"you're here..." oikawa said as he stood there, door open wide just staring at the man in front of him, one that he had been dying to see once again. iwaizumi's expression was unreadable, or was it? oikawa could swear that he was also happy to see him but he also looked a bit scared. his eyes were somewhat tired with bags under them, yet the corners of his lips curled forming a smile.

"of course i am, i said i'd come over, didn't i?" iwaizumi spoke, the tone of his voice was rather soft, quiet, but just enough to put a smile on oikawa's face, his hands shaking in excitement. oikawa finally gathered himself, moving out of the doorway to invite the other in. 

"yes you did, i would have been real upset if you skipped out on me. now, come in, come in" he ushered iwaizumi in, who stepped inside with caution. he seemed to look around first, listening carefully to figure out whether or not someone was hiding inside. "what's up?"

"oh, just checking whether those idiots are here" iwaizumi answered, finally setting down the suspicious bag he had been holding on the ground. 

"do you really think i would let them ruin my night? no way" oikawa chuckled and gestured iwaizumi to follow him into the living room. the situation this time was different, last time oikawa didn't care about anything, whether his apartment was clean or whether he had food in the fridge, he was simply freezing and astounded from meeting iwaizumi for the first time.

but now everything mattered. everything had to be perfect. he had cleaned his apartment, he had gone shopping and invested in some nice led lights just so the blinding ceiling lights would no longer hurt their eyes. all that had to be done before iwaizumi came over. 

"so, you invited me, but what are we going to do?" iwaizumi suddenly turned to oikawa, his expression, this time, for sure unreadable.

"oh, i was thinking food, talk, tv show and sleep" oikawa answered cheerfully, trying to hide his increased heartbeat by tapping his fingers on the counter. who knows if iwaizumi can hear it, better not risk it.

"hmm..." iwaizumi hummed for a second making oikawa's heart go into unhealthy palpitations, the last thing he wanted was for iwaizumi to be bored. "i mean, i don't watch a lot of tv so this is gonna be nice" he finished his sentence.

oikawa almost let out a celebratory shriek but controlled himself enough, he gave iwaizumi a smile before peering inside the mystery bag. "what's here?"

"oh, i thought we could cook something and also brought some snacks and drinks" iwaizumi started taking stuff out. a bottle of soda as well as a small bottle of vodka, for cocktail purposes, grapes, chips, crackers, and various food products. "i didn't buy everything, i sort of assumed you would have the rest"

"what are we making?" oikawa took a step closer to iwaizumi, testing his bounds and how close he can get before iwaizumi feels a disturbance in his personal space. so far so good.

"well, i saw this kicking indian chicken recipe. do you have uh, onions and rice? i think i got everything else? oh! and garlic!" iwaizumi turned to oikawa, who had taken yet another step towards him, now so close their arms were basically touching, though, he didn't seem bothered at all.

oikawa thought for a second before rushing to his drawers and what not, checking what he had and what not. "rice... rice! check. okay, garlic, i see garlic.... onions.... onions.... onions.... i don't think i have onions" oikawa said as he turned to iwaizumi. "crucial?"

"yes, very. the stores are still open, wanna go? we can also get some wine" iwaizumi tried to calm oikawa down, who was slowly transitioning into panic mode. onions! freaking onions is what is his downfall? he blames shrek for this.

"yes! yes, please. you're okay with that? i can go on my own!" oikawa panicked, not wanting to ruin the evening.

"i will go with, it might be fun. plus, it's dark and dangerous." iwaizumi let out a chuckle that made oikawa freeze in his place. 

there really is something about this man. something that oikawa cannot help but like and appreciate. he isn't just someone. he isn't someone he just maybe likes. no. it goes deeper than that. something about the way he treats him and the way he talks to him that makes his heart beat at a steady rate. yes, racing hearts are good and all, but the moment he settles down and truly listens to the tone of iwaizumi's voice - he relaxes. he falls into a trance unlike any other and floats.

iwaizumi's rough, yet gentle fingers and hands brush against parts of his body just slightly but its always more than enough for him to feel just how truly soft this man is. and now, staring at him under dim light, his fingers tapping softly on the counter as he waits for oikawa to get ready, just makes oikawa feel like, perhaps, iwaizumi is some one who he has been waiting for - someone who won't cross his boundaries and someone who will love him for who he is - someone who won't mind a workaholic but still wait for him late in the night, just so they can cuddle as they fall asleep.

the timbre of his voice carried oikawa out the door and into the street, on the sidewalk closer and closer to the store. iwaizumi was just telling him stories from work, nothing too intricate or interesting but to oikawa it felt like gentle floating on a soft raft in a middle of a warm sea with waves just slowly pushing him towards the beach.

they exchanged some words in the store, buying onions and chips, more drinks and mineral water for a hangover they were bound to experience, but to oikawa this would perhaps be the first night with drinks he wouldn't regret. all the other that included him getting drunk never ended well, so this time he couldn't help but be excited.

as iwaizumi paid and they left the store, the air felt more chill than usual.

"ah wait, i need to buy something else, do you mind waiting?" iwaizumi suddenly looked inside the bag and back to oikawa.

"no no, let me hold and go in!" oikawa encouraged him and watched as he ran back into the store. 

one minute. two minutes. the clock kept ticking away.

"hey you!" a voice shouted in between the howls of the wind. two figured were approaching oikawa who was just standing near a closed bakery.

"excuse me?" oikawa asked, slightly shaken and feeling his anxiety kick in.

"i know you from somewhere. i feel like i've seen you before" the men walked up, dress in ragged clothes and smelling purely like alcohol and cigarettes, in short, like a dumpster.

"i highly doubt it." oikawa looked away. he didn't expect one of the men to grab his face and turn it towards himself, his dry skin almost dug into his chin.

"it's you, i know you, you had a fling with aku" the man spoke again, the name alone made shivers run down oikawa's spine as the memory, or rather the nightmare, of that man still haunted his nights.

"please go away." oikawa managed to contain his whimper and his tears but the fear was kicking in and every millisecond he was praying for iwaizumi to come and save him.

the second man grabbed his hand, making his drop the bag of groceries he had been holding, with his back already against a wall, he had nowhere to run. the first man then placed his hand on oikawa's waist as he leaned in. "he told us what you're into" he whispered into oikawa's ear before dragging his disgusting tongue along it.

one second he was standing there, pinning him against the wall - another second he was on the ground, gasping for air as iwaizumi's furious form stood there, breathing heavily. you know how in some western movies, when a bull is angered he exhales some air and it disappears into the cold air before the bull charges the enemy? that's exactly how iwaizumi looked like just before he punched the second man, still holding oikawa's hand in the stomach, making his gasp for air as well as he went down on his knees.

what followed, in oikawa's eyes, was a blood-thirsty fight where the only winner was obvious from the start. there was blood spilling, bones cracking, shouts, screams and whimpers of pain, words in between sniffling and begging iwaizumi to stop - oikawa stood there for a while, in shock before putting his hand on iwaizumi's back and whispering:

"please, let's go home."

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good day sunshines, how yall doin?

-hatari