Insomnia

Chapter 2 - The food thief

"Loneliness - The one thing I am afraid of"

The most logical thing to do in that situation was to call someone on the house phone, tell them you're scared and something or someone was in the house. But, what did Oikawa do? He went downstairs to confront the person who was possibly a kidnapper because he thought it was a great idea.

"Well, if I die, I guess it's my fault" he said to himself. After being told multiple times on what to do in these situations and totally ignoring it, he was sure karma was going to kick his butt hard soon.

He tip-toed down the hallway as quietly as he could, making sure the floorboards didn't creek. From all the trips to the bathroom and sneaking downstairs to get a midnight snack, he became an expert of this.

Before long, he reached the end of the hallway. He looked down and saw that the bottom of the staircase was consumed by the darkness. He couldn't turn on the light, otherwise the intruder would notice that he was there. Oikawa gulped - There was no other choice but to keep the lights off. So, with all of his might and courage, he proceeded, ready to fight whatever was down there.

As he quietly made his way down, the noises became louder and louder. His heart thumped powerfully in his chest - what if it was a gigantic monster? What if it was a kidnapper who was extremely strong? There was no way he could fight let alone defend himself from people like them. 

A faint light shone out of the kitchen door. The sound of pots clattering and... packets of food opening(?) replaced the deathly silence. Someone must be hungry.

Oikawa giggled like it was the most funniest thing that has happened. A thief who chose to leave the valuable objects and instead stole food? - it was difficult for him to not laugh out so loud.

All of a sudden, he stumbled over a stack of boxes and crashed into the pile of pots and pans that were on the kitchen floor.

There, he finally knew what people meant when they say 'time stopped'.

The food thief looked at him with a surprised face. However, that face in mere seconds grew into a frightening one.

The boy stared at him. That  wasn't just a typical stare, that was the type of stare that looks directly into your soul.

After some intense moments , the thief quickly jumped through the window and dashed into the wood.

The moon glowed brightly, illuminating the cloudy night sky. The scenery was extrodinary, but all that he think of was those eyes. It felt like that person had unlocked all of his secrets and saw how lonely he was.

At the same time, Oikawa stared back at his piercing eyes. He didn't exactly see into his soul, but he knew that he felt lonely too.

Maybe that's why Oikawa decided to help him.

~

"Oikawa, sweetie, are all of these neccessary?" His mother had asked him whilst pointing at the mountain of groceries in the trolley.

"Yes mommy! I uh... need to grow big and strong so I can join the volleyball team!" he lied.

"I understand that you want to be a strong boy but there's other things you need to do! Like, exercise-"

"NO! I mean, um- I get really, and I mean REALLY hungry, mommy! It's probably because I'm growing so much."

"Well, if you insist... alright. I'll buy all of this. Make sure you don't waste any food - I don't want a stash of food left in the house when we go!"

"Yes, I promise!"

"By the way, sweetie, you look awfully tired - are you okay?"

"I'm fine!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure! I'll look as fresh as new next time, so don't worry!"

...

Yes. Oikawa had lied to his mother. Not once but twice.

He knew it was terrible thing to do so, but it would be strange to say that he was helping a thief in the night because he thought there was a connection between them.

...Yeah, that sounded weird.

~

It wasn't until a couple nights later that he came again. This time, he was more alert and cautious, making no unnecessary decisions.

Oikawa, on the other hand, was as clumsy as ever. He'd already trip over several objects(9 to be exact) on his way down to the kitchen. It was a surprise that no-one had heard him yet.

The gap between him and the kitchen was closing in. Fortunately, he managed to walk the last couple of steps without a  single failure.

As he peaked in, he saw the bright light from the fridge and a figure pilfering for food. Oikawa, whilst oblivious to the food thief, took the chance to study his features.

The other boy seemed fragile, like he was about to break at any moment. His knees were wobbly and his body was slightly swaying from side to side - he looked helpless and weak.

Oikawa wanted to comfort him and stay by his side but his feet were anchored to the ground. His movements were strangly constricted, so he remained where he was, hiding behind the door frame.

After a couple of minutes, the thief took his departure. Oikawa absent-mindedly walked towards the open windowsill and gazed at the sky.

Coward, he said to himself. How am I going to help him if I just hide in the shadows?

~

"Wait! I won't hurt you!"

"..."

"You can stay here for a bit, I wouldn't mind."

A confused look was plastered on the boy's face.

"Here, have some more - you look starving," Oikawa said gently as he held out another loaf of bread in front of him. Hesitantly, he reached for it before gobbling it all up in his mouth.

A quiet silence draped over them like a blanket. They looked down at the floor, unsure what to say next.

Finally, the boy broke the silence, "Why are you being so kind to me? All I've done was steal your food..."

Oikawa was about to speak but stopped himself - he chose his words carefully.

"Well, you seemed hungry and I couldn't just leave you there to starve,"

He glanced up and their eyes instantly locked. In his eyes, he saw emptiness and sadness .

"And... you look like you need someone."

Pain flashed in his eyes as he said those words. Even though it was meant for the boy and not for himself, his heart ached - maybe the words just hits close to home.

"Iwaizumi."

"...huh?"

"The name is Iwaizumi Hajime"

-----------

Sorry if it's quite bad - I was having a bit of trouble writing this chapter ^ - ^
Sophie_A xx