Iwaizumi hailed a cab from his apartment, a duffel bag slung over his shoulder. He really didn't feel like borrowing Oikawa's clothes all the time, so Hinata and Kageyama had walked him home to get some of his own. As he sat in the back seat of the moving vehicle, he stared down at his phone, frowning. The words swam before his eyes, glaring at him with a bright light that pierced the darkening evening. Tooru wouldn't be back for another hour or two, at least that's what the brunette's text said. What was he supposed to do now? Wait until tomorrow? The idea made his chest constrict. He hadn't mentioned them in years, but now here he was, about to have a full conversation about them.
The cab shuddered to a stop in front of Oikawa's large home, looking eerie with all the lights off. Hajime could almost imagine it was one of those abandoned houses that ghosts resided in, but it was too clean, too well kept. He handed the money to the driver and stepped out, crossing the driveway to a large potted plant. The key was buried in the soil just as Oikawa said it was. Thank God.
Hajime pushed open the door and flipped the hall light on, the bulbs flickering to life. His footsteps echoed throughout the house, reminding him just how alone he was. This was worse than being in his apartment. At least there, he could convince himself that the space was just too small for more than one person, but here, it felt wrong. It wasn't right, not having Tooru here, bright smile and musical laugh filling the house more than a group of people ever could.
The tan male shuffled into the kitchen, looking for any alcohol that he could possibly find. When he was able to get his hands on a bottle of champagne, he was quick to pour it into a glass and let the bitter liquid trickle down his throat. He could definitely use something stronger, but Iwaizumi found himself not caring, just continuing to wash away his raging thoughts. It was a dizzying routine that he knew well by now.
He didn't know how much time had passed before the distinct sound of the door opening and quiet footsteps reached his ears. He didn't even notice that Oikawa had sat down beside him, gently prying the now empty bottle from his hands. Three more lay beside him, also devoid of any liquid.
"Iwa-chan..? Are you sure you're okay?" The smell of vanilla washed over Hajime and he felt himself crumbling.
"No, I'm not really sure I am." Silence was the only answer he received, filling the house, screaming at him louder than it ever had before. Then he was wrapped in warmth, strong arms tangling around him as Tooru pulled him closer. He could feel the taller male's racing heartbeat, the model's worried expression burning holes into his already overheated skin. "I… I wasn't sure if I should tell you, but they said I probably should. It makes sense because this involves you. It's because of you that this is happening… I should feel angry with you, but I'm not, I just-"
Oikawa's soft voice cut him off, those arms stiffening slightly. "What did I do? I'll do anything to make up for it. I'm sorry.. I-I hate seeing you like this..what happened?"
Hajime grew silent once more, the metal of his phone burning again his thigh. Numbly, he reached into his pocket, pulling out the small device. The light had long since stopped blinking, but he could see it in his mind's eye, trying to convince him it had done nothing wrong. It had though. Slowly he unlocked his phone and the message flashed across the screen, the black words swimming before his eyes again.
'Hajime, we know things ended badly, but that's in the past now. We saw you with your friend on TV and we realized just how much we missed you. We want you to come home Hajime. I know harsh words were said, but your father and I are willing to forgive you for all of that. We're in a bit of a decline right now, we need a little help. We could be a big happy family again and you could bring your friend along… We love you and hope to see you soon ~Mom'
Oikawa stared at the screen, his soft skin folding into frown lines the longer he read. When he had finished, the room was filled with silence again, both men unsure of what to say. Finally Tooru spoke up, voice small. "What happened between you three..?"
A long sighed escaped from Iwaizumi's lips, turning into a soft hiss. "They caught me kissing a guy one day.. My parents are very conservative people who believe a man should marry a woman, you should go to church every Sunday, no grade should be any less than perfect, and all their rules should be followed. When my dad caught me with the guy, something snapped in him. He hit me, hard, and then he threw out the guy and dragged me into the living room. I just remember feeling so small, so scared. I didn't know what I did wrong, I mean I just kissed him… My dad screamed at me, and smacked me around a bit. He called me a disgrace, disgusting, an abomination. My mother had walked in by then and was nodding along, just letting him wail on me.." Something warm and wet slid down his face and before it could register that he was crying, Oikawa was wiping away his tears and running his fingers through his hair. It felt nice and gave him the will to continue.
"When he finally calmed down enough to sit down across from me, his expression was pure hatred. He said I had the devil inside me and if I were to be kissing boys then I wasn't allowed under his roof. My mother told me I better get myself a girl and make a point to show everyone I was straight, but I didn't want to. I was too scared and angry to stay in that house any longer. I left, grabbing what little money I had. I ditched my phone and moved here. I was only nineteen at the time, but these two guys let me stay with them for a price. I just… didn't have money to pay, so.." The words caught, but he forced himself to keep going. He had never told anyone about this. Kageyama and Hinata knew his parents kicked him out, but they didn't know the full story. Maybe it was the alcohol that was making the words flow so easily from his mouth. Maybe it was Oikawa himself. "I started to frequent bars, I just wanted to forget it all. I found unconventional ways to make money, much like you did, and I was eventually able to buy my apartment. That's when I started to work in the tattoo shop that Tobio owns, but my habit kept up… No one thinks twice about a man in a bar making out with another man. I don't know how my parents found my number, but it's obviously because you're famous and not because they miss me."
The brunette carefully forced Iwaizumi to look up at him, their eyes locking. They both had pained expressions, but neither one could look away. "So your parents saw you were with someone rich and famous and decided to try and use you to get money? They couldn't even say boyfriend, just friend… Iwa, I'm so sorry."
Hajime fell apart then, gripping onto the other male like he was the only person left in the world. He wanted so badly to believe that his parents still loved him, but they didn't. They had made it very clear on multiple occasions, because he had tried to talk to them a lot when he had first left. Asking them if they would ever take him back, but the response was always the same, only if you're straight. He just couldn't do it.
He didn't know how long they sat their, tangled around each other, Iwaizumi's face resting in the crook of Oikawa's neck. The only sound was the occasional sharp intake of breath as one of them tried to stop their tears. The shorter male was the first to pull away, angrily wiping at his dampened cheeks. "I'm sorry, I told you a lot more than I planned. And sorry for drinking most of your alcohol." Tooru waved his apologies aside, pressing a kiss to the outer corner of his mouth. A silent proclamation that he had done nothing wrong.
"We should get some sleep Iwa, come on." They slowly unraveled from one another and stumbled up the stairs, somehow always touching one another. It was like they were afraid if they completely let go then they would be consumed by the darkness they had left in the kitchen. The darkness that had come from Hajime's story. It felt good to have gotten it off of his chest though. He no longer had to carry that pain on his own, at least that's what Oikawa's constant presence next to him told him.
The two of them carefully crawled into bed after kicking off their clothes, collapsing onto the soft surface. Instantly they were wrapped around one another, Hajime's face finding it's way back go Tooru's neck. He liked it there because it was warm and he could hear the brunette's softly beating heart. It was slowly lulling him to sleep, but he forced his eyes open once more, flicking to the messages on his phone. His mother's message lit up the dark room and he could feel Oikawa's silent gaze, watching him. Iwaizumi carefully pressed the delete button. He was finally throwing his parents away, just as they had done to him all those years ago. He would have never found the strength without the man lying next to him. Funny how coincidences could make such a big impact on one's life. Then the world became black as fell into the sweet bliss of sleep.
Iwaizumi slowly let his eyelids open to reveal a dimly lit room. Oikawa was still wrapped in his arms, his soft brown hair tumbling over the pillow in soft waves. He looked so peaceful, so beautiful… He found himself edging forward, pressing a soft kiss to the man's lips. Luckily Oikawa didn't wake, just sighed softly as he pulled the other male closer. The events from last night slowly came back to him and he found himself thinking that Oikawa had suddenly become even more beautiful. They were still almost strangers to one another, yet Tooru had held him as he poured out his dark secrets. He'd never had anyone do that for him before. Maybe because he'd never given anyone the chance.
Suddenly he was met by those dazzling chocolate hues and a smile to match. Oikawa rolled onto his back, pulling Iwaizumi with him so that the shorter male was hovering over him. "You feeling better today, Iwa-chan? If you're not feeling up to it, you can stay here while I do my photoshoot. I won't mind." Tooru lifted his hand and ran his thumb across his cheek, drawing a shudder from him.
He pondered over the model's words, but he already knew his answer. "No, I'll just come with you. I'd like to see what it's like to do what you do." Plus, he didn't want to be left alone in this house again. He much rather preferred to spend his days with the eccentric brunette. It was a little concerning how much he had really grown on him, but he couldn't find it in himself to care. It was nice.
"Okay! I guess we should both start getting ready then, because it's a bit of a drive!"
Before they knew it they were piling into Tooru's car, the windows rolled down low and the stereo pumping some song through the speakers. Neither seemed to know the song, nor did they care. They were talking about random little things, like their favorite places to go, favorite season, when they were born, favorite foods. The questions bounced back and forth and the long drive seemed to be shortened, so much so that Iwaizumi found himself disappointed when they had already pulled up.
The process was much different from what he had expected. They weren't greeted with friendly smiles and food platters, or happy people at all. The crew was grumpy and Oikawa was silent for once as they did his makeup quickly, the last minute adjustments being made to the camera angles and the backdrops. Iwaizumi noticed with a start that the brunette was devoid of a shirt and was in tattered black skinny jeans that hugged his curves just right. It took everything he had to look away. Maybe now he could understand why those girls on the bus had been squealing.
Tooru was shoved behind the camera, but he didn't seem to mind how roughly they were treating him, it must be a common occurrence, because he was quickly positioning himself just the right, showing off only his best angles. The room filled with flashing lights and the click of a camera. Music could be heard in the background, but all the noises blended together as Hajime watched, staring at that slightly bronzed skin and slightly contoured stomach and face. Oikawa's muscles weren't as prominent as they tried to pass off. His body was slender with slight dips and curves of thin abs that was much more attractive than any bodybuilder could ever hope to have.
Then it was over, the lights stopped flashing and Oikawa had a shirt on once more, brushing his fingers through his tamed brunette mop. "I hate hair products, but they always put them in." He whined, leaning against Hajime. His hair tickled his tan cheek and he had to agree, he much preferred it when Tooru's hair was silky and an unruly mess. It was much more attractive than the perfection they were trying to make that wasn't actually there.
"Come on, let's go home. It's already time for dinner." He mumbled, leading Oikawa out of the large building and into the fresh evening air. The sun was still up in the sky, covering them in a soft blanket of warmth that he greatly appreciated after the cool air from the room they had previously been in. How Oikawa had been able to make it without a shirt on was a mystery to him.
The ride back was almost the same as the ride there. They would ask pointless questions of each other, laughing and joking, but this time their hands would creep together, fingers tangling ever so slightly. There was something about the way that Oikawa's face lit up. It made him start to wonder how he really felt towards the male beside him.
Was it really still just a public ploy?
I tried to make this chapter filled with more angst, but honestly I'm a little unhappy with how it turned out. I kind of had some writers block while writing this, but I tried to do my best. Sorry if the chapter wasn't very good. Please review and all that stuff! Thank you all for reading!