Conquering the Great King

Chapter 17 The Great Kings End

Oikawa sighed, sagging back in his seat as he flipped on the screen of his phone to glance at the time.

"He's later than he thought he'd be," Oikawa said, body sinking into the too-open booth. The empty spot next to him felt like it was taunting him.

Daichi sipped at his water, "What's he doing?" Daichi cleared his throat and set his water back down, arms settling over the table, "Same thing he took time off for on Tuesday?"

Oikawa slowly tilted his head, body suddenly so tense he was almost vibrating, "Excuse me?"

Daichi froze. Suga froze. They all sat frozen, staring at each other.

Oikawa could feel his lip twitching, could feel nervous laughter trying to rise like bile in his throat, "Tuesday?" he repeated.

"Oh," was Daichi's brilliant response.

Suga was very purposefully staring at the center of the table.

"Manager-kun," and it wasn't intended but Oikawa could hear the purr of a threat crawling into his voice, "what happened Tuesday?"

Daichi threw up his hands, surrendering without hesitation, "I don't know," he answered, voice pulling apart into almost panic and eyes so wide and pleading with Oikawa's gaze that it could only be genuine, "He didn't tell me. It was weird, I thought, but I'm not his..." Daichi's eyes skidded away, "boss," he finished, swallowing hard.

Suga's fingers were fluttering and tapping hard against his own arm as his eyes remained fixated on the very uninteresting surface of the table.

"So he took time off," Oikawa repeated, gaze dark and even.

Daichi looked away. "A half day," he almost squeaked, normally low voice rising high and thin.

Oikawa was chewing the inside of his cheek. He had seen him Tuesday. After Oikawa had gotten off work.

"So you don't know what he's doing now, either?" Oikawa asked, for certainty.

Daichi shook his head.

Oikawa blinked, "Was he still at the office when you guys left?"

Oikawa could hear Suga's leg shaking under the table, foot tapping quick against the floor.

Daichi couldn't make eye contact with Oikawa anymore, apparently. "No," he answered in a quiet voice. "He had left early."

Oikawa felt his hands clench into fists. His eyes were stuck glaring at Daichi even though that wasn't for whom the gaze was intended. He was trying not to grind his teeth together.

"I'm sure he's just--"

"Keeping something from me?" Oikawa finished for him in a hiss, breath working hard through his teeth.  

Suga's eyes grew wide, but didn't move.

Daichi quieted, shoulders dropping and dragging down the strength of his normally broad frame.

Oikawa closed his eyes. He inhaled. There's only one thing, one thing, that Oikawa could even imagine Iwaizumi hiding from him.