Dancing with your ghost

Chapter 2

Present-day (currently both 18 and in their first semester of college)

Iwa taps his pencil on his desk as his head lays on the desk looking out on the gloomy sky. It feels like class just started and he can hear every tik the clock makes as the hand strides over the numbers at a synchronistic pace. He watches a bird glide onto the tree and feed her young, as the other perches on the branch looking at the mother feed her babies. A family. Iwa's family is complicated, as is Oikawas. Iwa's father being rough and strict, while his mother was always occupied by work and when she was there she was too afraid to try and defend her child. So Iwa has always learned how to look after himself, he's managed the stress thrown on him all his life. But somehow when he was with Oikawa the stress left, and he felt like he wasn't alone. In which he wasn't, because no matter how much he could try, Oikawa would never leave him. Never.

A paper hits Iwa in the back of the head. Iwa turns around sluggishly still tired from the night before of studying. He turns to see Oikawa suppressing a laugh in his seat diagonally behind him. He glares and mouths the word "what". Oikawa rolls his eyes and points at the crumpled paper on the floor mouthing "read it dumbass". Iwa picks up the paper glaring at Oikawa and flips around in his desk opening the crushed note.

[hey :D -O]

Iwa looks at the paper, looking back at Oikawa he shakes his head and crumples the paper back up, and puts it in his pocket. He places his head back down seeing the family of birds had left when he feels his pocket vibrate. Sighing, he pulls out his phone to see if it was important.

New text message.

From: Shittykawa (Sent January 29th at 8:50 am)

[ >:( ]

Iwa looks back and glares at Oikawa who seems to be hiding his smile as his head is buried in his arms.

From Iwa-chan (Sent 8:52 am)

[What do you want besides saying hi.]

Oikawa picks up his head after feeling the vibration of his phone go off. He looks at it and smiles, then starts to type, not even trying to hide it from the professor.

From: Shittykawa (Sent 8:53 am)

[You're so mean. I was wondering if you wanted to play volleyball in the gym later, our practice got canceled. I haven't set you in so long it makes me sad :(. ]

Ever since High School ended Iwa hasn't been on the court, he decided to leave volleyball to Oikawa as he pursued his dad's expectation of becoming a med tech. He smiled.

From: Iwa-chan (Sent 8:53 am)

[Fine but put your phone away before we get caught.]

Iwa shoved his phone in his pocket while turning to look at Oikawa smiling at him. He smiles back faintly before turning around and finishes writing the rest of the lesson down...

The bell rang and in a matter of seconds, Oikawa was already wrapped around Iwa. "I need to put my school supplies away. Let go."

Oikawa scowls. "You suck at showing affection to me." He pokes Iwa's soft spot on his side, making him jump.

"Cut it out moron I have 10 mins to get to class and it's in 2 buildings from here." Swatting Oikawa's affectionate grasp away.

"It sucks we don't have any other classes together... Like we used to. But I'm still grateful I got at least one!" He releases Iwa, still smiling that sideways smile.

"Yeah it's nice to see your dumbass face sometimes, isn't it." He pats Oikawa's head as he stands up after picking up his bag.

Oikawa smiles and grabs his hand yanking Iwa out of the class. They walk for a bit and midway Iwa tells Oikawa to go back to his class for the fifth time. Oikawa finally gives in and releases his hand. Iwa plants a gentle yet fast kiss on Oikawa's forehead, "I'll see you later it's not like I'm going anywhere" He grins.

Oikawa puts his hands in his pocket and smiles while turning away. "You better not try and run away Iwa, you better not." Oikawa glares at him jokingly.

Oikawa rounds the corner by himself as Iwa watches, when he is out of sight Iwa turns and starts walking again. It's been about a year since we got together. Ironic huh, sounds like the perfect love story doesn't it. Seems so cliche, like something you would hear in a love story. Childhood friends to lovers. I don't know when it happened but I fell for you Toru, but I did and it's your fault.

Iwa leans his head back and smiles up at the sky, putting in an earbud he continues to his next class still carrying the feeling of Oikawa's soft warm hand in his...

The final bell rings and Iwa stands up grabbing his things and heads to the gymnasium. He gets a text while walking.

From: Shittykawa (Sent January 29th at 3:15 pm.)

[You coming? :/]

Iwa laughs at Oikawa's impatience.

From: Iwa-chan: (Sent at 3:16 pm)

[I'm on my way idiot.]

Finally arriving he steps into the gym. The memories hit him like a wave. The smell of the game held just before, still being able to hear the crowd chant as they used to in High School. His first hit, his first win, his first loss, everything. Even Oikawa's snarky competitive remarks brought him to a smile.

SMACK.

Iwa freezes feeling his cheek sting, he blinks a few times and twists his head to look over to see Oikawa struggling to stand up because he was laughing so hard.

"WHY YOU LITTLE-!!" Iwa charged at Oikawa.

Oikawa shrieked and jolted up and started to run, slipping a few times in the process. Iwa is fast though and caught up to him within seconds. Iwa tackled Oikawa, both lay on the floor like when they were kids, laughing. Oikawa adores Iwa's laugh. Iwa only genuinely laughs because of him. Which Oikawa treasures dearly. After minutes of them laughing Oikawa jolts up, "I set up the net already because you took forever to get here. Come on I'll set you!" He sticks his hand out and smiles.

Iwa rolls his eyes but still takes his hand and rises to his feet, "You're annoying, you know that." He rubs his fist over Oikawa's soft brown hair.

Oikawa snickered, "Yeah I know, you remind me every day. Anyways, not the hair!!" He swats Iwa's hand away.

Oikawa runs and puts on some music before he turns back and grabs a ball. He hits it at Iwa, Iwa manages to return it back to him remembering just how he liked it, right to him, like a rainbow that he can deliver right back to his favorite ace. He sets the ball where he knows Iwa would pop up and slam the ball straight down. Not much later there he was, jumping to his max with his arm up and trailing behind him following into a full swing. You can hear the exact moment when he connects with the ball. It's like an explosion that your heart can't help but jump and your skin tenses. But right at that moment, Oikawa saw Iwa, smiling like he used to. He hadn't been able to see that smile since that day. But that very moment Oikawa staring at him coming down with that genuine smile, teeth showing and eyes squinting, he knew how much he was going to miss him on the court.