The Alliance

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.

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