❝twelve❞

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"and who is this?" an elderly struts to the two teenagers sitting on top of the stairs. his face entitled with dignity for someone of that age. his wrinkled face showed no facade as he holds a warming smile. tadashi looks back, his face lighting up with unspeakable joy. iwaizumi notes. 

"he's a partner for a project." tadashi gestures to the man beside him, his fingers lingering in the air after the words leave his mouth. iwaizumi tentatively raises his hand to wave. 

"oh don't be so formal." grandpa grimaces as he bends over to sit down. out of instinct and maybe compassion, iwaizumi holds the elderly man with his hands clamped to the other's arm. he feels gratefulness from the old man rush to his fingers. he eases the other to the ground softly. iwaizumi sits down soon after. 

tadashi smiles. 

"thank you, son." grandpa was always nice to everyone. but tadashi can read his beloved grandfather than anyone he knows. and that twinkle of gratitude that is in his unusual. a facade was greeted to other people that had intruded into tadashi's life. his grandfather had somehow predicted that they could not be trusted. and he was eerily right single time. 

and now, a true smile tilted his grandpa's lips. 

tadashi is scared now. 

"so young sir, what's your name?" grandpa yamaguchi brings his knees to his chest, huggin them tightly yet gently. tadashi is very confused. 

"iwaizumi hajime, sir." a polite and formal reply twirls from iwaizumi's lips. tadashi slits his eyes in frustration. 

"iwaizumi hajime...... a pretty name." grandpa mumbles quietly to himself. 

"it's late. how about you stay over for the night?" despite the unheard protests projecting from the illumination of tadashi's face, anko decides to ignore him. her baby needs friends, good ones to be exact. 

"um.....no offense, but my stepmother would be angry." iwaizumi flashes an apologetic smile, raising his hands to show that he isn't guilty. anko raises an accusing eyebrow. 

"fine, next time, you're staying for dinner. my roast beef is so tasty." anko proudly flips her hair, her hands resting on her hips. tadashi aggressively shakes his head to substitute the lie that has sub-consciously left his mother's lips. 

tadashi quiets down as he walks iwaizumi to the door. 

"see you at school." tadashi waves with his fingers. 

"hajime." 

tadashi's face is questioning. 

"call me hajime." hajime shoulders his bag and fades as he dissolves into the night. a burning velvet escalates in tadashi's cheeks. 

tadashi smiles. and then quickly frowns, shoving his face on the oak door. he feels weird. 



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