It's the small things, Mitsuha realizes, that makes her love him even more.

Their last week of school has finally arrived. It's been three years of a roller-coaster doing those loops continuously, going around and around until it finally comes to a stop.

Their exam scripts are being handed back to them during the day. It's quite an affair when you're in the same class as five people who share one collective brain cell.

"Did ya really think you'd even pass in econ?" Matsukawa hisses when he sees Hanamaki's paper, a large '40' inked at the top in red. "You drew like, one graph."

"Better than your ass of an argument as to why countries need to implement harder tax laws," his friend snaps, pointing at the '35' inked at the top of Matsukawa's paper. "Who the fuck says 'I think it'd be pretty crazy ngl' as a reason?"

Mitsuha lets out a grieved sigh, closing her locker door. This is their third class of the day, and she's had to endure their bickering since the morning. It didn't help that Hajime and Oikawa were arguing about the answers on monetary policy, even going as far as asking her to explain what they did wrong.

Yuki's probably the only quiet one she's left to deal with today, which is unusual. She's usually the most boisterous, pestering even Mitsuha with texts about why her answers didn't get her the marks she's expecting.

She stands at her locker, peering down at her paper intently. She's not drawing attention to herself, and neither is she snapping at Hajime and Oikawa who are next to her, now quarreling about something unrelated.

Mitsuha watches as Yuki looks up from her sheet, glancing at the two of them. Oikawa notices this, and he looks at her behind Hajime's shoulder.

"You okay, Yuki-chan?" he asks, concerned.

She shakes her head at the mention of her name, realizing what she'd been doing. "Oh yeah, I'm fine," she replies, chuckling lightly. "Caffeine withdrawals, y'know? I've been chugging so much coffee the past week that I'm really  feeling it now." She gives him a reassuring smile.

His response is something neither of them are expecting. "I know, right?" Oikawa exclaims, throwing his hands into the air with frustration. Yuki's eyes are widened in shock at the sudden outburst. "I'm so exhausted and I've done nothing. Nothing at all. Just sleep and watch TV."

Mitsuha takes notice of how Yuki's shoulders slump in ease; she hadn't taken into account how stressed they seemed to be before. The two of them fall into a regular pattern of conversation, Yuki moaning about how stressful the student council has been and Oikawa voicing his own complaints about universities and such. Hajime even joins in now, insulting her boyfriend when he can and siding along with Yuki's jabs at Oikawa's pains.

A small smile spreads on her face; it's funny how Oikawa never seems to realize the effect he has on others, particularly his friends, how they seem to ease around him and let their guard down their little. How he provides a comfortable space for them to be themselves, even if it's only for a few, brief moments.

Oikawa Tooru is like a cool breeze on a hot summer's day, refreshing and sweet, making your heart swell in warmth and peace.

"Mitsuha!" Matsukawa yells, snapping her out of her thoughts. "Please explain why Makki can't write 'I learnt this in second year, it's not like I remember it now' as a reason to explain why fiscal policy is detrimental to a market in recession!" She turns to glare at the both of them, pursing her lips in annoyance.

If Oikawa is a cool summer's breeze, these two are pesky flies.

*

"You literally stressed about an exam you ended getting top marks in," Yuki grumbles, after she's snatched Mitsuha's applied mathematics paper to see her answers. "You're literally so annoying."

"I blanked in the exam! I told you this!" Mitsuha growls, reaching for the paper as Yuki lifts it up higher and higher above, taunting her. Her friend's stressed demeanour from earlier is gone, now replaced by her usual chippiness. "Yeah, but you literally called me the night before and cried for hours about how you were going to fail because nothing made sense to you anymore," Yuki replies, giving her a cheeky grin as Mitsuha tiptoes to grab the paper.

"You're so tiny~" she teases, swatting Mitsuha's hand away with her free one. She lets out a couple of sniggers as she waves the paper in the air, Mitsuha raising her eyebrows at her in anger.

"I'm not tiny-" Mitsuha begins, but Yuki smacks the top of her head with the exam script, howling with laughter when her friend lunges at her. She's about to flick Yuki's forehead when a familiar voice does his call.

"Yahoo, Mittsun!" comes Oikawa's cheery voice from the landing above. Both of them look up at him simultaneously, as he waves two sheets of paper in his hand excitedly.

He practically skips down the stairs, slipping on the last few and nearly falling on his face as he does so.

Yuki's howling with laughter again as Mitsuha tries to keep her own fit of giggles in check. He's a klutz, that's for sure.

He gives them both dirty looks before flashing them a charming smile. "Only I can brighten up anyone's day!" he beams, looking incredibly proud of himself. The giggles from before are gone as the two girls look at him, expressionless.

"You're not the sun, Oikawa," Yuki deadpans, crossing her arms as she does so.

"You ruined the comedic value," Mitsuha adds, crossing her own arms as well. "That's lame."

"Yuki-chan, you're so mean!" Oikawa whines, before looking accusingly at Mitsuha. "And you're my girlfriend, you shouldn't be mean to me!"

Mitsuha scoffs. "As if. It only gives me more reason to," she replies, giving him a cocky smile. He purses his lips in annoyance, turning his nose up at her. "Aww," she cooes, pinching his cheek as she does so, "you're like one of those kids from Roald Dahl books. Adorable and irritating."

"If you're going to compliment me, you don't have to insult me while you're at it!" Mitsuha chuckles, still pinching his cheek.

"Anyway," Oikawa says dismissively, swatting her fingers away, scowling at her while he does so. He brandishes the two sheets of paper from before. "I got permission for us to leave school early today! You don't have any classes later, right?"

She takes the permission slip, glancing over it before looking up at Yuki. "We don't, do we?"

The difference in the courses they take in their third-year mean that they only share their general education classes together, while any other college preparatory classes have different schedules, which means they get switched around a lot. Most of her classes are shared with Yuki, but apart from that, she didn't really get to be in the same class as the other four did.

"Nah, I don't think so. Plus you don't have club activities anymore, yeah?" Yuki inquires, a hand on her hip. Mitsuha nods, before giving him a reassuring smile in response.

"Great! Then we're going on a date!"

*

She waits for him at the bus stop, her feet shuffling back and forth anxiously. Her hand clutches onto the strap of her bag, fingers clenching and unclenching as she waits.

A date.

Her first date.

Their first date ever.

She wonders if they'll be enough time to go on more dates.

Stop being so negative.

The sun is starting to lower slowly, despite it being late afternoon. There's a soft breeze that blows, tickling her nose and kicking up the leaves that have scattered on the ground. She shivers a little, despite the sun being out.

She pulls out her phone, deciding to text him and ask him where he is, when she feels something warm around her shoulders, and a pair of hands cover her eyes.

"Guess who~" someone murmurs in her ear, their voice soft and fluttery.

Rough and hardened palms, but smooth fingertips. The oh-so sleep-inducing concoction of baby powder, cologne, and musk that fills her nostrils, making her head heavy. Only one person in the entirety of Miyagi who's a shoujo heroine.

"Hanamaki?" Mitsuha guesses, wanting to turn around and check. She hears an offended gasp, but the hands aren't removed from her eyes. "Absolutely not! Guess again," is their annoyed reply, and she giggles.

"Matsukawa!"

"Wrong again!"

"Yuki!"

"Now you're just taking the piss," Oikawa says, sighing dejectedly as he takes his hands off her eyes. His eyes look irritated, but Mitsuha knows deep down that he's secretly enjoyed it.

Masochist.

"If I guessed the right answer on the first try, then it wouldn't be fun!" Mitsuha explains, pinching his cheek as he mumbles something about how it doesn't matter.

He rests his head on her shoulder, arms coming to wrap themselves around her torso. "Mittsun," he drawls, "it's our first date together~are you excited?"
Mitsuha nods, but she feels doubtful. "You've been on dates before, right?" she asks, giving him a look.

His head rises, and he gives her a blank look. "And?"

"Ah, I didn't mean it in a bad way," she begins, as he slowly pulls away from her. "It's just that it's my first ever date," she explains, flinching a little. "And it's not your first date-I mean it's our first date together, but you've been on other dates before-"

"Mitsuha, does it really matter all that much that it isn't my first date?"

He looks expressionless, although his tone contrasts it. He's never really sounded this serious before.

"First date or not, I still felt anxious before I came to meet you here," he continues, his tone now softening. "The reason I was late was because I went to go buy apple juice to calm down my nerves. And I still feel nervous, standing here next to you. Because it's your first date, so I don't want you to have any bad memories of it later, and it's our first date together, so I want it to be extra special." He gives her a smile. "So you don't have to worry. I'm going to make sure that your first ever date will be something you remember forever."

"Apple juice doesn't calm down nerves," she blurts out, losing the ability to speak sensibly. Her cheeks are burning. "And stop saying stuff like that out loud, it's embarrassing."

"It's only embarrassing if it makes your heart flutter inside-ow!" he yells, clutching his side. "That hurt!"

"The bus is here," she says, ignoring him, her gaze now on the white vehicle that trundles down the road.

"Don't dismiss my pain that easily!"

The bus ride is long, which is not the case usually. She suspects it's due to the rush-hour traffic at this time of day, which she peers at through the bus window. Oikawa is asleep on her shoulder, his body rising and falling softly with every breath he takes. She didn't expect him to be this completely knocked out at this time of the day, but she figures it has to do with the extra early morning practice he's been doing to prepare himself for when he goes overseas.

He always overworks himself, she thinks to herself, as she watches him sleep, the tiny breaths he takes making the stray strands of his hair flutter. That's his biggest problem.

For someone who loves running the race to perfection, Oikawa Tooru always puts himself in the issue of burning himself out.

The bus comes to an abrupt stop at the shopping district, which is where they're supposed to get off. In a hurried manner, she shakes him awake, and he jolts up like he'd just been shocked with electricity.

He doesn't say anything as he grabs their bags in a flash, getting up too quickly and bumping his head on the roof of the vehicle. The other patrons on the bus give them weird looks as this crazy-haired high school student drags her by the hand through the bus, and nearly falls on his face as he descends the steps, nearly taking Mitsuha down with him.

"Is it in your nature to walk like you have two left feet?" she hisses, when they stumble to the sidewalk, Mitsuha dusting off the dirt from her skirt and tights as she does so. She's grateful for Oikawa leaving his sports jacket on her shoulders earlier, because her white blazer wouldn't look white now.

"You were supposed to wake me up five minutes before we got to our stop!" he argues back, handing her her bag. She takes it, slinging it over her shoulder with a grunt.
"You looked too peaceful and I didn't want to disturb you!" she replies, before reaching over and rubbing the spot where he had bumped his head. "And I didn't think we were going to reach that quickly anyway!"

"There's traffic! It was going to take long!"

"Shut up and let's get going," she interjects, watching him fix his hair in a desperate effort to calm down the chunks that refuse to sit straight.

She sighs, shaking her head in exasperation. "Let me fix it for you," she offers, and he comes near her, bowing his head slightly. Mitsuha takes the water bottle out of her bag, pouring a little onto his head, muttering about how he uses too much hair gel and that one day, it's going to give him a headache.

"Mittsun, are you my mom?" he teases, looking up at her slightly. She flicks his forehead, before running her fingers through his hair, straightening it out.

"See?" she says after a while, wiping her damp hands with a hankie. "Better." She holds up her phone so he can inspect his hair in the reflection.

He's genuinely pleased at the outcome, and takes her hand as they begin to walk. "You have magical hands, Mittsun," he says, as they enter into an area that's filled with cafes of all kinds. "Like, they're great for holding, kissing, and-"

"You're so embarrassing," she mutters, looking away flustered. "Who says stuff like that out loud?"

"I do, because I love you," he replies, pecking her cheek. He snickers when her cheeks redden, but that doesn't stop him nuzzling his nose against them affectionately.

"Tooru-" she whines, giggling a little. "People are looking."
"That's because they have eyes, Mittsun. Didn't you pass your biology exam?"

She scoffs, as Oikawa ruffles her hair slightly. "C'mon, let's go take photos," he says, pointing to a photobooth some distance away. He drags her by the hands as she follows, practically skipping in his stride.

*

The sun is beginning to set when they leave, Mitsuha sucking on a strawberry popsicle as Oikawa clutches her free hand, a teddy bear tucked underneath his other arm. Figuring that they would rather not face another disastrous bus ride like before, they decide to walk back home instead.

"Did you have fun?" he asks, when they cross the little bridge over the stream. She's nearing the end of the popsicle, but she still looks up at him, her eyes warm.

"I didn't know you were so shit at games," she says, clearly not the answer he's expecting. He rolls his eyes, giving her an irritated look. Nevertheless, she continues. "How is one so bad at Pac-Man?"

"It takes time for people to learn!" he exclaims, getting defensive. Mitsuha disposes of the popsicle stick and its wrapper in a trash can, before stuffing her hand into the pocket of his sports jacket. "Not everyone is born with superior gaming skills!"

"Tooru, it literally takes three minutes to get the hang of. Maybe even less," she replies. They're reaching their neighborhood; she spots the roofs of familiar houses and little groceries.

"Everyone takes their own time."
"You're just saying that to make yourself feel better. But secretly," she says, with a devilish smile, as she pokes his chest with a finger, "you're really happy I won you that teddy."

He pouts, before giving in, a soft smile spreading across his face. "Yeah, okay, I am," he says with resignation, but nothing can deny the happiness he feels inside. "It's really cute."
"Ha! I win!"

"Not everything is a competition!"

Their bickering lasts until they reach their lane, and Oikawa stops at his house first, standing by the gate. His eyes are gentle and soft, but she can tell he's hesitant to let her go.

"I hope your first ever date was good," he says, pushing back strands of hair that have fallen in front of his face. "I really liked today, even if we almost did miss our stop."

"And nearly get kicked out of the arcade for being too loud," Mitsuha adds, making Oikawa chuckle.

"Yeah, that too," he continues. "I think-no wait, I know for a fact that this, is my favorite date." He gives her a confident smile, his eyes shining. "So I only hope it's been the same for you."

"I loved each and every moment of it, except for when your card declined at the ice-cream place," Mitsuha says, raising an eyebrow in annoyance. Oikawa looks away, ashamed. "How did you not know you didn't have enough money in it? What if it was a serious situation and your card declined?"

She sighs, placing a hand to her forehead. "Anyway. That aside, I really enjoyed today." She gives him a reassuring smile. "Apart from your declining card, today was really memorable. Thank you."

Oikawa pulls her into a warm hug, his arms wrapping themselves tightly around her body. He presses a soft kiss to her forehead, smiling when he pulls away. "Then I'm glad," he says softly, as she looks up at him, warmth in her eyes.

"I'll see you tomorrow, then?" she says, after she's pecked him lightly on the cheek. He nods slightly, pulling away slowly, his fingers trailing across the sleeve of the jacket.

"Ah, before I forget," she says, remembering that she still has it. She begins to take it off to give it to him. "Your jacket-"

"Keep it," Oikawa replies, stuffing his hands into his trouser pockets. "It looks better on you anyway."

Her cheeks are warm; she clutches onto the soft material tightly to her chest. He gives her an endearing grin as he pushes open the gate of his compound. "Take plenty of pictures wearing it, okay?" he calls out, as he climbs the steps to his front door. "Just wearing it!" He winks suggestively.

"Fuck off!"

The little things, she muses, when she sits on her bed, toweling her hair. Her eyes go to his jacket, slumped over the back of her chair.

The little things like the way he curls his pinkie around hers when they walk, or the way he stops to take pictures of sunsets or clouds in the sky. Or how he winks at her unexpectedly, making her giggle. How he sometimes sings the last few syllables when he speaks, like he's trying to sound extra charming for no reason but to make her laugh, because it's silly to hear him talk like he belonged in a rom-com from the 1600s.

Or maybe it's how today, he pouted and pointed to his card, mouthing that it got declined. How he stepped aside and let her pay for him, going on and on about how he'd make it up to her, even though it was just some ice-cream and not that big of a deal in the first place. Or when they were at the arcade, and she watched him get irritated at a machine simply because he couldn't win and kept losing in the first round itself. How his eyebrows furrow at the slightest bit of competition, because he's such a sore loser it's laughable sometimes.

Maybe, she ponders as she looks at the strip of photos in her hand from the photo booth, it's how he lets her squish his cheeks in one photo, before throwing peace signs along with him in the next. Maybe it's how he choked on the piece of strawberry in his milkshake, coughing the life out of him as she sat there, unable to do anything to help him, and watching him cough it out, and wheeze. Maybe it's how he takes candid photos while she's calculating how much money is required for a waffle to go.

The little things in Oikawa Tooru; his habits and the little bits of him that make him special.