Best I Ever Had [IwaOi Angst]

Chapter 3

Oikawa steps off the plane and tries to swallow his nerves down. He's jittery despite his anxiety and the exhaustion from the long flight he endured. Maybe it's the fact he couldn't sleep much, cramped as it was. Sometimes his long legs are more of a curse than a blessing. He thinks of the night before, of Iwaizumi running his fingertips over them idly, making him shiver, the pads of his fingers rough and calloused from spiking, yet so delicate on his skin.

Oh, that was two nights ago now, wasn't it?

Oikawa, squints at the bright lights of the airport as he enters the gate. It's afternoon in New York City, and the airport is crowded and bustling. It takes a moment for him to recognize the romaji letters swirling around him, rather than the familiar kanji of home. He feels kind of dumb for it.

Still, he follows the other passengers towards baggage claim, feeling a bit dizzy. People bump and push past him. A screaming child rushes past and he feels a bit disjointed, wondering why no one else seems all that bothered. The crowd empties out and he finds the baggage ring and starts to fidget. He pulls out his phone, figures it must be late in Japan but decides to text Iwaizumi anyway.

I landed! America is so weird, Iwa-chan.

He glances up and sees that his baggage still hasn't made it's way down the conveyor belt and decides to keep texting into the void.

It must be late in Miyagi right? Hope I don't wake you up! You better be dreaming of me c;

He smiles at his phone and slips it back into his pocket, not expecting a reply anytime soon. Iwaizumi is a notoriously heavy sleeper, and snores like a monster despite his denials. The memory makes him smile more, and his heart clenches and he wonders if he'll be able to visit home during winter break.

He spots his bag and strides over, picking it up and stretching out the handle to wheel it around with him. He realizes he should notify his coach of his arrival, to figure out where he is supposed to go. He pulls up the informative e-mail, scanning it, and heading over to the correct exit.

He looks around before spotting a sign with his new university's name, and he picks his way over.

"Hey! Are you one of ours?" The man standing beside the student holding up the sign asks jovially with much more energy than Oikawa's tired brain can currently handle.

Oikawa nods, bowing. It earns him a hearty laugh and a smack to his back he decides to interpret as friendly.

"Which one are you?" The man asks, grinning.

"Oikawa Tooru." He responds, and his voice sounds a little scratchy from lack of use.

"Sorry, run that by me again?"

"My name is Tooru Oikawa." He tries, self conscious of his accent, but remembering in America the order for names is flipped. It's weird. It's foreign. But so is everything else. Still, he'd thought at least his name would remain the same.

"Toroo? Alright. It'll take me a while but I'll get it eventually! I'm terrible with names." The man continues eyes glinting. He's short and a bit heavy set, but his smile is large and welcoming.

Oikawa doesn't really know how to respond and it's jarring to be called by his first name so casually. Not even Iwaizumi uses it. Well, he uses it very rarely.

"Speaking of names, look at me gettin' all sidetracked? I'm Dan Smith, your coach! Lucky you, having a flight time I could come get ya personally. We're waiting cause I've got two more internationals from Britain who should be arriving soon and then we can turn you over to the admins to settle ya into your rooms. I'll give y'all the schedule for the week once we get into the car. Oh and this is Ricky," The man finishes, pointing at the tall lanky blond blue eyed boy holding his sign.