This is actually very shitty and ridiculous.
Iwaizumi Hajime is acting quite unusually.
This is according to what Oikawa Tooru has observed ever since he and Iwaizumi left their dorm and went to the mall. Iwaizumi or Iwa-chan as he likes to call his best friend rarely checks his phone since he's not really that fond of texting or playing games, but now, it seems like there isn't a single minute when he doesn't even look at it. Every single time he checks his phone, he sighs afterwards as if he's waiting for a text that hasn't come yet.
This strangely irritates Oikawa a great deal.
"Iwa-chan," Oikawa finally calls, sounding a little annoyed, "if you don't pay attention to where you're going, you're bound to bump to someone."
Iwaizumi doesn't respond and instead, types something on his phone very quickly.
Oikawa grunts and crosses his arms huffily. No one has dared to ignore the great Oikawa Tooru. "Iwa-chan!" This time, he makes his voice a little louder in order to get through Iwaizumi.
It proves to be successful because Iwaizumi suddenly looks up from his phone and turns to his best friend with a face that clearly says he hasn't been listening to a single word Oikawa has said. "Huh? Sorry. What?" he asks cluelessly, turning his head from side to side.
Oikawa sighs heavily and shakes his head. He looks away, his arms still folded across his chest, in an attempt to show his displeasure towards Iwaizumi's current attitude.
Iwaizumi notices the change in Oikawa's mood and decides to put his phone back into his pocket. For now. He has to fix this first. It's really difficult to control Oikawa once he gets all moody. The last time something like this happened, Iwaizumi had to endure several sleepless nights, and he'd rather not have anything like that happen again.
"Uh... I'm sorry. What were you saying?" he asks, scratching the back of his neck.
"Iwa-chan, you asked me to accompany you, which you rarely do, but all you've been doing is look at your phone as if waiting for someone's text to arrive. You're not usually like this. If we go out together, you should give me your undivided attention," Oikawa complains, pouting sulkily.
What a baby. Iwaizumi rolls his eyes and is about to reply with a snide remark when he remembers Bokuto Koutarou's words: Be nice to him, or I'll kill you. This only happens once a year! Then, you can torture him again until this day comes again next year. And so, instead of retorting like he usually does, he forces himself to give Oikawa an apologetic look. He wonders if the look on his face seems way too unnatural. He hopes it doesn't. "It's nothing, really. Just...forget it," Iwaizumi replies, making sure to look Oikawa in the eye to be more convincing. "Yahaba has been asking me nonstop to help him with his homework, and well..."
The pout on Oikawa's face grows even bigger as if he knows that Iwaizumi is lying. Besides, that apologetic look really isn't cutting it. He simply looks constipated, but because Oikawa can see how hard his best friend is trying, he ignores it. See, Oikawa is actually a really nice person. "Iwa-chan, have you forgotten? It's summer break."
"I mean it's homework that's not for...school." Iwaizumi looks away and wishes that the ground would just open and swallow him whole. He seems to have left his quick wits when he left with Tooru. He doesn't know how he came up with such an unbelievable lie.
Oikawa's eyes narrow at him. "Iwa-chan..." he says in a warning tone. "Please stop lying. It's making me upset."
"You know what? Why don't we go watch a movie?" Iwaizumi suggests but doesn't wait for Oikawa's answer. He merely grabs the boy's hand and drags him to the moviehouse, paying no heed to Oikawa's repeated calls and questions and the glances the people around are giving them.
It's not that Iwaizumi isn't capable of lying. It's just that he finds it really difficult to lie to his best friend who has been there for him ever since time began. Through thick and thin, the two have always been together. Besides, even if Iwaizumi somehow pulls it off, he knows that Oikawa will see through it since that guy has him pretty much memorized—from his odd favorites to his weird little habits.
"Hey, Oikawa, stay. I'll go get the tickets," he says when they arrive which he's certain that Oikawa will find weird since Iwaizumi never volunteers to buy for anything. But again, if he doesn't do it, Bokuto might kill him. That guy may seem silly most of the time, but he can be scary if he wants.
"What am I? A dog?" Oikawa mutters looking incredibly offended. "I'll come with you, Iwa-chan. I'm paying anyway."
"You don't have to. I'll pay for it," Iwaizumi says, taking out his wallet from his other pocket.
As expected, Oikawa's jaw drops comically, and his eyes look like they're about to pop out of their sockets. He sends Iwaizumi a confused look when he recovers from the shock before leaning towards him. "Is this for real? You never pay for me. You're really acting weird right now!"
"Huh?! I'm not!" Iwaizumi averts his gaze away from him and walks over to the ticket counter hurriedly.
Since it's Saturday, there are a lot of people, and it takes Iwaizumi a while to buy their tickets. By the time he bought those, Oikawa had already bought them food and drinks. He strides towards Iwaizumi with a huge grin on his face looking like he just accomplished something huge.
"I got us a Captain America popcorn container!" he says happily.
For a while, Iwaizumi stands there, a blank expression on his face. He considers saying something sarcastic, but that goes against what Bokuto told him. He's not yet ready to die—especially not in Bokuto's hands, so he goes for a smile instead. "T-That's good...but you shouldn't have bought that." Iwaizumi, still with the forced smile, gives Oikawa his ticket and helps him with carrying the food.
Seeing how horribly synthetic Iwaizumi's grin is, Oikawa has to stop himself from laughing because, again, he can see how hard his best friend is trying, and the food and drinks that he's holding will probably spill onto the floor if he does so. Oikawa really is a nice person. "Why's that?" he asks, doing his best to keep a straight face.
"I should have bought these as well. Y-You didn't have to." It's quite a struggle for Iwaizumi to get those words out of his mouth. Why does he have to lie anyway? Because Bokuto. He wants to hit that guy on repeat right now, but Bokuto can probably send him to the hospital before Iwaizumi can even land a single punch.
Once again, Oikawa's jaw drops although this time, it takes far longer for him to recover.
"Oi, close your mouth, Trashykawa," Iwaizumi tells him.
Oikawa does as he's told. He can't bring himself to talk right now since he's way too baffled about how Iwaizumi is acting. Why does he suddenly want to pay for everything? For the first time ever, he can't figure out the reason behind his best friend's actions. Whenever they hang out, Iwaizumi always lets Oikawa pay. It seems like...
"Iwa-chan... do you... like me?"
Iwaizumi almost drops everything in his hands at Oikawa's extremely far-fetched question. Suddenly, he wants to know everything that's going on in his best friend's mind right now. He wants to know how he was able to arrive at that conclusion. "What does that even mean?"
"I mean... do you like me in a romantic way?" Oikawa's cheeks evidently turn a little pink when he asks this, and all Iwaizumi can think of is why why why.
"Dumbass! Why are you asking me that?!" Iwaizumi bursts, hitting Oikawa's back hardly. He still has no idea how Oikawa thought of such a preposterous thing, and he badly wants him to answer, but first, he has to clearly state the obvious. "I definitely do not!"
Oikawa whimpers in pain shielding himself from Iwaizumi's continuous punches and slaps. "Iwa-chan, I'm sorry! Okay, stop hitting me! It's just that you suddenly ask me out and then you say you want to pay for everything. It's like you asked me out on a date! What else could it be?"
"Don't be stupid! This is just for—" Iwaizumi stops abruptly before coughing. Damn it. This is Bokuto's fault. Bokuto is to blame for everything. "Anyway, let's get inside. The movie might already be starting."
"For what? What is it? Tell me," Oikawa whines and pulls on Iwaizumi's sleeves. "Come on, Iwa-chan, tell me!"
Iwaizumi pries Oikawa's fingers off of his clothes and says, "Shut up!" Shit, that didn't sound nice. How do you say 'shut up' nicely anyway?
Oikawa doesn't give up on getting the truth out of Iwaizumi. "It isn't even my birthday today. What's the date today anyway?"
"Look at the calendar," Iwaizumi answers. I didn't say anything. If he figures it out on his own, it isn't my fault.
"July 19. That means tomorrow's my birthday!"
"Y-Yeah..." Well, maybe he wouldn't figure it out, Iwaizumi hopes but sighs heavily seconds later. Oikawa isn't that stupid. He'll definitely find out.
Oikawa notices Iwaizumi's nervous expression and comes to the most logical conclusion he's ever had that day. "Oh, I see now. You're being nice to me because tomorrow's my birthday." He sees how Iwaizumi's cheeks turn a little red and how beads of sweat form on his forehead. "It's just that I totally didn't expect this. You've never surprised me on my birthday. You're always so straightforward. You greet me on my birthday with a present. It's always been like that, so I really didn't realize."
Iwaizumi doesn't bother replying since he has no idea what to say anyway. "Here... I mean t-this is where we'll sit," he mumbles, not even looking at Oikawa. He chooses to be quiet because if he talks more, Oikawa will only find out that this isn't all. Iwaizumi has something even bigger planned for his best friend's birthday. Well, it isn't really that huge. It's just a simple birthday party with their closest friends, but the fact that Iwaizumi planned it out makes it special since he's never ever done it for anyone. Not even for his own family.
The two settle down on their seats. The movie's already starting, but Oikawa can barely focus. He can't help but look at the guy beside him whose mind seems to be elsewhere too.
Iwaizumi feels Oikawa staring at him and ignores how his heart starts beating faster because of it. He refuses to acknowledge it because he's already said a while ago that the idea of liking Oikawa in a romantic way is far-fetched, and he really hates contradicting himself. He turns to Oikawa and says, "Watch the movie, Crappykawa."
"But I can't focus, Iwa-chan."
"Why?"
"Because you're beside me."
Iwaizumi grabs a handful of popcorn and stuffs it in Oikawa's mouth. He refuses to acknowledge it.
"Don't blame me, Shittykawa," Iwaizumi says without looking at him. He's afraid that his heart might explode if he looks at Oikawa right now. He refuses to acknowledge it.
Oikawa giggles in the most girly way possible. "It feels like we're a couple."
He refuses to acknowledge it.
"Iwa-chan! Was the movie good? Did you enjoy it?" Oikawa asks as soon as they get out of the moviehouse.
"Yeah, it was good." Despite the constant staring of Oikawa Tooru, Iwaizumi was actually able to enjoy the movie—even if he had to push Oikawa's face away a number of times because he was getting way too close for Iwaizumi's liking. He asks, "What about you? Did you even watch it?"
"Of course!"
Iwaizumi rolls his eyes and pulls his phone out of his pocket. There's only one unread message. It's from Akaashi Keiji, one of their close friends and one of the guys preparing everything for Oikawa's surprise birthday party. Making sure that Oikawa isn't looking, Iwaizumi opens and reads it.
Things going well?
Iwaizumi just sends a thumbs up emoticon as a reply before keeping his phone. At that exact moment, Oikawa turns to him and points at a place that looks like one of those cute cafes that sell cute drinks and cute food. "I want an ice cream, Iwa-chan. Let's go get some?"
"Sure." Iwaizumi shrugs and follows Oikawa to an ice cream shop called Red Velvet.
They enter the shop and are met with the scents of the different kinds of flavors of ice cream. The place is filled with pastel-colored decorations, mostly pink, and it makes Iwaizumi want to leave if not for the beautiful and inviting ice creams displayed. The ambiance there is nice and perfect for couples on their dates, and Iwaizumi wants to leave once again, but Oikawa is already ordering.
"Oi, I'm going to pay, okay?" Iwaizumi states.
The lady in the counter, the one taking their order, looks at him with a grin on her face, and although he is kind of puzzled, he returns the smile.
Oikawa smirks and says, "Alright, sweetheart."
The lady's grin grows larger, and the look she is giving the two of them sends Iwaizumi blushing and acting like an infatuated teenager. He isn't puzzled anymore. "Do not call me that! People will get the wrong idea!" He refuses to acknowledge it. "I'm definitely not his sweetheart!"
"What are you talking about?" Oikawa's smirk only widens when he sees Iwaizumi frantically explaining. He is definitely having fun.
"Here are your ice creams. Have a nice date."
"Thank you!" Oikawa says, and he really means it. What a nice lady. He thinks while staring at the seething Iwaizumi. When they find an empty table for two, Oikawa shakes his head, chuckling, and pushes the ice cream towards Iwaizumi. "Iwa-chan, I think you seriously need this. It will make you feel better."
"I'm restraining myself from punching you right now."
Oikawa bursts out laughing. How can Iwa-chan be this cute? He muses.
This only makes Iwaizumi angrier. He takes a spoonful of ice cream in his mouth before speaking. "Tooru, what was that about?!"
"Why are you so mad?" asks Oikawa, genuinely confused. Iwaizumi only calls him 'Tooru' whenever his emotions towards Oikawa are really intense. "I thought you liked the term of endearment, sweetheart. That's what you said when we were in our seventh grade. I think you told me that you'd like your future lover to call you sweetheart in front of other people, so that they—"
"Okay, okay! Stop! That was years ago." Iwaizumi is surpised Oikawa still remembers it when he barely even can. He still wants to scold Oikawa for the whole thing, but he is again reminded of Bokuto's words. "Anyway, just don't do that again."
Oikawa grins cheekily. "I'm not promising anything."
"Our favorite anime's new episode is airing today, right?"
Iwaizumi turns to Oikawa and nods before looking at his phone to check the time and to see whether there's a new message from the lot. "It's six o'clock right now. We still have three hours."
"Do you still have stuff to do here?" Oikawa asks with a yawn. "If not, let's go back to the dorm."
"Not really," Iwaizumi answers. "Do you plan on staying in my room again?"
"Yeah."
Every Friday, Oikawa spends the night in Iwaizumi's room since he prefers watching anime with him. He finds it more fun whenever he's with somebody else since he can speak about his thoughts and feelings without looking like a crazy man.
"Good."
Oikawa watches as a grin shapes Iwaizumi's lips, looking like he's planning something horrible. "Iwa-chan, you're not going to take advantage of me or something, right?" Oikawa asks, feigning fear.
He sees Iwaizumi shoot him a death glare and bursts out laughing. Oikawa knows that he won't do anything of that sort. Besides, even if Iwaizumi is to do something like that, it's not like he'll stop him or anything because honestly, Oikawa is probably willing to give anything for that.
"Let's just go home." Iwaizumi gives up, shaking his head, and makes his way towards the exit of the mall.
The moment they arrive at the room, Iwaizumi rushes and jumps into the bed. "I'm so tired," he mumbles, burying his head into his pillow.
Watching from the doorway, Oikawa smiles fondly and walks towards his best friend. He sits near the edge of the bed and yanks the pillow where Iwaizumi's head was resting on away. "Don't fall asleep on me, okay?" His smile widens when he sees Iwaizumi's face darkening in annoyance. The reason why he finds an irritated Iwaizumi so adorable is still a mystery to him.
"I won't!" Iwaizumi yells and drags himself out of the bed. He sits on the couch instead and turns on the television. "We still have to wait for two hours! Damn it."
"Patience, Iwa-chan," Oikawa says. He sits beside Iwaizumi and rests his head on the boy's shoulder. "Good things come to those who wait."
Iwaizumi fights the urge to push Oikawa's head away. He simply ignores his close proximity to Oikawa which is making him extremely uncomfortable and focuses his gaze on the television. He ignores the strange butterflies that erupted in his stomach and the wild beating of his heart. He refuses to acknowledge it.
The only things the two of them can hear are the sound of the television and the breathing of one another as they both fall into a comfortable silence.
Iwaizumi is woken up by the constant vibration in his pocket. He takes it out and sees a bunch of messages from Akaashi, Bokuto, and the others. His eyes widen in shock when he realizes that it's 11:55 in the evening. Five minutes left.
Oikawa is still asleep beside him on the couch, his head still on Iwaizumi's shoulder. Iwaizumi tries to stop the smile that was threatening to form on his lips, but it eventually breaks out.
"Why the fuck am I smiling? Shit!" He covers his mouth as if that's enough to erase any trace of happiness on his face. "Argh, whatever. I've got more important things to do."
He gently taps Oikawa's cheeks to wake him up. "Oi, wake up. Trashykawa, come on. Wake up."
Thank goodness Oikawa isn't that much of a deep sleeper. He slowly straightens up and turns towards Iwaizumi. "Huh? What?" he utters quietly.
Iwaizumi thinks cute and almost punches himself because of it. He probably will do it later when he's alone. "Get up," he says before standing up.
"Why?" Oikawa asks, his voice a little husky, which Iwaizumi finds really distracting. When Oikawa finally seems to have regained his senses, his eyes become alert. "What's going on? Is there something wrong? Did something happen?"
Iwaizumi shakes his head and reaches out for Oikawa's hand. "Come here."
"O-Okay." Oikawa gets up and blinks at Iwaizumi.
Iwaizumi looks away first before putting his hands over Oikawa's eyes. "Can you see anything?"
"Of course I can't. You are covering my eyes—"
"Right, shut up." Iwaizumi rolls his eyes. "I'll lead the way."
"Okay." Oikawa's voice suddenly sounds quiet and gentle, and Iwaizumi feels the urge to smile once again. This time, he doesn't stop it.