"Hajime..."

There it was. That heavy, suffocating silence, paired with the exact same disappointed stares he had spent years trying to escape.

Iwaizumi stared down at his plate, the warmth of the home-cooked meal instantly souring. He had finally come home, hoping against hope for a sliver of progress, but they hadn't changed a bit.

"Hajime, listen to your mother," his father stated, his voice carrying that rehearsed, lecturing tone. He picked up his wine glass, swirling the dark liquid with practiced nonchalance.

"You need to start dating women. You're in university now, Hajime. Live a little."

Iwaizumi let out a slow, exhausted sigh. He rubbed the bridge of his nose, the headache already forming behind his eyes.

"I already told you," he said, keeping his voice as steady as possible. "I like men."

The clinking of silverware stopped. The entire dining room went dead silent, the kind of quiet that makes your ears ring.

His mother shifted uncomfortably in her chair, her fingers nervously gripping her napkin. "I... I thought that was just a phase," she stammered, offering a fragile, forced smile as if trying to laugh off a bad joke.

She leaned forward, her voice dropping to a pleading whisper. "When are you going to get over it?"

"Yes, hobbies don't tend to last this long," his father chimed in, taking a slow sip of his wine, completely dismissing his son's identity as nothing more than a passing collegiate trend.

Iwaizumi didn't answer. He just stared at the two of them, the silence stretching between them like a canyon. *It's always been like this. It's always going to be like this.* The realization brought a cold wave of finality.

Dropping his napkin onto the table, Iwaizumi stood up, his chair scraping loudly against the hardwood floor.

"I'm done," he said, his voice clipped and laced with a sharp, undeniable annoyance. "I'm going back to my place now."

"A-already?!" His mother gasped, half-rising from her seat. Her eyes darted from his nearly full plate to his hardened expression.

"You haven't even finished eating, and you promised you'd stay the night!"

Iwaizumi looked down at them one last time, his gaze cold. The disappointment in his chest had long since hardened into irritation. "That promise was made before you decided to bring up my dating life."

Neither of them had a reply for that. His parents sat frozen, trapped in their own stubborn silence, watching wordlessly as Iwaizumi turned on his heel and walked away.

As the front door clicked shut behind him, cutting off the suffocating atmosphere of his childhood home, one final thought echoed in his mind: *They'll never change.*

.

.

.

The next morning at Seirin University, the campus was buzzing with students rushing to their morning lectures.

Walking through the crowded courtyard, Tooru Oikawa practically radiated a dark, dramatic aura of pure annoyance, while Takahiro Hanamaki strolled beside him, thoroughly amused by his friend's misery.

"Damn, Tooru, what's got your briefs in a twist today\~?" Hanamaki teased, casting a sideways glance at Oikawa's deeply furrowed brow.

Oikawa let out a sigh so loud and theatrical it nearly turned heads.

"Ugh! Don't even get me started!" Oikawa snapped, though his eyes lit up slightly, clearly thrilled that someone had finally given him the cue to complain.

"My clingy ex-boyfriend has been absolutely *all* up in my business lately!"

He crossed his arms, huffing as they walked. "I literally broke things off with him *because* of how suffocatingly needy he was, and now look at him! It's like he didn't even hear the breakup speech!"

Hanamaki just chuckled, entirely unfazed by the performance. "Isn't that completely your fault, though?" he asked, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"You always jump headfirst into dating people before you even bother to learn what their actual personality is like."

Oikawa stopped dead in his tracks. He turned to Hanamaki, wide-eyed with a look of utter, tragic betrayal, as if his best friend had just stabbed him in the back. 

"Hey! You're supposed to be taking *my* side\~!" Oikawa whined, lunging forward to aggressively shake Hanamaki by the shoulder.

He pouted, his voice dripping with dramatic accusation. "You're just using my misery as an excuse to brag about how *you're* in a perfectly healthy, rock-solid relationship!"

Hanamaki effortlessly reached up, catching Oikawa's wrists to stop the shaking. A slow, incredibly smug smirk spread across his face. "I mean... I am\~"

"Ugh! Unbelievable! You are the absolute worst!" Oikawa threw his hands up in defeat and stormed off down the path.

"Hey! Wait up, drama queen!" Hanamaki laughed. He jogged a few paces to catch up, snagging the loop on the back of Oikawa's backpack to slow him down before tossing a casual arm over his shoulders. 

Oikawa muttered a few more complaints under his breath, but he didn't push Hanamaki off as the two of them finally blended into the crowd, heading toward their morning class.

.

.

.

"Yo, Hajime\~"

The lazy, familiar drawl echoed down the crowded university hallway, causing Iwaizumi to halt in his tracks. He turned around to find Issei Matsukawa sauntering toward him, hands shoved deep into his pockets.

"Yeah? What's up?" Iwaizumi asked, turning fully to face his friend.

Matsukawa stopped in front of him, uncharacteristically hesitating for a moment. He rubbed the back of his neck, clearly trying to figure out the best way to broach a tedious subject.

"Well..." he began, trailing off slightly before sighing. "The guys from the club keep begging me to drag you to yet another mixer."

Iwaizumi's jaw clenched, a flash of pure annoyance crossing his features. Before he could speak, Matsukawa raised his hands defensively.

"Hey, they're hounding me too, but I actually have an ironclad excuse since I'm happily taken," Matsukawa pointed out. He fell silent, looking at Iwaizumi long and hard, taking in the heavy shadows under his friend's eyes and his tense shoulders.

Deciding to just rip the bandage off, Matsukawa said bluntly, "Dude. Just tell them you're gay."

To Matsukawa's absolute shock, Iwaizumi didn't even flinch.

The exhaustion from his family dinner the night before had left him entirely drained of his usual privacy-guarding defenses. He didn't care anymore.

"I'll go," Iwaizumi said flatly.

Matsukawa blinked, completely thrown off script. "Wait... seriously?"

Iwaizumi let out a heavy, defeated sigh. "Yeah. If I just show up once and bomb it, that's one way to finally get them off my back forever, right?"

"Uh... I mean, yeah, I guess that's one way to handle it," Matsukawa muttered, still processing the sudden compliance.

Further down the corridor, Hanamaki and Oikawa were making their way to their next lecture. Spotting the two tallest members of their acquaintance circle huddled together, Hanamaki's eyes lit up.

He nudged Oikawa, signaling toward them, and immediately changed direction. Oikawa hesitated for a fraction of a second before reluctantly trailing behind him.

"Yo\~ what are you guys plotting over here?" Hanamaki asked slyly, sliding into the space next to Matsukawa.

"Ah. Hey, Makki," Matsukawa replied, his expression instantly softening. His eyes flicked past his boyfriend, spotting the brunette trailing in his wake.

Oikawa shifted his weight from one foot to the other, suddenly feeling incredibly awkward. He wasn't particularly close with either Iwaizumi or Matsukawa; to him, Matsukawa was simply 'Hanamaki's boyfriend,' and Iwaizumi was just the brooding guy who hung around them.

He crossed his arms, trying to look casual despite the sudden prickle of social discomfort.

Matsukawa looked back at Hanamaki, casually resuming the conversation. "We were just talking about this mixer that's happening tonight-"

He didn't even get to finish the sentence.

The word 'mixer' acted like an electric shock to Oikawa's system. His ears practically perked up, his previous awkwardness vanishing in an instant. He lunged forward, invading Matsukawa's personal space and clasping his hands together in a desperate, pleading gesture.

"What?! Really?! Tonight?! Where? Can I come? Please tell me I can come! Give me the location and the time right now!" Oikawa rambled at a mile a minute.

As a bisexual guy who had just spent the morning complaining about a suffocating ex, a chaotic, crowded mixer sounded like the absolute perfect distraction.

"Uh..." Matsukawa recoiled slightly, utterly caught off guard by the sudden burst of chaotic energy. He looked over at Hanamaki, giving his boyfriend a look that silently asked, *Is this allowed?* Hanamaki just offered a small, amused nod.

Matsukawa turned back to Oikawa, clearing his throat. "Sure, I don't see why not. The guys would probably be thrilled if you showed up, honestly."

It was true. Oikawa was wildly popular on campus; his presence alone would elevate the entire event. Matsukawa pulled out his phone and started rattling off the details.

Iwaizumi watched the sudden, loud display with a mounting sense of dread. The thought of dealing with his own identity crisis *and* Oikawa's dramatic personality in the same room was too much to bear.

"Tsk." Iwaizumi clicked his tongue, already turning on his heel to walk away before the headache in his temple worsened. "Just text me the place and time too."

Matsukawa looked up from his phone, watching Iwaizumi's retreating back as he quickly blended into the crowd. "Ah- sure! Don't be late, Hajime!" he yelled after him.

Oikawa's eyes followed Iwaizumi for a brief, curious second, watching the rigid set of the man's shoulders before he turned his full, dazzling attention back to Matsukawa to lock down the rest of the details.

End of episode 1.

Later that evening, Oikawa's eyes snapped open. The clock read 7:00 PM. What was supposed to be a short power nap had turned into a deep sleep, leaving him with exactly fifteen minutes to get ready.

Panic setting in, he scrambled out of bed and sprinted to the bathroom. He brushed his teeth at lightning speed to get rid of his stale nap-breath, then frantically slapped on his toner and moisturizer, because even in a crisis, skincare was non-negotiable.

He threw on a clean, well-fitted outfit, spent a frantic minute taming his chaotic bedhead back into its signature style, and grabbed his keys. Giving himself one final, breathless check in the mirror, he slammed the door behind him and flew out into the night.

.

.

.

The restaurant was loud, chaotic, and completely packed. The university turnout was so massive that their group had been split across three separate tables spanning the back of the dining room.

At table two, Iwaizumi sat staring grimly into his drink. He swirled the amber liquid, took a slow sip, and immediately regretted letting Matsukawa convince him to come.

The atmosphere was stifling.

Suddenly, a wave of excited murmurs and hushed giggles rippled through the front entrance. Iwaizumi looked up, his eyes narrowing. *Of course.* It was Oikawa.

He practically radiated campus-idol energy, wearing a dazzling, perfectly practiced smile that completely hid the fact that he had been sprinting down the street minutes prior. Iwaizumi let out a heavy sigh and looked back down at his glass.

Oikawa offered a charming wave to the crowd as the organizer guided him to table three. The moment his coat was off, Oikawa breathed a quiet sigh of relief. He had actually made it on time.

But a sudden, prickly sensation on the back of his neck made him freeze. Sensing a heavy stare, he glanced cautiously across the aisle toward table one, and his stomach instantly dropped.

Sitting there, wearing a smug, possessive smirk, was his suffocating ex-boyfriend. *Damn it. No one told me he was invited to this!*

Before Oikawa could even formulate an escape plan to the bathroom, his ex slid out of his seat and strolled over to table three, completely invading Oikawa's space.

He slid into the empty seat right next to him, pushing a drink forward.

"Wow, Tooru\~" the ex murmured, his voice dripping with false sweetness. "Did you find out I was coming tonight and got jealous? Is that why you followed me here\~?"

*As if! In your wildest dreams!* Oikawa thought, a wave of pure disgust washing over him. He instinctively pressed himself against the back of his chair, trying to create some distance.  "It's just a total coincidence, that's all... aha... ha..."

Predictably, the ex didn't take the hint. He aggressively scooted closer, his shoulder pressing against Oikawa's. He put on a pathetic, kicked-puppy pout that only made Oikawa's skin crawl further. "Really\~? You're being so cold. I'm hurt, Tooru..."

Meanwhile, over at table two, Iwaizumi was drowning in his own personal nightmare. A girl from the biology department had practically glued herself to his left side.

She was leaning in entirely too close, deliberately pressing against his arm to command his attention. "I'm honestly so surprised, Iwaizumi\~" she cooed, tilting her head flirty and wide-eyed.

"You never come to these kinds of social things."

"Yeah, well... decided I should try it for once," Iwaizumi muttered, keeping his posture rigid. He desperately wanted to bomb this mixer and prove he didn't belong here, but he had no idea how to do it without being completely rude.

"Hmm\~?" She leaned in even further, her breath brushing against his ear as she dropped her voice to a suggestive whisper. "Wanna get out of here with me\~?"

A jolt of pure repulsion sent a shiver down Iwaizumi's spine. Panic flared in his chest. He looked frantically around the room for a lifeline, but everyone was deeply engrossed in conversations.

Desperate, Iwaizumi's eyes swept the restaurant until they locked onto table three.

There sat Oikawa, looking utterly trapped, his face tight with misery as his ex-boyfriend cornered him.

A reckless idea sparked in Iwaizumi's mind. Without a word, he abruptly slammed his drink down on the table and stood up, leaving the flirty girl blinking in stunned silence.

At the exact same moment, Oikawa had finally hit his limit. He tried to bolt from his seat, but his ex-boyfriend's hand shot out, aggressively grabbing him by the wrist. "Wait, where are you going-"

Before the ex could finish, a heavy, solid arm suddenly dropped over Oikawa's shoulders. A broad chest pressed against his back, anchoring him in place.

Oikawa gasped, his head snapping up in absolute shock to see Iwaizumi standing over him, glaring down at the ex with a terrifyingly calm expression.

"Sorry I'm late, babe," Iwaizumi said, his voice deep, clear, and perfectly loud enough to cut through the restaurant's chatter. The entire section went dead silent. The clinking of silverware stopped.

Oikawa's brain short-circuited. *Babe?!* But as his eyes darted from Iwaizumi's intense gaze to his ex-boyfriend's horrified face, his dramatic instincts kicked in flawlessly. He understood the assignment. Leaning back into Iwaizumi's solid embrace, Oikawa threw his head back and let out a soft, theatrical pout. "Took you long enough\~" Oikawa whined seamlessly, instantly casting a fiercely smug, triumphant look at his ex.

The ex-boyfriend was practically trembling, his face flushing crimson with a mix of embarrassment and rage. He slammed his hands onto the table, standing up so fast his chair rattled.

"What the hell?! You don't have a boyfriend! You're lying!" Then he pointed toward Iwaizumi.

"You were sitting way over there, and you didn't even look at him when he walked in!"

A sharp spike of adrenaline hit both Iwaizumi and Oikawa. They had to lock this lie down right now.

"Oh, well, the place is crowded. I just didn't see him walk in through the sea of people," Iwaizumi lied smoothly, his grip tightening reassuringly around Oikawa's shoulder, pulling him just a bit closer.

Oikawa nodded frantically, putting on his best innocent expression. "Yeah, exactly! He was waiting for me."

The rest of the restaurant watched the unfolding drama in breathless suspense. Realizing he was completely outnumbered and making a scene, the ex-boyfriend's face twisted into an ugly, defeated scowl. "Whatever! I'm not done with this!" he yelled, turning on his heel and storming out of the restaurant, slamming the door behind him.

For a long, agonizing moment, a heavy silence hung over the tables. Then, the dam broke, and a tidal wave of frantic whispering erupted.

"Wait... Iwaizumi is gay?"

"I thought he liked girls! Maybe he's bi or pan?"

"Since when are he and Oikawa a thing?!"

The suffocating wall of gossip and staring eyes was quickly becoming too much to handle. Before Oikawa could even open his mouth to ask what they should do next, Iwaizumi reached down, firmly grasped Oikawa's hand, and dragged him out toward the exit, leaving the stifling chaos of the mixer far behind them.

End of episode 2.

The ambient hum of the convenience store's neon sign buzzed above them, casting a harsh glow over the metal table. Oikawa and Iwaizumi sat opposite each other, the silence stretching out between them, thick and heavy.

*Should I ask him about what happened? No way. He'll just think I'm a freak.* Oikawa thought, staring down at his drink. He nervously tapped his fingers against the plastic cup until a blunt voice shattered the quiet.

"Wanna be my boyfriend?"

....

Oikawa froze. He slowly lifted his head, eyes wide as he stared at the man across from him. "A what now?"

"A boyfriend. But strictly fake," Iwaizumi clarified, leaning forward, his tone entirely transactional.

Oikawa's internal panic receded, replaced by immediate curiosity. He crossed his legs, listening intently.

"Look, half the restaurant already thinks we're a thing after that stunt," Iwaizumi reasoned, gesturing vaguely back toward the main street. "Why not just lean into the rumor? Keep up the lie."

Oikawa's ears practically perked up. The strategic wheels in his head began to turn. "And what exactly is in it for you?" he asked, narrowing his eyes slightly. "I know this keeps my psycho ex out of my hair, but what's your angle? Do you have someone hounding you, too?"

Iwaizumi sat back, crossing his arms over his chest. He stared off into the middle distance for a long moment before letting out a gruff, reluctant breath. "Yeah."

"Who?" Oikawa tilted his head in confusion.

"My parents," Iwaizumi muttered, the irritation bleeding into his voice. "They're entirely bent on me bringing home a girlfriend."

Oikawa blinked. "Then why don't you just get one?"

"I'm gay."

......

"Oh," Oikawa murmured, the pieces instantly clicking into place. "Yeah, okay. That makes perfect sense." He drummed his fingers on the table one last time before offering a decisive nod.

"Fine. I'm game. We both clearly need the cover story."

"Great," Iwaizumi said, shifting to stand up, but Oikawa held up a hand to stop him.

"Not so fast. This arrangement needs ground rules."

Iwaizumi paused, eyeing him warily. "What kind of rules?"

"Standard operating procedures for a fake relationship," Oikawa said, a sly, business-like smile creeping onto his face. "Listen carefully."

"Rule one: No kissing."

"Obviously," Iwaizumi deadpanned.

"Rule two: Absolutely no feelings."

"Obviously."

"Rule three: We are never sleeping in the same bed."

Iwaizumi scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Why would we ever even be in a position to do that?"

"Just covering our bases, babe," Oikawa chirped, completely satisfied. "Excellent. Now, hand over your phone."

Iwaizumi shrugged and slid his phone across the metal table. Oikawa mirrored the gesture, and the two quickly exchanged devices to punch in their numbers.

With the numbers saved, they swapped their phones back. Oikawa grabbed his bag, sliding out from the table and prepping to head back to his apartment.

He paused, looking back over his shoulder to deliver a devastatingly cute, mocking smirk.

"See you on Monday... boyfriend\~" he sang out, throwing a playful wave before turning on his heel and disappearing into the night.

Iwaizumi sat alone at the table for a moment, watching the space where Oikawa had just been standing.

He let out a long, exhausted sigh that seemed to drain the remaining tension from his shoulders. Standing up, he pulled a cigarette from his pocket, flicked his lighter, and began his own long walk home.

.

.

.

The morning sun had barely cleared the campus buildings when Hanamaki spotted Oikawa walking across the main quad.

He closed the distance quickly, reaching out to yank the top loop of Oikawa's backpack.

The sudden backward pull sent Oikawa stumbling, his arms flailing slightly before he managed to steady his feet.

He spun around, pouting fiercely. "Hey! What was that for?! You almost gave me whiplash!" he whined, rubbing his shoulder dramatically.

Hanamaki completely ignored the performance, crossing his arms and fixing him with an intense glare. "Cut the act. Is it true? Are you actually seeing Iwaizumi?"

Oikawa blinked, a momentary flicker of panic crossing his eyes before he smoothed his expression into total nonchalance.

He shrugged. "Uh, yeah. So what if I am?"

Hanamaki stared at him, his face a perfect picture of utter disbelief. He let out an exasperated sigh.

"What do you mean, *so what*? I leave you unsupervised for *one* evening, and suddenly you're in a committed relationship with Hajime Iwaizumi?" Hanamaki pressed, taking a step closer. "Since when do you two even talk?"

"If you must know, we've been secretly dating for a week now\~!" Oikawa lied smoothly, throwing his hands up enthusiastically to sell the narrative.

Hanamaki's expression went completely blank. He dropped his chin, giving Oikawa a deadpan, reality-checking stare. "Tooru. You spent all of yesterday morning aggressively complaining about your ex, and you practically begged to go to the mixer specifically to find someone new."

He raised a single, sharp eyebrow. "Is there something you're not telling me?"

"What?! Of course not\~" Oikawa laughed, the pitch a little too high, a nervous sweat breaking out at the back of his neck. "It was all just a brilliant smoke screen! A tactical plan to protect our privacy and hide our relationship from campus gossip\~"

Realizing he was losing the interrogation, Oikawa frantically glanced down at his bare wrist, pretending to check a watch that wasn't there.

"Oh, wow\~! Would you look at the time? I absolutely have to go or I'll be horribly late for my lecture\~!" Oikawa chirped breathlessly.

before Hanamaki could snatch his backpack again, Oikawa spun around and took off down the path at a full run. "Hey! Oikawa, get back here-!" Hanamaki yelled, but it was useless, Oikawa had already vanished into the crowd of students.

"What's got you so worked up?" a lazy voice asked from behind.

Hanamaki turned to see Matsukawa stepping up beside him, a coffee in hand. Hanamaki watched the path where Oikawa had disappeared, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully.

"Oikawa is hiding something," Hanamaki said, a scheming smirk finally tugging at his lips. "And we are going to find out exactly what those two are up to."

Matsukawa offered a slow, amused nod, taking a sip of his coffee. "I'm in."

End of episode 3.