A/N

Sooooo I watched this adooooorable thing a while ago? The opening for Ao Haru Ride/Blue Spring Ride kills me every time, and then SOMEONE MADE AN IWAOI THING FOR IT. THE CUTEST. THING. EVER.

And of course I had to write something.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE GO WATCH THIS (no spaces)
youtu . be / D-Xw03GOZZE

This is also kinda my first Haikyuu! fic? Yeah. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Haikyuu! or any of its characters (AS MUCH AS I WOULD LIKE TO) and uhm that music video also isn't mine in any way. Yeah.

There was something different with their relationship recently; something was off, shifted, out of place. But Iwaizumi couldn't figure out what it was for the life of him.

Their interactions remained, on the whole, the same - Oikawa would joke and tease around, and Iwaizumi would retort back with something serious or borderline mean that Oikawa wouldn't take seriously. The banter would go back and forth, until eventually something or the other would pull them out of it.

They still accompanied each other silently when the need arose. Time when words weren't necessary, when just the the company of the other was enough. Or maybe Iwaizumi would walk silently, with the ever-cheery Oikawa prattling on about something minor, such as his hair product or what he ate for lunch or something along those lines.

Volleyball was always big part of their friendship; the trust between a setter and a spiker was nearly impenetrable, especially in their case. Oikawa might randomly toss a ball to Iwaizumi, and he would return it. This exchange of the ball mirrored the trust and confidence they had in each other.

It had always been like this, every since grade school. Nothing had really changed, and yet lately Iwaizumi couldn't help but feel like there had been a slight shift of dynamics, based off the subtle changes in the atmosphere around them.

An outsider looking in would never have been able to see this difference; in all aspects, there was no difference. They joked, they bantered, they teased around. But Iwaizumi would sense even the slightest change in such a long friendship.

He didn't know if Oikawa felt the same; maybe it was just him who sensed this shifting in the planets of the system their friendship belonged to. Maybe he was just being his usual worrying self and stressing over every little thing. It was still always the nagging "Iwa-chan!" this and "Iwa-chan!" that from Oikawa. There really wasn't anything - yet - that brought this change out into the open; it was just a 'gut feeling,' to borrow the colloquialism.

It might have had something to do with the amount of girls talking with both of them. Iwaizumi had lost count of the confessions he had received after four - he couldn't be bothered to remember. He didn't have the slightest interest in them, and would always politely turn them down.

For all he knew, Oikawa had been stuck in the same situation. Too many girls to count, too many girls to refuse. At least, Iwaizumi thought they were refused. Who knew, maybe Oikawa accepted someone early on, which was why he refused everyone else.

This was the sort of thing that they didn't normally talk about, but they should have. It was too big a thing to safely ignore. They didn't necessarily try to avoid the subject - at least not consciously. It wasn't intentional, whatever they were doing. They had just… stopped talking about this sort of thing one day. Neither of them ever brought it up voluntarily, and neither of them ever bothered to ask. Sure, Oikawa would joke about a girl occasionally, but that was it - a joke, a slip of tongue.

Lately, the two of them seemed to be a lot more sensitive toward the other. Iwaizumi would still scold Oikawa time and time again, about something stupid that the brunette always ended up doing - letting a volleyball drop in the court mindlessly (which was something that seemed to be happening more and more), flirting during practice, that sort of thing. But it was always more harsh, more heated, than before. Iwaizumi would feel slight regret after a particularly harsh scolding, and Oikawa would look abashed. He never looked like that; Oikawa usually just took the scoldings in stride, and immediately go back to doing whatever it was that Iwaizumi had scolded him about in the first place. That had always been the nature of their relationship.

But Iwaizumi was shocked the first time Oikawa had looked so taken aback. It hadn't been anything major; Iwaizumi thought it might have been because of some homework assignment or something that Oikawa had forgotten. Honestly, it was something so usually insignificant that he couldn't really remember. What he did remember, however, was the hurt and chagrin inscribed on his best friend's face. Iwaizumi clearly remembered the regret he felt immediately afterward, wanting to take back whatever it was that he had said. But words weren't Iwaizumi's forte, never had been. He didn't know what to say, so he just didn't say anything.

Another feeling back then that Iwaizumi remembered was the want to understand Oikawa. He thought he had done a pretty good job of understanding and getting to know his best friend; after all, how many years had they been friends? But at that moment, he wanted nothing else than to say, "Hey, tell me. Tell me what you're thinking. What's wrong?" He just didn't have the strength to actually put his thoughts into words.

It was all downhill after that, Iwaizumi felt. Something was off about Oikawa, and in turn, it affected Iwaizumi. They were like the planets, in that sense. If one moon, one star, was even the slightest out of place, the entire system would be thrown off. Their used-to-be playful banter turned heated and ugly more and more quickly, and someone would always end up hurt - never physically, though. That was a line that both of them knew better than to cross. They were too scared to know what would await them on the other side of the line.

Both of them were extremely busy these days, what with juggling around club activities with academics. There was also something else - a chasing of some ghost of an idea, a feeling. All of this muddled inside of him, causing Iwaizumi to walk around feeling confused more often than not.

Every time a new argument occurs, they both run away from it. A retort is thrown here, a comment there, a raising of their voices, and then they both leave it like that. We're both cowards, Iwaizumi thought grimly every time this happened. We both run away, losing sight of what's actually important. Cowards, hoping that this will disappear if we ignore it. That it would fall far back enough if only we run a little further. Just a little faster.

Finally, one day, Iwaizumi cracked. Oikawa was being his normal, arrogant self, and might have thrown an offhand joke about how he was the only one needed to have a win for their team. Oikawa might have teased Iwaizumi a bit, saying how if he didn't pick up his pace Oikawa might surpass him in everything and that maybe he wouldn't be needed on the team anymore.

It was all a blur, but the next thing Iwaizumi knew was that he was catching Oikawa by the collar, inches above the ground. He was panting heavily, and Oikawa was staring up at him with shock, disbelief, and extreme hurt on his face. His nose is bleeding, Iwaizumi noted. How did that happen?

Iwaizumi remembered spitting out harshly, "The team with the better six is stronger," before letting go of Oikawa. Or maybe he had pushed him down - it was all hazy.

Oikawa had run off, with what seemed suspiciously like a hint of tears on his face as he turned away. Iwaizumi stood there, unsure of what had happened and with one thought on his mind: I crossed the line. I hurt him. I hurt him.

I hurt him.

They still tried to keep up their 'normal' relationship after that - for appearances' sake, Iwaizumi assumed. He went along with Oikawa's little game, still unsure of what was happening. They tiptoed around each other as if they were walking on eggshells, careful to keep the balance just right. Even though they knew that the scale had tipped already, they still hung tightly to the edge of whatever it was they still had.

That millimeter standing between them was so wide that it might as well have been the whole world between them. They were so painfully close, and yet so painfully far away. Everything slipped by them, and they couldn't catch themselves as they fell deeper, deeper into that chasm split between them.

Iwaizumi thought about ending their friendship right there. After all, what they had between them right now could only end up in more hurt, more suffering. But no matter how much he thought that this might be for the best, he refused to think about that solution. He wouldn't think about ending it; he couldn't forget everything he and Oikawa had gone through together. It was an impressionable chapter in his life - no, not just one chapter, his entire book up until now - spent together with the aloof brunette, and he was unwilling to forget it all and start a new page. He couldn't forget it all.

The next time an argument occurred was a day after Iwaizumi had been confessed to by yet another girl. It was lunch break, and Iwaizumi was trying to get ahead on some of his homework. Oikawa had come to join him in his classroom during lunch, as per usual.

"So, Iwa-chan. Another girl, eh?"

Iwaizumi, still preoccupied by the work on his desk, glanced up briefly at Oikawa, who was straddling the chair in front of him. It was slightly unusual that they were talking about this, but they'd crossed so many lines, broken through so many boundaries they hadn't before that Iwaizumi wasn't really shocked by this any more. Just slightly caught off-guard.

"Mmm, yeah." He hummed out an acknowledgement.

"She's from class 2, wasn't she? Lucky. She's cute." At this, Oikawa cast a meaningful glance at Iwaizumi, in which Iwaizumi immediately caught the actual question being asked. Did you accept?

"Mm. Not really my type, I guess." He shrugged slightly, a bit confused as to where this conversation was leading to.

Oikawa wiggled his eyebrows playfully, and said in a teasing tone, "Oh really? Iwa-chan has a type now, hmm?~"

At this, he started paying actual attention to the conversation. Iwaizumi thoughtfully twirled his pencil around his fingers, noting the way Oikawa followed his movements. "Haven't really thought about it. But wouldn't anyone be okay, as long as you gave them a chance? Anyway, having them fan all over you is annoying."

That must have been the wrong thing to say, because Oikawa's face immediately darkened as he stood up rather quickly. "You're wrong, Iwa-chan! Completely wrong! There is always going to be that specific someone who is just suited for you, even if it gets complicated! You're such an idiot, Iwa-chan!" And then he stormed out of the classroom.

That was… new. Oikawa was rarely the first one to get mad, and Iwaizumi wasn't really sure what to make of what he had just said. Shrugging it off, he resumed writing.

They didn't talk the whole day during school, and as soon as the bell rang Oikawa had taken off back home. Iwaizumi, against his own better judgement, decided to pay a visit to his friend's house.

He let himself into Oikawa's house, and made his way upstairs. Oikawa's room's door was closed, and it was quiet inside. Iwaizumi cracked open the door a bit, and was surprised to see Oikawa sprawled across his bed, staring desolately at a… was that a thermometer, of all things? Oikawa didn't look like he had seen Iwaizumi, and it didn't seem like the appropriate time to barge in. So Iwaizumi left it at that, and closed the door silently before making his way home.

Sometimes, he would catch Oikawa whispering in a girl's ear in the hallway, with the girl giggling and Oikawa smiling. Every time that happened, Iwaizumi would feel an inexplicable pang in his chest and turn away from the sight. It doesn't matter what girls think of him. That has nothing to do with me. Usually, a mere couple days later, the girl with whom Oikawa had been flirting with would confess to Iwaizumi. He found it a little weird, but dismissed it as the girl having been rejected by Oikawa, and thus going to what she thought would be the next best option - Oikawa's best friend.

After catching Oikawa talking with another girl in the hallway, Iwaizumi decided to observe for just a bit longer. He leaned on a windowsill just down the hallway - not yet noticed by Oikawa - and watched as they conversed. The girl's eyes widened as Oikawa whispered something in her ear, and she gasped and nodded enthusiastically. After that, she seemed to say a short farewell to his best friend, and left Oikawa standing there, waving after her retreating form whilst smiling.

It was one of the saddest smiles Iwaizumi had ever seen on the brunette's face. To anyone else, it probably looked bright and cheery on the outside. But, knowing Oikawa for as long as he did, he knew that there was hurt and sadness in that smile; it was written in his eyes, and he could tell that it took a lot of effort and pained Oikawa to smile like that.

The very next day, the same girl Oikawa had been chatting it up with confessed to Iwaizumi.

Ah, so maybe that's why Oikawa's smile looked so pained yesterday, Iwaizumi realized as the girl was speaking. He rejected the girl, didn't he?

He waited for her to finish.

Suddenly, Oikawa walked by, a distance a ways from them, and caught Iwaizumi's eye. Noting the girl, he stayed at that distance, eying them with a weird expression.

Iwaizumi turned the girl down.

As he went to join Oikawa in returning to class, he heard Oikawa mutter something under his breath. When asked to repeat what he had said, Oikawa smiled and said, "Just kidding!~" Which left him more confused than ever.

Iwaizumi thought he had heard Oikawa mutter, "I hope it doesn't work out for you." He was probably starting to hear things now. There was no way Oikawa would say something so mean like that. Besides, he had rejected the girl.

We're both running away from what we know to be true. But at this point, I have no idea what's true and what's not.

After practice that day, when everyone had already left, Iwaizumi found Oikawa with his head in his knees behind the school, sweater draped loosely around his shoulders. He seemed to be asleep, and there were tears in his eyes.

For some weird reason, Iwaizumi's brain decided to remember all their childhood days at this moment; how they grew up together. When they were children in grade school, and Oikawa would excitedly chatter on and on about his volleyball dreams, while Iwaizumi would be catching bugs or reading a book.

In middle school, when Oikawa clung to Iwaizumi's arm as if his life depended on it - both out of nervousness and excitement - on their first day while walking to school. Talking everything and anything that could go wrong, only having his fears dissipated the instant they stepped foot in the school. Oikawa really could win anyone over.

Now, in high school - before the shift in their friendship. When they would still casually walk home after school, maybe stopping by the river to pet the stray cat, chatting about unimportant things.

Sighing, Iwaizumi rubbed the back of his neck before deciding to wake his friend.

"Oi. Crappykawa, wake up. You need to change, you're gonna catch a cold out here like this."

"Mmmrph," was the reply he got.

Sighing, he sat down next to Oikawa, and gently ruffled his hair. "C'mon, wake up," Iwaizumi said in an uncharacteristically soft voice. What had gotten into him?

"Mmm, I'm up, I'm up. Oh, it's Iwa-chan!" Oikawa smiled blearily, blinking away sleep. Seeing that smile, Iwaizumi suddenly felt a tug inside of him. What was that about?

The two of them finished changing in the club room, and started their way home. They were silent most of the time - it wasn't exactly the calm, comforting silence, nor was it the stifling, heavy silence. It just was.

Iwaizumi suddenly became aware the Oikawa was no longer walking next to him; he turned around to see that Oikawa had stopped a couple paces behind him, and he was staring at the ground with a thoughtful expression.

Or maybe it was more of a sad expression, Iwaizumi later on thought.

Before Iwaizumi could say anything to question this weird behaviour, Oikawa smiled a bit and said something, in a quiet, quiet voice.

"Iwa-chan, sorry… I like you…"

Hearing those words, Iwaizumi's body moved on its own. He stepped forward, meeting Oikawa where he was standing, and reached out to touch Oikawa's cheek. How many times had he touched this face before? How many different expressions had he seen on this face before? Words tumbled out of Iwaizumi's mouth, without him realizing what he was saying.

"You're a bit thick, so I have to come out and say it. I'll tell you now, hey," Iwaizumi used his hand to tilt Oikawa's chin up, so that they were properly facing each other, "I love you!" As soon as the words came out of his mouth, he realized that it was true.

This was the reason for everything these past weeks. The shift in the atmosphere, the different air around them both. The reason they had both become so sensitive, open, and vulnerable towards each other lately. They had been shifting, shifting their planets and moons and stars so that they could click in a way their previous friendship hadn't allowed. To let love into the system.

This was why they had both been rejecting girl after girl, not really knowing why they did so. Everything that had happened so far… it all led to this. The truth.

Oikawa looked up at Iwaizumi, the surprise evident on his face as his cheeks turned pink. He brought his hands up to hold on to Iwaizumi's hands, which were still resting on his face.

Seeing this side of Oikawa, Iwaizumi couldn't help but smile. It was a big, open smile, cheeks tinged pink with happiness, smile wavering in the slightest at the newness of this all.

The millimeter between them had disappeared, and they had finally reeled each other into zero centimeters.

Iwaizumi dropped his hands, and tugged on Oikawa's tie. He pulled Oikawa closer, closer, until his lips were less than a centimeter from Oikawa's. Iwaizumi stopped a bit before actually kissing Oikawa; in that briefest hesitation, he thought about everything the two of them had put themselves and the other through. He took in the sight of Oikawa with his red, blushing form, eyes closed tightly and noted that no matter how tall he was, he seemed cute and childlike right now, anticipating what was to come.

Finally, Iwaizumi brought his lips to Oikawa's, in the softest and sweetest of kisses. It was chaste, sweet, passionate, and intense - all at once. Their need to express themselves played out in this gentle, yet heated, kiss. Everything clicked together, and this was just right for them.

They had fallen in love, just like the rest of the world.

A/N

Thanks for reading!

This has been sitting around for a while, mostly because I like finishing all my works before posting it... Or at least, completing an idea before posting the chapters.

I started writing an Oikawa-POV for this, but I'm not sure whether to include it as part of this, with a second chapter or just. Make it into a separate oneshot. I'll be keeping this as a oneshot for now - at least, until I finish writing the second part OTL.

*throws strawberry shortcake out* Until Next Time!