Best I Ever Had [IwaOi Angst]

Chapter 20

"Do you want to come over today?"

"Sorry, Iwa-chan, I can't today!"

"What about tomorrow?"

"I'm swamped with work."

"What about next week?"

"That's when the deadline is!"

"The week after?"

"Maybe, I'll let you know!"

"Dad, can I have your phone." Kaede asks, looking up at her father as he pays the cashier.

"Just a second, Kaede." He answers, collecting their groceries. He only needed to a grab few little things, luckily. He takes Kaede's hand with his free one and they depart from the store.

"Can I have your phone now?" Kaede continues, and Iwaizumi can hear a whine building in her tone.

"Why do you want my phone?" He asks, looking at her with a raised brow.

"I wanna play one of my games." Kaede answers easily, looking up at him earnestly.

"Not right now." Iwaizumi says sternly, "You can play when we get home."

She pouts, and Iwaizumi can feel resistance in her walk as they travel down the sidewalk. He had parked their car a block or so away, needing to do a number of little errands. Kaede had been good the whole time, but he can feel her patience wearing thin. He was getting tired himself, if he was being honest.

He spots a little coffee shop and pauses.

He looks down at his daughter, a smile curling on his lips, "Kaede, do you want a snack?"

She immediately drops her pouting and perks up, "Yes!" She agrees, hopping a bit in place at the mention of a treat.

Iwaizumi grins at her, "Alright, in we go."

He gets himself a coffee. Kaede presses her face against the glass display, deep in thought as she selects her desert of choice. She picks out a chocolate pastry after careful deliberation, nodding her head with a determined finality. Iwaizumi smiles at her before turning to the cashier to pay. He hesitates a moment, something catching his eyes from the display and decides to add a milkbread to his list of purchases.

Oikawa hadn't been over in a few days. Not since their little spat that one night. Not since Iwaizumi had asked him to kiss him. It wasn't as if Iwaizumi wasn't hearing from him anymore, Oikawa texted him constantly. He just kept coming up with excuses for not being able to come over.

Iwaizumi had gotten used to his presence, the newfound absence was wearing him down. Soon Kaede would go home with Koto and then he'd really be alone.

"Dad?"

Iwaizumi blinks. He'd led them out of the cafe, beginning to weave distractly through the patio of tables outside. He looks down at his daughter at her prompting. He squints when he sees she's already making a mess of her face with her treat, chocolate splashed at the corners of her lips, and a cute little dot of it on her nose. But he doesn't comment when he notices the worry in her eyes.

"Why's that guy staring at you?" She continues in a hushed voice, pointing outward while at the same time pressing closer to him. Her grip on his hand tightens a fraction, blunt nails digging into his calloused palm.

Iwaizumi follows her gaze to find a tall man, with short black hair and a stern face. The man is indeed staring at them, eyebrows pointed harshly downward. It takes him a moment, to realize he knows this man. More than knows him. It feels as though the winds been knocked out of him when he realizes, and he lets out a sudden gasp.