Monochromatic: Haikyuu Fanfic

Chapter 36: Now

Reluctance.

The walk home is far from quiet, not with Oikawa pissing Iwaizumi off with his usual teasing. Light and non-offensive, though it irked Iwaizumi just how cocky he is about his chocolates. Fukui's mouth is shut the way home however, eyes fixed on the sunset they were heading towards. Contemplating. Thinking.

Iwaizumi's home is just the street that crosses with Oikawa and Fukui's. He waves goodbye curtly to both of them, sparing Fukui an urging, knowing look and then splits ways with the two.

This is it.

It's not exactly fun to even think about giving him chocolate when the boxes pile all the way up to the bottom of his chin. Light shuffling sounds of the chocolates hitting the boxes further spirals Fukui into a hole of indecisive-ness. She's so bothered by harmless Giri chocolate that it's actually amusing.

Does he really need my shitty chocolate? He'll probably just throw it away... Might as well as eat it myself. I even made it... Chocolate is good after all... Especially those white chocolate ones... Ah - focus, Umeko! Should I give it or not... Give... Or not... Give... Or not...

"Ume-chan?" Oikawa catches her line of thought, concerned for his friend. Fukui's doubting face is comical, face twisting into ones that could be easily confused with a sick dog. "...don't tell me you ate that sketchy melon pan the school serves... That stuff gave Mattsun an upset stomach!"

"Wha -" Fukui stutters because wait holy shit she had that for lunch - "...Are you kidding me."

She throws her head back in frustration - hands slapping her face as she groans. She doesn't feel anything in her stomach - not yet at least, and that just adds on to the list of things that makes this day stressful. But that is not the point - that is not the intention she is heading for.

Might as well as rid one thing from the list and just get it over with.

With a sigh, she halts from walking, and soon Oikawa did too, giving her a questioning look as she quickly scuffles in her bag and yanks out the chocolates and gave it to him. She didn't spare him a single chance to speak up nor dare look at his eyes. After that, they just continued walking. And Fukui could feel the weight lift off her bones. Hey, that wasn't so bad -

"...So," Oikawa says dumbly, breaking the silence. "...Who are these from?"

Of all the most stupidest, most incoherently dense questions one can ever form just slipped from his mouth with ease. Well,Fukui couldn't blame him - she did say that she wasn't giving anyone chocolates today. Not to mention, he received chocolates from her that came from others, so he just assumed this one must be from someone else.

Fukui answers, tone deadpanned, "me. I know you already have a lot, but take it still."

"Huh. Thanks." The reaction she receives is lackluster. Even so, it's still better than a negative reaction. Admittedly, he startled at the kind gesture, and to be honest, he shouldn't be. Fukui gave him that reaction time ball as a present for Christmas - an oddly structured ball that bounces unpredictably when dropped. Friends so that kind of thing: give and receive. But sometimes, it feels like Fukui is doing all the giving. Even now.

Foolish as it sounds to the Future Oikawa - different from the way he is now - is that the present Oikawa is simply thankful to have Fukui as a friend. While Iwaizumi is there to always keep him level headed and prevent him from rash descisions, Fukui balances everything out through her encouragement, and kindhearted personality. Never could he outweigh one from the other - each one heavily influences in how he molded in his childhood years. And boy, is he thankful to have a gentle Fukui (for the most part in the least) to cancel out Iwaizumi's brute personality.Gratefulness washes him for he has Fukui's support despite her usual quips, always there for silly advice and encouragement. He couldn't ask for anything more than to be her friend.

At least, for now.

"By the way," Fukui pauses for a sec, as if trying to recall something, "that's - the chocolate -"

"...it's -ah- Honmei."

Oikawa's footing catches off-beat and nearly stumbles over on her nonchalant words because hello what did she just say...? Oh my god, that's Honmei chocolate from his best friend! He can't simply accept this - oh my - what would she say would she get mad at him? Would they stop talking to each other? He can't have that! Also, he doesn't feel the same, does he? No - there's Ayame he couldn't possibly... He doesn't want to break Fukui's heart either -she's his childhood friend! Why is this this all so sudden -

"H... Honmei...?" Oikawa stutters.

Without a trace of blush on her face, Fukui nods, "yeah... It's what it's called in English right?" I made it from scratch... You know, at home. I was bored so might as well make something. I made some for Iwaizumi too."

Okinawa stops on his tracks, his pit of depression replaces with a hardened steel face. Fukui looks at questioningly.

"... Homemade. The English word you were talking about is homemade. Not Honmei."

Fukui's face lights up. "So that's the word I was looking for!"

She chuckles lightly and pats Oikawa in the back, "I knew there was something wrong with how I said it! It sounds so much like the Japanese Honmei!"

"Mou, Ume-chan," Oikawa whines, though in relief. Because forgive him he could not take breaking Ume-chan's heart. "You really need to work on your English!"

"I'm good at English!" She defends immediately, arms forming an X. "I read English books often. It's just the pronunciation that I'm poor at!"

"...Besides, who needs English? We live in Japan!" She yells in the most 'well duh' voice one could muster. Heck, Oikawa swears she sounds like the stubborn child she was - she barely changed in that aspect.

"Geh! Whatever!" He bickers back, "come on. Let's go eat your chocolates at your place."

"Why share it with me?"

"You might've put food poisoning in it! I'm not taking chances!"

"Oikawa, I swear to the damned heavens," Fukui says exasperatingly, "you are so insufferable that it's tempting for me to sock you in in the face right now."

"Mean! Ume-chan! Mean!"