"Excuse me, can I sit here?" Kageyama took his earphone out and looked up at the person asking the question, letting it process in his mind for a second before he formed an 'O' with his mouth, slightly embarrassed over his slowness and incapability in human interaction. He hastily grabbed his bag from the other seat, forgetting that it was left open and a book or three fell out. Now growing slightly red, he tried to grab the books that had fallen while keeping his bag closed.

"I'm sorry, I-I..." He shut his mouth, both arms occupied with his phone, the bag and the books, so when he tried to put the hardcover escapes from reality back, his phone fell, pulling the other earphone out as well. He muttered a curse under his breath, embarrassed from his toes to his hair.

He usually wasn't so clumsy but he always got quite thrown off track when he had to interact with strangers unprepared, what was he supposed to do or say without embarrassing himself, if he was suddenly put on the spot like this he never seemed to be capable of acting like a normal person.
If he had time to prepare himself for this, everything would have gone way more smoothly, he'd have known what to do instead of stuttering and staggering like a moron.

"Take your time, I'm not that scary, am I?" The person said. Once the books are restrained by the fabric of his bag once again and he picked up his phone from the ground, he scooted away as far as possible and studied the face of today's first reason to agonise himself to sleep for a few days.

Chocolate brown hair and a fair skin, the other was absolutely not unattractive but that made Kageyama want to talk to the other even less. Matching chocolate eyes studied him back. "You're quite the interesting one, aren't you?" Kageyama cringed slightly, wishing the other would just stop looking at him so he could return to his earphones and get out of the subway as soon as possible. Maybe he could get off at the next stop and wait for the next subway. What time was it? He regretted not taking the subway before this one because if he'd get off here, he'd be late for his appointment and he didn't want to be late, people get angry when he's late and he didn't want anyone to get angry.

He returned one of the earphones to it's original position, leaving the other out because he didn't want to come off as rude, even though the possibility of talking to the stranger caused a slightly uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Is this yours?" He sees a hand reached over to him with a phone strap in the shape of a tiny volleyball. Kageyama nods and hesitantly and reaches over to grab the strap. "Th-thanks, it's important to me." He mumbles. The chocolate boy next to him smiles a charming smile, but Kageyama presumes that it's not genuine.

They remain seated next to each other for a while, but after a few minutes of no-talking Kageyama puts the second earphone in aswell, assured that the other isn't planning on spiking another conversation. They coincidentally get off at the same stop but Kageyama purposefully walks the other way as the other, even though he should actually go that way to reach his destination.

He arrives five minutes late, no one got angry but Kageyama is sure that they will be next time.


"No no no no noooo, you can't die on me, I need you for avoiding human interaction and silent silences with my mind..." Kageyama muttered in an empty subway cart, frantically bending his earphone cord in difficult positions for it to produce sound again. His right earphone had died after he had stuffed it in his pocket. With a desperate frown he held the phone strap in his clenched fist. Now he only has sound in his left ear, but he rested the other around the shell of his ear to fool people into thinking he still isn't approachable.

He sighted, he's too broke for new earphones, but the idea of a part-time job left him uncomfortable. The subway stopped and a few people got in the cart, so much for Kageyama's casual attitude. He sat up straight, staring outside of the window even though there's nothing but darkness to see, he's in a subway after all. He turned away from the window and subtly checked out the people who got in.

Two middle-aged ladies, an old fellow behind a newspaper and- he turned to the window again immediately after meeting eyes with the chocolate guy from a week before. If there was anything he hates more than talking to strangers unprepared it's recognising those strangers after displaying his embarrassing self. He must think badly of him now, he might make fun of him in his mind or worse: He might hate him.

He couldn't help looking back at the chocolate guy out of curiosity, but as he looked over he noticed the other was still staring at him. He stiffened up, does he have no shame?
Even worse, now the other knew he was looking at him, oh the things he must be thinking right now, it's so embarrassing.

They got off at the same stop again. Kageyama briefly considered taking a different route so that he didn't have to walk with the stranger, but if he's late this time they will surely hate him. He ruffled his hair and took out his phone to skip to the next song. He increased his pace so that the stranger would only see his back. Everything would be okay, he assured himself. The thoughts of someone he didn't know can't hurt him.


He took one subway earlier the next time, to avoid meeting that guy. He found a position in which both of his earphones work and used tape to keep it in that very same position. He's in the waiting room with a cup of shitty coffee, other than that there's only water and it's cold outside, therefore coffee is a logical choice, right? He was fifteen minutes early for his appointment, but he brought a book so that's not a problem. His leg anxiously bounced up and down as he read.

The door opens, a girl a few years younger than him stepped inside and took a seat exactly three feet away from him, which is the perfect amount of distance not to get in someone's comfort zone but it's not too far away to have the other person feel like they're smelly or scary. Kageyama felt content with her decision.

About a minute after that the door slid open again, Kageyama looked up and noticed a mother with a young boy. She sat on the other side of the room and took her son on his lap. The boy bounced up and down on her lap, he wanted to play with the toys in the waiting room. His mother looked exhausted, Kageyama noticed, the boy must've been quite energetic or rebellious. He turned back to his book and took a sip from the disgusting coffee.

Two more people had entered the room before Kageyama checks the clock impatiently. Two more minutes left before he was supposed to have his appointment, it was getting a bit too crowded in the room, maybe he could wait in the hallway? No but that would be rude, wouldn't it? His playlist shifted to a western punk song. The raw guitars gnawed at his patience, the fast tempo would've been enjoyable if he wasn't already jumpy and uncomfortable. He shouldn't have had the coffee, he takes a mental note never ever to have coffee again, it wouldn't only worsen the anxiety he's been experiencing in social situations.

The sliding door opened again, Kageyama's head shot up, slightly too hopeful because he really just wanted to get out of this hellish waiting room because everyone was staring at him and they must have noticed that he's kind of an outcast. Actually, Kageyama didn't really know if they were staring at him but he just felt their eyes burn on him. It's not the one he had an appointment with, in fact it's someone he tried to avoid meeting so badly he took a subway earlier today. The chocolate boy stepped in the room and greeted the secretary behind a computer screen, who was a slightly older lady with a boring taste in fashion. It seemed like he hadn't noticed Kageyama yet.

He took off his coat and hung it over his arm. Kageyama turned off his music, he wasn't trying to listen in on their conversation or anything but he wanted to know what he was doing here. "Can you tell me where I'm supposed to be today again? I keep forgetting my password so I couldn't check, haha." He's so casual with the lady, even though she appeared as his senpai. "Oh Oikawa-kun, are you sure it's not just an excuse to loiter around here and make casual talk with me." She joked. Kageyama's eyes darted to the door, desperately wishing that he could get out now.

"Kageyama Tobio-kun?" He heard his name being called and got up immediately, taking his bag and coat with him in one sweep. He took his earphones out and looked at the older woman. "Hi, how are you?" She asked, smiling gently. He paced out of the waiting room, knowing she'll follow him. "I'm doing good, how about you?" He looks back at her, his eyes darting through the glass wall to the waiting room, only to see the chocolate guy, apparently named Oikawa, starting at his back.

"Fuck..." He muttered, turning back to his therapist as they turn a corner towards the room they'd be using today.


"Ehhh? I'm sorry I didn't quite catch what you just said." Oikawa turned back to the secretary, Fukutani Chie. "I said that you have a meeting with the head psychiatrist on your tasks, it's on the second floor in room 206. Also, don't adress me so casually, playboy, I've got you all figured out." She smiles cheerfully, tucking a strand of hair away behind her ear and adjusting her glasses. Oikawa winked at her and turned away. "I'll chat up with you again during my break, Fukutani-chan!" "Fukutani-san for you, I'm your senpai." He laughed and walked out of the room.

Kageyama Tobio, he wonders how you write his name. Kage, for shadow and yama for mountain. He wonders how his first name is written, Tobio is probably derived from Tobu, to fly. Not a very unusual name, but it's pretty.
Oikawa thinks the name suits him... kind of. Although the name does come off a bit stronger as the boy appeared... but he's tall as a mountain and his hair is dark as a shadow... Oikawa shakes his head as if to shake the thoughts away.

"Alright, there's no need to ponder over a name in an obsessive manner like that, it's kind of creepy Tooru." He speaks to himself as he walks up the stairs. He's seen Kageyama in the subway before, he was always wearing two earphones, always reading or staring at the dark walls outside of the subway, always clenching that volleyball phone strap, always awkward when someone asked him if he could make room for them to sit next to him...

He sounds like a stalker, he admittedly frowns. Alright so he's only seen the boy three times before he first sat next to him, it's not like he follows him around or checks his social media because that would be creepy, right? Well he's never had the chance to check him on social media before because he never knew his name... but he's not gonna do that now either because he's not that intrusive, really!

"Oikawa-kun, please have a seat." The head psychiatrist smiled politely and handed him a keycard. "I'd like you to take the files of the following patients out of the storing room, you'll have a meeting with me and their respective therapists today on the best next step in their recovering process. I'm taking you in on the meetings at first, but after a while I'd like you to take the role as their assistant therapist, if they agree to it." Oikawa thanked the man, took the key card and a note on which names he should take out after which he excused himself from the office.
He was in his second year of a psychology major, this year he worked as an intern at a youth therapy service, which was what he wanted to specialise in. He's always been good with children, he's always been a very sociable charismatic person anyway.

Kenma Kozume: Eating Disorder Otherwise Not Specified, Generalised Anxiety Disorder, Seasonal Affective Disorder

Kageyama Tobio: Social Anxiety Disorder, Avoidant Personality Disorder, Bipolar II Disorder, Mild Substance Abuse

Hinata Natsu: Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Yukie Shirofuku: Major Depressive Disorder, Severe Bulimia Nervosa

It seemed they had assigned Oikawa to four patients with a range of different disorders and intensities, Oikawa was quite nervous, he's never worked with clients before, the year before this was practically only theory and roleplays with the other students. Would he be able to pass clear judgement on them, not be biased and not take the problems of his clients home with him?

One name on the list bothered Oikawa, he frowned to himself as he took the files with him to an empty office. He had already taken an interest in Kageyama-kun, he wasn't sure he could keep his personal intentions out of his judgement and he if he wasn't professional with the client he would make everything so much worse, not only for himself but the boy aswell. He could reach out to the head psychiatrist for this, but he'd rather wait and see how this turns out, he wanted to help the boy, he wanted to train and test himself. He'd notice and put an end to it before anything got out of hand.


Allright! I'm gonna keep this story to a short story, I'm terrible at finishing things so I thought that I might be able to keep control over like a three-shot or so? I dunno, please leave a review, maybe a few suggestions on the storyline to keep me inspired and motivated :3

I got to this idea by combining some of the plots I always make up from my daily life with each other, in this case the subway and the therapy prompts. I just wanna say that I have no knowledge of how psychology studies or internships at these kind of clinics work, cause I don't have that kind of experience, I just kinda asked my therapist about how it works and went with my fantasy from there on so if you find anything wrong, please notify me and I'll do my best to change the story!

I hope you enjoyed, to be continued