CHAPTER FIFTEEN

      Iwaizumi was tired.

      And not just because of having an intense practice session, also because his two best friends were the most stubborn idiots in the world. Both of them were pretty smart, but they could be fucking stupid. He truly had no idea what had happened between the two or what words they had exchanged, but he did know that this fight along with her parents' divorce was why Misaki had broken down in his arms, crying for the first time in many years (at least, in front of him).

      This thing had to be resolved. He was seriously tired of acting like the messenger between the two and also very tired of these two acting like stupid kindergarteners. The team was lucky they hadn't been affected by this till now.

      And seeing as how Misaki was secretly sending very murderous stares towards Oikawa whenever Oikawa wasn't looking her way (which was a lot), Iwaizumi knew he had to get them to talk somehow.

      But the practice was over and almost everyone had made their way over to the clubroom to change. Misaki had been the first to leave, which clearly showed how pissed she was. Usually, she stayed till the very end and was almost always the last to go.

      As Iwaizumi wiped his sweaty face with a towel, he walked over to the manager's bench where Yuki was gathering her things.

      "Yuki," Iwaizumi said, grabbing the girl's attention.

      "Oh, Iwaizumi-senpai," Yuki said, offering him a smile. "Everything good?"

      "No, I need your help actually," Iwaizumi tossed the towel over his shoulder. "Can you get Misaki to wait at the gates after school?"

      "I guess I can. But can I ask why?"

      "I'm getting those two idiots to talk today, somehow. They're really getting on my nerves."

      "Oh. Oh." A look of realisation crossed Yuki's face. She immediately understood what Iwaizumi was referring too. "Yes, okay! I will try my best to make sure she waits at the gates."

      "Good," Iwaizumi replied. "And I'll convince Shittykawa to get there somehow."

      "Do you think it's gonna work?"

      "If it doesn't, I'm going to lock those two in a closet till they resolve whatever shit that has happened between them."

      Yuki laughed a little. "Maybe that is what we should have done before, Senpai. But yeah, hopefully, things work out today. I'll do my best."

      "Yeah," Iwaizumi nodded. He ruffled her hair. "See you tomorrow."

     "Yeah, you too."

      And now all that Iwaizumi had to do was to get through to Oikawa, which he guessed would be either of two things; fairly easy or absurdly difficult. But he was going to do it.

      *

      By the time Iwaizumi was done changing, the entire team had left the clubroom. Only Oikawa waited, as he always did, humming an annoying tune under his breath. Iwaizumi grabbed his bag out of his locker. As he kicked his locker shut, he finally looked at Oikawa, taking in a deep breath.

      This action was not missed by Oikawa, who suddenly looked wary. "Iwa-chan, why do you look so angry? Did I do something?"

      "Just listen without interrupting me," Iwaizumi said. "If you can."

      "Of course, I can, Iwa-chan!" Oikawa started to say but stopped at the dark glare being sent his way.

      Iwaizumi took in another deep breath and finally started talking. Every single thing that Misaki told him, he told Oikawa. From her parent's divorce and how that along with that fight between Oikawa broke her heart to how she had ended up crying like Iwaizumi had never seen her. As he went on, the look on Oikawa's face progressively worsened. The weight of the words was sinking in deep.

      There were few things in the world that could make Tooru Oikawa feel really bad; two of them being stupid Ushiwaka and that annoying Tobio (they actually just made him mad), but hearing that Misaki had cried, partly because of him; Oikawa felt terrible in a way he had never felt before.

      (And he would never admit it out loud, but he deserved it.)

      "Yuki's gonna get Misaki to wait by the school gates, so you better talk to her tonight," Iwaizumi said as he finished. "Otherwise, I'll lock you both in a closet till you solve whatever happened between the two of you."

      "You won't have to do that, Iwa-chan," Oikawa said, sounding rather serious. "I'll talk to her."

       "Go ahead then. I'll lock up the club room tonight," Iwaizumi said. Even as he said this, Oikawa was already out the door, practically running.

      "Well, that's done," Iwaizumi said out loud, almost sighing in relief. Once he was done locking the clubroom and keeping the keys safely in his pocket, he finally walked out and made his way down the stairs. He stopped halfway through when he noticed Yuki waiting at the end.

      Noticing him stepping down, she waved at him. "Oikawa-senpai just ran past me. And I got Misaki-senpai to wait at the gates."

      "Nicely done, Yuki," Iwaizumi said as he stepped off the stairs, standing next to the first-year girl. "Let's hope our plan works."

      "I'm sure it will. It's a good plan," Yuki said. After a second's pause, she added, "Well, I guess we should get home. See you tomorrow."

     "Wait," Iwaizumi called out as Yuki started walking away. "I'll walk you home. It's getting late and you shouldn't go alone."

      "No, but I'll be fine. You don't have to -," Yuki turned around and started to speak, but was interrupted by Iwaizumi raising his hand.

      "No arguments. I'd feel bad if I let you go home alone."

      "Oh well, if it's not too much for you..."

       Iwaizumi ruffled Yuki's hair. "It's not."

       Yuki grinned at him. "I guess we should go then."

      "Yeah."

      Oikawa had never run faster in his life.

      The moment he had heard about Misaki's parents' divorce, something in him had twisted. In his mind, divorce only meant one thing. It meant that Misaki would have to move away with one of her parents; she wouldn't stay in Miyagi anymore. She'd have to leave. He didn't want that.

      The sky above was starting to turn reddish gold; sunset was about to begin in around fifteen minutes. But Oikawa couldn't care less about it, even though he liked sunsets. Misaki was the only thing in his mind.

      He didn't want her to go.

      Nearing the school gates, Oikawa saw Misaki waiting outside them. Her back faced the gates and her long, undeniably pretty red hair was not tied up in her usual ponytail. That was strange.

      "Misa-chan!" Oikawa called out breathlessly. He couldn't see her face, but on hearing his voice, she visibly flinched. That hurt. (But again, he deserved it.)

      Slowly, Misaki turned around, meeting his eyes with a neutral stare. "What do you want?" She asked, rather coldly. Her dark eyes were full of anger; a look Oikawa had never seen before. "Actually, don't tell me. I don't want to talk to you."

      This time, Oikawa flinched. "I...please listen to me, Misa-chan. Just once."

      "I don't have time to listen to you and your crap," Misaki said harshly, crossing her arms. "Let me wait for Yuki in peace and you go home, Oikawa-san."

      Ouch. "Uhh, I think Yu-chan and Iwa-chan planned this thing. They want us to talk. So Yu-chan won't be coming," Oikawa said, carefully. He didn't want to make her angrier. "And Iwa-chan threatened to lock us both in a closet if I didn't talk to you today."

      "Is that the only reason why you're here?" Misaki asked, crossing her arms. "Because those two wanted you to talk to me?"

      "No-no!" Oikawa immediately shook his head. "I came for my own reasons. And I really want to talk to you. Please."

      "Well, since you said please," Misaki said sarcastically. "What might those reasons be, Oikawa-san?"

     Oikawa could practically feel the anger radiate off her in waves. Quietly, carefully, he asked, "Can we go to the park? You know, the one near-"

"I know. It's not like I was best friends with you for more than ten years of my life. I guess we can."

      Oikawa swore he felt a tiny part of his heart break into pieces. 'But you're still my best friend, Misa-chan. You and Iwa-chan.' But Oikawa realised that he hadn't acted like a best friend should have; he deeply regretted what he had said.

      "Well? Are you going to be like a statue?" Misaki had already started walking away. Oikawa quickly caught up, walking right next to her. It was his fault; the hostility that was practically radiating off her. It was his fault; he had started all of this. It would be his fault if she left.

      Oikawa really didn't want Misaki to go. No. It would better to say that he didn't want Misaki to leave him.

      *

      They got to the park just as sunset began. The sky was now a beautiful mix of orange, reds and shades of yellow. It looked gorgeous, but Oikawa couldn't pay attention to that. He was good with words usually, but the words for his apology that he had started to think off, disappeared the moment they entered the park. They didn't even sit; both stood in the same spots they usually played volleyball.

       "So?" Misaki shot him an inquisitive stare. She hadn't even removed her bag from her shoulder. "You wanted to talk, right? Then talk."

      Oikawa put his bag on the ground next to him. "I...uh...Iwa-chan told me about what happened with your parents. I think my mom and dad already knew, but I didn't. I guess they thought you'd tell me. And when Iwa-chan said you cried, that broke my heart. I..."

      He looked up at her, only to see her eyes clouded over with an emotion he really did not understand. So he continued. "Divorce means that you're going to have to move away, right? And when I think about it, I don't want that. I don't want you to leave me. Or the team. You're important. And I thought back to all that I said and -"

      "I'm not moving," Misaki quietly interrupted. "I'm staying here with mom. Only my dad is moving away. I'm staying right here." Her expression had twisted into something else now; a mixture of sadness and anger.

      And oh god, that broke Oikawa's heart even more, even though he felt happy that she was not going to leave.

       "Oh, that's good," Oikawa sighed in relief. "I didn't want you to go at all."

       "Is that all you've got to say to me?"

       "No, no, Misa-chan. There's a lot more I want to say."

       Taking a deep breath, Oikawa continued. "I'm sorry Misa-chan. I took out all my frustrations on you and that was wrong. You're not stuck-up, nor you are annoying or overbearing. You've always been good to me and I just...I completely ruined our friendship because of that match and my own insecurities. You've only been nice to me. You don't say anything bad about me. You know me better than everyone else and you are always so willing to help me out. And I hurt you because I couldn't keep my emotions in check. I shouldn't have shut you out and I shouldn't have hurt you. I hope you can forgive me, but I understand if you don't want to."

      "Why? Why would you even say something like that, Oikawa?" The hurt in Misaki's voice felt like a stab to his heart.

      Oikawa turned his head away, unable to meet her eyes. "I don't know. I just...maybe I was a little jealous of you."

      Misaki jolted in surprise. "You were jealous of me? Why would you-?"

      "You're practically perfect, that's why," Oikawa answered, suddenly feeling a little emotional. "You know the team so well; sometimes I think you know them better than I do. And you are always so willing to help out everyone without wanting a single thing in return. And you know exactly what to say to me whenever I need someone to listen to me. You're selfless, unlike me. And I keep on thinking. Why can't I be like you? Why can't I see myself as you do? How can you think I'm perfect when I am really not? I don't even compare to you. You are perfect to me. And I don't know why; I got jealous of this and I took out my anger on you, which was not justified at all. I don't think you'd want to forgive me and I understand that. I'm sorry. I really am."

      Oikawa still didn't meet her eyes. He couldn't. An ugly silence settled between them. Nothing like those quiet silences they enjoyed with each other. He hated to admit it, but he knew he deserved it. He didn't expect her to accept his apology at all; but if she actually didn't, that would hurt worse than anything he had ever felt.

      The continued silence suddenly felt like it had stretched out for too long. "You don't have to say anything right now, Misa-chan. Take all the time you need. I will-"

      Oikawa looked up, only to freeze when he saw the tears falling down Misaki's cheeks. She wasn't making a single sound, but the look on her face was heartbreaking. Hearing about her crying was something else, but seeing it happen in front of him, he felt way worse than he ever had. He stepped close to her, arms raised to pull her into a hug.

      A second later, he dropped them to his sides. It would be too much if he hugged her now. She didn't need that from him. The sky above them was slowly darkening, turning into an inky purple.

      Misaki's lips trembled as more tears fell. "Oi-oika-oi-oikawa, I...you...wh...I..."

      Oikawa had never heard her sound like that at all. He didn't know what else to do. Slowly, very gently, he lowered his head and put it on her shoulder, leaving her with enough room to push him away. But at the same time, he wanted to be close to her in some way. He wanted to comfort her somehow, but he didn't know if Misaki would want that.

      So how he was now...that would have to be enough. The position was not good for his neck though and after about two minutes of keeping his head on her shoulder, it was starting to hurt. But that pain was nothing. What pain could even compare to the pain of breaking your best friend's heart?

      Misaki hadn't reacted to him, but she hadn't pushed him away either. Oikawa hoped that was a good sign.

      Misaki sniffled slightly. He jumped when he felt her hands on his chest. Immediately, he stepped backwards.

      "I thought I was the one who had messed up," Misaki confessed in a low whisper, as she rubbed at her eyes, wiping away the remaining tears. "I thought you hated me. With the divorce and everything happening at the same time, I believed I was the one who had screwed up. Like everything that went wrong was my fault and I deserved it."

      "No, you didn't!" Oikawa almost yelled, his voice turning an octave higher. "You did absolutely nothing wrong. And you don't deserve this, at all. I'm the one at fault here. It all went wrong because I said all those terrible things to you. I'm the reason you're crying, right? It's my fault."

      "I hate how you said it," Misaki said, sniffling a little. "But some of what you said...I don't ever wanna admit it, but it's true. I always tend to put other people before me and forgot about myself. And this whole situation kind of showed me that. So I am grateful for that part. I needed to hear it."

      "I don't know what to say to that," Oikawa answered. He really didn't know.

      "You don't really have to say anything," Misaki quietly held out her right hand. Oikawa stared at in confusion.

      "Uhh..."

      "You wanna know why I cried? The apology you just said...it was one of the most sincere things I've ever heard you say. You sounded really sweet too," Misaki said, giggling a little bit. "I'm willing to accept your apology, but there are some things we need to work on."

      "Yeah, okay. Wait, one of the most sincere things - what do you mean, Misa-chan? I always sound sincere-" Oikawa started to speak but trailed off at seeing the slightly amused (and sad) smile on Misaki's face. Immediately after, he shook her outstretched hand. And even when he was done, he didn't let go.

      "I'm glad you are not moving away," Oikawa said, rubbing his thumb across her knuckles.

      "Me too," Misaki answered, smiling again.

      He ruffled her hair. "I think we should get going now before it gets too late. I'll walk you home."

      Misaki nodded, watching as he went to pick up his bag. Once she was next to him, Oikawa started walking, right in pace with her. This is how it should be, Oikawa thought, feeling slightly better. He still had a lot of making-up to do.

      "Oh!" Misaki spoke as they walked through park gates. "Oikawa, I heard you got a girlfriend now."

      "Wha-oh yeah?" Oikawa said. The confession yesterday...he had a girlfriend now. He'd almost completely forgotten after Iwaizumi had told him about Misaki. He grinned a little; Himeko was pretty cute. "I do, I do. But how'd you know that?"

      "Uhh, Himeko is in my class. She actually sits right behind me."

       "Wait really?"

        "Yes. And by the way, I offered her blackmail on you in case you don't treat her right so you'd better be nice to her."

       "That's not very nice of you, Misa-chan. I am always nice to my girlfriend."

        "Just don't come crying to me when she breaks up with you because you neglected her for volleyball."

         "I won't do that; you know I'll treat her really well. And now that you've said that you know her, you help me plan out the date."

         "Huh?!"

          (Yes, Oikawa thought. This is exactly how it should be.)

(okay well, yuki and iwaizumi are going to get a fic of their own and it's going to be set in the haikyuu manga hehe)

I will not lie. This chapter took a while to write because it's in Oikawa and Iwaizumi's POV and writing them was a little hard. Especially Oikawa; getting into his head and trying to write from his POV was a bit difficult but I think I managed it pretty well and I am very proud of this chapter. I think this might be my favorite one so far. Also, special shout out to Sav , who's always helping me out with this story. I say this all the time but she's so freaking amazing and all her fics are incredible; please go check them out. 

I can promise you that we are slowly moving onto a fluffier part of the story, thought there will be mild angst. Till then, I hope you liked this chapter. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!