Haikyuu - Second Best Choice (Iwaizumi x Female Reader)

Chapter Forty - Under His Roof

Iwaizumi's POV

I walk faster, cut through our neighbor's tall grass, until I'm standing in front of him. Haru looks up when he feels my cold shadow. In between his shaking arms, Akio sleeps comfortably- the baby unbothered by the cold night.

"Why are you outside?" I come down to my knees, dropping my bags next to me. I grab his cheek and examine his face. Haku's nose is red from blowing boogers, his eyes puffy from crying, and a dark-red bruise slapped on his cheek that infuriates me, makes my blood boil as countless scenarios form in my head, all which end with a dead motherfucker.

Instead of answering, his diminutive eyes become glossy as they fill with tears. His mouth parts, releasing a heart-wrenching cry. Surrendering to his emotions, he allows his head to fall on my shoulder, his cries echoing loudly. My arm immediately wraps around his tiny body, and without knowing what happened, my eyes too brim with unshed tears.

"You are safe, Haru," My whisper cracks as a knot forms in my throat. I caress his head, comforting him about the situation, "I'm going to take care of you, promise..."

"He slapped me," Haru says, his voice tiny, "Came into the room and kicked me out."

By he I'm sure he refers to the owner of the car, Mom's customer.

"Did he do anything else?" I swallow and tremble as I await an answer. Not that a yes response would be anything new. Some of the men Mom brings aren't decent. It explains a lot of Haru's problems with people.

"He pinched my ear," My little brother replies in innocence between sobs, misinterpreting my question.

"Come on," I stand up and reach over so he can grab my hands. His tiny fingers wrap around my pinky keeping the human touch to a minimal. I've learned to find this small gesture more heartwarming than any proper hug.

I open the door and walk inside, the smell of cigarettes intoxicating as it hits my face. Haru walks behind me slowly, all his weight dragged by one fingertip.

"Haru," We stop in front of our room's door and I come down to one knee so we can make eye contact, he doesn't look at me though, instead, he stares at the ceiling, "Go inside and lock the door," I say, "Don't come outside no matter what, okay?"

"Mhm..." He shakes his head like he has done countless times.

I wait for him to walk past the door and close it slowly behind him, the click of the turning lock satisfying. For a couple of seconds, I think whether I should proceed to do what all the anger inside of me is shouting at me to do or follow my brothers and help them fall asleep. The answer is clear though, because both of those options can coexist.

I place one foot in front of the other heading towards Mom's room at the end of the hallway. As a kid, the hall seemed to expand forever, but now that my head is closer to the ceiling than to the floor, my shaking hands have been replaced with closed fist and white knuckles.

"Yo!" I knock on the door three times, somehow managing to control the bubbling anger. I hear them react to my voice, their shifting bodies make the bed squeak. The deep voice tells my Mom, "Make them leave." As if this weren't my own home, a house I pay to keep afloat.

"Open the motherfucking door!" This time, I slam my palm against the wooden door.

There is movement inside the room and seconds later, the door is swung open to reveal a random man in his underwear. He is slightly taller than me, yet he looks down as if I were at the level of his knees.

"Get out of my house," I stay calm.

"No, kid," He pokes the side of my shoulder hard enough to make my shoulder blade jerk backwards, "You are the one that has to leave."