Oikawa was ecstatic. He and Iwaizumi had spent all of break together, their bond was buzzing happily along in his head, the new term had started, and – Kageyama Tobio was not, repeat NOT, one of the new first years. He couldn't be any happier.

Well, he might be a little happier if that annoying pulling sensation would disappear, but he decided to happily ignore it until it faded!

There was no point in worrying about it.

He trained hard, staying after practice each day and making sure that he was learning each and every quirk about his new teammates. He was the captain after all! He needed to make sure that they were ready. This was the year they were going to nationals.

"Did Kindaichi tell you about Kageyama?" Iwaizumi asked one night, only a week into the new term.

"Eh?" Oikawa questioned. He was sitting on his new, bigger bed with Iwaizumi beside him. The alpha had forced him to the house about an hour after practice when he noticed that Oikawa was limping slightly. It wasn't a big deal, Oikawa had just landed a little too hard and jarred his knee slightly, but Iwaizumi had drug him back to the house and made him sit down with an ice pack. Oikawa had pouted until Iwaizumi rolled his eyes and leaned back against the headboard, allowing the omega to curl up into his side. "What about Tobio-chan?"

He could actually hear Iwaizumi gritting his teeth. He really should stop that annoying habit. "Such a crappy guy," the alpha muttered. Oikawa scowled and shoved his sharp, pointy elbow right into the pretty abs beside him. Iwaizumi yelled out but didn't pull away, though Oikawa was sure if he looked over he would see the promise of retribution in his lovers eyes. "Kageyama's at Karasuno."

That made Oikawa sit up. "He's where?"

"Karasu-"

Oikawa broke into loud laughter. Kageyama Tobio, King of the Court, Genius Setter, was at Karasuno! It really was too funny. "How did he end up there?"

Iwaizumi let out a deep sigh and wrapped an arm around Oikawa's chest, pulling him backwards. Oikawa squeaked as he was forced back into the position he had just moved from. "Seriously? Are you still jealous of the kid?"

"I'm not jealous, Iwa-chan! I'm-"

"Yeah, yeah," Iwaizumi grunted. "Well, at least now you can stop checking Shiratorizawa's roster to see if Kageyama is enrolled-"

"I do not-"

"I've seen you, Oikawa."

Oikawa pouted. He had always made sure Iwaizumi was nowhere around when he did that. How had the alpha seen him? "Well, I didn't want him playing with Ushiwaka! That would have been horrible!"

Iwaizumi couldn't argue with that. Having Ushijima and Kageyama on the same team would have been a mess. "Yeah, well, he isn't. So you can leave it alone now."

Oikawa didn't respond. Because if Kageyama was at Karasuno…well, it was about time to see how much his dear Kohai had improved.

Iwaizumi hadn't exactly been…happy with him when the coach announced the practice match against Karasuno. "Are you shitting me?" He growled out the moment coach turned away. Oikawa held up his hands, giving the enraged alpha a bright smile.

"I just want to-"

"Seriously, Crappykowa?!"

"I just-"

"Karasuno?!"

Oikawa let out an irritated huff, smile falling off of his face as the other members of the team walked away with their eyes averted. "Iwa-chan! Listen! If Tobio-chan decided to go to Karasuno, we need to know why! We can't let some…has been team coming in and taking our final chance at nationals!"

"Has been – sometimes, Oikawa, I really have to ask myself how the hell you turned out like this."

"Iwa-"

"Yeah, yeah, I got it," he muttered, pushing past the omega. "This better not blow up in our faces."

Later, Oikawa would blame Iwaizumi. He cursed him with those words! That was the only explanation to how he fell and sprained his ankle a week before the practice match! Coach wouldn't allow him to play until the doctor released him, so Oikawa had scheduled the follow up appointment as soon as he could – but that appointment was, of course, the same day as the match.

"We can't move the match, Oikawa," Coach sighed, pressing his hand to his forehead as if to ward off a headache. "Just get here as soon as you can."

Iwaizumi didn't help him either, "I swear if you push yourself and end up hurting yourself more because of a stupid practice game against Kageyama…"

"I feel fine, Iwa-chan!"

"You better be."

Oikawa checked the time every two minutes during his appointment. He had no idea how the match was going and if was over before he even arrived… well, at least he would know Karasuno, even with Tobio, wasn't a match for his team. But if they were, he could see how the genius setter had improved over the years.

He really wasn't sure which option was better.

Luckily, or not he still didn't know for sure, the game was still going. He peaked into the room, making sure they were on break before he walked in. After all, he didn't want to distract anyone. It wasn't as if he wanted to make sure all of the attention was on him. Nope, not at all. He put his hands in his pockets and strode into the gym, fighting back a smirk when he heard the girls yelling for him in the stands. He could just picture the glare on his alpha's face. "Oh, Oikawa. You're back. How's the ankle?" Coach asked as he came to a stop in front of him.

Oikawa smiled, noticing that Karasuno's eyes were on him the entire time. "It's fine. I can get back to regular practice. It was just a slight sprain."

"For crying out loud! Be careful!" The Coach snapped back. "You're the one that asked to play against Kageyama. What do we do without our official setter? It's embarrassing."

Hearing the screaming suddenly intensify, Oikawa smiled brightly and sent them a wave. Even if he wasn't looking for another mate, it never hurt to have people rooting for him. Once again, he ignored the painful stinging pull in his chest at the thought.

He glanced to the side, seeing a bald kid in a Karasuno outfit glaring at him. His lips twitched. He had a feeling that baldy wasn't used to female attention and was a little upset that the girls were calling Oikawa's name.

"He's the captain of Aobajosai," he heard one of the Karasuno members mutter. He bit his lip to keep from laughing out loud. Ah, it seemed more than Tobio-chan recognized him. Good.

"Oikawa-san is a super aggressive setter. His attack power is also probably the top of his team," Kageyma explained in what he apparently thought was a quiet voice, "And he's got a terrible personality. Maybe even worse than Tsukishima." Oikawa scowled. He didn't know who this Tsukishima person was, but there was no way he was worse than him! Wait. That wasn't right…

"He must be really bad!" A red haired kid gasped. Oikawa wondered if he had escaped from primary school but noticed just then that chibi-chan was wearing a Karasuno jersey. How cute.

"Did you know him from Kitagawa Daiichi?" Baldy growled out.

"Yes," Kageyama confirmed blankly. "He was my senpai in junior high."

I really wish he wouldn't call me that, Oikawa thought spitefully as he turned to face the Karasuno group. He flashed one of his best smiles and waved at them. "Yoo-hoo! Long time no see, Tobio-chan." He had to fight back yet another laugh at the irritation that flickered in those eyes at the nickname and the looks of horror on his teammates faces. This was just too fun. "So nice to see you," he continued. "You still doing the King thing?"

He could almost hear Iwaizumi growling from across the room.

He looked past Kageyama when he saw someone reach up to cover their mouth. A tall, blond haired beta was standing slightly behind and to the side and he seemed to be…chuckling? He saw Oikawa looking at him and the smirk fell off of his face as he lowered his hand. Then, the beta actually glared, GLARED!, at him before turning and walking toward another Karasuno player. Oikawa felt something in his chest pull toward the strange blond.

But he ignored it and shifted his eyes back toward Kageyama and his little group. That bald boy was staring at him again. "Tanaka-san, please stop with the intimidation!" Kageyama snapped. Ah. So Tanaka was baldy and he apparently thought he was… intimidating Oikawa? Cute.

Coach motioned for Oikawa to warm up off of the court as the third game began and Oikawa moved to do so. He looked over his shoulder, throwing a smirk toward a fuming Kageyama. "Crappykawa," he heard Iwaizumi growl. Oikawa turned toward his alpha, giving him a pout. He was ignored.

Karasuno wasn't bad. Actually, they were pretty good for not having a libero or a distinguishable ace. But, even watching, he couldn't really see why his team had lost previously. What was he missing? Kageyama was, as usual, tossing perfectly and baldy was good. The first years had trouble receiving and really needed practice. Maybe his team was just thrown off because he hadn't been there? They were used to him playing, after all. Soon enough, Oikawa was placed into the game as a pinch-server. "No matter how strong your offense is," he said quietly, so quietly he was sure Karasuno couldn't actually hear him. "It means nothing if you can't connect to it." He shifted, pointing toward the blond from Karasuno. He saw the startled look on the blondes face and felt that weird pull once again. He tossed the ball up into the air and served. The ball flew toward the blonde and Oikawa watched in pleasure as the blond failed to receive it cleanly. It bounced off of Glasses-kun's arms and into the balcony.

He really did enjoy the look of shock on his opponent's faces the first time they saw him serve. "Just as I thought. I watched part of the match…you, number 6, and you, number 5. You're not good receivers, are you?" He taunted with a smile that most people would call 'charming'. Those who actually knew him knew better. "You must be first years. Okay, let's score another one."

And score he did, serving right toward the blonde yet again. The look on the first-year beta's face was just too…pleasurable to ignore.

"Oh, one more point and we're tied," Oikawa said brightly with the volleyball in hand once again.

"Hey! You! Great King!" What the… he looked at the red head first year. The kid was literally throwing some sort of fit in the middle of the court. Great King? Was he talking about him? "Aim here! I'll receive it! Don't underestimate me! Aim here!"

"Stop raising a fuss, it's embarrassing!" Oikawa heard the blond say. Well, at least he agreed with him on that. But he had to admit, Chibi-chan was interesting. And odd. Interesting and odd.

"What did you say?" Chibi-chan suddenly growled. He turned, facing the blond beta and spread his arms out wide. "In volleyball, everyone on this side of the net is your ally!"

Well now. Oikawa bit back a grin when he saw the look of disgust on the beta's face at those words. Ohh, he was pretty sure that was the same look Iwaizumi always wore when Oikawa said something 'crappy'.

Oikawa watched as the captain said something to the others on the court and the four moved so they were close to the side. "Hmm," Oikawa said thoughtfully. "So Captain-kun, expert at receiving is expanding the defense. However…you can't defend it by yourself!" Oikawa said as he served, still aiming for the blond. It wasn't as powerful as his usual serves, but it was worth it to see if the beta was actually able to get it. The blond did so and Oikawa felt a smirk cross his face. "He got it. Good for him," he sighed. "Maybe I made it too easy for him. However…this is our chance ball." The ball flew straight toward him and Oikawa chuckled, "There. A sweet, sweet chance ball. Score it good guys." He watched as Yahaba set the ball to Kindaichi and chibi-chan suddenly appeared in the block. Well, he was certainly quick.

"It's up!" Kageyama said as he ran forward to intercept it.

He watched as the kid landed and seemed to transport to the other side of the court in an instant. Before he could see what was happening, the ball was somehow at Chibi-chan's hand and he saw the kid look right at him as his hand flew forward. Oikawa knew what was going to happen just a moment before it did. The ball flew past him, close enough that he felt it graze his hair. He turned his head slightly to watch as the ball bounced away. What. Was. That?

Oikawa felt his team rally around him but he couldn't help but stare toward Karasuno. "Wow," he said softly, a smile coming over his face. Wasn't that interesting?

The teams broke up then, some heading toward the bathroom, some stepping out for a break. Oikawa stepped just beyond the doors, Iwaizumi behind him. He turned to his alpha, eyes wide. "Iwa-chan! What was that?"

"Something absolutely ridiculous," Iwaizumi responded with a growl. Oikawa chuckled and moved forward, resting his head against Iwaizumi's shoulder and nuzzling his nose against the mating mark he had placed there. The alpha tangled a hand in Oikawa's hair and pressed his cheek on the side of Oikawa's head. "We might need to speak to Kindaichi and Kunimi. Losing to Kageyama…"

"Hmm," Oikawa agreed, nodding his head slightly. He knew how Kageyama's former teammates saw him and he knew that the two wouldn't be happy about this loss. Oh well, he could probably use it to make Kunimi at least attempt to push himself during practice. To get 50% out of that kid Oikawa had to put in 150%.

"I'll see you inside," Oikawa said, stepping away from his alpha. Iwaizumi made to protest, but Oikawa quickly planted a kiss on his cheek and moved before Iwaizumi could comment – or question him on where he was going.

He moved to the front gates, wanting to see Karasuno before they left. Even he could admit that last spike was amazing. As was the toss. He always knew Kageyama would turn out to be remarkable. But it wasn't time for that. Not yet. Not while Oikawa was still here. Not while they were still playing on the same court. He saw Karasuno, clad in all black, move toward him and he listened in interest as Captain-kun began to speak. "Takeda-sensei complimented us," he said slowly, "but, frankly, if we were facing Seijoh and Oikawa in an all-out match, we'd be lacking." You bet you would.

"Spoken like a true captain," Oikawa commented with a smirk as he leaned against the front gate. He saw the entire team freeze when they caught sight of him. It was very entertaining. "You know your stuff," he admitted.

"The Great King makes his entrance!" Chibi-chan declared loudly. Oikawa felt himself smirk at the small first-year. He wasn't so sure how he felt about the nickname, but if it implied he was greater than Kageyama…

Well, who was he to complain?

"You got a problem?" Baldy, Tanaka, his mind contributed, asked Oikawa. He moved forward in what was supposed to be an imposing manner but Oikawa thought the effect was somewhat ruined by the small redhead that hid behind him.

"Wanna fight, huh?" Hinata questioned.

"Don't be so hostile," Oikawa said, waving his hand around and moving to stand up straight. "You, little one," Chibi-chan paled and Oikawa fought back a loud laugh, "your last one-touch and broad attack were amazing."

"Oh…" the kid blushed.

"Let's give it all we got the next time, right from the start," Oikawa continued. "You didn't get to see our set up. Oh, yes, and we'll be improving our serves, too," he said with a grin at the blond. Said blond scowled slightly and Oikawa suddenly had the urge to go up to him and flick him in the forehead to stop him from getting that frown on his face. He shook it off. "It's true, your offense was amazing but your receives aren't polished. You'll reach your limit very quickly. I'm not the only one who hits powerful serves." He moved, walking toward the school. "The Inter-High preliminaries are coming up soon. Don't get eliminated, okay?" He stopped right in front of Kageyama. "Because I…" he pointed at Kageyama dramatically and could almost hear the comments Iwaizumi would be giving him if he saw this. "…want to pulverize my dear underclassman, setter-on-setter, in an official match."

"The receivers will train!" Chibi-chan declared. He had moved to stand beside the blond and Oikawa raised an eyebrow at the look of irritation the beta wore when the little…alpha? huh…touched him.

"Hey, let go!" The beta protested. Oikawa scowled when he felt something in his chest jump as the beta spoke.

"Receivers don't improve overnight," Oikawa responded. He decided it was time to go. He was getting really tired of this odd feeling in his chest when he was around the beta. "There's not much time left till the tournament. I look forward to seeing you there."

He had to stop himself from thinking about it as he made his way back into the gym. He didn't want to think about it. He was telling the truth earlier. They needed to practice and the tournament wasn't that far away. That was what he needed to focus on. Nothing else.

"Oi! We're supposed to be cleaning! Where have you been?" Iwaizumi demanded as soon as he walked in.

"Just having a friendly chat," Oikawa replied, knowing that the alpha would see right through the statement but not wanting to get into it.

"Kageyama has become more amazing," Iwaizumi said carefully as Oikawa picked up a nearby volleyball and began to toss it up and down. Why was Iwa-chan bringing Kageyama up? How irritating.

"Yeah. That genius was spinning his wheels but finally found his best destination," Oikawa replied, not giving in to the obvious challenge. "No commoner could hold a candle to him now."

"Yeah?" Iwaizumi said blankly, though Oikawa felt a spark of irritation transfer through the bond. "You're no match for him either, then?"

"When it comes to the toss," Oikawa replied, knowing what he was saying was the truth. No matter how much he wanted to deny it. "There's probably no one in the prefecture who could match Tobio's toss," Oikawa admitted as he continued to toss the ball. He noticed Iwaizumi move from the corner of his vision but trusted that his alpha wasn't moving to far away. "But he's not better than me at serving, blocking, or spiking." Oikawa barely got the words out before something slammed into this back, causing him to drop the ball. "Ouch!"

"Damn it, Oikawa! Don't say his toss is better than yours!" Iwaizumi snapped. "You're a setter, aren't you?"

"But I'm only being honest!" Oikawa said with a frown. Isn't that what Iwaizumi wanted? "That's why we have to break their receivers. Because no matter how amazing his tosses are, if the ball doesn't get to the setter, it's all for nothing," he explained, "If we can play against Karasuno in an official game, we can make a mess out of their receives and not even give them a chance at a toss. Just having one good player doesn't mean you'll win. How I want to say 'don't mind' to them! How I want to say it."

Iwaizumi glared and Oikawa frowned at his alpha in confusion. "What? Don't geniuses piss you off?"

"Guys that girls squeal over piss me off even more," Iwaizumi said and Oikawa had to duck his head at the exasperation in his alpha's voice. He had known Iwaizumi wouldn't like that.

"You shouldn't be jealous, Iwa-chan! It's embarrassing!"

Another volleyball was thrown at his head and Oikawa had to duck out of the way. "Hey! Quit fooling around! Coach'll get mad!" Someone yelled as Oikawa whimpered, "Iwa-chan!".