matter how much he wanted to tell you otherwise, he couldn't bring himself to say 'don't go'.

So instead, Oikawa had flipped your hood and placed a soft but quick kiss on your head, just so he wouldn't say anything he would regret.

As time passed, Oikawa realized how progressively more difficult it was to keep his emotions in check around you, especially since you acted normally around him.

Oikawa chanted in his head so he wouldn't forget.

He would support you but...he for sure wouldn't let you leave without knowing how he felt about you.

...And of course, he wouldn't mind if you felt the same way when he worked up the courage to follow through with his thoughts.

He knew he'd have to do it soon though, preferably before graduation.

________________

ahhh the writing block is real so it took a while to get myself to write it to satisfaction but I hope you enjoy this chapter! Thanks for all of the support, I love hearing from you all

Some more fanart of reader all dressed up for the art exhibition oooh~

http://kagurachama.deviantart.com/art/Reader-chan-A-work-of-art-hm-622130774