Pinky-promise Vol 2 (Iwaizumi Hajime x Reader)

[5/10]

Iwaizumi

When I told her that, her eyes watered. I felt like a real jerk because I made her cry. She didn't deserve to cry, and if it were Oikawa that made her cry, I am sure I would have punched him, but I couldn't just hit myself like that in front of everyone. That would openly show my insanity to people. I'm not saying I am insane, I just want to make sure that even if I were it stays hidden as long as possible. I wasn't really sure what to do when her eyes turned all glossy and pink. I didn't know what I did wrong in the first place, much less how to fix it. I must have looked ridiculously scared because she actually chuckled. "Oh my God, Iwa, don't stare at me like I just grew a second head!" She said, still chuckling, and pushed my shoulder. It was such a relief to see her laugh. I still didn't know why she cried, but I'm glad that it's not something very serious.

"Why are you crying?" Her chuckling ceased and she looked back down at the ground. "I didn't expect you to... Give me space. Most people just bombard me with questions and then get angry when I don't answer." It made me sad that she expected me to be so aggressive towards her. Aggression goes beyond physical or verbal violence, it is in every pressing look, in every boundary you overstep, and it pained me that she felt such aggression. If one person didn't deserve it, then it is her. 

"Then those people are not meant to know. Listen, (L/N), I just want to be your friend. If that leads to you opening up, that would be great, because I'm slightly hurt you ran away, but if it doesn't, I just have to deal with it then." I'm pretty sure when I said that, her eyes watered again, but she blinked the tears back quickly and nodded her head. I didn't know what it meant, but hope sparked in my stomach. Hell, I would have taken anything she gives me, even if it's just conversing with her every other day. "Don't be disappointed if you have to deal with it, though." She said, giving me another chuckle, before looking up. 

I'm not sure how she did it, but she managed to send my brain into overdrive with just a look. Her eyes had something so attractive in them, and I don't even mean the beauty of their color. They are literally pulling you in. They had their own gravity, they had their own immeasurable depth. And I don't even know what is it about her eyes. 

"I'll try not to be, but I can't promise anything." 

"As long as you promise not to ask questions." She pushed her hand towards me, pinky stuck towards my face, eyebrows pulled up towards her hairline in expectation. I couldn't help but shake my head at her. "Pinky-promise? Isn't that a bit childish?" I asked her, but I never intended on not swearing to her that I wouldn't ask her questions. She shrugged her shoulders. 

"I believe all relationships should be based on trust, and there is no way to establish the simplicity of trust that pinky-promise. You break that promise on things so small you can pinky-promise, then I'm not sure I can expect you to keep your promise relating bigger things. Besides, if I have to threaten you to do or not to do something, that creates toxicity." I honestly didn't expect her to go that deep into it, but I liked the way she thought. It made sense. I quickly wrapped my pinky around her finger and shook her hand. 

"No questions?" I asked, making her smile. "No questions." She concluded and with a shake let go of my finger. We got off the ground, brushing our clothes off, and then slowly made our way back to the quad. There was a comfortable silence that settled between us, and I just decided to bask in it. Compared to Oikawa, I didn't need to be away from her to have peace. I stole a glance at her and saw her look up at me briefly. "Why didn't you try out for the volleyball team?" She asked, holding my gaze. "We agreed on no questions." 

I couldn't help it. Especially when she rolled her eyes, and a small smirk danced on her face. "Wasn't that just for me?" 

"And how are we supposed to have equality in this relationship in that case?" Teasing her just came naturally. I wasn't the one to do that usually. I hated teasing because it was tiring and slowed down conversations, but seeing her slightly frustrated yet amused was just so satisfying. "Iwa, I'm sure we can make the balance some other way." 

"Fine." I sighed in false defeat, and put my hands in my pockets. "There are too many good players here. I just wouldn't stand a chance with them around." She suddenly stopped walking, grabbing my elbow. When I looked at her, her eyebrows were furrowed and she was very confused. "What are you talking about? You're freaking brilliant, and reliable, and an amazing motivation for your teammates. I may not have experience with team sports, but I've seen enough of your games to know just how talented and valuable you are." 

I had to admit, her little speech did boost my ego a bit, but it still didn't change my mind. "There are people here who are ranked top 5 in Japan, there are people here who have played and still do play for the Japanese national teams. I cannot possibly come close to that." Her eyebrows were still deeply knit together, but her confusion was replaced by some sort of anger. She glared at me as if to discipline me. "Listen here, and listen well. Those people may have had their chances to prove themselves, they may have had people behind their back who pushed them into beyond their limits. I really don't want to hear you putting yourself down because you weren't born rich or in the best prefecture in Japan so you could go to the volleyball powerhouses." I must say, her speech left me at an absolute loss for words. She had so much faith and confidence in me that I felt bad for not trying out. I felt bad for letting her down. She must have sensed my feelings because she squeezed my arm and took a step closer, her warmth wrapping around me. 

"And don't you dare feel like you're disappointing someone. We're all very proud of you. I am very proud of you."