𝐊𝐧𝐞𝐞 𝐁𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐊𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬 || 𝘐𝘸𝘢𝘰𝘪

Chapter 1

Oikawa stood outside of the diner with a hot cup of coffee in his hands. The black and white striped mittens kept his fingers from getting too hot. He put the sizzling drink to his lips before taking a small sip. It burnt going down his throat. He looked up.

The sky was filled with grey clouds, but not enough for it to hide the moon. The white snowflakes flurried around his face, and Oikawa closed his eyes so he could be surprised when a touch of coldness spread across his cheeks. He had missed this feeling when he left for Argentina, it had been almost four years since he said goodbye to his home country. Oikawa came back to Japan unwillingly. He was transferred after the accident to a hospital in Japan, because his medical power of attorney was still living there.

Hajime. Hajime Iwazumi.

Oikawa chose him because he knew Iwa would be able to make the tough calls, and he didn't want his family to have to deal with that pain.

The two had drifted apart upon Oikawa's departure. Iwazumi stayed behind while he went to achieve his dreams. He was happy for him, truly. After the accident, reuniting with each other was tough. Since they had not talked, neither of them knew what was going on in each other's little worlds. Iwazumi had carried his feelings for Oikawa for such a long time, but held back. He didn't want the brunette to have to deal with another thing that could end up hurting him more then he already was.

The brunette opened his dark brown eyes upon hearing his name. He knew Iwa's voice anywhere. It was low and rough sounding. Iwazumi always sounded annoyed, it was just his voice. Somehow it always made Oikawa smile, no matter what. Oikawa turned his head to look at the slightly irritated Iwazumi walking towards him. His hands were shoved in his pockets and his hair was more messed up then usual.

"Where have you been? It's been over an hour since you left." Iwazumi huffed, lifting his hands to fix the hat that was slipping off of Oikawa's head. His fingers grazed across the tufts of mousy brown hair and he stopped. The feeling of his soft hair triggered a quiet sigh to escape his mouth. His olive green eyes locked with Oikawa's, and he immediately removed his hand.

His eyes were soft, and a little grin formed, causing Iwazumi to burn up. "Let's get going before you catch a cold dumbass." The former ace lowered his husky voice and intertwined his fingers with Oikawa's. He squeezed the dark haired male's hand for extra support. Iwazumi liked that. The brunette had a slight limp which slowed him down, but he tried to keep up with his best friend. Iwazumi refused to take it easy when it came to Oikawa.

Treating Oikawa like he was weak was not something Iwazumi intended to do. He challenged the former captain by not slowing down when they went on walks, and made sure he treated him the exact same way he did when they were in highschool. Oikawa was glad to see that his friend still knew everything about him.

By the time they arrived at Iwazumi's, Oikawa was out of breath. The accident caused his lungs distress so he had a rough time catching air. The cold weather and wind made it even tougher on him. Iwazumi let go of Oikawa's now freezing hand to open the front door. Sticking the key into the lock, he turned his head to look back at the brunette.

His fragile body shivered, causing the coffee cup to slip right out of his hand and onto the soft path of snow. The snow was now stained brown. Iwazumi looked away almost immediately to open the double doors. He instinctively reached for Oikawa's hand, which he grabbed, before bringing him inside and shutting the door. He finished locking the door and shoved the keys in his coat pocket.

"You should get some sleep Oikawa." The brunette nodded before grabbing the railing on the small staircase leading to the bedroom. He huffed before slowly making his way up the steps. Oikawa stopped on the third step and closed his eyes. Feeling Iwazumi's eyes on him made a shiver down his spine. He was waiting for Oikawa to ask for help. The ace watched as the male stood there in silence for another two minutes.

"Oikawa, you're okay. Take your time." He rustled up his dark hair and stood at the bottom of the stairs. Iwazumi cupped his hand around the nob of the railing and refused to look away. Oikawa opened his eyes and turned his head so he was looking at his best friend. He gave a weak smile. "I'm fine Iwa-Chan, you don't have to watch me."

He continued on to the next step before a sharp pain rushed through his right knee, which caused a small whimper to be heard by Iwazumi. "Woah there, let me help you." Oikawa didn't have time to decline before feeling an arm snake around his waist. He shook his head, the winter hat coming off with it. The brunette lowered his head, his body gently relaxing as Iwazumi gripped his nimble fingers along his waist tighter. His brown eyes looked over at his friend as they slowly continued to walk up the steps.

When Oikawa reached the top stair, he gently shook off the arm that was still wrapped around him for support. Iwazumi silently looked down at his feet. He examined his dirty white socks, trying to distract himself from looking at the pretty setter who stood close to him. "Iwa, you don't have to sleep on the couch anymore. You can take your bed back." The brunette noticed the other looking at his dirty socks and chuckled. "It's fine Oikawa. I don't mind, truly."

Iwazumi didn't hear a response and sighed. As he continued to look at the floor, another set of feet came into his vision. He lifted his head up, and his tan face quickly turned red. Oikawa had turned to face his friend. Their faces were close, almost too close to Iwazumi's liking. The brunette relaxed his face, and made a small smile before grabbing ahold of the males left hand. His thumb rubbed across the dark haired male's and leaned his forehead against his.

Iwazumi closed his eyes. "Thank you Iwa-Chan." Oikawa's voice was quiet as he stayed pressed against him. "Don't thank me dumbass. You need the rest, I don't." He let out a scoff before lifting his forehead off of the other and opening his olive colored eyes. The setter was already staring at him.

He started to loosen the grip on Iwazumi's hand. Oikawa gave a small pat on the top of his hand before turning towards the bedroom. Before opening the door, the brunette looked back at his best friend. He stood there for a minute, admiring Iwa's tall frame. His toned and muscular self stood proudly, even when flustered. "Goodnight."

——————

Iwazumi had woken up to hearing a door shut from upstairs. His eyes averted to the digital clock displaying the time on the table in front of the couch.

3:25 AM

His fingers rubbed the corners of his eyes and blinked, trying to get rid of the tiredness. The dark haired male sat up, hearing a cracking noise, which came from his back. Iwazumi wanted to go check to see if Oikawa was awake, and to see if he was doing okay. He quietly walked up the stairs and stood near the door.

It was cracked open. His eyes peered through the door, and soon realized that Oikawa was not in the room. Iwazumi raised an eyebrow before hearing the door behind him open.

The olive eyes slowly made there way over to look at the setter. They widened. Oikawa stood in the door frame, his bad leg resting behind his good one. The lights were dim behind him, but Iwazumi could see his cheeks, and how they were wet and stained with tears. His hair was a wavy brown mess, some of the hair sticking to his face from the wetness.

Iwazumi opened his mouth to speak, but alas, nothing came out. He stood there speechless as Oikawa limped his way towards the bedroom door. The brunette had his knee brace back on. He was able to walk freely without it on since the last month, so Iwazumi was confused as to why he was wearing it.

Oikawa brushed passed his shoulder, stopping before wrapping his fingers on the doorknob. "Don't worry about it. You didn't see anything." He shut his mouth before the male had a chance to let out a cry. Iwazumi turned to look at his best friend to ask what was wrong, but he shut the door before he could.

He contemplated knocking on the door, forcing Oikawa to spit out what was wrong. Knowing Oikawa, exposing his weakness was embarrassing for him. Iwazumi shook his head in pity, and counted the steps he took until he got back onto the couch to distract him.

The former ace grabbed one of the big soft blankets that laid on the side and wrapped himself in it. His chest was tight and his head fell. Iwazumi hated the fact he couldn't comfort Oikawa, or even ask what was wrong. The brunette would be too embarrassed to explain.

His body was still tense by the time he'd fallen asleep.