A/n: I have had such bad writer's block when it comes to free! recently. Ugh.
I've spent quarantine rewatching everything so now I want to write more fics but I just can't it's so frustrating.
This one, which should really have only taken a day or two has taken a week? two weeks to finish? I don't even know what day it is haha
The only things I've managed to write with little difficulty are multi-chapter fics which I'm trying to get ahead with before I start posting them.
Anyway, enough of my lonely ass ranting, I hope everyone enjoys this unplanned fluffy Hiyiku fic.
P.s. I apologise if this is out of character, I'm not quite used to writing Hiyori yet and I always have the urge to write Ikuya as a sarcastic little shit so it's hard to remember he was a depressed lil bean to start with
Hiyori could tell from a mile off that something wasn't right. Ikuya's form was off and he noticed the way that his strokes became uneven and jerky as he reached the end of the pool. From experience, the brunet knew what would happen next and although he may know how to resolve the problem, getting Ikuya to listen was a much harder task.
He made his way around to the starting blocks as Ikuya pulled himself out of the pool, arms shaky and unstable which he tried to brush off, hoping no-one noticed.
Of course Hiyori did though.
Figuring that the best way to get Ikuya to listen was to start off with a neutral topic, Hiyori casually commented
"Nice swimming Ikuya," When Ikuya gave no reply besides more heavy breathing, he decided he needed to hurry this up before the situation got any worse "Your rhythm seemed a little different than usual though, did something happen?"
Ikuya moved to step past him, his reply short.
"No, not really,"
A frown made it's way onto Hiyori's face, taking note of the pale, almost sickly tone of Ikuya's skin and the way his eyes focussed blankly on nothing.
"You're breathing kind of hard though...Maybe you should sit down," The brunet approached the subject cautiously, knowing Ikuya's tendency to be as stubborn as a mule even when he knew something was wrong. Unfortunately, today seemed to be one of those days where Ikuya wouldn't listen as the shorter male brushed him off easily
"You worry too much Hiyori," With that, Ikuya began walking off, clearly planning to continue practice like normal only it appeared the universe had other plans.
Hiyori noticed immediately when Ikuya stopped walking, swaying slightly where he stood before he began to fall.
This is exactly what Hiyori had been afraid would happen as he rushed to catch Ikuya's weight to ensure he didn't fall and hit his head.
The commotion grabbed the attention of their captain who rushed over as Hiyori lowered Ikuya to the floor sick with worry even though the had been fully expecting it. Luckily, this time it hadn't been whilst he was in the water and soon enough, large brown eyes were flickering open in confusion, trying to sit up only to be pushed back down by Hoshikawa who instructed him to do so slowly.
Honestly, Ikuya only obliged because he had no other option. There was no way he could have escaped the situation and so, it was best to do as he was told to get it over with. He could feel a hand resting on his back supporting him and glanced to his side to see Hiyori, eyes filled with concern and slight frustration.
Once he was sat up, Hiyori seemed to relax slightly, hearing their captain address him
"Tono-kun, can you take him back to his apartment,"
Hiyori nodded without hesitation, already expecting Ikuya's protests before they came.
"I'm fine, I can carry on practising-"
"No, Kirishima-kun. You need to look after yourself first," Hoshikawa refused, nodding to Hiyori who took over as their captain left to continue swim practice.
"Can you stand?" Hiyori asked, wrapping an arm around Ikuya's shoulders regardless of the answer.
"Hiyori, I'm okay," The shorter male tried to shrug Hiyori's arm off his shoulder, finding himself unable to, deciding to accept his fate.
The brunet helped to support Ikuya's weight as he stood up, somewhat shaky but nowhere near as pale as he had been previously. Hiyori took this as a positive sign, urging Ikuya towards the changing rooms.
It was silent as they both showered and changed however, Hiyori didn't let his gaze stray from Ikuya all that often, looking out for any telltale signs that something wasn't right. When he didn't see any whilst they prepared to leave, he managed to relax slightly, following Ikuya out of the changing rooms towards his apartment, the teal haired male seemingly accepting that he wouldn't be allowed to continue swimming.
They walked to Ikuya's apartment was quiet however, the fresh air seemed to be doing Ikuya some good and Hiyori noticed the colour returning to his previously sickly pale face.
"Sorry," The word was so quiet and unexpected that Hiyori thought he had imagined it, waiting a moment and noticing Ikuya's eyes flick up towards him as if waiting for him to say something, anything.
"There's nothing to apologise for," Hiyori gave his usual smile, noticing how Ikuya let a slight pout form on his face, gaze coming to rest on the floor in front of him again.
They had both stopped walking now and Ikuya turned to the brunet, glancing up again with clouded eyes.
"Hiyori-" Ikuya cut himself off, taking a moment to consider his next words "I should have listened to you when you said something wasn't right, I'm sorry for worrying you,"
"Ikuya...Really there's nothing to apologise for," Hiyori tried to reassure only it seemed Ikuya wasn't buying it.
"There's something bothering you," His head was almost cocked to one side, giving him the appearance of a confused puppy "There has been since the newcomer tournament,"
"Ikuya I'm fine, we should get going," Hiyori insisted, seemingly making Ikuya drop the subject.
Only, Hiyori had missed the determined glint in Ikuya's eyes and the concern written on his face.
The rest of the walk was spent in comfortable silence, both males stealing glances when the other wasn't looking until they eventually reached Ikuya's apartment.
As much as Hiyori wanted to ensure that Ikuya was alright, he knew that the shorter male often needed some time alone after these incidents, preparing to turn to head back to his own apartment but being stopped by Ikuya's hand on his wrist.
"Stay?"
The brunet couldn't hide the surprise written on his face however, he nodded quickly, following Ikuya inside. He spent enough time at Ikuya's now that he knew where everything was, offering to make some tea, earning a sheepish smile from Ikuya.
"That'd be nice,"
The silence between them remained comfortable however, Hiyori could sense some sort of tension hanging in the air. As if Ikuya was waiting for the right time to say something. He tried to shrug it off, bringing the tea over to the small coffee table and placing it down, taking a seat beside Ikuya who looked at him intensely, head tilted slightly to the side as if analysing him.
"Hiyori?" Ikuya's voice grabbed his attention and he turned to look at the teal-haired male who was still looking at him strangely. "I want you to tell me what's wrong," It was the closest thing to a demand he could've gotten off Ikuya who although slightly nervous, looked determined.
"Nothing's wrong Ikuya," He tried to insist, altering slightly under the gaze that was locked on him.
"Hiyori-"
"I'm fine," The brunet cut him off "You should worry about yourself more, you need to stop pushing yourself so hard,"
"Hiyori-"
"Honestly Ikuya, I'm fine,"
"Just listen to me, please," Ikuya tried again and noticed how Hiyori looked down, avoiding eye contact. "I know I need to look after myself, I'm just a bit shaken from seeing Haru at the tournament, that's all. I'll get over it," He paused to take a drink of the tea Hiyori had made before adding in a quieter voice "And I'm guessing that's what's bothering you as well? seeing Haru?"
Hiyori didn't respond, eyes locked on the cup he was holding and Ikuya took note of the way his knuckles turned white with how hard he was gripping it.
"Hiyori?" Ikuya tried again, receiving a clearly fake smile from the brunet "You need to talk to me, I can't help you if you don't tell me, I've never known how you do that," A fond smile slipped onto his face at the thought of Hiyori's practically telepathic ability to know what was wrong.
"Ikuya..."
"Don't you dare say you're fine because you're not,"
"No, I..." Hiyori glanced towards the window, looking for some sort of distraction, unsure how to word his thoughts and feelings without hurting Ikuya "It's stupid, I'd rather not bother you with it," He practically felt Ikuya's burning gaze locked on him, crumbling slightly under the pressure. "I'm scared you're going to leave me..." It was nothing more than a whisper and he refused to look up at Ikuya after he revealed this, practically feeling Ikuya's gaze burning holes into his skin as his gaze flickered to one of understanding and...sympathy?
"Hiyori..."
"I know it's stupid...That's why I didn't bring it up..."
"That's not it," Ikuya protested, face forming into a frown "That's not it at all Hiyori. It's not stupid..." He paused for a moment before shuffling closer to Hiyori, taking the cup out of his hands and placing it on the table before taking Hiyori's hand in his own. "You're scared I'm going to leave because of Haru," Hiyori gritted his teeth together and Ikuya took this as confirmation of his suspicions, speaking quietly "I'm not going to leave you Hiyori...You've been the one who's stood by me all these years...You're the one who's been there, the one who's cared...You're...Everything to me..." It was Ikuya's turn to fall silent now, lifting his head when Hiyori looked at him, shock clear on his face.
"Ikuya..." Hiyori breathed out, barely loud enough to be heard, urging Ikuya to look up at him.
"You don't want to be alone again...And I'm not going to leave you alone...I'm here to stay," Ikuya added, knowing of Hiyori's inner fears about being left alone. He to this moment of Hiyori staring shocked to pull him into a hug, soon feeling Hiyori's shaking arms wrap around him to return the hug.
Hiyori couldn't speak, could barely breathe. Ikuya had seen straight through him, but the reassurance that he wasn't going anything definitely helped.
"I'm sorry..." The brunet let the words slip out his mouth quietly, hiding his head in Ikuya's shoulder as the shorter male rubbed circles onto his back.
"You have nothing to be sorry for," Ikuya pulled back to give a small, lopsided smile, taking a deep breath before asking quietly "Hiyori...Will you go on a date with me?"
The brunet felt his heart skip at the look Ikuya was currently giving him, ignoring how horrible he himself must look and nodding quickly.
"Is that even really a question?"Ikuya grinned at hearing Hiyori sounding more like himself "Of course I will, Ikuya,"
Silence settled between them for a moment before Ikuya spoke again, giving that same smile that only Hiyori ever saw. One full of fondness and...love?
"Stay with me? It's getting late,"
Who was Hiyori to deny him when he looked so adorable, pulling him close once more and letting out a breath.
No, stay with me, Ikuya