Pinky-promise Vol 2 (Iwaizumi Hajime x Reader)

[7/10]

Iwaizumi

I'm surprised she agreed to play tennis with me. I was also very shocked when she didn't protest much when I gave her that racket. But there was definitely something wrong there. My guess was that she had an injury because every time she had to get the ball on the right side, she was two seconds slower. I knew it was far-fetched, but she was a professional. She had every school begging for her to attend before, there was no other reason why she wouldn't play tennis anymore. I couldn't ask her, though, because it was clearly a very sour topic for her.

It made me happy every time she laughed at my failure, and I started faking much of the fails even though I was grasping the ropes pretty quickly. It made me so happy because her head would fall backward and she had that bubbly laugh that was very unusual and made you laugh with her not because the situation was funny, but because her laughter definitely was. It was also satisfying to see glimpses of what I was so used to seeing back in high school. Refreshing even. She definitely had that refreshing feeling to her.

What was even more surprising than her agreeing to my constant pestering, was when she invited me for a walk through the park. It wasn't out of the blue as you might think. I was walking around the quad after volleyball practice and spotted her with some girl that kept talking. Her arms were moving animatedly and she had a very tense looking face. The moment I saw them, both froze.

"Iwa! You're here already! Sorry I was late." From the way she walked towards me with haste, running away from the pestering girl, I knew I had to play along. It was either that or the intense glare she gave me. I nodded my head, not quite knowing what to do. "Bye, Miyako. I'll see you in class." She waved at the girl that seemed disappointed she lost a talking partner. Or listening. Not sure.

The moment she came close to me, she wrapped her arms around mine and she pulled me towards the park. "You are a gift from God, Iwa. I would have killed myself if I had to hear another thing about her overly dramatic breakup. And I thought I was theatrical!" She sounded exasperated. I felt myself smirk, even though I usually wouldn't have. "I always thought you were not that mean." She just shrugged, letting go of my arm the moment we stepped off the concrete. "We all have our limits."

We were silent for the rest of the walk. I still had my bag with me, and it was bothering me slightly that I wouldn't get to wash my clothes immediately, but I guess walking with her was worth it.

"I'm sorry." She whispered once we were lost deep in the park, no one around. "It's fine. I don't mind hanging out with you." I said, nudging her shoulder lightly, thinking she felt like she was bothering me. "No, Iwa. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't talk to you or (Bff/N). I ghosted you completely. I'm also sorry I ran away from you. I know you must have felt awful afterward."

I couldn't believe she was actually apologizing for that. I still don't know why she did it, and I'm sure she's aware of it, and because she couldn't explain, she had to apologize. Even though she really didn't need to. I told her that, but she was very insistent.

"No. I need you to know that I am sorry. I am also sorry I'm still not able to tell you why, nor do I think I ever will be." I had to stop her. Most people are very aware of negative and toxic people around them, but can never notice when they are being toxic for themselves. She was extraordinarily toxic for herself, and I had to stop it. "Hey, hey." I cut her off, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her lightly, just enough to bring her back to present. "You have every right to keep things to yourself. You have every right to ignore me if you believe I would harm you any way. Please, do not apologize for that." She stayed silent, staring right into my eyes. I had to say something else, she was expecting me to do so, but I just couldn't. There were no words that could express how sad it made me that she blamed herself for only taking care of her own well-being. It hurt me to see her being so self-destructive. So, I didn't say anything. I just pulled her in, wrapping my arms tightly around her smaller form, pressing her close to my chest. I don't usually hug people. I'm not the keenest on physical contact, and I definitely do not initiate it. It was very helpful having people like Oikawa around for so long because he knew the exact amount of contact I could stand. But in this situation, I really felt no other way to express how I felt.

She was surprised at first. Her hands were pressed against my abdomen, but after a moment, she wrapped her arms around me, too, pulling herself even closer. It was seconds before I felt something liquid touch my shirt, and her shoulders shake. She was crying. Once again, I was lost. I didn't know what to do, so I just tightened my grip on her and let her cry. Sometimes, all we need to do is cry.

She cried for a long time, silently and motionlessly. I just rested my head on top of hers and waited, also silent and motionless. It was a very emotional moment, and I am sure that if I were any more similar to Oikawa, I would have cried my eyes out, too. I wasn't. Which was a good thing, because she didn't need me breaking down, too. She just needed someone strong to hold her and show her that she is safe and alright. I was willing to be that for her. I was actually willing to be anything she wanted me to be, but she didn't necessarily need to know that. No harm in hiding some of our feelings every once in a while, I guess.