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That night, you didn't hesitate to text Tooru about your discovery at the park. The plush alien doll that you found laid at the corner of your bed while shooting him a message after showering your day's worth of sweat.

"Are you awake?" You typed out in your screen. It was close to midnight, a time you two usually converse for a chat and you hoped that he would respond back to you. But your thumb hesitated over the 'send' button when an idea occurred to you.

Will it be rude to give him a call?

As much as you want to read and keep your conversations on text, a call would be more idealistic to you. You held your breath while staring down the phone icon by Tooru's contact number. Without a second to waste, there was no room for shyness and your thumb tapped on the call and watched your phone turn dark. Nervously, your hand brought your phone to your ear while you anticipated for him to pick up.

And he did a few seconds later just when you were starting to regret your action. You nearly screamed out the window.

"Can't resist me, huh?" The voice greeted in a playful manner, causing you to choke. What cocky bastard.

"In your dreams!" you replied, earning a laugh from the brunette on the other side of the phone.

"Sorry if I sound a bit groggy. I just put Tetsu to sleep and I don't want to be too loud," he informed. Now you realized that he was somewhat mumbling in a low tone at this point.

Then it brought to your concern. "Oh, was he making a fuss?"

"Sadly," Tooru uttered a sigh. "He kept refusing to sleep without his toy and he wouldn't listen to me no matter how much I try to compromise with him."

He seemed exhausted by the sound of his breath, almost making you feel guilty to interrupt his moment of peace. "Oh, I can call back another time if you're not in the mood-"

"No, no," he cut in quickly yet almost desperately. "Now- Now is good."

By the sound of his sing-songy voice, he seem to be ecstatic with the thought of making a late night call with you. The way he said it was so soothing, you wished to be right next to him.

Curse him and his suave aura, you can feel it through miles away.

"So what do you need from me?" He brought your attention back. By the mentions of Tetsu's lost toy, you can easily piece two and two together that the alien plush doll is indeed his.

"I found a doll at the park earlier and I thought it might've been Testu's. Was it an alien that he lost?"

He gasped.

"Yeah! We were looking for it," Tooru's voice chimed happily through the speaker of your phone. "Thank goodness! He had it since he was born. I'm so glad you found it!"

That brought comfort to you and eased your shoulders. The poor child must've been whining about it all day and you felt sorry for his dad. "I'm sure he wants it as soon as possible. Is there a good time we can meet?"

"If you're not working early tomorrow, you can drop it off at my work," he suggested.

"Your work? Do you mind?" Now, visiting his work is your least expectation but probably to him, he didn't think of it as anything more.

"Not at all. I'm doing a photoshoot with a company that's known for their sports magazine. So if they question you at the entrance, just say that I sent you. I'll let my agency know your name." When he informed that little advice, you tensed.

He made it seem like his occupation is so professional, you were somewhat intimidated by it. With a simple nod against your phone, you and Tooru confirmed a time after he sent you the address where the photoshoot is taking place. While glancing at the address, you were relieved that it is still somewhat close to Tokyo.

>>>

Morning arrived and you've gotten plenty of rest after your short call with Oikawa last night. This is the fourth time you're seeing him for the past two weeks, you realized that he's starting ease in to your life just a bit - more like you entering his. You even made sure you make another rememberable appearance after Tooru's flirtatious acts yesterday at the park which it only encourage you to seek more.

After your sudden stop at the train station, it only took a couple of blocks to find the building that Tooru vaguely described. Finding yourself in the city, it was hard to scope out the particular tower surrounded by others with similar features. Luckily, you found it with the help of the city's directory.

Stumbling upon a large white building, you were immediately stopped by a guard at the entrance before you stepped through the automatic doors. Just like Tooru said, security was expected.

"My name is [Name] and I'm here to see Oikawa at ten o'clock," you easily protested at the guard before he questioned you and your reason for entering.

He only gave you a blank stare before bringing his walkie talkie to his lips to mutter a few words to certain person on the other line. A female voice answered back but you couldn't distinguish the words through the muffling white noise. Then the guard nodded to your direction and opened up a path where Tooru might be.

The interior itself looked grand, painted in modern walls and decorations throughout the lobby with multiple rooms. Each person you walked pass gave you an earnest welcome and then carried on to do of their day's duties, it almost felt like a five star hotel. Until finally, the guard led you to an elevator down the hall and pressed on the floor you were supposed to meet the athlete a couple levels above. Then, you were by yourself again.

Momentarily, the elevator shifted upwards as your felt the gravity pulling down your feet the higher you shot up through the building as a nice view of Tokyo struck out behind you.

The door opened for you to step out, only to witness faint music booming in the background with multiple chatters of people in the room. You followed where the music was, remembering Oikawa's directions to see the main setup of a photoshoot taking place over by the large windows.

"More to your right, right, right... and tilt your head just a bit," a distinctive voice instructed so loud and clear for every person to hear in the room.

A few feet away from him was Tooru leaning by the window in his glory. Lights and cameras were aimed at him as the centerpiece, the shuttering sounds of a camera ignited a bright flash when the picture is taken.

The looks of him seemed a bit different but he was glowing like a brightly lit candle. His skin looked even with the help of foundation and moisturizer masking his face. The curls of his brown hair were waved elegantly across his forehead with hints of hairspray to hold natural curls. Instead in his casual clothes, he was in a relaxed, black sportswear outfit with matching black shoes with strips of highlight yellow embroidered on the sides.

In that moment in his model pose, he looked absolutely gorgeous. It made your jaw drop.

"Oh, [Name]. You came," the brunette suddenly stopped posing when he locked eyes with you, spotting your form at the end of then room being completely smitten with his look.

"Oikawa! You ruined it!" called back the photographer behind the bulky camera, giving him an annoyed glare.

"Sorry, sorry," then he reverted back his original pose trying to give you an apologetic look. "Just give me a few takes, [Name]! We're almost done here!"

"Not with that pose, we're not! Now zip it, lover boy! Back to work!" The director was not letting him have it easy as he flashed a few more shots, blinding the room once again.

You waved to him to take his time and sat somewhere you won't be a hindrance of the workplace. Make up artists dusted a few touch ups to his face before Tooru went back to his modeling zone in various positions. He looked natural while doing it.

No wonder his photos on his social media looked so aesthetically pleasing.

"Now that's a wrap!" It didn't take long for the shoot to end since the brunette did his best to follow the photographer's orders to present the best images he can make.

Just when he peeled the UV light jacket from his arms, Tooru made his way towards your chair with a water bottle in his hand. He took the seat next to you.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," he lowered his head to make a slight bow, hoping to gain your forgiveness. "They're strict here so I can't mess around if I want to."

You laughed, "You're apologizing for doing your job? What kind of girl do you think I am?"

He hummed at your sarcasm and smiled, "Least that proves you're not the impatient type, which I like."

You got lost in his statement while he chugged the rest of his water in ease as if what he said is nothing special. He is so casual about it.

"So this is what you do, huh?" You began to ask while gazing your eyes around the room where the photoshoot is.

He nodded, capping the lid back on eagerly. "It's a gig so I model on the side if the opportunity is given to me. Pretty neat, isn't it?"

Your brow quirked. "Then what else do you do besides modeling?"

"I'm a volleyball coach. I run a program to teach all ages whether it's private lessons or groups," he simply answered. "Ever since I moved back from Argentina, I thought about forming a team one day."

Amazed, you were impressed by the explanation. Him working two jobs wasn't much of surprise since raising a child is already a given expense. He must be overworked that you respected him a whole lot more.

You smiled. "That's pretty ambitious of you. Seems like you're pretty known here."

"Well, I did win in the olympics for Argentina. I am a citizen there," he laughed.

"Then what made you want to come back to Japan?"

"That answer should be obvious, darling," with a hum, his head turned and propped a confident elbow on the armrest as he inched his face closer to you. The hint of his signature scent wafted in your direction when he did so. Then his brown optics narrowed so slightly at the sight of you and they smiled, averting his gaze from yours to take another sip of his water. "So, what are your plans for today?"

Stunned by the sudden mood change, you felt like your mind is still swimming of how good he smelled than the conversation.

Your throat cleared to stay present and anxiously shook your head. "Erm, I'm only closing up the shop tonight," you shortly answered. "Why?"

"My friends are trying to convince me to go out with them later. It's not my thing but I was wondering if you want to come along - if it's not too late for you," he added.

"Sounds like a mixer the way you're putting it," you teased but your concern is brought on the little Oikawa. "How about Tetsu?"

"Iwa-chan will be watching him, sadly. He's the one who insisted me to go and catch up with old friends. He thinks it'll give me a good break from playing 'Daddy' for once and live like a young adult for one night," giving a shrug, Tooru didn't seem too fond of the idea of his best friend babysitting him - let alone of the thought as a father to be away from his child. But you plainly thought Hajime might've threatened him to go rather than 'insisted'.

An amused smirk twitched on his expression when he side glanced your way. "If you're free, it might encourage me to go."

Might? You thought with annoyance. He was trying not to be sneaky but you can foresee his intent through that sly smile. Yet, the way he was giving you the same look he gave when you first saw him at your cafe, you couldn't refuse. He looked so handsome.

With a sigh, you shamefully gave in. "Okay, okay. I'll be there after I'm done."

"Perfect. I'll pick you up," he offered without hesitation - a habit he's starting to form when it comes to making plans with you. You made a low growl before he surprised you with his last utterance with a finger at his tinted lips to showcase a silent gesture.

He lightly whispered only for you to hear.

"And maybe after we're done, I'll let you come over to my place since you've been such a good girl lately."

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Posted: 04-16-21