𝐚 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 ┆iwaizumi hajime

04. the deal

04. the deal ———⚘️🎐°. *
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THE NEXT MORNING BROUGHT a sense of clearness with it but also dread. While everyone had sobered up and slept over the events, something was in the air. 

Yuna and Suna had stayed up until 4 in the morning, on the phone with Atsumu who cursed Mila out in very creative ways. Oikawa and Iwaizumi had stress-cleaned their entire apartment while re-analyzing the evening before falling asleep in the living room, party clothes still on. 

Akaashi, Kageyama, Tsukishima, and Riley had gotten McDonalds and made up different scenarios about the conversation between Misora and Iwaizumi. Misora, Kuroo, and Atlas filled an entire notebook with theories about Mila's motives and conversation starters for the following day. 

But as Misora waited for Iwaizumi to pick up, none of those conversation starters seemed right to her. She couldn't follow the script. She bit the inside of her cheek, pacing around her bedroom. Atlas was at work, so she didn't have anyone to overhear the conversation.

"Hello?" Iwaizumi's voice rang through the phone and Misora stood a little straighter. 

"Hey, it's me, Ishiguro," she began and the line went silent. 

"Hi. Do you feel better?" Iwaizumi asked. He was sitting on his bed, staring at Oikawa, who sat on his chair. 

"Yeah. Thanks for asking." Misora took a deep breath. "Listen, I know everything was so messy and confusing yesterday and we both weren't in the right headspace to talk." 

Iwaizumi nodded, though, of course, Misora couldn't see that. 

"Yes," he quickly added. 

"But I need to tell you something and I want you to wait until I'm done, okay? Then, you can say whatever it is you want me to know." Misora waited for Iwaizumi's approving hum before continuing. 

"Everything that I said yesterday at the park was true. I don't hate you. Please don't ask me why Mila said something like that to you, I haven't talked to her yet." 

"You know, it did hurt me a little," Iwaizumi spoke up. 

"I know. I am genuinely sorry. I— " Misora sighed. "I'm trying to figure out why she would say that to you. I hope she'll apologize to you. Anyway, that's beside the point." 

Iwaizumi hummed and watched as Oikawa spun around in his chair. 

"Here's the thing, Iwaizumi. I don't want something to change between us. I mean, I don't want us to stop with the academic rivalry. It's kinda fun, you know." 

For a while none of them said anything and Misora checked her phone to see if Iwaizumi was still on the line. 

"You mean, we should just continue as before?" Iwaizumi scrunched his brows. he wasn't quite sure where this was going. 

"In the classroom." 

"Help," he said, chuckling. "I don't— "

"You know, if we were characters in a book, this would be the turning point, right? The point where we both change and view each other differently because, for the first time, we know what the other person feels. But I don't want that to happen. I know it's weird but we can still compete in class. It gives me motivation. But in our free time... I guess I could be nicer to you on campus." 

Misora twiddled her thumbs as Iwaizumi gaped at Oikawa on the other side of the phone. 

The setter only shrugged. He could understand what Misora meant. 

"Do you think I'm weird now?" Misora asked bashfully and the boy snorted. 

"Not weirder than before," he replied but it didn't sound snarky.