Sober | Iwaoi

8 | amare

a/n more notes at chapter end (edited)

"As we go on we remember
All the times we had together
And as our lives change
Come whatever
We will still be friends forever."

-Vitamin C

Iwaizumi's eyes barely registered the hunched figure on the front porch. He was alone, hands clasped, staring out into nothing. He calmed his breaths and climbed off the bike.

His steps were wobbly from relief. So he hadn't been in trouble. Iwaizumi stopped short in front of Oikawa, finally capturing his attention.

Oikawa was sober. There was a glass of orange juice beside him. His gaze was unwavering, almost longing.

"So you did come," Oikawa said flatly.

Iwaizumi could feel his eyes beginning to water. He whipped around quickly, turning to watch the street like Oikawa. His hands intertwined, flexing and stiffening. "You're sick for doing this to me." Iwaizumi's voice cracked. He cleared his throat and shuffled forwards, ready to leave. 

Oikawa reached out and grabbed his wrist. "I'm sorry."

Iwaizumi wiped his tears away, aware his face was red, and spun to face his friend. Oikawa looked tired: a mix between nights of exhaustion and days of acting. His eyes were dull and worn out. Perhaps it was this exposed Oikawa that made him change his mind. "You owe me so many things, you know? One of them for making me bike all the way out here this late."

Oikawa's lips tugged upwards at the corners. "I'll buy you a popsicle."

|||

They navigated the convenience store with ease, walking in silence towards the freezers in the back. It was cooler in here because of the air conditioning. Iwaizumi pulled his jacket closer towards him.

The gesture was a familiar one. When they were little, they'd gotten into the habit of betting on popsicles, or treating each other to popsicles when they knew that they had done something wrong. But it had been years since the last popsicle treaty, and the thought of it now made Iwaizumi warmer.

He gestured towards the small freezer (it had seemed monstrous when they were six) for Oikawa to take one. It was too cold for him, but he supposed Oikawa probably wanted it.

"Don't really feel like it," the taller boy admitted.

Iwaizumi rolled his eyes. "So you made me bike here for nothing?"

"Thought you might want one," he replied, hurt. Oikawa drummed his knuckles on the plastic cover, silent for a moment before turning around and grabbing a pack of chips. He made his way over to the counter and pulled out a 500 yen coin.

"You probably hate me now," Oikawa laughed tersely, "but can we be friends?"

Iwaizumi followed him back out the sliding doors and watched as his friend struggled to open the bag. He grabbed it from him and pulled it open easily. "I'm going to kill you if you ever do this again."

"So is that a yes?"

"Did I say yes?"

"You didn't say no."

Iwaizumi ignored him and handed back the bag. He clasped the handles of his bike and steered it back onto the sidewalk. Oikawa grabbed a chip and held it out for him to eat, which he did, reluctantly, since he was unable to let go of the handlebars. 

They walked for half a block in silence, in and out of the patches of streetlights. The cicadas in the bushes and trees chirped peacefully.

"So what else do I owe you?"

Iwaizumi trained his eyes on a light in the distance. "A few months' worths of good sets."

"Mean."

The air around them had turned tense. It had been, for the entire night, but now the obvious problem hung between them, desperate to be resolved.

Oikawa popped a few more chips in his mouth, then offered the same to Iwaizumi. "Do I owe you a kiss?" he brought up nonchalantly.

Iwaizumi almost spit out the chips. His face turned red, and he quickly shifted his head so that he was facing away from his friend. "What?"

"I thought we were over it."

Oikawa hadn't changed. Iwaizumi felt stupid that he'd expected him to. What would a few months do? "I'm not."

Oikawa cocked his head; he hadn't heard him. "Hm?"

"I'm not," he half-shouted, aware of the time. "I'm not joking, and I'm not over it. You can't even realize that?"

Oikawa stood frozen. Iwaizumi shook his head.

"Can I kiss you on the cheek then?" Oikawa offered hesitantly, after a few steps. He threw a few more chips in his mouth.

"Who's the one who likes guys here?"

"I missed you, Iwa-chan!" Oikawa exhaled, exasperated. "Why do you keep avoiding the subject?"

"Because you still don't understand! Do you like seeing me in pain? If you keep leading me on, I'll never get over it. Forget Nakano, I'll never be happy with any girlfriend that you get because every time I'm wishing it was me."

Oikawa had no reaction to the outburst. He straightened the bag, dropped the remains of the chips inside his mouth, and chewed thoughtfully. He then crinkled it and made his way to the garbage can near the playground.

After throwing it out, he walked over to the swings and sat down, swinging his legs even though they touched the ground. Iwaizumi parked his bike and leaned against the poles of the swing set.

"Then why don't you become the girlfriend?" Oikawa suggested suddenly. His eyes widened, pleased that he'd come up with such an idea.

It took a moment for Iwaizumi to realize what Oikawa was saying. "God, Shittykawa, you're so insensitive."

"After all that talk on not realizing the most blatant of things, I'd expect you to be a master, but I guess everyone's a hypocrite."

Iwaizumi regarded his friend, who was staring intently at a woman and her dog across the street. Oikawa's face was dead serious, except for a hint of a smile that Iwaizumi suspected was more amusement than cruel. And he should know because he'd seen that face since he was five.

"Oikawa, you're- that's such a shitty way to ask someone out."

Oikawa's eyes slid back to Iwaizumi, and the faint smile opened into a grin. "Worked on you, though."

Because I'm desperate, and I've loved you for so long now. "I didn't even say yes," he smirked.

"You're thinking it, I can tell. I know you love me, Iwa-chan." Except this time, his voice wasn't mocking, and he was smiling like Iwaizumi had just told him he'd won the lottery.

Iwaizumi hopped on his bike and watched Oikawa stare at him. "I'll think about it," he said. "Get on."

Oikawa let out a sound of protest. "I swear I'm not using you for revenge or whatever you're thinking. It's been three years, right? You think I wouldn't notice? I can't let three years of kissing go to waste."

Iwaizumi winced. "Stop bringing it up." Oikawa climbed on gingerly behind him, and Iwaizumi began pedalling.

"Waiting for you to ask was a stupid idea. Iwa-chan's a chicken," Oikawa muttered.

a/n hello everyone! I'm aware I have not written anything in two? months? I can't really blame anything but my lack of motivation. you know when you outline a good 20 pages and then realize 75% of it is character backstory? (okay but actually I have been planning my au, so these two months weren't completely wasted).

anyways I was rereading this fic yesterday and realize I ended it really badly. I'll fix it now, and hopefully this cures my incentive to write. :)