apocalypse

Sorrow

Songs: Truce - Twenty One Pilots and Just One Yesterday - Fall Out Boy

The past two months had passed in a flash of fear and dread.

Even though Iwaizumi had begged Tooru to sleep in their room, Oikawa had refused. He had slept on the couch for weeks, and he only spoke to Hajime when it was absolutely necessary. Every time he tried to bring up that night two months ago, Oikawa shut him down almost immediately.

Although his relationship with Tooru had gotten nowhere, the assignment from Nakashi loomed over all their heads. Kuroo had gotten the bombs from Nakashi that morning and he had given them strict orders to detonate them the next day. Even though he had known this day would eventually come, Hajime hadn't expected to feel this nervous.

"Bokuto and Akaashi are in charge of picking up the captors on their way to work. Make sure to be discreet about it," Kuroo said from his place in front of the couch.

"That's pretty self-explanatory don't you think?" Akaashi said, rolling his eyes.

"For you maybe. Bokuto might need an extra warning about it though."

"It was one time!" Bokuto complained, throwing his hands up in defense.

"Yeah, that 'one time' almost cost us our lives," Akaashi said, playfully slapping Bokuto on the shoulder.

The two of them had a friendship the others didn't quite understand. They needed each other. Bokuto needed Akaashi to bring him down to earth, and Akaashi needed Bokuto to lift him up from whatever hell he was in. Hajime always admired just how beautiful their friendship really was.

"Kenma, you're our detonator. Pull the van into the back alley beside the parking garage, and I'll radio you when you can start the timer. Iwa, Oikawa, and I should be back at the car by the time the bomb goes off. If not, don't stop the bomb. Rather a few of us be dead than all of us," he said. The matter-of-factness of his words surprised Iwaizumi.

"According to our patrols, there will be two security guards at the entrance. I'll take them both down and gather hostages in a room together and tie them up. While I do that, Iwa and Oikawa will set up the bombs. Got it?" he continued.

Oikawa shook his head from beside Hajime. "Can't Iwa stay in the car with Kenma? For this one time at least?"

Hajime looked over, his eyes wide. "Tooru, I don't need to stay in the car. I'm not a child."

"I'm not saying that. I just-"

"You don't get a say in what I do. As of the last few months, you've wanted nothing to do with me, so don't pretend to care so much," Hajime said coldly.

Tooru was visibly hurt, his lips quaking slightly. "You know that's not-"

"Shut up, Oikawa. Iwaizumi isn't staying in the car, so stop being selfish. We all have people we care about. You aren't the only one wanting to protect Iwaizumi. If I had it my way, we wouldn't be doing this shit at all. When you're ordered to do something around here, you better fucking do it, or you're dead. Why is that so hard to understand?"

"I get it but-"

"No. There's no 'but' about it. Iwaizumi is a part of this group now, and he's going to pull his weight. And I don't know what's been going on between the two of you lately, but you'd better fix it before tomorrow. Iwaizumi is one of us, so get used to his life being in danger," Tetsuro explained, his eyes narrowing.

Tooru shrunk into himself, his hands shaking with frustration.

After that, Kuroo went over countless details of the mission. Iwaizumi was assigned the second floor, and Kuroo showed him how to set up the bomb. As the night went by, Hajime found himself wondering whether or not he actually had the guts to pull this off. Could he kill a whole building full of people? Then again, they were the ones who had murdered Tooru's parents, right? If he was being honest with himself, he doubted that fact more and more as the mission got closer.