The Underground

tequila mockingbird

You gulped, "No, not really."

His teeth gritted and you could almost see steam coming out of his ears. In a quick motion, he gripped your arm and led you down the hall towards his room. He shoved you inside as he shut the door behind him.

With enlarged eyes and shaky bones, you watched him lock the door and step towards you. Gingerly, you stepped backwards till your lower back was against his dresser. He eyed you with fury before turning around again.

You realized you were still in your, for the lack of better words, revealing dress from tonight. He walked back and before you could push him away and run, he handed you his sweatpants and a hoodie you recognized as Oikawa's.

"Here," he said in a low voice, "you look cold and Oikawa left his hoodie in the car. You can change in the bathroom. I'll order us those fries you like."

A little astounded by his chivalry, you crassly nodded, heading towards the bathroom of his suite. As you changed, you thought about why Iwaizumi wasn't yelling at you more, or at all, for that matter. You were expecting some kind of lecture or him wagging his finger in your face as he scolded you for sneaking out of the captain's room that late in the evening.

You washed your face too, using the complimentary makeup wipes the hotel provided. Although it felt like sandpaper against your skin, it still felt like a breath of fresh air wiping away your tear-stained makeup and getting into comfortable clothes.

Once you were finally in a lax state, you came out of the bathroom to see Iwaizumi setting down the receiver of the hotel phone. When you heard the click of the receiver settling on the landline, you hugged yourself as an attempt to feel Oikawa's warmth from his hoodie.

Iwaizumi grabbed your hand and sat you down in one of the single seaters by the window, the room was still dark. He took his place in the seat next to you and you both faced the view of Yokohama's skyline.

"Why were you crying?" Iwaizumi asked.

"Iwa, I wasn't—"

"Don't pull that crap with me," Iwaizumi snapped. "Did that Shittykawa say something to you?"

You interlocked your fingers together, staring at them in your lap while you answered, "No, well, not exactly. We had a little argument before I left, and I just want to make it right."

"You're lucky I'm the one to catch you sneak out of his room," he sighed.

"You . . . know?" you asked in disbelief.

"I've known since the night you joined the organization," Iwaizumi said. "Also, Oikawa never shuts up about you. You're all he ever talks about, he seems happy. I mean genuinely happy, I've never seen a pure smile on his face until you came along. That's why he was pretty upset today and tried drowning in tequila."

You wilted in your seat, "I didn't mean to hurt him. It's just—"

"You want answers," he interrupted. "I get that, any normal person would want to know about their own family secrets and the past of their partner. Oikawa is a strange specimen to say the least. He's had a rough past which makes it hard for him to talk about it. Why do you think he acts like a dumbass all the time?"

A sigh left your mouth, "I just want him to be honest. I don't like being kept in the dark. As for the whole 'I love you' thing, I really do love him, Iwa. If I was having doubts about it before, I know where I stand now. That video camera left little to the imagination of his struggles with trying to keep me safe the past year."

"You saw that?" his brows raised.

You raised your brows, too, "You know about the camcorder?"

He nodded, "Yeah, he's only told me about it. I've never actually seen any of the tapes. He got wasted tonight, so wasted that he seduced the bartender to give him bottles of vodka. He drank whatever bottle she let him get his hands on."

"He what?" you quizzed.

He waved his hand dismissively, "Leave that for another day. Maybe you should talk to him about the videos tomorrow. He might end up opening up to you after he hears you care about him, too."

"Do you know his past?" you queried, trying your best to move on from the fact Oikawa flirted with another girl at the bar even if it was for a selfish reason.

Iwaizumi tilted his chin up, "Yes, but it's not my place to tell you. It makes more sense for him to tell you what you want to know. He won't admit it but," he paused to smile, "falling in love with you is helping him find his humanity again."

Tears pricked along your waterline, "Iwa, you're going to make me cry again."

He patted your back with a light chuckle before clenching his jaw in a serious expression, "Tell me your feelings for him are strong, too. Are they?"

You beamed, "Well, let's put it like this. Do you ever look at someone and your heart does a flip because of how in love you are? Like I mean love . . . in love with the way they look, the way they are passionate about something, the way they make you feel, the way they complain about something as stupid as not having enough sugar in their coffee," you giggled as you remembered your first time meeting Oikawa in the book café and that he scolded you for not having enough sugar cubes in your drink. "The way they whine when you tease them, the way they tease you," you continued rambling. "The way their eyes sparkle when they look at something they're amazed by, the way they laugh, the way they smile, like, everything about that person is just so perfect to you and it makes your heart race and cheeks burn. I've always wanted that. And now, Tooru is that person to me."

You smiled as your thumbs played with the hem of the captain's hoodie. A sense of relief washing over you once you finally put your feelings into words, although the sentiment itself was confusing. Iwaizumi's gaze was warm as his mouth trailed up at the corners.

"You should tell him all that," he advised. "I mean, he'll act like a total idiot, but he'll be happy at least."

"You're a good friend to him, Iwa," you beamed, "and to me, too."

His posture tensed at your proclamation, he choked on his breath as you threw your arms around him in an embrace.

"I'm glad I have Tooru in my life, but I'm just as happy to have you. I feel like I have a brother again."

Iwaizumi's heart dropped, he wasn't one for hugs and cuddles, but he could allow it—just this once. He pulled you closer and rubbed small circles on your back as you listened to his breathing.

"I need to tell you what happened tonight," you pulled away after a minute and solemnly looked into his eyes.

A knock on the door cut you off, Iwaizumi got up and went to grab the room service he had ordered for you both. He made his way back holding a tray of fries and two sodas. He set them down as he sank back into the loveseat.

"What did you want to tell me?" he quizzed while flicking a soda can open for you.

After taking a deep breath, you explained the events of tonight. About how you and your unsuspecting loved ones had a fancy dinner with Suguru Daishou, essentially initiating him into the family. With a lump in your throat, you explained how he knew who you were, he knew about you tapping his emails and downloading his personal data. Daishou knew about your brother, your affiliation with Helix and Oikawa. You wrapped it up with explaining the terms of your agreement with the Nohebi leader about the payment plan with Shiratorizawa's head Ushijima.

"Wow," Iwaizumi stared at you with a dumbfounded expression.

You didn't spare any words and neither did he. He stroked his chin as he apprehensively gaped through the window.

"It's alright," he finally stated. "We'll see what happens tomorrow. Don't worry, alright?"

You tentatively nodded as you stood up, "Okay, I'll see you in the morning."

Iwaizumi stood up and followed you to the door, "About Oikawa, thanks for making him feel something again. He hasn't felt anything pure in a long time."

All you offered was a jaded smile, "Good night, Iwa."

You stood on your tippy toes to give him a quick peck on the cheek before you turned the corner to your room. Iwaizumi was glad it was dark because he couldn't even fathom what he would've done if you saw the pinch in his cheeks.