ugh!

They’re in college and someone notices just how well they work together as a pair. So they casually suggest they try out beach volleyball instead of just indoor.  They’re both skeptical and Oikawa is kinda set in his ways but eventually they give it a go.  And they’re amazing.  They can beat teams that have been formally training together for years even after just adapting to a different set of rules.

Somehow, they end up with their own coach and a busy training schedule.  Soon enough they’re entering international competitions, and doing well.  Before either of them even realize what’s happened they’ve managed to qualify for the 2020 Olympics in Japan.

At this point they’re still virtually unknowns, and while Oikawa has his own dedicated base of fans, and they do get extra attention as members of the home country, nobody really expects a lot out of them.  They do some public interest stories- childhood friends turned lifelong teammates is too good of a media narrative to pass up- but they are definitely overshadowed by a lot of the other athletes.  

In the end, they’re eliminated in quarterfinals.  It’s way better than most people expected, and fans are genuinely impressed, but Oikawa isn’t satisfied.  He stands there staring at the court, fists clenched in frustration as their opponents celebrate their victory.  Iwaizumi clamps him on the back, and reaches over to unfurl his fingers, clasping their hands together.

Their eyes meet; matching looks of steely determination.

They’ll be back.

What follows are four years of intense training and competition.  They enter countless international tournaments, and make quite a name for themselves.  Other teams are impressed by just how well they work together, how well they know each other and trust one another, how they seem to almost read one another’s minds.

Slowly, they gain popularity as they win more and more tournaments and gain international attention.  Oikawa eats it up, a natural celebrity.  Iwaizumi struggles more than a little, and can never quite seem to act normally during interviews or meetups.  Yet Iwaizumi’s awkward smiles and humble attitude quickly endears him to the public.  Soon his popularity starts to rival even Oikawa’s. They appear in countless commercials together and other promotional events and don’t really have to worry about money with all their sponsors, which is great, as exhausting as Iwaizumi finds it all.

Makki and Mattsun are their biggest fans- and biggest annoyances.  They bother them constantly about the uniform- “If girls have to wear bikinis for range of motion why are you guys in speedos?”- to the point they make a petition to change the uniform every year titled ‘MANKINIS FOR EQUALITY’.  One day Oikawa actually does arrive to a match in a speedo, grinning wildly.  Iwaizumi throws a water bottle at his head.  The pictures are all over the internet for weeks.

Occasionally Oikawa’s knee problems will flare up, but Iwaizumi is sure they both keep themselves healthy. and injuries aren’t too much of a problem.  As the Olympics approach, they’re both in the best shape of their lives.

By the time 2024 rolls around they aren’t the unknowns they used to be.  The media swarms around them; with endless stories about their relationship and success.  

It’s a lot of pressure.  It almost gets to them, but then Oikawa takes Iwaizumi’s hand- squeezes it tightly- and grins that stupidly confident grin of his.

They know they can handle it.

They’re swamped with interviews; stories detailing their childhood dream turned Olympic reality are shown worldwide, in dozens of languages; noting their amazingly strong bond and connection.

They put up a strong fight, dominating team after team.

Yet, they still lose to the top-ranked Americans in the semi-finals, after 3 hard fought matches.  Iwaizumi hangs his head in frustration while Oikawa grits his teeth.  To come so close-

It’s the worst feeling in the world; one neither of them are any stranger to.

Still, that doesn’t stop them from crushing the Australians in the bronze medal match.

Afterwards, Oikawa tackles Iwaizumi into the sand, tears in his eyes as he presses their foreheads together.  Here they are, Olympic medalists, when it seems not so long ago they were just kids hitting volleyballs at each other’s heads in their backyard.  Iwaizumi matches his smile with a watery one of his own, even as he struggles to free himself.

The media doesn’t notice Iwaizumi approaching their coach to grab a small box from his bag.  Nor do they hear whatever it is he says to Oikawa, face pressed close to his.

They do however see the shiny golden band he slides onto Oikawa’s finger, and the way Oikawa nods his head rapidly, tears in his eyes as he mouths the words ‘yes yes yes’ before throwing his arms around Iwaizumi’s neck, nearly knocking them both to the ground again.

The resulting clip dominates the Olympic highlight reel for the rest of the games, even overshadowing the American’s eventual victory the following night.  Fans all over the world send them messages of congratulations, and very few people who were watching the match can honestly say they managed to keep dry eyes the whole time.

Oikawa wouldn’t trade that moment for 1 million gold medals.  

Still, it wouldn’t be so bad to have one.

THIS SONG.

love live: it’s love live

kancolle: sorta like love live, but the girls shoot torpedos from their thighs

haikyuu: like love live, but with men’s volleyball

pokemon: it’s pretty much just love live but with pokemon

hunter x hunter: it’s kinda like love live except hisoka is there

free!: love live except with constant awkward shots of dripping wet man-ass

love live sunshine: what do you fucking think it’s like

one punch man: it’s actually a little bit different from love live, but you can still see that it was love live inspired.

neon genesis evangelion: basically a freudian re-interpretation of love live.

puella magi madoka magica: literally the exact same as love live. their version of kotori’s kinda messed up though.

idolm@ster: a really unique anime, unlike anything i’ve ever seen before

Untitled Hands No. 3