𝖲𝖤𝖢𝖱𝖤𝖳 𝖫𝖮𝖵𝖤 | 𝘛.𝘖𝘪𝘬𝘢𝘸𝘢

5 | Tease

A proud smile compels your face when Iwaizumi waves up to you from the court, and you return it with a smaller wave before you watch as he follows the team back into position.

Although this is only a practice match, you still love to come and watch, and at this point, it's become a custom for you. A habit even. Watching your brother play has always been a highlight of your day; seeing how he's improved over time, how he's developed as a player and teammate.

Just being here and watching him now clarifies how much you've always looked up to your Iwaizumi. Not just for his passion and devotion for the thing he loves, but also for how caring he is as a teammate (even if he has the weirdest way of showing it) and the good person he is overall. Although, you'd never tell him this to his face. He knows though. He knows how much you adore him as an older brother, and even everyone else can see how much you're influenced by him. That's why it'd kill you to ever disappoint him or to lose his trust. That's why there's still a fraction of you that's glad Oikawa took the step and said to "forget", because if you let that night...that moment consume you, if you'd let it lead to something so betraying, you wouldn't be able to live with yourself. Just thinking about it makes you anxious to your core.

However, you can't ignore the remaining majority of you that's completely absorbed by the mere idea of a kiss. You can't help it. Your innocent heart keeps leaping miles away from your denying mind, yearning for what it can't have. And from last Friday, no matter the fact that alcohol was corrupting your system and overruling your mind, you know that he wanted to say something, and you're desperate to know exactly what.

It takes a moment for you to realise you've been lost in thought, but also that your eyes are now fixated on Oikawa instead. Not intentionally, and definitely not consciously. But your body immediately frets into tension when he turns and meets with your gaze, making what's really only a slim second feel like a hesitation in time, and it's sinking your stomach like there's no limit.

The break in eye contact is awkward...stiff, and you can't help but let your eyes dart around every other player across the court as if to ease your conscience. As if it would erase all mortification.

But after the reminder of him, along with the more minutes that pass by and the more points made, the more time your mind is given to lead you back to the words you wish had empty meaning. And so Emi's stern string of letters weigh down on you for the remainder of the game. "If it's something worthy of hiding, then that something is never worthy of keeping." It plays over and over like a broken record, and as much as you wish to deny any truth in it, all you can think is that in every other instance, she's always been right. So why would it be any different this time?

You feel the referee's whistle shudder through you. Aboa Johsia won. No surprise there, it was expected, but you clap anyway with a sense of satisfaction.

Smiling, you make your way down to the court. You approach your brother who is standing beside the bench drinking his water so feverishly it causes you to chuckle. "Good game," you say, catching his attention.

He smiles widely, placing his drink back into his bag, "as always." you laugh at that. "A few of us are heading for a meal, you coming?"

Your eyebrows raise in thought, you aren't shocked he asked, it isn't the first time, but you consider how it might be weird since— no. He told you to forget. Part of forgetting is going for a meal like you usually do. You're not going to let this- him affect your every decision.