Chapter Text
-
it's not that i don't have words to say
i just don't want to be the one that speaks them
i'd rather keep it secret until we reach it
so i'll rest my head on the glory of the sorrow
i know it's hard to swallow but tomorrow
we'll start new
now i remember the lines
i thought that i’d forgotten
your only flaw is that you’re flawless
i’m so full of shit
i’m surprised you bought it
and to say that i don’t care
is more or less astounding
because i wrote an entire album about us drowning
now i'm haunted by all these holes found in my armor
and if my heart beats any harder
i will lose it
well congratulations
i didn't know
you two had made things so official
just don't call me when it fizzles
in fact, don't call me at all
-
Iwaizumi tried not to let Oikawa get to him. Really, he did. It was enough to get through the day, go to school, get coffee and study afterwards, go to sleep. It was a routine life, just like he had always led, and he was content. He had his own apartment now, a little one-bedroom that was closer to the campus than his parents were, comfortably furnished and kept pretty clean. Sunlight filtered in from the windows, and stacks of notebooks and loose papers dotted the counters and small table.
He tossed his keys on the kitchen counter when the door clicked shut, dropping his bag next to the wall and making a beeline for the fridge. His phone lay on the counter, display lit up, but Iwaizumi ignored it for the moment. He gulped down a glass of water and stuffed a freezer meal in the microwave before finally sitting down with a sigh. His phone lit up again.
He groaned and reached over for it, back stretching nicely as he did so - really, he didn’t think cramped lecture halls would be such a strain for him, an athlete - to see a little notification next to the phone icon. 2 new voicemails, the screen read.
Both from Oikawa, he figured.
The phone was left on the counter, speaker on, while Iwaizumi pulled his food from the microwave. “You have two unheard messages,” the computer said. “On Thursday, November 2nd, at 7:24 PM.”
There was a bit of static, then Oikawa’s voice filled the tiny kitchen. “Iwa-chan! You never have your phone on you anymore, how am I supposed to talk to you?” Dumbass, I was in class. “Anyway, it’s been so long since I’ve seen you! Is it cold there yet? It rained here in Tokyo yesterday, but I don’t think it got that far north. Ushi-chan says it only reached Takasaki, anyway. Takasaki, right? Ushi-chan?” His voice got fainter, like he was holding the phone away from his face, and there was an unintelligible reply in the background. So he’s just Ushi-chan now, huh? “Yep, Takasaki! Honestly, it’s probably gonna rain again soon, but that doesn’t really matter. I won’t be-”
His voice cut off, and the computer chimed in again. “On Thursday, November 2nd, at 7:27 PM.”
“Sorry, sorry! The voicemail cut me off. See, we wouldn’t have this problem if you would just pick up your phone, would we? Anyway, I won’t be in Tokyo for the next few days or so, Ushi-chan and I have a week off of school and I’m coming back to Miyagi to see everyone. You’ll let me stay over, right, Iwa-chan? Of course you will, it’s not like you have a girlfriend or anything.” Oikawa’s bright laugh sounded from the phone, and Iwaizumi’s eye twitched. It was just like Oikawa to invite himself over like that. Iwaizumi didn’t have a choice in the matter, really, Oikawa would always win out. “Well, that’s about it for now, I’ll see you tomorrow yeah? Bye-bye, Iwa-chan!”
The message cut off, leaving the air in the kitchen feeling just a little too quiet for comfort. Iwaizumi groaned and got up, putting his excuse for a meal back into the fridge. His appetite was thoroughly spoiled, and Oikawa hadn’t even shown up yet. Amazing.
Guess there’s nothing I can do, then.
He pulled on a beanie and scarf and headed out for a run.
-
The moon had risen high over the horizon by the time he returned, cheeks flushed from both the crisp autumn air and his run. The clock on his stove read 9:14, and he sighed quietly. His breath materialized in front of him, a puff of steam that disappeared as quickly as it had escaped his mouth.
I’m coming back to Miyagi to see everyone.
Dumbass Oikawa, couldn’t he have given Iwaizumi a little more notice than that? This wasn’t high school anymore, when Oikawa could just walk back to Iwaizumi’s house after practice and head home for the night, just a few blocks away. No, he lived hours away now, and Iwaizumi lived considerably farther from his childhood home. That’s another thing, Iwaizumi thought. Why didn’t he just call his parents and stay there? It wasn’t like he’d left on rocky terms or anything, pretty much the opposite in fact. Iwaizumi knew Oikawa missed his mom and dad, maybe even more than he missed Iwaizumi and the rest of Seijou.
He sighed. There’s nothing I can do about it, though.
-
Oikawa showed up the next day around noon, true to his word, with a duffel bag over his shoulder and a pair of sunglasses perched obnoxiously on top of his head. Iwaizumi stood at the door for a couple seconds, looking through the peephole and wondering whether it would be too late to pretend he wasn’t home. Oikawa’s face was a little distorted through the glass, and his head looked abnormally large. Iwaizumi snickered.
“I know you’re in there, Iwa-chan!”
Well, that was probably his cue.
Oikawa came in as soon as the door opened, all smiles and wide eyes as he took in Iwaizumi’s hastily cleaned apartment. He strolled in like it was his own home - and Iwaizumi wouldn’t doubt he thought it was, too - and set his bag down next to the couch. Iwaizumi shut the door but stayed close to it, rubbing his thumb and fingers together in an attempt to ease the tension in the air.
“I, uh-” Oikawa turned and fixed his eyes on Iwaizumi, a stare that was likely way more intense than it had any right to be. “I only have one bedroom, so I think have to put you up here in the living room. I can pull out a futon if you want, I might have one around here somewhere.”
“The couch is fine, don’t worry,” Oikawa replied, breaking his stare to look around the apartment again. Iwaizumi relaxed, even though he didn’t realize he was tense in the first place. “You’ve made a pretty decent place for yourself, haven’t you? I’m proud of you, Iwa-chan!”
Iwaizumi grimaced. “We’re in college, Oikawa, don’t you think you can stop calling me Iwa-chan already?”
Oikawa tipped his head to the side and laughed brightly, the sound ringing like bells in the silence of the living room. “What do you mean, Iwa-chan? Would you rather I called you Iwaizumi? Man, that feels weird on my tongue, I can’t do that.” Iwaizumi supposed Oikawa had a point. It seemed almost stiflingly formal, not fitting their relationship at all. He took a moment to look at himself, to wonder if he hated the nickname as much as he said he did.
Honestly, he probably didn’t.
-
Oikawa was as talkative as ever, half leaning and half sitting on the barstool at the counter as Iwaizumi busied himself in the kitchen. Iwaizumi tuned him out for the most part, offering a grunt and nod whenever appropriate but focusing more on making dinner. Oikawa, on the other hand, ran his mouth at a speed Iwaizumi had forgotten was possible, talking about Tokyo and university and his new volleyball team with “Ushi-chan.” When did he go from Ushiwaka to Ushi-chan?
“Anyway, so we were 23-17 on this one no-name uni, when Ushi-chan turns to me and tells me not to lose my cool! Me! Can you believe the nerve of-” Oikawa cut off, and Iwaizumi stiffened. “Iwa-chan, are you alright?”
“Hm, me? Yeah yeah, I’m fine.” Iwaizumi waved Oikawa off with the ladle in his hand. “You were saying?”
Oikawa grunted disbelievingly, but continued. “Of course, we ended up beating them.”
“Mmm.”
“Coach treated us all to dinner, and Ushi-chan got so drunk I had to help him back to our room. Funny, right? I never pegged him as a guy to drink, but I guess there’s lots of things I don’t know about him. After all, I didn’t grow up with him like I did with you.”
“Mmm.”
“Iwa-chaaaaaan,” Oikawa whined, drawing out the vowels and slumping over the counter for full dramatic effect. “What’s going on?”
“I’m just tired from class, don’t worry about it.”
Oikawa pulled a face but didn’t press it, instead opting to pout at Iwaizumi over the counter. “Need help with the food?”
“Don’t try to cook for me, dumbass, we both know you’d light this building on fire. It’s just about done, anyway.”
“I would not!”
“You would.” Iwaizumi held out a plate, which Oikawa accepted with an exaggerated sigh.
-
“Hey, Iwa-chan?”
Iwaizumi looked up from the sink to see Oikawa leaning against the wall, t-shirt and toothbrush in hand. He jerked his head in the direction of the hallway. “Bathroom’s over there if you need it. On the left.”
“Oh no no, I know. I just wanted to say sorry, I know I didn’t give you much warning and just kind of barged in, but I really appreciate you letting me stay. It means a lot to me.”
Something happened to Iwaizumi at Oikawa’s words, words more sincere than most of the things that came out of that ever-smiling mouth of his. It was like someone was holding a candle to his shirt, unevenly heating him until patches of his skin were burned. He pushed away the urge to rub at his chest and steadfastly ignored it. I can deal with this later. Or better yet, not at all. He smiled at Oikawa, trying his very best to keep his expression normal. “It’s fine, don’t worry about it. You’re always welcome.”
Oikawa chuckled and turned to leave, but Iwaizumi stopped him before he could.
“Wait, hang on.”
“Hmm?”
Iwaizumi dried his hands on his shirt. He sifted through one of the kitchen drawers for a few seconds before pulling out a set of keys. He tossed them to Oikawa. “Keys to the apartment, if you need to leave while I’m in class or something. The small one is for the laundry room downstairs, but I’ve got a washer here if you need it.”
“My my, Iwa-chan, this is pretty domestic, isn’t it?”
“Just shut up and take the damn keys.”
“Sorry, sorry. And thanks, too.”
“Don’t mention it.”
With that, Iwaizumi rolled up his sleeves and got back to work on the dishes, while Oikawa turned and made his way to the bathroom.