*characters are 18+ unless stated otherwise
at the beginning of your exchange year in japan (from america), you join the aoba johsai girl's volleyball team. nationally ranked in america, you're armed with unique tricks and techniques from your club team back home, which quickly captures the attention of the boy's team captain. he begins asking for favors, which ends up bringing you two closer than either could have expected...
tags: oikawa toru x reader, friends to lovers, slow burn, fake dating, player x player, exchangestudent!reader, high school au, swearing, probably some ooc, written, romance
tw: mentions of stalker, creepy ahh letter, y/n use (i try to limit it ok)
status: in progress (slower updates bc there is apparently a lot going on in my life rn #sorry)
prev ౨ৎ masterlist ౨ৎ next
you had shown up at exactly eleven am at aoba johsai. to be honest, you had no idea how you had successfully gotten up this morning. last night, you stayed up pretty late watching movies, yet you managed to get ready at ten, like planned.
a strand of hair blew in your face as the wind picked up gently. you brushed it away, suddenly grateful for the sweatset you had thrown on this morning. since oikawa hadn't told you the age of the kid, you hadn't wanted to get any of your usual clothes dirty.
you looked around the school grounds again, still not spotting the boys' team captain or any kid. you sighed, sitting down on the steps leading up to the building, scrolling aimlessly on your phone. reflection pulled you out of reality, fingers scrolling mindlessly, as you thought about your texts from last night. you couldn't believe he had managed to get another favor out of you.
"y/n!" a voice, one that was beginning to haunt you, exclaimed. if you heard it in your nightmares, at this point, you wouldn't even be surprised. you look up from your phone to spy the tall brunettete boy waving at you from a couple of feet away.
a short little boy, probably around the age of seven or eight, with buzzed black hair, accompanied him. he wore a bored expression, a stark contrast to the grin his uncle had. the boy had a little blue backpack around his shoulders, stuffed to the brim, and wore simple athletic clothes. that must be the kid who was stuck with you for the day.
"hi! what's your name?" you ask the kid, ignoring his uncle completely. oikawa scoffed, clearly missing the attention. you don't look away from the short boy in front of you, though.
"takeru," he said, plainly, picking at his backpack strap. you nod at him, figuring his uncle had already told him your name. you didn't know much about the kid in front of you, but it was safe to assume he probably wouldn't enjoy the repetition.
"well, thanks for babysitting!" oikawa grinned, running off to do god knows what. you sigh softly, standing up. the younger boy looks at you expectantly, waiting for you to say something.
you hadn't lied when you told oikawa you had no babysitting experience. how do you handle a seven-year-old? what do they even do? you could only stare back at takeru for a few moments before deciding you should just ask him.
"where are we going, takeru?" you ask, leaving the choice up to him. hopefully, he hadn't realized you had no idea what you were doing yet. not only that, but you didn't know literally anything about this kid, so you might as well take him to do something he likes.
"can we go to the park?" he asked, as if you were going to say no. instead, you nodded enthusiastically. you could handle a park. you pull up google maps on your phone, typing in park.
the closest one was a ten minute walk, so you two began walking down the streets, with you leading the way. he trailed along behind you, occasionally kicking a rock or two. it was peacefully silent. for about one minute.
"so are you dating uncle toru or what?" takeru looked up at you, breaking the silence. naturally, you slow your pace to walk in line with him. you look over at him, mildly offended that the thought had even crossed his mind.
"god no," you laugh, easily. you study the next turn on the map as you talk, leading him into a small neighborhood with lots of trees. "i play on the girl's team, and i'm sort of friends with your uncle. he promised me food in exchange for watching you."
"wait, you play volleyball too?" he exclaimed, finally interested in something you were saying. you grin. finally, something you could relate to. this may not be as bad as you had thought.
"yeah! i'm ranked nationally in america, but i'm here on an exchange year. i'm staying with family," you explain, wanting to get any questions about your accent out of the way before the kid could bother to ask. you had a feeling he was the type to tell you that you talk weird.
"woah, that's so cool. i've been trying to get my uncle to teach me how to serve but he's always busy," takeru complained, crossing his arms across his chest with a huff.
"don't worry, i can teach you," you offer, right around the time they had finally reached the park. "i've been told your uncle and i serve really similarly, so i promise it's a good serve!"
there were a couple of other kids around takeru's age playing some sort of game across the playground equipment. behind the swings, there was a long outstretched field of grass, with a small net set up. it was nothing like a volleyball net, probably supposed to be used for badminton or something, but it would do.
takeru pulled out a volleyball from his bag, practically running to the net. you had to speed-walk to keep up with him, and even when you caught up, he had already thrown his backpack against one of the metal poles.
"what do you know already?" you ask the small boy, who is practically bouncing with excitement.
he stood positioned correctly, tossed the ball up, and executed a perfect overhead serve. with nobody on the other side, it rolls long past the chalked outline of a court. he doesn't even wait to gauge your reaction, already sprinting to go catch his ball. your eyes widened, impressed.
"so you want to learn the jump serve?" you double-checked, once takeru had returned from retrieving the ball. he nodded as he handed it to you, waiting for you to show him something.
"a lot of servers have a routine when they serve, so just ignore that part. i think the main key to a good jump serve is knowing where to toss," you advised. he nodded in understanding.
you did your usual routine, throwing the ball against the grass, hitting it with your palm, and spinning the ball. it was definitely harder with the new terrain, but you refused to serve without your routine. it would throw you off far more than the adjustment would.
you tossed the ball high and in front of you, taking your first step, simultaneously. following that, you quickly moved your feet again, drawing back your arms before your jump. lastly, you jumped up, hitting the ball on your wrist and snapping it down.
"you do serve like toru!" the kid was clearly a little suprised. takeru had likely assumed you were exaggerating when you had mentioned that you served similarly to his uncle.
this time, you went and fetched the ball. you didn't run, but you walked fast enough to be able to stop it with your foot. when you returned, you handed takeru his ball back.
"ok, we don't want to jump right into it, so let's start with your footwork," you coached, before he could even attempt to hit it again.
—
after 30 minutes, takeru had felt he had learned enough and just wanted to pepper over the net. you occasionally set him some balls from the other side, allowing him to hit them down.
for a little kid, takeru was pretty good at volleyball. he kept up with you pretty well, even though you were naturally going easy on him. you figured that oikawa had taught him a lot of what he had learned.
"are you hungry?" you asked. your own stomach had grumbled once or twice, so you were very biasedly hoping he would say yes. he nodded, putting the ball back inside of his backpack. "where would you want to eat?"
"i know this really cool ramen place," he said, leading you back down the field to the streets. you nod, following close behind. soon enough, the joyful screams of the kids on the playground were left in the distance, and you were in the town square.
you entered a small building with a red roof. the sign in front read 'ramen'. how original, you couldn't help but think. once you were seated, you read through the menu. everything sounded good, but you were hungry and indecisive. eventually, you just give up and ask takeru what he recommends.
"i like the miso ramen," he pointed at one of the items on the menu. you squint your eyes to read the kanji description printed on the menu. sounded good enough, you decided.
when the waitress came around, you ordered both of you a small miso ramen. sensing that takeru would complain, you jumped in before he could speak.
"i got us smalls so we have room for ice cream after," you grinned, childishly. you also wanted ice cream. this was a purely selfish endeavor, and you were just dragging the kid along with you. you figured he wouldn't have any complaints, though. no kid doesn't like ice cream.
"you're way cooler than toru!" he admitted, pumping his fists. you grin. oh, you were so going to tell his uncle he said that. "i'm telling him i only want you to babysit me from now on!"
you laughed, happy that you had managed to get along with takeru so easily. plus, now you could hold over oikawa's head the fact that you're the better babysitter.
—
after you had gotten your ice cream, yuzu for you and red bean for takeru, the two of you wandered along the streets, looking at all the shops.
"do you hang out with your uncle a lot?" you asked, taking a bite out of your ice cream, letting the citrusy flavor melt over your tongue.
"yeah, mom works a lot," he shrugged, throwing his empty cup in a nearby trash can. "plus toru has a bunch of free time ever since his girlfriend broke up with him last year."
you almost snorted. almost. you liked this kid, he told things how they were. brutal honesty was something you valued above all, because you'd rather know the truth than feel great all the time. how are you supposed to fix things if you don't know there's a problem?
taking the last bite, you toss your ice cream cup in another nearby trash can, turning to takeru, who is staring in the window of one of the shops at a volleyball match on the television.
"well, what do you want to do now?" you ask, unsure of what else there is to even do. if his mom is at work, you probably had a few more hours to kill before she'd be back.
"can we go play games at my house? i got mario kart for my birthday."
takeru looked up at you. big, pleading eyes would almost always work on you. you were very susceptible to those stupid youtube ads with the puppies, which wasn't too far from the look that he was giving you right now. besides, you would have said yes regardless.
you didn't know how good of a parent you would be in the future. of course, you like kids enough, but you tended to just spoil them rotten. like you had been doing all day. it made you a great babysitter, but a questionable authority figure.
"yeah, sure!" you nodded. he happily picked up the pace, walking down the busy streets. "i don't know where your house is, so you're going to have to lead the way again."
—
takeru lived in a pretty big house. the porch was nicely decorated with a welcome mat and a bunch of multicolored flowers, and the inside was equally as pretty and warm. you felt welcome at the house the moment you walked in.
he led you to the decently-sized flatscreen in the living room, fidgeting with a nintendo switch connected to the tv. you took a seat on the plush grey couch, and takeru handed you the blue half of the controller.
you two played mario kart for hours, laughing maniacally whenever you would hit the other person with a shell. he beat you nearly every time, and as much as you tried to blame it on letting him win, you both knew he was just better than you.
eventually, you heard keys in the front door and the small click of a doorknob.
"takeru!" a feminine voice called out. he quickly paused the game, running over to the door. you followed from a distance, letting the kid hug his mom before making your presence known.
"hi, i'm y/n," you smile, waving at the older woman in front of you. one look, and it was easy to understand the resemblance between her and her brother.
they both had the same puppy-dog brown eyes and brunette hair, though his sister had cut hers into long layers. she wore soft pink lipstick and had a killer cat eye.
"oh, you must be toru's friend," she exclaimed, breaking out into a smile. "i'm sumiko!"
"mom, i like her more than uncle toru, can she come back again?" takeru asked, tugging at his mom's shirt. his mom laughed at his honesty.
"i'll tell him to bring her with him next time, ok?" she agreed, finding a compromise. takeru nodded, satisfied. turning to you, sumiko said, gratefully, "thank you so much for watching him, i hope he was good."
"of course, anytime! he was great," you said, not even lying. you would happily come hang out with oikawa's nephew any day. in fact, you almost preferred the kid to his uncle.
"well, i'm going to start prepping dinner, you're welcome to stay," sumiko invited warmly, taking off her coat and hanging it on the rack near the door.
"thank you so much for the offer, but your brother owes me some food," you replied, slipping your own shoes back on and gently tying the laces. sumiko smiled knowingly, as takeru went on and on about all the things they did.
you stepped outside, letting the colder air seep through your clothes. the dim street lamps were now on, barely lighting the streets. walking as fast as you could manage, you returned to your own house, grateful for the warmth when you finally slipped inside.
niomi greeted you at the door, a million questions in her eyes. "where were you today?" she asked, curious about your disapearance. you had totally forgotten to tell her where you were going.
"babysitting," you replied, shrugging. the answer seemed to be enough for niomi for once, and she didn't bother with any more questions. you walked up the stairs together to your respective rooms.
"oh, my mom made food, it's on the counter if you want any," niomi pointed down at the kitchen. as if on cue, your stomach rumbled again. but you weren't going to eat your aunt's food.
a certain setter happened to owe you a meal.
you: so am i ever gonna get that food i was promised?
oikawa: of course, i'm a man of my word
oikawa: pick you up in ten, send your address
you: *insert an address i'm lazy sorry*
true to his word, in ten minutes, he texted again that he was outside. you grabbed your shoes, slipping them on your feet as you went to the door.
"i'm going out for a bit, i'll be back soon," you called out, hand stopped on the cool metal. you hoped that someone had heard you, because you had no plans of texting. you swung open the door and stepped outside, meeting the chilly air yet again. within the twenty minutes that you had been inside, the temperature had dropped further.
oikawa met you outside of the car, opening the passenger door dramatically with an "after you."
"wow, how kind," you sarcastically drawled. you genuinely were surprised, though, and slightly suspicious. oikawa knew damn well that you were capable of opening your own door. you take another look at his grinning face, still suspicious, but figuring that he was just trying to be a gentleman.
you slide into the leather seat, admiring the car, without giving anything away outwardly. it was a nice car, oikawa's parents must have money. he started up the car, driving to a suprise location.
"so, your nephew said i'm cooler than you and he wants me to babysit him instead," you tease, knowing it would get under his skin. oikawa feigned offense, looking at you like you had just stabbed him.
toru and takeru were closer than either of them would like to admit. it was what gave them the confidence to always be making fun of each other, and why, though the words seemed hurtful, oikawa didn't feel hurt. but boy, he was still going to mime the potential.
"that little brat," he pouted, sulking into his steering wheel. calling out dramatically, "my own flesh and blood." you patted his shoulder, muttering there, there, sarcastically. he glared at you jokingly in return.
"hey, i can't help it," you shrugged, grinning. "what were you doing anyways?"
"i needed to go watch karasuno's practice match," he admitted, sheepishly, staring extra hard into the road. you looked over at him, dumbfounded. how stupid did he think you were?
"you know you could have taken him with you, right? also that shouldn't take all day," you pointed out, sensing something was suspicious about his words. he sighed, clearly forgetting you could see straight through his lies.
"fine. you want the truth?" he asked, unsure if he should tell you. he knew it might rope you into this entire mess, or simply might embarrass him a little bit. you nod expectantly, in the passenger seat, arms crossed.
"i found a letter on my bed," he admitted, taking a deep breath. you raise an eyebrow, not satisfied with oikawa's answer, but intrigued. you wave your hand to tell him to go on. "it was from a fangirl, but this one was different."
your ears perked up, newly interested in what oikawa had to say. unfortunately, he pulled into a parking spot, pausing the conversation. before you could even try to think of why a letter would be significant, oikawa had slipped out of the car. he appeared at your door, opening the door for you again. as you got out of the car, he offered his hand to help you out of the seat.
heat flamed between your two palms as they met. neither of you could look the other in the eye out of fear that you would expose the slight pink dusting on your cheeks. you shake it off as quickly as it had appeared and follow him inside the building.
you two had finally been seated inside the booth of a surprisingly fancy restaurant. the lights around were dim, a warm yellow tint, and plants coated the walls. you and oikawa sat across from each other, studying laminated sushi menus and feeling immensely underdressed.
oikawa had been trying to distract you from your conversation in the car. he was pointing at various roll options and rambling on about god knew what. you let him think that you had forgotten until the waiter had taken your orders.
"ok, so what did the letter say?" you asked, your own hands intertwined on the table like it was some sort of business meeting. you leaned in, pieces of hair framing your face gently. oikawa sighed. you really wouldn't let him live in peace.
he handed you his phone. a picture of a light pink paper with black kanji was pulled up. you read it carefully, taking a few minutes longer than expected to translate it loosely to:
oikawa,
i hope this letter doesn't scare you off before our relationship can even start. after all, you don't belong to anyone yet, and that's one of the most important things about you. because that will change.
i've checked over and over a hundred times. you don't seem to have a girlfriend, which is shocking considering you're the most beautiful man i've ever seen. you don't even have an "it's complicated" or at least, i haven't noticed her if you do. and i notice everything.
the way you always set iwaizumi the last point of the game, the way your brown hair dampens with sweat, the way your chocolate eyes search the court. you're always searching for something, someone. i don't know why when i'm always there, every time. i could be that someone. in fact, i already think of you as taken. by me, of course. i've been loyal this whole time. i don't flirt or even look at any other guy. that would feel like cheating. you wouldn't want a girl who didn't understand commitment to be the one you end up with.
don't go looking for me just yet. you'll feel me before you see me. sleep well tonight toru. i'll know if you haven't.
- forever yours
you looked up from the phone, eyes wide. you had known oikawa had fangirls, but this seemed to have advanced to some form of stalking. remembering he had mentioned finding it on his bed, you finally pieced together everything.
"holy shit," you breathed quietly, handing the phone back to him. quite frankly, you were at a loss of words. or thoughts. it was unreal, like something out of a horror movie. "your house got broken into by some psycho fangirl?"
he covered your mouth quickly, placing a warm palm over your lips in order to shush you. "not so loud," he complained, nodding towards the server coming back before removing his hand. cold air replaced where his hand had been, snapping you back to reality. "but yeah. i spent today getting new house security."
"like cameras? please tell me you got cameras," you said, eyebrows furrowed in concern. oikawa, who had been tapping the table nervously as you read, nodded grimly.
"here's your food, guys," the waiter stopped by your table, grinning. he clearly hadn't sensed the mood. in fact, it seemed like he had chosen the worst possible moment to come deliver your food. "are we celebrating anything today?"
"yeah, it's our anniversary," you quickly shake away any remaining questions for now with an easy smile, taking oikawa's hands across the table. he seemed to have caught your drift, nodding along happily. you are no fool, if anyone ever asks you if it's a special occasion, you say yes and get free desert. it's a rule you live by.
"wow, that's awesome guys!" the waiter exclaimed, scribbling down something on his notepad. "how long have you been together?"
"three years now," oikawa filled in, picking the first reasonable number to pop into his head. you just nodded along, eager for dessert.
"well, congrats! here's to many more years," he smiled, raising an empty glass. you clinked your glasses, filled with sparkling juice, with the waiter's empty one, smiling as big as you could muster.
the second the waiter left, you both let out a small exhale. you released his hands quickly. it had worked though, and within a matter of minutes, a small desert lay on the table next to you. it was some form of mousse cake, swirled in decadent chocolate with berries adorning the plate.
"already promoting yourself to girlfriend?" oikawa smirked from across the table. you looked up from your forkful of cake, unamused. "i knew you couldn't resist me."
"in your dreams," you rolled your eyes. you knew you could have said it was your birthday, but thought it might be suspicious that there were two people at the party. it was simply a calculated movement.
"we're pretty good at pretending to be a couple," oikawa pointed out, a lightbulb going off inside of his head. he may have a solution to his own problem. he hadn't taken a bite of the dessert, simply letting you enjoy it.
you shrugged across from him, taking another heaping bite of mousse cake. it was sweet and so incredibly worth the white lie. as you busyied yourself with the cake, you didn't pay much attention to the boy across from you. he was just a pawn for dessert.
"y/n, i have a favor to ask," the brunette boy grinned, almost nervously. he ignored the disappointed expression plastered on your face, fully knowing you were already annoyed, but continuing with his wild plan. "be my girlfriend?"
a/n: hi guys it's been a min. i got so swamped with dance and lowkey bombing some tests. then i was gonna post this weekend but i got horrendously ill and spent a lot of it trying to feel better. but we back!!! kinda... anyways chapter-wise i know we went through a lot. i'm finally getting to the plot though so everyone clap and be rlly proud of me. anyways i love u all and these next weeks may be a bit busy (i have move-out and a couple more finals to worry about) BUTT i will try to find some time to post :)
taglist (comment to be added): @staygoldsquatchling02 @x3nafix @charityjoy22 @f2lix @edenandagain @vanillabeanswirltwist
