Chapter Text
He has always known about his family’s curse. In fact, in haste, he had made a promise when he was younger to never bother with romantic feelings. Perhaps that way he can escape being short-lived.
There is a loud screeching as their car jerks to a stop and then begins to skid. Their driver is yelling, very alarmed. The passengers in the backseat are being thrown around and in the process, Iwaizumi can vividly sense Oikawa holding on to him tight.
He’s aware he’s going to die as soon as the clock starts to tick and when he feels the first warmth of love. Twelve months is too short, he thinks. Twelve months to spend.
“Iwa-chan,” Oikawa whispers, holding on to Iwaizumi still as their car continues to skid. “Hold on to me,” Oikawa continues. “I won’t let you get hurt,” Oikawa says.
Oikawa who’s been diverting any possible danger away from Iwaizumi these past twelve months.
Oikawa whom he’s in love with.
He has the knowledge that every other single ancestor of his has had a deceased parent. They never last long because of their curse. Died like his father died.
At last, at last, the car stops skidding, flips over.
Slams straight into a cargo truck running on red light.
Inside they are tousled over and over and their driver has long died from his snapped neck. Oikawa is curled against Iwaizumi, not minding glass and metal hitting him from behind.
A long shard of metal snaps away from the truck they slammed into and stabs into the dashboard of their car, breaking the front glass and heads straight to the backseat where Oikawa is huddled over Iwaizumi.
Time seems to stop as the shard enters the car. Iwaizumi caresses Oikawa’s face one last time.
“Oikawa,” Iwaizumi says, catching Oikawa’s attention. “I love you,”
And using all his strength, flips Oikawa over.
He knows Death has had a long running grudge on his family. Years ago one of his ancestors had cheated him after falling in love with an immortal. Death had the last laugh anyway.
The shard slams straight into his back, permitting a last glance at Oikawa and a heaving grunt, his life leaves at once, no longer able to hear Oikawa scream in anguish. The long shard of metal slackens, pulling free from Iwaizumi.
Perhaps if someone makes a trade with Death, he will change his mind.
The whole world seemed to stop at its tracks, grief making everything turn gray. They’ve stopped moving and Oikawa straightens himself, sobs and tears hacking out of his chest as he cradles Iwaizumi against him.
“Hajime,” Oikawa cries. “Hajime, no, no, please no,”
His tears are falling onto Iwaizumi’s face and Oikawa wipes it away with a shaky hand though more tears are falling in replacement. Oikawa strokes Iwaizumi’s face, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth.
Crying as he realizes he’ll never see Iwaizumi wake up next to him, note his presence while at work as he sends texts, kiss him goodnight.
The car suddenly shakes again and Oikawa looks up in alarm. Has the help arrived? They are too late.
But no, the car shakes and there is a sound of grinding metal. Oikawa’s hold on Iwaizumi tightens and he pulls him closer. Oikawa comprehends the sound, and he looks up at the car ceiling, and swiftly as though by a gale of wind, it rips away just in time that Oikawa lowers his head to prevent any more stray glass and metal shards from hitting him.
What was remaining of the car doors come next and Oikawa shrieks in a start.
“Who’s there!” Oikawa demands, his voice hoarse from crying.
There is a soft padding heard as though of paws on hard ground as though in answer. Oikawa turns his head sharply to the gaping opening beside him, still holding Iwaizumi against him in distress.
“Well, well. Time to move.”
Suddenly, everything around Oikawa dissipates. Oikawa panics now as his surroundings are enshrouded with a black veil and all of a sudden, he’s on the ground, Iwaizumi still against him.
He’s looking around wildly; not knowing what to do and when he looks up, there’s a dark pulsating matter in front of him. The cloud of some sort has golden cat eyes, glinting visibly.
“Well? Hand him over, shoo.” The cloud rumbles.
“NO!” Oikawa says at once. He shakes his head multiple times. “No, please. No, don’t.”
The dark cloud sighs. “See the trouble with this is you know what’s going to happen and yet you get attached anyway. It always ends up hurting at some point,” The dark cloud turns around slightly, calling over his shoulder. “Oho, am I right or am I right?”
Another dark cloud sits behind him, though smaller. Its cat eyes are bright yellow and it hums slightly, not really paying attention.
The bigger cloud focuses its golden eyes to Oikawa again and it seems to grin.
“Hand him over, boy I’ve got a job to do.” It says.
Oikawa shakes his head again, his whole body trembling. “No, please don’t,”
The cloud narrows its eyes. “Let’s not be stubborn shall we?”
Oikawa is sobbing again and in hiccing, he says, “Please…bring him back...” he touches Iwaizumi’s cheek. Cold.
The cloud gives out a startled laugh. “What did you say? Haha, oh how I missed hearing that! Most of them just let it go.”
“Well I won’t! Bring him back!” Oikawa chokes out.
The cloud turns to the smaller one again, grinning. “Do you think we should listen?”
The smaller one sighs. “Stop tormenting him and get it over with. Get the soul and let’s go,”
“NO WAIT!” Oikawa shrieks. “Please, I’ll do anything—I’ll give you anything, I promise!” Oikawa says, begging.
The two clouds stir, seeming to like where this is going.
“Oh?” The bigger one says, fixing his sly eyes on Oikawa pointedly. “Anything?”
Oikawa gasps, sitting up straighter. “Yes! Anything, you can have it, just bring him back!”
“Memories,” The smaller cloud suggests and the bigger one laughs in delight. Memories are important. Memories are the equivalent for nourishment among reapers. They indulge on the happy ones and then most especially delighting themselves with the memories of anguish.
“I—memories?” Oikawa says, confused.
“Yes,” The bigger cloud says loudly. “Your memories, whatever they are…” The cloud points to Iwaizumi. “…for his life. He may live but you won’t remember him either way. You choose.” The cloud cackles. The smaller cloud moves around, engaged.
Oikawa measures this first. He looks down at Iwaizumi, laying his eyes over every detail of his face as though memorizing. His brown skin, his eyelashes, his lips.
Oikawa can’t remember a time in his life wherein Iwaizumi wasn’t there. He doesn’t want to either. He believes it’s impossible. He can’t possibly forget him.
I’ll remember. Oikawa thinks. I’ll remember him. I cannot possibly forget him. I will remember him somehow.
“My memories,” Oikawa says, exhaling and then looking up at the two reapers, a determined expression set.
“It’s yours.”
***
What good is it to be alive when the person you love doesn’t even remember you in the slightest?
That’s Iwaizumi’s most recurrent thought as he sits in his now gloomy apartment. The apartment he used to share with Oikawa. That was three weeks ago. Oikawa is now back to the apartment he rented way before he moved in with Iwaizumi.
The only difference now is that he doesn’t recognize him at all.
It was quite a punch in the gut when Iwaizumi, who went to the café where Oikawa is working at as a waiter, was only given a warm for-customers smile as Oikawa took his order.
Iwaizumi had frozen when he saw Oikawa approach, expecting him to glomp on him and squeal his usual, “Iwa-chan!” but apparently that was ages ago.
The reapers had completely removed him from Oikawa’s life.
Oh Oikawa still remembers everything else. But somehow they’ve manipulated his memories so that it seems he’s never met Iwaizumi at all. Other people who were always around Oikawa and Iwaizumi too, it seems, does not recognize him as well, possibly to suit Oikawa’s new memories.
It was so emotionally and physically draining that Iwaizumi had to take two weeks off from work.
He’s going to go there again today, Iwaizumi decides. He gets up to change and as he pulls off his shirt over his head, he notices once again the new vertical scar across his abdomen. Iwaizumi sighs. He may be living once again but he’s not completely happy anyway.
He doesn’t entirely blame Oikawa either.
“Ugh,” Iwaizumi says, hurrying up.
He realizes his palms are sweating when he walks to the café Oikawa is working at and he immediately feels stupid. This is Oikawa after all. A little different but still the same otherwise.
When he enters, he picks the table near the door so that he could just bolt away out just in case he embarrasses himself. Or perhaps when he might accidentally say something out of the line hoping Oikawa will remember and then that’s the point he’ll totally fuck up—
“Hello, welcome to Blue Leaf Café, what can I help you with today?”
Iwaizumi jumps in a start. He looks up and sees Oikawa smiling cheerfully at him. The face he’s missed so much is a little taken aback by Iwaizumi’s surprise though.
“Oh, I’m sorry did I startle you? I—” Oikawa begins.
Iwaizumi waves a hand. “Ah, no—it’s nothing, don’t mind it,” he says though his heart is pounding.
Oikawa chuckles, another thing Iwaizumi misses so much. “Is that so? Well then, here you go,” he hands Iwaizumi the menu.
Iwaizumi holds his hand up, declining. “I—I’ll just have coffee, thanks.”
Oikawa keeps the menu and smiles. “Alright, I’ll be right back with your order.” He says then skips away.
Iwaizumi’s heart is starting to go back to its normal pace again.
What was that Hajime? Are you for real? Iwaizumi thinks. Oh but it’s Oikawa. He can never be calm and collected around Oikawa.
Oikawa comes back a few minutes later, humming. He smiles as he sets the coffee down in front of Iwaizumi and Iwaizumi exhales slowly and silently, calming his nerves down.
“There you go, enjoy!” Oikawa says brightly. Iwaizumi tries to avoid looking at his face too much. Oikawa’s pretty face has always been too distracting and Iwaizumi might say something out of place. Instead, he stares at Oikawa’s nameplate.
Tooru, it says.
Iwaizumi relaxes and permits himself a smile. “Thank you.”
Oikawa suddenly does a little gasp and Iwaizumi looks at his face this time in wonder.
“I’ve seen you here before,” Oikawa says.
Yes you have. I was always here before.
Iwaizumi’s heart is starting to pound again. Seriously it needs to stop doing that. He laughs sheepishly and goes, “Ah yeah, I was here two days ago.” Not like I was counting or anything.
Oikawa chuckles. “Ah yeah now I remember,”
“OIKAWA!” Someone from the counter shouts and Oikawa jumps.
“Oops, that’s Makki. Gotta go! Enjoy your coffee,” Oikawa says, smiling one more time before running to the counter.
Iwaizumi’s gaze goes after him. He watches as Oikawa laughs at Hanamaki, the café manager, who’s starting to scold him. Oikawa bows, embarrassed but still laughing nevertheless.
It’s like a punch in the gut again and again.
It doesn’t take Iwaizumi long to finish his coffee and soon, he’s standing up to leave, his heart still heavy.
He’s just stood when he sees Oikawa running to him, holding a tray and smiling wide.
“Hi!” Oikawa says. “Leaving already?”
Iwaizumi smiles, butterflies that he just can’t digest, fluttering in his stomach.
“Hey, yeah,” Iwaizumi says.
Oikawa sets the tray on the table and places the empty coffee cup on it, all the while looking at Iwaizumi.
“Alright, see you again soon!” Oikawa says brightly.
“Of course, Oikawa,” Iwaizumi says unconsciously, starting to walk for the door.
“Ah—?” Oikawa says in surprise.
Iwaizumi looks back at him. Oikawa is touching his nameplate and he’s looking at Iwaizumi curiously. His name plate that had no surname on it.
“How did you know…?” Oikawa asks.
SHIT. Now you sound like a stalker to him!
“Oh, u-um—” Iwaizumi says, stuttering.
Oikawa tugs on his collar. “H-have we met before somewhere?”
Iwaizumi gulps. “Er, perhaps we have—”
But Oikawa looks delighted. He grins and goes, “Do tell me! I have terrible memory remembering. When did we meet before?”
This is just terrible. Iwaizumi wishes he could just die again. His palms are sweating once again.
“That was long ago really,” Iwaizumi says, lying through his teeth. “I just—” I just wanted to see you. Iwaizumi breathes out. “Y-you won’t remember,”
Oikawa looks disappointed. “Oh. But perhaps I will don’t you think?”
Iwaizumi chuckles nervously.
Oikawa beams. “I’m keeping you from wherever you’re going, I’m sorry! Do come back next time though!”
Iwaizumi has successfully inched his way towards the door and before stepping out, he gives Oikawa a small smile.
“Sure, anytime.” He says.