A delicious home-cooked meal by Iwaizumi? Check. A dark room for his lover to read his stories? Check. Soft jazz music playing in the background? Double yes. If Oikawa had a glass of wine, he'd be shaking the contents around before taking a sip. He wasn't a billionaire or the main villain, so he had a bottle of water by his dinner plate instead. Turning off his phone, Oikawa twirled his fork around in the air as he propped his elbow on the kitchen counter, leaning against his free hand.
"Hey, Iwa-chan?"
Looking up from his kindle, Iwaizumi squinted to where he thought Oikawa was. An undistinguishable mesh of colors was the usual sight. Not much of a surprise. But if Iwaizumi looked to his left, he could see a horrible blur in his peripheral that was supposed to be Oikawa. Either way, the room was lit by a lonely lamp in the corner by the book shelf, or so he believed. Iwaizumi remembered that Oikawa was sitting on a stool in the kitchen, finishing black pancakes that he, Iwaizumi, made. Even though he warned Oikawa of the health hazards of eating burnt food, his partner refused to throw the pancakes away. He commented back that he hated wasting food, and Iwaizumi chuckled because they both knew that was a lie.
Oikawa tapped his finger against his chin. He turned around. "Iwa-chan?"
Iwaizumi sniffed as he noticed Oikawa's blurry figure rise from his seat. Iwaizumi simply scratched the back of his neck. "Sorry. You were saying?" Iwaizumi wondered if it was dark enough for him to smile. Oikawa sat back down in his seat, and he hammered his fork into his burnt dinner.
"I was just wondering if you missed…" Oikawa's voice trailed off, and the jazz in the background took over. Iwaizumi cocked his head to the side. A light bulb turned on in his head. That's been bothering you, huh? Iwaizumi rested his kindle against his chest. Sinking into a comfortable position on the couch, Iwaizumi drummed his thumbs over his reading device to fill the void. Reading device. He had heard more than enough questions about why he had a kindle even though he was—quote in quote—"blind." He wasn't blind. Iwaizumi had seen colors before in a rainbow or two as a kid. He had seen faces and facial expressions ever since he was a baby. That's why he can tell if Oikawa wrinkles his nose, frowns, smiles, or cringes. He had seen his friend do those expressions before.
Answering Oikawa's faded statement, Iwaizumi closed his eyes. "I sometimes think about being able to see clearly." If you ever lost something, you think about those hypothetical scenarios where you still had what you lost. Iwaizumi wasn't any different. His hands used to ball into fists whenever a stranger asked him if he felt sorry for himself. Not only was the statement rude, but the voice that the stranger would adopt boiled Iwaizumi's blood. Just because he probably had the worst eyesight on the planet, it didn't mean he was a stupid child or hearing-impaired too. If Iwaizumi had a kiss on the cheek from Oikawa for every time someone treated him like that, he and Oikawa would already be married. He used to say that a lot when he was younger, but Iwaizumi now had to think of something new to say. The wedding band on his ring finger was no lie.
Sliding his pancakes around on his plate, Oikawa's mouth moved on its own. "If there was a medical procedure out there that could let you see again, would you sign up for it?"
Iwaizumi couldn't hear the jazz music. Oikawa's mouth had shot a bullet. "Okay, what's with the questions?"
Oikawa's stool squeaked against the floor as the man on top shoveled pancakes into his mouth. Rough chewing caught Iwaizumi's ears, but he waited patiently until his partner finished his meal. Oikawa's fork clattered onto his plate as the man ran a hand through his messy locks. He knew that all Iwaizumi could see was a blurry outline, but he felt vulnerable as he turned his head to meet eyes with his partner.
"Just curious." Another bullet shot.
Iwaizumi raised an eyebrow. "If you ever want to talk, I have open ears. I'm not dumb."
Hand slam. "I didn't mean that!" The words came out before Oikawa could stop them. Why did he slam his hand? He didn't have to. He didn't have to raise his voice either. Clutching his hands close to his chest, Oikawa bit his lip so that his knees would stop trembling. His stool squeaked with each tremble. Iwaizumi needed to be in the dark. No, he had been in the dark for long enough. Oikawa knew that, so why was he reacting like this? Iwaizumi trusted him. They promised to not hold secrets with each other, promised to always listen and be there for the other. That was their wedding vow years ago. The matching wedding band on Oikawa was hidden by his crumbled fists.
He couldn't look at it. To betray such an important promise went against everything between him and Iwaizumi. Why did this have to happen? Oikawa's eyes widened when he felt familiar arms wrap around him. A familiar chin rested on his shoulder as calloused hands held his calloused hands. The simple touch sent burning stings to Oikawa's eyes. Tears spilled one by one down his cheeks, falling onto his partner's hands. Holding Oikawa close, Iwaizumi closed his eyes and sighed.
"If I there was a medical procedure that could help improve my sight, I wouldn't take it. Knowing you, you would probably sacrifice your eyes to give me sight." Iwaizumi heard Oikawa hiccup as his partner turned around to embrace him back. With Oikawa's tears staining the front of his sweater, Iwaizumi rubbed the back of his partner's head and made soft shushing sounds by Oikawa's ear. "That's why you asked me, right? It's okay."
With the best of his ability, Iwaizumi moved Oikawa to the couch. They both sat down while still embracing each other. Soft jazz music still filled the background. Actually, it was the same song on repeat. Right now, Iwaizumi was happy that they both bought this particular song from a pawn shop. Drawing lazy circles over Oikawa's back, Iwaizumi stared off into space.
"I don't miss seeing clearly. I mean, I think about it. It's sad to most people because they think I perceive life in a limited way. True and not true at the same time." Iwaizumi licked his lips. "With each passing day, I'm forever grateful that I could at least see something even if it's a blur. I'm fortunate that even though I've lost a bit of myself, I've gained something else in return. Something that's more important to me than sight." Iwaizumi didn't elaborate. Oikawa opened his mouth to say something, but he closed it instead. Looking up at Iwaizumi, Oikawa leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. Iwaizumi didn't need an explanation. The kiss on the cheek said everything.