𝐂𝐇. 𝟐𝟏

⋅. ˚₊ ‧ 𐙚 ‧ ₊ ˚ ⋅

The gym was busier than usual today — some kind of open practice event Coach Nobuteru organized to boost community engagement. Translation: fangirls.

They'd flocked in as soon as school ended, giggling in the corner, whispering loudly every time someone spiked a ball, and occasionally yelling "Oikawa-senpai!" like we were in a bad anime.

I tried to ignore it.

Tried.

But then he smiled at them.

Full smile. Not the usual smirk. Not the dumb flirty face he gave me when I threatened to break his kneecaps. It was softer. Sweeter. A smile he gave when he wanted to be liked.

And one of the girls — this tiny brunette with sparkly lip gloss and a squeaky voice — handed him a bottle of tea. He took it. Grinned. Said thank you.

And winked.

He winked.

I stood frozen mid-water-bottle refill, bottle in hand, watching the scene like it was a car crash.

"What the hell," I mumbled.

"You okay?" Iwaizumi asked, walking past me to grab a towel.

I nodded too fast. "Fine. Great. Awesome."

He blinked. "You just crushed that water bottle like it owes you money."

I looked down. The plastic was caved in my grip. "Oops."

⸻

Later, I was near the bench checking a practice log when I heard them again — the girls. Still there. Still giggling.

"Oh my gosh, he's so dreamy."

"I love how he brushes his hair back—did you see that?!"

"He said my name earlier. I think we're dating now."

I rolled my eyes so hard I almost saw a different timeline.

Then Oikawa walked by.

"Manager-channn~" he called, stretching the word like always.

I turned to look at him. His hair was damp from practice, his sleeves pushed up, that same stupid tea bottle still in his hand.

"Why don't you get back on the court and stop acting like a host club reject?" I snapped.

He blinked.

Everyone blinked.

Even Iwaizumi — who'd just handed off a ball — stopped mid-step.

Oikawa raised a brow. "...Damn. That one had bite."

"Maybe if you focused more on practice and less on entertaining your fan club, we wouldn't waste time during drills," I said sharply.

That got the whole team's attention.

Hanamaki mouthed oh shit and slowly backed away.

Oikawa opened his mouth to say something, then paused. He looked... confused. Like he was trying to piece something together.

"Okay," he said softly, raising his hands. "Didn't mean to upset you."

I looked away fast. "You didn't. Just annoying as usual."

But my chest felt tight.

And I hated that it did.

⸻

Oikawa's POV

I'd seen Y/N irritated before — hell, I'd seen her furious. That was half the fun.

But this?

This wasn't her usual "I'm gonna murder you and bury you in the court" rage. This was something else. She looked... hurt. Genuinely upset.

And it didn't make sense.

All I did was smile at a few girls. I didn't even flirt that hard. Just enough to keep the peace. Smile, wink, move on. It wasn't serious.

Not like it was with her.

But when she snapped at me in front of everyone, I could feel the shift. The air got weird. Tense. And I knew—without even meaning to—I'd done something wrong.

⸻

Y/N's POV

After practice, I scrubbed the whiteboard aggressively, erasing the day's notes like they personally offended me.

I was still mad. Still embarrassed. And even more mad that I was embarrassed. I shouldn't care. It was Oikawa. Oikawa.

"Hey."

I flinched, turning to find him standing there. Alone.

He scratched the back of his neck. "So, uh... what was that?"

"What was what?" I said, playing dumb.

"You yelled at me."

"I yell at you every day."

"That wasn't the usual yelling," he said, narrowing his eyes. "That was new-level yelling."

I said nothing.

He stepped closer. "Did I do something?"

I stared at him. "You're always doing something."

"That doesn't answer my question."

I crossed my arms. "Why do you care?"

"Because it felt different."

There was a pause.

Then I shrugged. "I don't know. You just pissed me off more than usual today."

"Because I smiled at someone?"

I didn't answer.

His brows lifted slowly. "You were jealous."

I nearly exploded. "I WAS NOT—"

"You so were."

"I WAS—" I froze. Looked around. The gym was almost empty. I took a deep breath. Lowered my voice. "I wasn't jealous. I just... don't like when you flirt during practice. It's distracting."

"For who?" he asked. "Them, or you?"

I glared. "You're so full of yourself."

He smiled, but this one was different. Gentler. Almost smug, but not mean.

"It's cute."

"Shut up."

"Adorable, even."

I took the dry erase marker and threw it at his head.

He caught it.

"Next time, aim better," he said with a wink.

I turned away before he could see the corner of my mouth twitch.

⸻

Team Group Chat

Hanamaki:someone tell oikawa to chilly/n almost bit his arm off today

Iwaizumi:ngl he deserved itbeen flirting with fangirls like he's on The Bachelor

Matsukawa:i thought he was already dating y/n

Y/N:I'M RIGHT HEREand I will jump through this screen

Oikawa:jealousy is an attractive look on you, manager-chan~

Y/N:next practice I'm replacing your water with vinegar

Hanamaki:sooo marriage soon?

⸻

That night, as I laid in bed, I stared at the ceiling and repeated the same words to myself over and over.

I am not jealous.I am not jealous.I. Am. Not. Jealous.

Then I remembered the tea bottle.

And I screamed into my pillow.