Oikawa was right on time.
You'd barely made it to the lobby when you spotted him waiting, leaning casually against the wall with his hands tucked in his pockets like the cover of some glossy magazine. His smile lit up the space the second his eyes found yours warm, charming, effortless.
"There you are," he said, straightening. "For a second, I thought you might stand me up."
You adjusted the strap of your bag on your shoulder, forcing a small laugh. "It's just coffee, Oikawa."
"Exactly," he replied, offering his arm with a playful tilt of his head. "And coffee is the best kind of date, don't you think? No pressure, no strings, just… caffeine and good company."
You hesitated only a moment before slipping your hand lightly into the crook of his arm. It felt easy, harmless like letting him walk you out was no big deal. Except your chest still carried the echo of Kuroo's voice from earlier. Don't go.
The words lingered, even as the evening air cooled your flushed cheeks.
The café wasn't far, tucked on the corner of a quiet street just outside the training center. The windows glowed with golden light, the kind of cozy warmth that made the whole place feel like it existed just for the two of you. Oikawa held the door open with an exaggerated flourish, bowing slightly.
"After you, princess."
You rolled your eyes, but your smile betrayed you as you stepped inside. The smell of roasted coffee beans and sugar was thick in the air, wrapping around you like a blanket. Oikawa led you to a small table in the corner, sliding into the seat opposite you.
"So," he said, resting his chin in his hand with a grin that could melt ice. "Tell me something I don't know about you."
Your brow furrowed. "Like what?"
"Anything," he shrugged. "Something no one else here knows. Think of it as… hm, team bonding. But, you know, more fun."
The challenge in his eyes made your lips twitch. You sipped the water the server had brought over and pretended to think, though really your head was still buzzing with Kuroo's arms around you, the weight of his words.
Stay.
"Fine," you said at last, meeting Oikawa's gaze. "I hate running drills. I know it's necessary, but I despise them more than anything. There, happy?" He burst out laughing, the sound bubbling and bright. "Oh, I'll remember that next time. Maybe I'll just stand there with a stopwatch and cheer you on while you suffer."
You shot him a glare, but his grin only widened. And for a moment, you let yourself relax into it the easy banter, the way he leaned forward like every word you spoke mattered. It was different from Kuroo's sharp edges and quiet intensity. Oikawa was sunshine where Kuroo was fire.
But as the conversation carried on, laughter spilling between you, you couldn't help but notice something missing. Like no matter how warm Oikawa's smile was… it didn't set your heart racing the way someone else's did.
Still, you had to admit he was easy to be around.
"So," Oikawa leaned back in his chair, twirling his straw idly in his iced latte. "If you weren't here, playing volleyball, chasing this scholarship… what would you be doing right now?" You tilted your head, caught off guard by the question. "That's… a hard one. Volleyball's been my everything for so long."
He smirked. "Okay, pretend volleyball doesn't exist. What then?"
You tapped your fingers against your cup, thinking. "Maybe… traveling? Going someplace warm and just lying on a beach for a year. No training, no drills, no whistles screaming in my ear." Oikawa gasped dramatically, clutching his chest. "A whole year without volleyball? I don't think I'd survive."
You laughed, shaking your head. "I said me, not you."
"Unbelievable," he said, shaking his head with mock disappointment. "Here I was, thinking we were soulmates."
"Sorry to crush your dreams," you teased, hiding your smile behind your drink.
For a moment, the weight that had been pressing on your chest all week the rivalry, the tension, the complicated mess of feelings lifted. Oikawa had a way of pulling you into his orbit, making you laugh when you least expected it.
And maybe, just maybe, you needed that.
The server dropped off a plate of pastries you hadn't ordered, and you shot Oikawa a look.
"What?" he asked innocently, breaking off a piece of croissant. "I thought we deserved a treat. Don't tell me you're one of those people who doesn't eat dessert on a date."
Your mouth opened. "This isn't a date."
He grinned, eyes sparkling. "Could've fooled me."
You tried to glare, but the chocolate filling spilling from his croissant broke your composure, and soon you were both laughing again, the sound bouncing off the café's quiet walls. It wasn't the heart-pounding tension you'd grown used to, but it was light. Effortless. And, to your surprise… you liked it.
For the first time since you arrived at camp, you weren't overthinking every word, every look, every step. You were just… there.
Enjoying yourself.
The café buzzed softly around you murmurs of conversations, the hiss of milk steaming, the clink of silverware but somehow it all faded into the background. Sitting across from Oikawa, it was… easy. Peaceful, in a way you hadn't realized you'd been craving.
You leaned back in your chair, a smile tugging at your lips as he recounted a ridiculous story from his high school days about faking an injury just to skip warm-ups.
"You didn't," you said, laughing despite yourself.
"Oh, I did," he said proudly, holding up a hand like he was swearing an oath. "Sprained ankle—classic. But I had the timing down perfectly. Never once got caught."
"Unbelievable." You shook your head, trying to stop your grin. "And here I thought you were the responsible captain type." He leaned forward, eyes glinting mischievously. "I never said I wasn't responsible. Just… creative."
You rolled your eyes, but your chest felt lighter, the tension that had knotted inside you for days unraveling thread by thread. With Oikawa, there was no push and pull, no sharp edges sparking against yours. Just warmth. A steadiness you hadn't realized could exist in moments like this.
For once, you didn't feel like you were walking a tightrope. You just felt… safe.
"See?" Oikawa said suddenly, nudging his plate toward you so you'd steal another bite of his pastry. "We'd be perfect together. You're serious, I'm fun we'd balance each other out. Like the dream team, but off the court."
You froze mid-bite, cheeks warming. "You don't actually believe that."
"Of course I do," he said without hesitation, his tone playful but his gaze lingering just a little too long. "You challenge me, Y/n. Do you know how rare that is? And not just on the court."
You swallowed, unsure if it was the pastry or his words catching in your throat. "You're ridiculous."
"Ridiculously right for you," he shot back with a smirk.
You should have shut him down. Should have laughed it off harder, brushed it away like nothing. But you didn't. Instead, your smile softened despite yourself, and you found your gaze lingering on him a second longer than you meant to.
Because sitting there, across from Oikawa, with his easy grin and his endless charm, you felt a peace you'd never felt with anyone else. No tension. No confusion. Just comfort.
And for the first time, the thought slipped through you like a whisper you weren't ready to admit out loud.
Maybe… maybe you should give him a chance.
The thought came unbidden, quiet but persistent, and before you could stop yourself, it slipped out of your mouth soft, hesitant, but real.
"I mean…" you started, your eyes fixed on the swirl of your drink as if the foam might rescue you, "I wouldn't hate the idea. Of… maybe giving you a chance. But I'd have to think about it."
The second the words left your lips, you wished you could snatch them back. But Oikawa's reaction stopped you cold. His whole face lit up not just his practiced, charming smile, but something deeper, brighter, like you'd just handed him a victory he hadn't even dared to hope for.
"Y/n…" he said, almost breathless, like he couldn't believe it.
Before you could retreat, he shifted closer, resting his arm on the table between you. Slowly, deliberately, he reached out, his hand brushing against yours before curling gently around it.
Your cheeks burned, and your pulse jumped so hard you were sure he could feel it through your fingertips. You opened your mouth to say something anything but nothing came. Instead, you just stared at him, at the way his thumb grazed the back of your hand absentmindedly, as if holding you was the most natural thing in the world.
"Do you know how long I've waited to hear you say something like that?" Oikawa murmured, his usual playfulness dipped in something more earnest. His eyes softened, no trace of teasing left, and for the first time, you realized just how serious he was.
The café noise blurred around you, muffled, like the world had tilted on its axis and narrowed to just this moment.
You tried to steady your breathing, tried to remind yourself it was just coffee, just Oikawa being Oikawa. But the warmth spreading through your chest betrayed you, blooming deeper than you wanted to admit.
And yet… beneath all of it, there was still that whisper, the one you couldn't quite silence.
Why does this feel so different from the way your heart reacts when it's Kuroo's hand that almost touches yours?
The question lingered, heavy and unshakable, as you and Oikawa left the café. The evening air was cool, carrying the faint scent of pine from the woods surrounding the camp. It should've cleared your head, but it didn't not when his hand was still wrapped around yours.
He didn't let go once. Not when you stepped onto the sidewalk, not when the conversation drifted from silly childhood stories to his big, impossible dreams, not even when your laughter died down into a comfortable silence. His fingers stayed twined with yours like he was afraid that if he let go, you'd vanish.
And maybe, just maybe, a part of you liked the way it felt like being wanted, like being chosen.
By the time the camp came into view, your chest was a whirlwind of things you didn't want to name. The lights glowed faintly through the trees, the familiar outline of the rooms breaking the quiet. You should've pulled your hand away, should've broken the spell before it carried you too far. But you didn't.
Oikawa slowed to a stop just a few steps away from your room door. He turned toward you, still holding your hand, his thumb brushing lightly against your knuckles.
"I had a good time tonight," he said softly, the usual teasing lilt gone from his voice. His eyes searched yours, steady and unflinching, like he was memorizing you. And before you could answer, before you could remind yourself this wasn't supposed to be anything more than coffee, he leaned in.
His lips pressed against yours in a soft, lingering kiss gentle but full of unspoken words, the kind that sent your heart racing and your face burning hot. You froze for half a beat before your body betrayed you, leaning ever so slightly closer.
When he finally pulled away, your breath caught in your throat. Oikawa smiled, brushing a stray strand of hair from your face before rubbing his hand tenderly over the top of your head.
"Goodnight, Y/n," he murmured, his voice low and warm. "Sleep well."
You managed a flustered nod, cheeks still on fire, as he finally let your hand slip from his grasp and turned to head toward his room. You stood there for a second too long, trying to catch your breath, trying to steady your thoughts.
But in the shadows, hidden just far enough away, another figure had been waiting.
Kuroo.
He'd been leaning against the railing of your shared cabin, waiting for you to come back, maybe even planning one of his usual jabs about Oikawa keeping you so long. But the second he saw you saw that his chest tightened painfully.
Your blush, Oikawa's kiss, the way you didn't push him away. It all carved into him like glass, sharp and deep, and for the first time in a long time, Kuroo felt his world tilt. Crumble. And you blissfully unaware slipped inside the cabin, your heart still stumbling from Oikawa's kiss, never knowing the eyes that had watched, the heart that had broken.