The wind blows against his face, the summer humidity sticky on his skin. Oikawa sits in the back of his car with his brother, Tadashi, next to him while their father, Sawamura, drives along the country roads. In the passenger seat his other father, Koushi, plays with the radio, never content with one station for more than a few seconds. Oikawa is too lost in thought to care about the music. Instead he sits with the window open, letting the cool wind rush through his hair. They'd only been in the car for an hour but he feels liberated from the city. Finally he sits back as he breathes in the country air, feeling the last bit of anxiety drain away.
Life in the city wasn't bad, just chaotic since their family was well known in their area due to his father's success. Beyond the city, however, their family was unknown, which is the main reason Oikawa is excited for the sudden 'vacation'.
At first they were skeptical, as his father hated taking off work, especially since he's one of the best doctors in the area. But Koushi assured him that no one would die during their absence. Tadashi was also a bit unsure. He doesn't like meeting new people, especially since they'll be spending the entire two weeks around strangers. Still, Oikawa, being the amazing big brother that he is, comforted Tadashi, promising that everything would be okay.
Oikawa, on the other hand, knows exactly what kind of people will be hanging around the country club. Rich kids spending their parent's money, old ladies who have too much wealth than necessary, and worst of all, golfers. Yet, he reluctantly left his comfortable lifestyle to spend two weeks with his family. Because his father worked so hard and Tadashi went to a different school, they didn't have much time to spend as a family. Koushi was especially upset about this and had to force Oikawa into the car. But after they left the city he felt content, more at peace than he had in a long time.
After this it only takes a few more hours to get to their destination. They pull past luscious green fields and a large lake, past the golf courses and past the overly cheery players, all of whom are dressed in blindingly white clothing. Most of their family despise the game. All except Sawamura, who'd taken Tadashi and Oikawa hundreds of times as kids, only to watch them grow to hate the game. Tadashi nearly broke a club in half during a particularly long session. Oikawa wasn't much better and, after nearly decapitating a family of ducks after throwing his club on the backswing, he is now convinced all waterfowl are trying to kill him.
After passing the golfers they head down a narrow path where men dressed in black offer valet, which Sawamura declines, never letting anyone other than Koushi drive his car. While he struggles to find parking the other three family members unpack their bags. Tadashi is slow and groggy due to his prolonged nap in the car. Somehow Tadashi manages to fall asleep during any car trip longer than twenty minutes. Which, although an admirable skill, had gotten him into countless sharpie mishaps, missed bus stops, and stolen wallets.
They carry piles of luggage from the humid outdoors into the cool air conditioned room. The room, like the rest of the club, is spacious and overly-decorated. Like most countryside places, there are random pictures of horses regardless of there being actual horses on the premises. Of course, there are also the obligatory abstract paintings on the bedside table. Yet Oikawa is pleased to see the room modestly decorated. Unlike most places his family frequents, there aren't too many pictures and the walls are painted a simple color. Oikawa was surprised there isn't wallpaper with galloping horses.
Koushi talks to the front desk while Oikawa admires the room. He gets their keys and hands them to Oikawa and Tadashi, who are sharing a room. They are only on the second floor, a room away from their parents', but Tadashi slowly climbs the stairs, complaining the whole way that they should have taken the elevator. Oikawa fears he may have to push Tadashi up the rest of the stairs if he doesn't stop whining.
Finally, they reach their room. Tadashi slumps inside, instantly claiming his bed next to the wall as Oikawa unpacks. He is his usual restless self after the long car trip and immediately unpacks his toiletries and half a bag before he becomes too bored to continue. After sitting in the stuffy car for three hours he wants to walk around and explore the countryside. Tadashi, on the other hand, only wishes to continue his nap.
He spends the next while in the bathroom, fixing his hair and organizing his stuff. Usually he and Tadashi have separate bathrooms so he's careful to separate their things, which has become essential during vacations.
After he's finished with his hair he gets bored of waiting for Tadashi to sober up and decides to throw his pillow at him. This earns a rude gesture from his brother before he decides to slowly get out of bed. Oikawa waits until Tadashi is awake enough to go to dinner. He quickly texts his parents to meet them in the dining hall before pushing Tadashi out the door.
The hotel is nice, not just the entry room, even the hallways are lined with a faded red carpet and big windows. During the day the light filters through the windows and shines against the gleaming carpet. At night it gives off a different vibe. Instead of looking glamorous it looks threatening. He feels as if he's in The Shining as he walks with Tadashi down the hallways, which feels far longer than it did a few hours ago.
He's so focused on the creaking steps above him to notice his brother talking. Suddenly, there is a hand on his shoulder, which causes him to jump and let out a less than manly yelp. His life passes before his eyes, mortified that his tombstone would either read 'murdered by dead orphans' or 'scared to death by Yamaguchi Tadashi'.
"Tadashi, what was that for?" He nearly screams, watching as his brother as he collapses into a fit of laughter, nearly causing him to fall down the stairs.
"I'm sorry," Tadashi tries to apologize in between laughs, "What the hell was that noise?"
"You scared me!" Oikawa yells defensively, "I thought you were a dead orphan or those creepy twins from the horror movies."
"Don't worry Tooru, not even murdered twins would waste their time on you." Tadashi says, wiping his eye as his laughter dies down.
He sticks his tongue out at his brother, who only rolls his eyes in response, "Even if you weren't a bloody orphan I could still be in danger. Over five thousand children are scared to death each year, Tadashi," Oikawa says, hopefully justifying his humiliating scream.
"So you're a child now?"
"Rude," Oikawa accuses, so wrapped up in fear that he hardly notices that they're in the dining hall, talking far more loudly than anyone else. He overcomes his temporary embarrassment, leading an equally embarrassed Tadashi to his parents on the other side of the room.
He finds Sawamura talking to an older man about stocks, or medicine, or anything that makes Koushi look more bored than ever before. Before the man can get the chance to say anything else Koushi interrupts him. "Are you two having fun?" He asks his sons, grabbing the distraction before his husband ropes him into boring small talk.
"It's fine" Oikawa says, looking at Koushi, who is desperate to get out of the conversation. "I liked the lake."
"It was nice, wasn't it?" Koushi smiles when him and his brother finally sit comfortably, "We should visit sometime, right, sweetie?" He looks at Sawamura, who is distracted by the older man's words to notice that his sons have sat down. Only after Koushi kicks his foot under the table does he notice, but not really.
"Oh, yeah, we should do that," he blindly agrees, oblivious to the other conversation. He quickly changes the subject to avoid Koushi's scowl. "Mr. Ukai, these are my sons Tooru and Tadashi," he gestures to his sons as they shake hands with the other man.
The first thing Oikawa notices is that he smells like cigarettes, the next thing is that the man isn't as old as he originally thought, only a few years older than his father. The man, Mr. Ukai, Oikawa reminds himself, has unnaturally blond hair, which looks oddly good on a man of his age. His laid back appearance is complimented by his lack of tie and an untucked shirt.
"Nice to meet you, please call me Oikawa," He smiles at Mr. Ukai, being as polite as always.
"Pleasure," he says in a monotone voice, handshake firm but shaky. He looks like he really needs a cigarette.
Before he could further analyze the weird man he is greeted by someone else. The first person close to his age he's seen since his arrival.
"Do you need any drinks?" The waiter asks, speaking to the table. His intense eyes glance around them behind his glasses, studying them carefully. It's almost if he was judging them for something they have yet to do. His eyes gaze over Tadashi and Oikawa can't tell if he's disinterested or being lewd, but he eyes the table again before his look falls on Tadashi once more, who is a blushing mess. Oikawa represses a scowl.
He instead watches the waiter's moves. Which are confident, almost annoyingly so when they're matched with an expression that is both cocky and apathetic. Oikawa decides that he doesn't like this kid, who he later learns is Tsukishima, who comes from a wealthy family and studying to be a doctor, which captures Sawamura's attention almost immediately.
From there Oikawa loses interest. The waiter and Sawamura are now making small talk. He's mostly asking him questions about his schooling and which universities he's looking at. Tsukishima's answers are polite and short, his face still holds the same indifferent look as before. Soon even Sawamura is bored of the conversation, finally letting Tsukishima leave, but not before he gives Tadashi another glance.
Oikawa looks away before he lets his loathing seep through. His eyes scan around the room until he sees a familiar face. He instantly turns his head away, nearly making eye contact with the familiar figure. Tadashi gives him a questioning looks as he covers his face with his menu, avoiding recognition for as long as possible.
Tadashi places a menu next to his and lowers his voice, "Tooru, what's up?"
Oikawa glances over his menu to point at the person in the corner. The figure in question is talking to some elderly gentlemen before glancing around the room. Oikawa barely manages to duck before the other glances his way, "It's Ushijima."
"Shit," is all Tadashi can say before he looks above his own menu, checking to see if Oikawa was right. Of course Ushijima isn't all that hard to miss, he stands tall with broad shoulders and the annoyingly dyed hair, probably professionally done.
"'Shit' is right," Oikawa says, disgusted. "Hopefully he won't remember us after all these years."
Abruptly, Koushi grabs a menu and joins their wall of privacy, "It's rude to build a tower of menus. You know that, right?" Though he's smiling as he says it.
"Then why are you adding more menus?" Tadashi questions.
"Your father can get really boring, please relieve me," he pleads, pointing at Sawamura and Ukai, going on about golf of all things. They guffaw at something one said, slapping each other on the back.
"I'm liking the view down here, I'd rather we keep the tower," Oikawa says, pointing at the spot where Ushijima is talking to the man.
If Koushi recognizes Ushijima he doesn't let it show, just continues to add more menus to their pile. They talk like this for a while, under a menu that is being held up by three others. Soon they're talking about their shared hate in golf, remembering the awful duck story before their presence is revealed.
"Tooru," A voice interrupts their meeting and all three of them look up to see Ushijima. Sadly, their menu huddle had only drawn attention to themselves rather than the intended effect of repelling others. Ushijima's eyes look over Koushi and Tadashi uninterestedly before lingering on Oikawa. He feels his insides curdle the longer Ushijima looks at him, wanting to pretend that he doesn't exist. But he doesn't and smiles instead, just like he was taught to do.
"Wakatoshi", Oikawa says smoothly, cringing at the familiarity Ushijima addressed him with, as his mind is screaming at him to stop talking. "It's been so long." Not long enough, apparently. Oikawa grips inwardly.
The other lets out a noncommittal noise as he sits down next to Oikawa, deliberately making sure that their arms brush against each other.
Oikawa side-eyes his brother, but Tadashi has buried his nose in the menu, Koushi is looking too engrossed in his drink, and Samawura is actually looking as if he approves of what Ushijima is doing. Mr. Ukai is also looking at the pair the same way. Oikawa narrows his eyes, betrayed, and breaks Ushijima's contact by reaching for his glass of water. He sips noisily from the water and crunches angrily and loudly on the ice, knowing full well that it would annoy Ushijima, and it has its intended effect almost immediately.
"That's bad for your teeth, Tooru." Ushijima intones, reaching for the drink.
Oikawa places the glass out of his reach, still crunching obnoxiously on the ice with a now open mouth, hoping that maybe he could annoy Ushijima enough to go away. Sadly, Ushijima is immune to Oikawa's antics. His father shoots him a glare, telling him to behave, and Oikawa knows that he's going to get a talking to later if he keeps it up. He rolls his eyes once his father looks away. He even tilts his chair back, precariously balancing on the back legs, tapping his free hand erratically on the table. By the way that his parents and Mr. Ukai are looking at him, it seems that they are all annoyed, save Ushijima. He decides to take a quick break to the bathroom but Ushijima grabs onto his arm as soon as he stands up. He plops back on his seat, disgruntled.
"Oikawa, there's going to be a party in the recreation room in a couple of minutes, do you and Tadashi want to come?" Ushijima asks. His voice is so monotone that Oikawa hardly recognizes it as a question.
Oikawa would sooner go golfing than go anywhere with Ushijima, but he became aware that it may give him a means of escaping. "Tadashi?" Oikawa glances at his brother, who has been studying his menu since Ushijima's arrival. He suspects that he has been looking at the same thing for the past ten minutes, as his eyes are slightly glazed over. Or maybe he fell asleep again. Tadashi was also known for going to sleep with his eyes open sometimes.
"Um, sure," Tadashi says, disproving that he might have gone to sleep, though Oikawa isn't sure he's been listening into the conversation.
"Great, Tsukishima will be there too." As if on cue, Tsukishima arrives, standing closer to Tadashi than Oikawa would have liked.
"It should be amazing," Tsukishima says, giving a knowing look towards Tadashi. This causes Oikawa to jump up far too quickly.
"Let's go then," he says, keeping his voice level and smiling to avoid suspicion.
"You kids have fun," Koushi waves at them. Unlike Oikawa, his smile gave away his true emotions. Oikawa almost feels bad about leaving Koushi to Ukai and Sawamura's boring conversation. But then again, he wanted any excuse to leave as quickly as possible, hopefully keeping Tadashi away from Tsukishima and himself away from Ushijima.
"Bye," Tadashi says to his parents as Tsukishima helps him up, giving him that look that makes Oikawa's stomach hurl.
Luckily, the rooms are pretty close, only separated by a short hallway. During their short journey Oikawa has sped up into a fast walk, trying to keep a few paces ahead of Ushijima who doesn't understand the sudden increase in speed. He briskly walks down the red carpet and into the recreation room, which also doubles as a ballroom. The only time the room was used for actual dancing was during the end of the summer talent show and during the winter when it was rented out.
Oikawa goes into the ballroom to see the apparently 'amazing' party. He is disappointed to find out it is just a bunch of the younger guests in a room awkwardly dancing to semi-ironic music. He feels strange, walking into the room as Ushijima joins him there by the doorway, looking far more uncomfortable than the people dancing. Oikawa tries not-so-subtly to get him to back off, putting as much distance between him and Ushijima as possible. It fails, however, when Ushijima drags him into dancing, grabbing his hands before Oikawa can refuse. They start to do a moderately paced dance, their bodies thankfully not touching. The same was unfortunately not the same for his hands, locked into a slightly sweaty grip by Ushijima as Oikawa tries to wiggle his fingers free.
He gives up and his eyes drift over the room, trying to find a distraction for his current dilemma. He soon finds that the guests are making room for something, a dance routine in the middle of the room. He half expects someone to attempt break dancing, but is, however, met with something far better. Two guys are doing something in the middle of the room. Their dance isn't anything too special, but he has to admit they look good. Both of them with short black hair, one curly and the other spiky. The spiky haired boy is tan and more muscular than even Sawamura. The other one is taller, but paler and far less powerful. The shorter one is leading the taller one, dipping and twirling them. Their movements are so fluid that it makes up for the height difference.
Oikawa is too absorbed at looking at their movements that he almost misses Ushijima's snort. He pulls away his gaze to look at Ushijima questioningly.
"Dance people," Ushijima mutters, glaring at the pair. Oikawa takes this momentary distraction to quickly pull his hands away from Ushijima's grasp and stuffing them in his pockets.
Oikawa may not admit it, but he was entranced by the shorter's moves. He's confident, moving in time with the other's body and maintaining eye contact. The whole thing is actually intimate, more intimate than anything he'd seen. Their feet are moving fast, lifting their legs, and leaning against the other, Oikawa is surprised that a man could move his leg so high, soon the taller had his leg on the other's shoulder, pressed flush against him and showing off his flexibility as if it were nothing.
Suddenly, the taller one is lifted up over the other's head. Oikawa, who has never been into dancing, is amazed. He's so impressed that he doesn't notice the open mouthed look on his face. He, like most of the audience, is in complete awe. As the taller descends from the air, their arms wrap around the shorter's neck, both of them laughing softly at something only they knew. They continue dancing after this, their actions getting faster and the moves more dramatic.
They're close. This is Oikawa's impression. They must be a couple. No one else would touch another person so intimately in such a casual way. He notices that their arms are wrapped around each other, the leader's hand on the other's waist, his hands around their neck, faces only inches apart. They look good together and Oikawa can't help the jealousy that creeps its way into the back of his mind. He wants that and, for the first time, he wants to dance. He wants someone to touch him so intimately and to lead him through the complex steps as if it were as easy as breathing.
The couple looks so happy that they hardly notice the owner gesturing for them to stop. He looks pissed, probably because their dance isn't something a dance instructor should be teaching. The moves were risky and if he was being honest, not appropriate for a family setting. After a couple of seconds they spot the wide arch of his arms and slow their dance to a stop, motioning for the rest of the guests to continue as they cheer and clap. Oikawa is vaguely aware that he's clapping louder than anyone else. Ushijima is frowning in distaste right beside him.
The couple walks off; now that their dance has ended they don't seem so close. They're smiling as they switch partners, dancing with random people in the room, occasionally glancing at each other to see how they're doing. Oikawa hardly notices that he's still watching the two, even when they're on different sides of the room. He watches as they do simple steps with a diverse assortment of partners, mostly girls who beg the shorter man to lift them over his head.
Oikawa is abruptly pulled out of the room by Ushijima, who is none too pleased. Oikawa just scoffs, knowing that arguing with Ushijima is like arguing with a rock, he isn't sure if he's oblivious or devious, either way he lets Ushijima lead him outside.
He half expects him to glare at the onlookers who are clearly staring at the two, but he even had the audacity to grab Oikawa's hand and look unaffected. They walk in silence, Oikawa almost sulking while Ushijima keeps his ever present poker face.
"You should come with me to Shiratorizawa in the future", Ushijima says, right next to his shoulder. Oikawa represses his urge to shriek both out of surprise and frustration. Why doesn't this guy get it? He makes his own choices, not obediently doing what his parents want, and especially not because of this guy. "I am not a child!" He screams internally. He starts to walk away, increasing his speed, the other approaching to match his pace. "Shiratorizawa!" Ushijima calls, not looking at all affected by the light jog they were doing. "Go away!" Oikawa finally yells back, starting to give up hope when he sees a short orange-haired boy.
Said orange-haired boy was currently struggling with an armful of watermelons, trying to juggle them in place as he shakily reaches down to get another. Oikawa breaks into a sprint, stopping short of him. "Please, let me help you."
The boy gawks at Oikawa and his face quickly crinkles in disgust at the sight of Ushijima before becoming completely neutral. Without saying a word, he shoves a watermelon into Oikawa's chest, causing the latter to let out a grunt of surprise before taking it. He starts walking towards crudely built stairs, motioning at Oikawa with his eyes to follow him. Somehow, Oikawa knew that Ushijima would dare not follow them.
They eventually get up the stairs to the front door, resting for a few seconds to catch their breath. Since he couldn't open the door with his hands, the boy turns around and suddenly booty bumps the door, watermelons sliding out of his arms before he bounces them back in place.
Oikawa almost regrets his decision as he steps into the impromptu dance floor slash staff building. Almost. He takes in the sight of the staff dancing, bodies undulating as they grind on each other, and edges away, hugging the watermelon closer to his chest. The music that blasts from the doorway is gritty and raucous, something that clashes against the jazzy or classical music from the main building.
"I'm Hinata, by the way," the boy says, leading Oikawa further into the cluster of moving bodies.
"Oikawa," he responds.
"What were you doing with him?" Hinata asks, in a poor attempt at hiding the disgust in his voice.
"Ugh, family friend. Our dads used to play volleyball or golf or whatever back in the day. The next thing you know, Ushijima's trying to get on my ass. It's been going on for the past, I don't know, four to five years?"
Hinata just nods in understanding, leaving his questions unanswered. Oikawa is thankful for this, not really wanting to explain his situation to a stranger.
Hinata walks next to him, trying to make conversation over the music. He doesn't recognize the American songs but they sound older than the music he usually listens to. Then again he doesn't listen to rock or anything of the sort. He's always been fairly flexible with music, hardly ever sticking with the same genre for more than a few weeks.
Hinata bounces as he walks and Oikawa isn't sure if it's because of the music or just his natural stride. This makes carrying watermelons harder than before but Hinata doesn't look bothered by this. Oikawa finds it strange that he's blindly following Hinata to some unknown destination, but he's just happy to be away from Ushijima. Plus, Hinata's company isn't unwelcomed.
"You think you would ever dance like this?" Hinata says, motioning with his head at the staff. They are yelling parts of the lyrics and whooping as they dance tirelessly, moving in time with the music.
Oikawa doesn't answer, just shrugs before continuing to watch. Everyone is so energetic that Oikawa wonders if they did this every night, drinking and dancing for who knows how long? He is confused as to why that didn't sound like a bad life. He is even more amazed to realize he was jealous of such a relaxed lifestyle.
"Oh man, you should meet my cousin. He's the one who got me this job, y'know?" Hinata half-yells over the music, struggling with the watermelons. Oikawa isn't really listening, as the appearance of the two dancers from before cause an increase in excited whoops near the doorway. They are not even inside completely before they start dancing.
"Yeah?" Oikawa says eventually, still intently staring at the pair. If anything, their dancing becomes even more sensual, a bit more free now that no one is there to stop them. The taller's face is more open, smiling widely as his legs wrap around the shorter's waist. And bends over backwards, fingers almost touching the ground as his hips undulate. The shorter throws his head back, face slick with sweat, one hand firmly supporting his partner.
They continue dancing as he and Hinata move behind the bar. Oikawa just leans on the table and watches the dancing, his eyes occasionally moving around the room but inevitably falling on the pair from earlier. Hinata is under the bar doing God-knows-what with the watermelons.
They continue like this for a few minutes, a few songs go by until Hinata is done maneuvering the melons. He pops up abruptly from beneath the bar, nearly causing Oikawa to jump. "You like that?" He asks, his eyes landing on the pair that he was watching. "That's Iwaizumi, the cousin I mentioned earlier. The other is Akaashi, he teaches lessons here." He points to the shorter and the taller, respectively.
"Oh really?" Oikawa is watching the two, who stop dancing after a bit. The shorter's shirt sticks to his skin due to the sweat on his body and Oikawa gulps.
Hinata's cousin- Iwaizumi, did he say?- strides over to them. He eyes Oikawa with open hostility, almost sneering at the expensive clothes he was wearing. "Who's this?" He asks, jutting his chin out in Oikawa's direction.
"This is Oikawa, he needed to get away from… him." Iwaizumi visibly tenses at the mention of "him" before Oikawa cuts in with, "Yeah, I carried a watermelon." And wanted to slap himself for saying such an inane thing. Seriously? Watermelon?
Iwaizumi looks unimpressed and starts to walk away. "Whatever. I don't care. Just take care of him but don't bother me. If he can't dance, he's not worth shit." At this, Oikawa bristles. Of course he could dance! Iwaizumi glances over at him, and as if he could read his mind, says, "What? The waltz? That ain't real dancing." In the back of his mind Oikawa wonders why he's so offended by Iwaizumi's accusation. He'd never done much dancing before, and he definitely didn't do any of this.
He motions at Oikawa with his finger, not saying a word. Oikawa finds himself following, and after throwing a glance back at Hinata, who simply shrugs, making his way to the dance floor.
"Show me," Iwaizumi says without preamble, leaning his weight on one hip as he crosses his arms.
"Like right now?" Oikawa is taken aback. "I, uh," He can't do this in a room full of strangers, much less demonstrate anything in front of a dance professional.
Iwaizumi steps back and points to his hips. "Like this," He says as he demonstrates, and points at Oikawa to do the same.
It feels unnatural, and his face is scrunched in concentration as he stares down at his hips. He feels like he's getting the hang of it when he finally looks up and sees Iwaizumi laughing.
"Shoyo, he dances even worse than you," He cackles, looking back at Hinata, who seems slightly miffed at the comment. "You're just moving your legs back and forth," He points out to Oikawa, who, to his mortification, finds that it is true.
"Yeah, right, Iwa-chan," He snorts.
Iwaizumi makes a face at the nickname but his expression soon changes, looking smug before he suddenly dips Oikawa, who only leans back a few inches before wrapping his arms around Iwaizumi, who laughs at him.
The next thing Oikawa realizes is that he's falling.