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He wouldn't say he was angry. Because no, he wasn't angry. But come on! This just wasn't fair!
Taking a deep breath, Tooru sighed out his frustration and let it go. Everything was alright, really.
Running a hand back through his hair, Tooru silently cursed himself for mussing his perfect hair, bit that was the least of his worries right now. At least it wasn't raining or freezing, it was a pretty sunny day, if not on the slightly windy side.
But back to the issue - Tooru was stuck on the side of the road with a flat tire right now, and he was supposed to be at a shoot! And he was going to be late - if he could even show up now, considering the light wind had ruined his hair and he was pretty sure he had soot on his face. It wasn't that he didn't know how to change a flat, because he did, but this whole thing was really just not what he'd wanted to happen today. Plus, it was really hard to change a flat in a nice outfit. He'd already taken off his jacket, but his nice white button down was rolled up to his elbows and pretty much ruined. His black jeans were okay, though, to his relief.
Wiping the back of a hand over his eyes, Tooru winced as his eyes met soot on the back of his hand. Crap. Now he probably had soot all over his face too. Wonderful.
He'd already checked the damaged tire - back left - (that's where he'd gotten the soot all over his hands) and he had absolutely no idea what had blown it.
The sound of running cars was a given, considering he was at the side of a minor highway, but one stayed loud instead of roaring past. So Tooru straightened up, turning around to see a car pull off to the side of the road behind him. Tooru was busy debating the relative merits of praying this man was going to help or running, but in the end he stayed where he was as a man swung out of the driver's side, swinging the door closed behind himself.
"Hey, need any help?"
Oh wow... Oh wow, Tooru was pretty sure he was about to swoon. Dressed in dark ripped jeans and a tshirt, dark spiky hair and bright green eyes, an easy half smile. As he swung the door closed, Tooru sort of just stared, because he was pretty sure the muscle in those arms could snap metal. Wow, he definitely worked out.
Now - did Tooru need help? Not really. He could definitely do this himself, with enough soot and sweat and ugh, he was really not enjoying it just thinking about it. Or, and wait hear him out on this one, he could let this very attractive stranger who had pulled aside and offered and clearly knew his way around cars and could probably do this faster than Tooru could with a lot less hassle change his tire for him. Plus, was Tooru complaining about getting to see this very attractive stranger flex? No.
"Really?" Tooru asked, a genuine shimmer of appreciation in his eyes.
"Yeah, really." He agreed with a flash of that smile. Oh was it a pretty smile. "You really don't look dressed for it."
Tooru smiled in chagrin, because yeah, he really wasn't dressed to be changing a tire. "Thank you..."
"No problem! What's the issue?"
Tooru stepped aside, waving lightly to the tire and saying simply, "Flat. I have a spare," He pointed to it, "And a jack, but it's really unhelpful..."
He nodded a few times, turning and calling over his shoulder, "Hold on."
Tooru just nodded, because he really didn't have anywhere to go. And this boy didn't look like he was about to ditch - especially since he hadn't had to stop in the first place - so Tooru wasn't that worried about having to figure out how to do this by himself.
Sighing, Tooru turned back to the shot tire, leaning down and looking carefully over the tire and the rim of his car for any damage. If a nail or something had popped the tire, it could have damaged the rims or the frame, which would be less than ideal. At least if the rims were okay he could keep driving...
"Scoot."
Tooru looked up, blushing as he realised he was sort of in the way. The boy was smiling at him in amusement, a car jack in his hand, and he was standing behind Tooru waiting for the brunette to scoot his butt out of the way.
He quickly straightened up and moved aside, stepping around to stand nearby. He watched quietly, a bit impressed, as the boy confidently slid the jack under Tooru's car.
"You seem confident." Tooru commented, and the boy glanced up as he leaned back and with a flex of those absolutely illegal arms started jacking the car up. "Done this once or twice or something?"
"Once or twice. Comes with the territory." He replied, and Tooru's eyes widened in interest.
"What do you do?" He asked, drifting a little closer to watch. He himself wasn't weak or anything, but this boy didn't seem half bothered by the feat of strength he was displaying.
"Mechanic." He replied, wiping the back of a hand over his brow. "Hey, can you grab the tire iron from my car ? Should be somewhere on the passenger side."
Tooru hummed and spun on his heel, running off towards the car and pulling the passenger door open. Climbing up, Tooru leaned into the car, searching the actually pretty clean floor and seats until his eyes landed on a tire iron on the floor. Snatching it up, he leaned back and hopped backwards out of the car, running back over and offering it to the mechanic.
"Car mechanic, I'm assuming?" Tooru asked, drawing his attention, and the mechanic looked up, grabbing the iron with a nod. "Well how's my luck then, that a handsome young mechanic happened across me in my time of need?"
Tooru's voice was light, and maybe he hadn't meant to say handsome, but he had a flirtatious personality in the first place, so he supposed it didn't surprise him that much that the word flowed easily off his tongue. The mechanic just smiled, rolling his eyes and teasing,
"Yeah, so lucky that you got a flat tire."
Okay, ouch. But fair.
Tooru smiled, far too flirtatious for his intent exactly, but oh well. "So lucky I got a flat tire right here and now and got to meet you."
He wasn't expecting the laugh that met his words, but it brought a smile to his face as the mechanic pulled the tire off and Tooru hurried forward to grab the spare.
"So where's the - hey, you're gonna ruin your shirt!" A hand on his arm stilled Tooru, and he stopped halfway through picking up the spare. "I got it, don't worry about it."
"Oh." Was all Tooru said, faint and soft, and he stepped back willingly.
The mechanic picked up the tire from the trunk of Tooru's car, and Tooru was definitely not staring at his tan arms as the muscle flexed powerfully. He just sort of trailed faintly after the mechanic as he crouched down beside the car, fitting the spare onto the rim and starting to tighten it on. It wasn't fair the way his biceps flexed as he tightened the tire on. That just plain wasn't fair, and Tooru was trying to keep his mind in check.
"So where you headed?" He asked, and Tooru's eyes snapped wide.
"Oh god the shoot!" He cried, and the mechanic snapped his head up quickly at the despair in Tooru's voice. "Shit, I'm gonna be so late."
His heart was in his throat as Tooru ran a hand through his hair, biting at his lip as his mind went at about a million miles an hour. If he was late they'd crucify him! And they wouldn't be mad at him, because they'd worked damn hard to land a shoot with him, but... Tooru prided himself in his work, and showing up late to shoots wasn't something that was in his rulebook. He would totally get away with it because landing a shoot with him with his busy schedule was really hard to do, but he felt bad being late, and that wasn't fair to the company. Oh damn, this wasn't good at all, and -
A hand landed on his forearm and Tooru looked up, eyes trembling, to see concerned green eyes looking up at him. The mechanic had abandoned the tire and was standing in front of Tooru, a hand on his arm to catch his attention. He searched Tooru's hazel eyes for a few seconds as the brunette panicked before saying,
"Hey, calm down, it'll be alright." Tooru stared back into calm green eyes, on the edge of just panicking, when the mechanic continued in a gentle deep voice, "Just call whoever you're supposed to meet, tell them you had some car trouble and you'll be late. I'll fix the tire, and send you on your merry way. It'll be fine."
Tooru just stared for a few seconds before the words suddenly got to him and he nodded rapidly, almost dropping his phone as he took it from his back pocket, swiping through his recent calls for the company he was working with. As the number rang, Tooru shifted his weight nervously, feeling really really guilty that he was going to be late. There wasn't really anything he could do about it, and it wasn't even his fault, but he still felt bad. The mechanic made good on his word though, and as Tooru waited, he went back to the car and started on the tire again.
"Oikawa-sama?"
"Hi!" Tooru greeted with a breath of relief. "I'm so sorry to say this, but I'm going to be a little late. I got a flat on the way, I'm so sorry..."
"Oh! No, no issue! We're just glad to have a chance to work with you, please don't worry yourself. It's just a flat tire, nothing you could do about it. Is there anything we can do for you?"
"Thank you, but I think I'm alright... Thank you so much for understanding. Though... I am a bit of a mess, the wind is doing no favors."
"Don't worry about a thing! Your stylists arrived earlier. Whenever you get here, they'll get everything all fixed up, I'm sure."
"Right..." Tooru breathed another sigh of relief, murmuring, "Thank you so much."
"Of course, Oikawa-sama. Don't worry about a thing. Of course we can all understand a flat tire. Just be safe."
"Right."
With a pleasant goodbye, Tooru hung up, in much better spirits than he'd been in a few minutes ago. Sliding his phone back into his pocket, Tooru walked back to the car calmly to see that really the mechanic was almost done. He was on his feet, levering against the tire iron and straining those lovely biceps and forearms because honestly, you could never tighten a tire too much.
"Don't hurt yourself." Tooru teased with a smile. "Those beautiful arms don't deserve to be damaged. Especially not over a tire."
"I take it your call went well?" The mechanic asked with a little smile as he looked up. Some part of Tooru noted that his tan cheeks were blushed a light pink, but the rest of him was too busy noting how pretty his smile looked.
"Yeah. They were really nice about it, told me not to worry about it and everything. I'm really glad..."
"Where are you headed?" He asked curiously, and Tooru hummed lightly, replying a little distractedly (this mechanic was very distracting, okay?).
"A photo shoot." Tooru explained, tipping his head as the mechanic tested the tire and finally stood up.
"Photo shoot?"
"I'm a model!" Tooru clarified cheerily, flashing a smile and a peace sign and a half serious pose.
"Not surprised." The mechanic said, and Tooru wasn't quite sure whether to pout heavily or not, but before he could decide, the boy continued, "You're gorgeous."
A surprised flush took over Tooru's fair cheeks, and he blinked widely as the mechanic flashed that addicting smile. Wow, so not fair... His smile widened at Tooru's shy fluster, and he tossed the iron into his left hand, digging into his back pocket for something and pressing it into Tooru's palm.
"It should be fine as long as you need to drive it, but make sure to replace it with a regular sized tire when you have a chance.
"Alright. Thank you so, so much for this. I really wasn't fancying trying to tackle this whole issue right now."
"No problem. Honestly glad to help. Now go get to your shoot."
With the gentle shooing, Tooru nodded and beamed and he couldn't help it - he threw his arms around the mechanic's neck and hugged him tightly, so overcome with gratitude for this man appearing out of nowhere and just making a bad part of Tooru's day so much easier.
"Thank you!" Tooru said, muffled into the mechanic's shoulder, and he knew this was all sort of sudden, but he couldn't help it. He just felt so relieved, so giddy and appreciative and happy.
To his surprise, warm arms wrapped loosely around his waist and the mechanic gently patted his back a few times, rubbing the small of his back. Tooru felt so... So small and cared for, so genuinely really happy.
"You're welcome. Now c'mon, I'll put the blown tire in your trunk, and then you get going, you were so freaked out about being late."
"Okay!" Tooru agreed, beaming and so actually energetic he didn't even think about what he was doing until he'd done it.
He had pressed a soft kiss to the mechanic's cheek and darted for the car before he could even think. He was halfway into the driver's seat before he really noticed what he'd done, but the mechanic took it in stride (with pink cheeks, Tooru noted proudly), and stowed the flat tire in Tooru's trunk, closing it and giving it a loud thump.
"You're good!"
Tooru leaned out the window, beaming and waving a hand and calling, "You're absolutely the best! Thank you so much!"
As the mechanic raised a hand in farewell, the iron still in his other hand, which was braced against his hip (Tooru did not have time to freak out about how hot that pose looked), Tooru finally put the car in gear and glanced back one more time before pulling out into the highway.
As soon as he was parked into the studio, the fawning began, and he was whisked out of his car and into the studio, torn out of his messy shirt and sat down and his messy hair styled.
And as he sat quietly in a chair and let the stylists fix his hair and do his makeup, Tooru finally remembered the something the mechanic had pressed into his palm and looked down to find a small card tucked into his palm.
A business card.
Iwaizumi Hajime, huh?
"Oikawa-san, please pay attention."
Tooru blinked, lifting his head and looking forward curiously. The studio director just sighed and frowned and declared, "Alright, let's take a break."
A soft frown curved Tooru's lips, but he didn't question it. He just got to his feet, walking down the hallway and pushing his way into his dressing room. It had already been a really long morning, and sure he wasn't exactly paying the best of attention, but he was trying. He hadn't slept well last night, and for the past two weeks, the small business card tucked in his planner had drawn all of his attention. Drawing his attention in his dressing room, taking up a surprising amount of space for its small size on his kitchen counter, capturing all of his focus even during shoots.
Sitting down in front of the mirror, Tooru toyed with the makeup on the table just for something to do with his hands as he cradled his cheek in a hand, leaning forward against the table. Without exactly thinking about it, Tooru drew the business card out of where it was tucked in his planner, flipping it over between his fingers and just gazing at it quietly.
He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do with this. Was it an offer to call if he ever landed himself in car trouble again? Was it an offer to just call? He supposed he could just call, really, and it wouldn't matter - he could just extend an offer for coffee or something, and if that wasn't the point then the mechanic could just tell him he had it wrong and it could all end there. But if coffee wasn't what the mechanic had intended, Tooru didn't want to dash any possible chance of seeing him again. So instead, he was just entirely putting off calling at all...
Good plan, he knew. Fantastic, really - he didn't want to get shot down and never see that mechanic again so he avoided calling at all and kept himself from seeing that mechanic again. A gem of a plan.
A knock on his door startled Tooru, and he raised his head, card stilling between his fingers as he called, "Come in!"
The door opened to reveal the studio director, and Tooru tilted his head curiously. Wow, he hadn't been expecting a personal visit... The man was not the owner but was a very high ranking person in the hierarchy of the magazine Tooru was currently modelling a shoot for, and Tooru quickly started to stand. Out of politeness, really, he tried to be respectful to the people he worked with.
A smile was directed at him as he stood, the card tumbling from his fingers to the table.
"Sir." Tooru greeted politely. "What can I do for you?"
"You don't have to be so formal, Oikawa-san." He said with a wave of his hand, so Tooru dipped his head a little in understanding but didn't exactly drop the formal and respectful attitude. "I just wanted to see if you were alright. You've been very distracted today."
"Oh." Tooru blushed a little, looking away shyly as he raised a hand to reflexively move to tuck his hair behind his ear. It was essentially a pointless move since his hair was gelled carefully in his natural perfect waves - an attempt to keep the waves and the fluff of his hair over the long hours of a shoot. "I'm really sorry, I do apologise." He said with a little bow. "I really don't know what's wrong with me, but I promise I'll focus."
"Don't worry too much about it. We've worked more than a few shoots together," The door clicked closed behind the director, and Tooru smiled a little nervously, "And I know in the end you'll deliver a perfect shoot. You've never let us down before." He took a step towards Tooru, so Tooru took a step back. "I wondered if it had anything to do with the shoot itself," Why hadn't Tooru put on his jacket when he'd walked in here? "But that couldn't be it, because you've shot intimates with other magazines." Tooru took another step backwards, tentatively crossing his arms over his chest. This certainly wasn't the most revealing thing he'd ever worn in a shoot, but he didn't understand why they were alone in his dressing room with the door closed. "You've never been unfocused at a shoot before."
Tooru bumped into his makeup table, and he immediately reached back to steady himself, swallowing nervously. He didn't have anywhere to back up anymore. Why was his heart beating so fast? Why wouldn't the butterflies in his stomach go away?
"I'm not upset." He was way too close to Tooru... "I'm just concerned, Tooru-kun."
The name felt like ice water dumped over Tooru's head and at the same time a hand touched his waist, he finally got it.
"I-I'm sorry, sir," Tooru apologised, trying to slide out to the side nervously and ending up just backing himself into the corner of his makeup table. A hand smoothed across his bare stomach, and Tooru shuddered. "I promise the shoot will be just fine, but speaking of, we should probably get back to that, burning daylight, y'know?" He laughed, a nervous and tight little thing that sounded wrong even to his own ears.
"Don't worry about the shoot, Tooru." His stomach twisted uncomfortably at the sound of his first name whispered somewhere near his ear, and Tooru squeezed his eyes closed. "We should take care of you first before you worry about the shoot. Can't have a genuine shoot when your mind is in turmoil."
This wasn't helping that turmoil. Lifting both hands, Tooru put them firmly against the director's chest, shoving lightly and saying in a surprisingly firm voice, "Please leave me alone."
The facade was gone, and a hand caught his wrist before he could shove again. "Be very careful, Tooru."
He would not sit around and be treated like this! "I'm very sorry, sir," He said crisply, squirming out of the corner he'd been backed into and quickly backing towards the door. "But I prefer to keep my business and personal life separate and I'd thank you kindly to do the same. I'm here for a business shoot, and I would like to finish that and then I have a meeting with my secretary afterwards."
"Do you want to lose shoots with this company, Tooru?"
"I'd appreciate being called Oikawa, thank you." Tooru said icily, opening the door behind himself and stepping backwards, slamming the door between them.
The rest of the shoot was something of a mess. Every time Tooru was really aware of the director's eyes on him, he tensed up and shied away from the eyes, unintentionally shying away from the camera angle. Overall, it was a disaster. He managed to fulfill his contract shots beautifully in a small break when the director disappeared to take a call.
He was just so ready to leave that when he finally finished the shoot he was on the edge of a nervous breakdown. One of the girls that worked for the magazine came with him to help him get his things together and get changed, and the gentle look she had fixed on Tooru when they finally were closed in his dressing room made Tooru feel sick - why did she look like she understood?
She helped Tooru keep moving, got him dressed in the clothes he'd come here in - she didn't even try to get him to change, just got him street presentable. All he knew was a few minutes later he was taking his keys from the valet, climbing into his car and dumping his bag and the bag of clothes the studio had gifted him into the passenger seat. That was one thing Tooru really did think was nice. A lot of the studios he worked with were major enough and he was famous enough that he usually got some of the clothes he modelled gifted to him for free.
His phone buzzed in his pocket, and Tooru checked it as he closed the car door and put on his seatbelt. The headline sent a knife into his stomach, nervous butterflies erupting in him.
Model Oikawa Tooru Sleeping With Magazine Director?
The picture under the headline was even worse. Tooru, flushed and looking away, backed into the corner of his makeup table. The director had his back to the camera, but Tooru was facing it, and apparently no one cared about the nervous and frantic look on his face. The director had his hands on Tooru's bare waist, and of course this had to have happened during an intimates shoot, meaning Tooru was dressed like he should be in a bedroom.
Throwing his phone into the passenger seat, Tooru buried his head in his hands, biting his lip and trying not to panic. This was so bad. This was bad, bad, bad. It wasn't like he wasn't used to rumors, because he was really used to rumors, it came with the job and being somewhat famous, but that didn't mean sometimes the rumors didn't get to him.
How had they even gotten this picture?!
Raising his head, Tooru yanked the gearshift angrily into drive and spun out of the studio lot. He wanted to get away and go home. Pulling out of the lot and onto the road, some part of Tooru smiled ironically as a drop of rain fell into his windshield. What a fantastic way to end his day... Driving home in the rain.
Apparently, his ironic amusement was right, because as he merged onto the highway it was pouring. Tooru had never really been a fan of driving in the rain, it was so stressful. He was pretty sure everyone forgot how to drive as soon as it started raining, because the road was always filled with idiots in the rain. Plus it was so hard to see with rain pounding down on the windshield, even with the wipers on as fast as they would go.
It was just... Stupid. Ironic? Funny. Funny, in a stupid and heartaching sort of way. This whole damn situation made Tooru want to laugh until he sobbed.
A sudden lurch of the wheel under his hands had Tooru jerking back to attention, and he didn't like the electrical pop sound a second later. Retrospectively, he probably shouldn't have spun the wheel so hard to the side, but he sort of panicked. He definitely should have gently guided the car off to the side of the road. But he wasn't exactly in the best state of mind and he was in the middle of a major Tokyo highway. But he got the car off the road, and the only thought going through his head as he watched a spark glow in the side of the hood was what if my car explodes?
Throwing open the door and slamming at the hazard lights as he tumbled out of the car into the rain, Tooru backed away from the car quickly.
Why now?!
For a little while he just stood there in the rain, watching and waiting. And when his car didn't spark again, he tentatively crept towards the driver's side, popping the hood and scooting around the edge of his car. Okay. Nothing was sparking anymore, yay, but he was pretty sure the blackened fuse for the alternator wasn't a good thing. Lifting the hood, Tooru searched over the engine for a few moments.
He didn't feel like trying to start the car again would be a good thing. Maybe it was just dead, but again - sparks. So instead of getting in the car and trying to start it or trying to explore the fuse box (which was so far beyond his realm of knowledge), Tooru leaned against the open hood of his car in despair, buried his head in his arms as the rain poured down on him, and sobbed.
It was such a stupid thing to do. It would help exactly nothing and overall just make him feel weak and helpless. But he just felt so... He was tired. Bone weary, exhausted. And it was crushing, so he just kept his head down and sobbed it all out into his soaked shirt sleeves, letting the rain pour down his body in rivers.
He was freezing. The rain didn't seem like it was going to stop, and it was late and dark and he wasn't quite sure where he was. He didn't have anything warmer to wear - the only change of clothes he has was from the studio, and they were really nice but not very warm - and even if he huddled up in his car, it was cold and the car wasn't running so there wouldn't be any heat. Plus, he was still not really fond of the idea of getting in the car when two minutes ago the engine had sparked. He couldn't walk, not in this downpour, but he couldn't just stay here.
Lifting his head and pushing his soaked bangs out of his eyes, Tooru blinked through the downpour towards his car, gaze sticking for a while on the interior lights, which were flickering and dim. There was definitely something wrong with the electricity, and faulty wiring with electricity never went well. The hazard lights had died too, flickering in the rain.
He had to get out of the rain. But he couldn't get back in the car. Sighing, Tooru took a few steps away, sitting down on the side of the road in the pool of light from his dim headlights and hugged himself around the knees, trying to think of what to do.
Trembling hands tucked themselves into his sleeves, and he curled up on himself, trying to huddle up in the shadow of his car for refuge from the rain. He had to do something. He had to call someone, or - he probably needed a tow truck. Or a mechanic -
The mechanic.
Bolting to his feet, Tooru pushed his bangs out of his eyes and climbed into the the driver's seat, reaching across the center console for his bag. He fumbled through it until he found his planner, looking for the little business card in it. No dice. Shit. Where was it?!
Looking around, Tooru searched everywhere along the seat, the console, the front dash, the - there. He snatched the card from where he'd tucked it onto his dash, stumbling backwards out of the car.
Iwaizumi Hajime. Pushing himself up, Tooru snatched his phone from where he'd thrown it and with enough slipping and nearly dropping his phone, he managed to dial the number on the car, lifting his phone to his ear.
Please pick up...
"Hello, Iwaizumi Hajime."
Tooru's heart leapt, and he breathed in a shaky breath, murmuring, "Hi... Um, you might not remember me? You changed a tire for me on the highway. Like two weeks ago?"
"Yeah!" Excitement in that voice. Tooru's heart warmed. "Yeah, course I remember you. Didn't expect to hear from you after all this time."
"Yeah..." Dammit, Tooru, what are you getting all tongue tied for?! "I'm having a little car trouble."
"Car trouble?" He asked, and Tooru supposed maybe he wasn't expecting the brunette model to call him after two weeks of nothingness for car trouble.
"I... My car broke down." Tooru said softly, shivering and sitting down and hugging himself tighter. "It's pouring, I don't know what to do. I'm so sorry, I know this is sort of strange for me to suddenly call and ask you for help of all things, but I just... I didn't know who else to call."
"Did you try starting it?" He asked, and Tooru was so glad he could put aside the fact Tooru hadn't called (why did the mechanic care...? Maybe he'd wanted that coffee after all...) to help him.
"No. It sparked when I pulled off, I didn't think..."
"Sparked?! Damn, okay, I'm really glad you didn't try to start it then. Did you check the engine and the fuses?"
"I checked the engine, the alternator looks busted. The fuse box is so far above my pay grade I didn't even try." Tooru admitted, shivering.
The rain was actually warming up, pleasantly. Still cold to the bone, but not so freezing anymore.
"I'm so sorry." Tooru apologised again. "I just wasn't sure what else to do... I could call roadside or something, but I had your number from two weeks ago, so I just..."
"Hey..." Tooru closed his eyes at the surprisingly gentle sound of his voice. "It's alright, don't freak out. No need to call roadside. I'm a mechanic, fixing broken cars is sort of my job. Maybe I'm used to people bringing them into the shop, but I can help. Where are you?"
"Highway. Capital Expressway Inner Circle."
"I'll come to you, okay?"
"You don't have to." Tooru protested suddenly, energy flooding back into him. He couldn't ask something like that of an essential stranger.
"Look... You really sound like you need someone right now. At the very least I can take a look at your car."
Tooru didn't dare hope, but... "R-really?"
"Really. I'll be there soon, hold on."
"Thank you..." Tooru whispered, giving up the game. Really, he was just grateful to hear someone was coming for him.
As he put his phone back in his pocket, hugging himself tightly, shivering lightly and rubbing his arms for warmth, Tooru sighed and buried his face in his arms. He'd be okay.
He didn't know how long, how many headlights blurred by, how many engines rumbled past him. But eventually, one pair of headlights pulled off by his car, and the engine quieted to a little purr, and Tooru raised his head from his soaked clothing to see a familiar face climbing out of a car, an umbrella in hand. He ran over to Tooru, immediately holding the umbrella over the shivering brunette and crouching down beside him.
"Holy shit, are you okay? Why didn't you get out of the rain?!"
Tooru raised a trembling arm to point to the car, murmuring, "Broke down. Was all... Smokey. Didn't think it was so smart to get back in it."
He sighed, looking down at Tooru worriedly and admitted, "Yeah. Smart of you. Lemme take a look, hold on." The mechanic hopped to his feet, tucking the umbrella between Tooru's crossed arms so it would shield him from the rain. He didn't have the energy to argue.
He didn't have the energy to watch either. He managed to watch the mechanic walk over and lean over the hood before his eyes fluttered closed. A few minutes later there was a gentle hand on his arm and Tooru blinked up into green eyes.
"What's the prognosis?" He asked teasingly, voice soft and tired. "Is it gonna be okay?"
Even now, with all this shit, being called out in the middle of the night, Tooru shivering and exhausted, the mechanic still found a little smile.
"Yeah, it'll be okay. Some fuses are blown, it'll need a repair shop. I don't have a tow truck, so it'll have to stay here until I can get someone from the shop to take it in. But until then, you're shivering, and you're not staying out here. C'mon, let me take you home."
Tooru's eyes widened in surprise, and he looked up widely. "Wait... Really?"
"Yeah really. I told you, no need to call roadside. I'll take you home. Do you need anything from your car?"
He nodded slowly, murmuring, "There's a bag in the passenger seat."
Two minutes later the mechanic had both bags in his hand. The mechanic offered him his free hand, and Tooru placed his own delicately in it. He just couldn't say no right now, this was too sweet of an offer and his day had been way too horrible. With a flash of that smile (oh, Tooru was becoming addicted to that smile), he pulled Tooru to his feet, taking the umbrella and making sure it stayed firmly over Tooru, keeping the rain off him.
A few steps down the road Tooru stumbled. And before he could even wobble too far, an arm wrapped around his waist and he looked up in surprise, warmth and genuine appreciation flooding him. The mechanic gently wrapped a hand around his hip, pulling Tooru closer to his own broad, solid frame, and Tooru just gave in. It was cold, he'd had a really bad day, and he didn't want to stumble again, and this man was so warm, so strong, and so damn nice that Tooru was on the edge of tears. So Tooru just huddled into his side, shivering lightly and tucking himself firmly into the circle of his arm.
It wasn't that far to his car, and the mechanic let go of him only to open the passenger door and help Tooru in, getting the shivering brunette settled before he stepped back and slammed the door.
Why had it all had to happen today of all days? It wasn't that today was particularly special or anything, it was just that Tooru didn't understand how everything could go wrong in one single day. It wasn't really... It didn't seem fair. It didn't seem fair at all. Pulling his knees up to his chest, Tooru hugged his arms around them tightly, burying his face into his arms and too drenched to the bone to care about the water dripping off his hair. At least the car was warm, and he was finally out of the rain...
"Are you alright?"
Tooru's head snapped up, and he turned with a panic settling into his hazel eyes. Shit, he hadn't meant to look like such a mess where anyone could see him and definitely post a picture of how miserable the model looked (probably with some stupid he deserved it caption that would make Tooru want to just stay in bed all day), they'd already gotten him with an unexpected 'sleeping around' picture today, and -
Green eyes blinked once at him, and Tooru's breath hitched as he realised there wasn't any problem at all. It was just the mechanic, who'd been so damn nice to him, and he had nothing to worry about. The mechanic pulled the driver's side door closed, leaning over the back of the seats (no, Tooru was not distractedly admiring how nice his pants made his ass look - his brain was apparently trying to focus on the good things instead of the bad things), and when he leaned back he held out a sweatshirt to Tooru, saying,
"Here. It's not as fancy as what you're probably used to, but it's dry and it's warm."
Tooru didn't even bother correcting the mechanic - he didn't care if it was fancy, a sweatshirt was a sweatshirt and when he needed comfort dammit he would wear what he pleased. Sweatshirts equalled comfort, in Tooru's mind. He just took the sweatshirt, carefully setting it on the dashboard so he didn't soak it through immediately, and started unbuttoning his ruined dress shirt. Nice. Totally ruined a second dress shirt in the course of how long? Peeling the soaked shirt off, Tooru just sort of sat there for a moment, not wanting to drop it on the floor and certainly not wanting to keep holding it. A hand carefully laid over his, taking the shirt out of his fingers, and Tooru let him, watching him toss it carelessly in the back seat. Problem solved, he supposed.
Tooru just busied himself grabbing the sweatshirt and pulling it on, huddling into the dry warmth. Immediately, he snuggled down into it, turning his nose into the collar and tucking it under the edge of the sweatshirt. Smelled like smoke and cedar... A little smile flitted onto Tooru's face, and he buried his nose further in the sweatshirt, closing his eyes sleepily.
"Where's your address? I'll take you home." The mechanic offered, and Tooru opened his eyes again to look over at him.
He couldn't fight the smile. A genuine, bright little smile curved Tooru's lips and in the face of his silence, the mechanic looked over at him and then suddenly stopped moving. He stared at Tooru for a few seconds, apparently trying to process the genuine pretty smile, and a light blush dusted his cheeks. He shifted his weight, rubbing the back of his neck and avoiding Tooru's gaze, and in the end he just muttered,
"What?"
"You're absolutely wonderful, has anyone ever told you that?" Tooru replied, heartfelt and honest. This was genuinely the nicest, most selfless man he'd ever met. "You're so, so nice. Thank you so much, I don't - I don't even know how to thank you." Tooru was a little horrified that he felt the threatening tears break past his lashes, slipping down his cheeks, and he quickly raised both hands to his face, wiping at the tears. "You're so sweet, I don't understand."
"Hey, whoah, don't cry!" Rough hands landed surprisingly gently over his on his cheeks, thumbs brushing under his eyes to brush away his tears. "There's nothing to cry over, it'll be alright! I'll get your car tomorrow and get it taken care of, and I'll get you home and you'll be fine, there's no reason to cry!"
He couldn't stop once he'd started, and the mechanic offering to get him home and get his car and take care of it and Tooru was leaning into those strong, calloused hands and sobbing. He sort of felt bad for just breaking down like this on who had to be the nicest man in the world. But a moment later warm hands slid around his shoulders and as the mechanic drew Tooru into his arms, he tucked his face into the mechanic's warm neck and reached out with shaking hands to tentatively grab his tshirt.
"It's okay." He murmured, rubbing Tooru's back gently. "It's all okay. My place is really close by, how about I take you there and get you some food and some dry clothes?" Tooru sniffled, nodding into his shoulder. That sounded really great to him. "Now if I let you go are you going to start crying again?" He asked, but his voice was gentle and teasing and Tooru pouted into his shoulder.
"So mean." Tooru teased back, voice trembling but amused nonetheless, and he lifted his head, rubbing away the remains of his tears and looking up into the mechanic's face. And then it suddenly hit him they'd never actually been introduced, and unless this man knew him from his modelling work, he didn't even know Tooru's name. "Oikawa Tooru." He said out of nowhere, and then blushed and explained himself with, "I just realised I never told you my name. Oikawa Tooru, nice to meet you."
He held out a hand between them, and the mechanic took it, replying, "Iwaizumi Hajime. Though, you probably knew that, it's on my business card."
Tooru giggled and nodded, "Yeah, I did. And clearly you've never heard of me - rude, I'm actually sort of famous, what sort of brute would have never seen any of my magazine covers -"
"The brute who just picked you up in the middle of the night. Watch it." Iwaizumi growled playfully, and Tooru giggled.
"Well, Iwaizumi-kun, all that proves is you're a nice brute. Still unapologetically a brute."
He made a face, retorting, "You want me to shove you out of the car?"
"No! I'm sorry!" Tooru apologised, holding up his hands in surrender and pouting cutely.
"That's what I thought. And lose the kun, just Iwaizumi is fine."
"Mm... I don't know about that." Tooru tapped a finger against his lips thoughtfully, flipping through possibilities before it struck him and he snapped his fingers, "How about Iwa-chan!"
He groaned, shaking his head and muttering, "Please no."
"Iwa-chan! Absolutely perfect."
"You're terrible." Iwaizumi muttered, putting the car in gear and leaning back to toss a glance out the window and pull onto the highway. "Absolutely terrible. I regret picking you up." Before Tooru could pout, he continued, "It's only like ten minutes to my place, unless traffic is terrible."
"Mkay." Tooru agreed simply, snuggling down into the hoodie and leaning his head against the window, gazing back at Iwaizumi and just watching him drive. It was unfairly attractive, just watching him drive.
He was... Glad. It had been a really bad day, and he was expecting to have to walk home in the rain and probably come down with something, fall asleep in a huddle of blankets without dinner because he wouldn't have the energy to make anything. And yet instead, he was in the car of the self-same mechanic who had plagued his thoughts for weeks, and - it hit him like a thunderbolt. The mechanic was taking him home. He was going to Iwaizumi's place.
His heart suddenly kicked into about a millionth gear, hammering against his ribs, and his eyes widened a little as he settled his gaze on Iwaizumi. And all over again, Tooru was taking in the little things, the things he hadn't had the time to notice the last time they'd met.
"What are you staring at, idiot?" Iwaizumi's voice startled him and he jumped, blushing pink and he prayed it could be explained away by the cold and the rain.
"Nothing." Tooru replied quickly, averting his gaze to the lights on the dash. For about four seconds, before Iwaizumi moved his hand into Tooru's view, and all facade of keeping his gaze off Iwaizumi was deserted without a thought.
He didn't mean to be shallow, but this man was hot. Strong, handsome, nice... Could he go back to strong for a few seconds, because that was really making Tooru's heart flutter.
His phone buzzed in his pocket, and Tooru took it out of his pocket, clicking on the notification without really even looking at it.
Immediately, he clapped a hand over his mouth, eyes widening and he wished he hadn't even opened it. His social media was swimming with direct messages and tags, and the original post had so many replies, and...
"Oikawa?"
Closing the app, Tooru firmly put his phone back in the pocket of the sweatshirt, looking down at the floor.
"Nothing. It's fine."
"You look like someone just crushed your dreams, what's wrong?" Iwaizumi asked uncompromisingly, and Oikawa sighed, gazing out the window as he explained quietly, helpless under Iwaizumi's relentless kindness.
"There's rumors going around I'm sleeping with a shoot director." Oikawa murmured. "Rumors just started today."
"Are you?"
"No!" Tooru cried, snapping his head up and staring at Iwaizumi in offended shock. What sort of jerk would ask him something like that?!
Iwaizumi raised a hand in honest surrender, saying, "Sorry. Just... Wondering. Not judging. But if you're not sleeping with the director, then why do you care?"
"Of course you'd say that." Tooru muttered, sighing.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Iwaizumi asked, voice a little tighter than it had been before and Tooru quickly backtracked.
"I just meant that you really seem like the type who doesn't care what other people thing. In a good way! I think that's a good thing! But I... I'm sort of... That's not something I can do. I'm not good at that. Especially not since if the public starts hating me, then my entire career ends."
Iwaizumi relaxed, humming softly and turning into a parking lot. Tooru peered out the window, listening as Iwaizumi said, "Yeah, I guess I never thought of that. I mean, even if people don't like me, they can't exactly argue that I'm a good mechanic, so I still get business. And usually I get along with customers. But... You can't afford that, can you? Even if you're gorgeous and magazines would be lucky to have you on their cover, if the public hates you, they won't buy so you won't get hired."
"Yep." Tooru agreed, popping the p miserably.
"Don't worry about it, Oikawa. It'll all turn out alright."
"How can you say that?!" Tooru cried, whirling on Iwaizumi and yelling, "It's not my fault he tried to corner me in a back room and now I'm going to lose all my shoots with his company forever and ever, and my career ends over it?!"
Iwaizumi looked somewhat taken aback by Tooru suddenly yelling. But then anger bled into his eyes and Tooru jolted backwards, whispering,
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell, that's so not fair. Please forgive me, I -"
"He tried to corner you in a back room?" Iwaizumi asked, voice hard as stone, and Tooru looked away, shrugging a little. "Shit, Oikawa... And they think you're sleeping with him? Why?"
He parked the car, turning to look at Tooru fully, and he shrugged lightly. In the end, he just opened the post and handed his phone to Iwaizumi. He stared down at it for a few seconds before a hand touched Tooru's shoulder and Iwaizumi pulled Tooru into his arms. Tooru went willingly, feeling so blessed and cared for to be held in Iwaizumi's strong arms after the pretty terrible day he'd had overall.
"The rumors broke today?" He nodded. "So this happened today? They took this picture today?" Another tiny nod as Tooru turned his face into Iwaizumi's strong shoulder. "Damn... Oikawa, I'm so sorry."
"What? What for?" Tooru asked in confusion, but he couldn't help snuggling into Iwaizumi's shoulder.
"Like I said on the phone, you really sounded like you needed someone. I thought it was just the car. But... You called me. Not anyone else. I'm guessing you didn't have anyone else you would care to call." Tooru blinked, closing his eyes tightly and huddling further into Iwaizumi's strong arms. Why was this man being so nice to him? "So then, if you didn't have anyone to go to over a broken down car, you wouldn't have anyone to go to over this, either." He waved Tooru's phone loosely. "You're okay, Tooru..." He murmured, and the sound of his first name on Iwaizumi's lips didn't scare him like he'd been scared earlier. "It's gonna be okay. no matter what happens, and you're not gonna have to deal with that jerk ever again. And if you need someone to punch him in the face for touching you, let me know. Don't worry about it right now. I've got you."
"Thank you..." Tooru whispered, breath hitching, and Iwaizumi hugged him tight for a moment before letting go.
"Come on. You're still shivering. How about a shower and some food and some rest?"
Tooru just nodded, speechless in the face of this kindness, and Iwaizumi hopped out of the car. A second later he was at Tooru's door, opening it and offering him a hand, helping him up under the umbrella and he grabbed Tooru's bags from the floor.
Looking up at the apartment building as they walked in together, Tooru found himself teasing gently, "Not what I expected."
"What did you expect?" Iwaizumi asked with a half roll of his eyes, pushing the elevator button.
"Hm... I don't know. A garage full of cars? Y'know, a well loved project - possibly a motorcycle - you're restoring?"
"I do have a life beyond being a mechanic, you know." Iwaizumi shot back flatly as they stepped into the elevator, and Tooru shrugged.
"Sure you do. But c'mon, you definitely have a car you're restoring, you can't tell me you don't!"
Iwaizumi hesitated at the door to his apartment, unlocking it and as he gently led Tooru in, he finally admitted, "Dammit, fine. I have a motorcycle I'm repairing at the shop I work at."
"Yes! I knew it!" Tooru cried with a beaming smile, bouncing into the apartment cheerfully.
"Yeah yeah. Don't get too full of yourself." Iwaizumi said, setting Tooru's things down on the counter.
It was a small apartment, but nice enough. A surprisingly clean kitchen - did he cook? - and the living room was the messy that Tooru had sort of expected. Empty beer cans on the table, a jacket tossed over the back of a chair, some metal (probably car thing) on the table with a pocket knife. It wasn't that messy at all, really. It was really nice. There was a door over to the right that was open to the bedroom - Tooru's heart went a million miles a second for a good few seconds - and across from them was another door that he was assuming went to the bathroom.
Just as assumed, Iwaizumi led him across the room and kicked the door open.
"I'll get you a change of clothes. And I'll figure out something for dinner while you're in the shower."
"Right." Tooru simply agreed, unwilling to argue, and Iwaizumi nudged him into the bathroom.
He had to remind himself to breathe a few times, and he definitely didn't have to tell his heart to calm down when he picked up Iwaizumi's shampoo, washing the gel out of his hair. It felt so... Domestic. Well, okay, it literally was - Tooru was in Iwaizumi's apartment, in Iwaizumi's shower. Sort of domestic. As he washed the makeup off his face and sighed, relaxing under the feeling of being totally un-prettied up - no makeup, no gel, no pretty outfits and heels and posing - Tooru stepped out of the shower and looked around for clothes to wear. Oh... He hadn't given Iwaizumi time to get him clothes.
Tucking the towel around himself, Tooru nudged the door open, leaning out it and calling, "Hey, Iwa-chan?"
"Oh dear god, I thought you forgot about that damn nickname." Iwaizumi muttered from the kitchen, and Tooru giggled. He was standing at the stove, a pan on the lit stove in front of him, and Tooru vaguely wondered if Iwaizumi was cooking for him. "What's up?"
"I don't have clothes..."
Iwaizumi spun around, eyes widening as he apologised, "Dammit, I knew I forgot something! Sorry, hold on." He disappeared into his bedroom, and Tooru's heart did a little flip at the idea that he was going to be wearing Iwaizumi's clothes.
Iwaizumi stumbled and did a double take as he finally looked at Tooru standing in the bathroom doorway with nothing but a towel around his waist. His cheeks pinked, and he shoved a handful of clothes into Tooru's bare chest. Tooru took them, opening his mouth to tease, but as he caught Iwaizumi's green eyes flicker across the dip of his waist, Tooru surprised himself by blushing lightly. Without a word, he snatched the clothes and spun back into the bathroom, slamming the door between them and leaning back against the closed door blushing madly.
You can do this, Tooru. This is your chance, and clearly Iwa-chan's not opposed.
Pulling on the tshirt (slightly too big in the shoulders, which in and of itself nearly had Tooru swooning), and pulling on the shorts (he was definitely taller than Iwaizumi, because they were a little short on him, but not indecently so), Tooru rubbed his hair dry and hung up the towel and took a deep breath. He could do this. Pushing open the door, he snuck quietly into the kitchen, where Iwaizumi was still standing at the stove. He stifled a giggle, creeping up behind Iwaizumi, and threw his arms around the mechanic's neck.
Iwaizumi jumped nearly out of his skin, slamming a hand onto the counter and cursing, "Dammit, Oikawa, don't scare the shit out of me!"
Tooru just giggled, hugging Iwaizumi loosely around the neck and peering over his shoulder. "Iwa-chan can cook?"
"Yeah I can cook, and if you get off I can give you food." Iwaizumi pointed out, and Tooru immediately let him go.
"Yes sir!" He agreed with a little salute, and Iwaizumi rolled his eyes but he looked amused.
"Also..." Iwaizumi trailed off as he walked by the counter, pulling open the handle of one of Tooru's bags with a finger as he walked past, casting Tooru a curious look. "Just curious." Tooru walked over, peeking into the bag and laughing as he realised what was in it.
"Oh! Oh, some of the studios I work with let me take some of the outfits I model." Tooru explained with a laugh, rifling through the bag and snagging a finger through the edge of a dark pair of panties, lifting them between them with a teasing smile. "I worked an intimates shoot today. Why, Iwa-chan, see something you like?"
Iwaizumi rolled his eyes, smacking the back of Tooru's hand and sending the clothing falling back into the bag. "Shut up."
Tooru snorted, but he relented, following Iwaizumi over to the table.
Dinner was a quick and quiet affair at the table, and when Tooru was finished with the (really really amazing) food, he looked up to find Iwaizumi quietly scrolling through his phone. Apparently he felt Tooru's eyes on him, because he looked up and smiled a little, asking, "Done?"
"Yeah, thank you. Whatcha looking at?" He asked curiously, tipping his head.
"Nothing important." Iwaizumi put his phone down, looking up at Tooru, and as Tooru put his head in a hand, smiling gently at Iwaizumi. "Now I'm looking at something important."
Tooru's cheeks flushed pink again, but this time he didn't look away from Iwaizumi. He just met his gaze, leaning forward a little. "So am I."
Tooru's hazel brown eyes were fixed on Iwaizumi's emerald green ones. The quiet buzzed between them, and they stared at each other quietly for a few long moments.
"So there's the couch, or I can get something else, or..." He trailed off, words barely a whisper, and Tooru smiled. He didn't sound like he was pushing for Tooru to sleep on the couch. He sounded like he was pushing for the or.
Tooru moved first. Rising up out of his chair just enough to lean over the table, Tooru reached out and gently cradled Iwaizumi's cheek, brushing his thumb over his jaw and pressing his lips against Iwaizumi's softly.
"Oikawa..."
"Iwa-chan." Tooru replied confidently, and that was all it took.
Soft lips pressed against his again, and he blinked a few times in surprise before relaxing. His eyes fluttered closed and he gently wove his fingers into the soft spikes of dark hair, pulling Iwaizumi closer against him. Wow... Tooru really wasn't even sure how this had happened. But was he complaining, as strong hands landed on his hips, gently pulling Tooru up out of his seat as Iwaizumi rose too, guiding Tooru forward against him. A press forward against him had Tooru hesitantly catching himself backwards a step, and the mechanic pressed into him, moving him gently along backwards. Something solid at his back startled him a little, but as he threw out a hand behind himself for what it was, he caught the edge of the chair and moved it out of the way.
Iwaizumi reached back over Tooru's shoulder, pushing the door open and backing Tooru up until his calf hit something. Iwaizumi pressed Tooru down gently, with just enough strength to guide him and make him shiver but not so much that Tooru had any fears he wouldn't be let up if he tried to stand. As his back hit the soft mattress of Iwaizumi's bed, Tooru wrapped both arms around those broad, broad shoulders, leaning back and pulling the mechanic down with him.
This was ridiculous! Entirely ridiculous! Tooru was letting some stranger kiss him against his bed, in his apartment. And they barely knew each other. And yet... Tooru ran a hand across the back of those muscular shoulders, a hand cradling the back of the mechanic's neck. A strong hand wandered down Tooru's side, and he hooked his thigh over Iwaizumi's hip, inviting more touches and more kisses. He got what he wanted, because Iwaizumi hiked Tooru's thigh up closer and pressed down against him, turning his head to kiss Tooru harder.
"Tooru..." Iwaizumi breathed against his lips, and Tooru smiled, humming softly against his lips. "You sure about this?"
"Yeah." Tooru replied softly. "You?"
"I've been sure ever since I saw you standing on the side of the road with oil on your face." Tooru blushed, and Iwaizumi smiled down at him, leaning down to kiss him a few times softly before murmuring, "Can't believe you took this long to call me. And waiting for your car to break down."
"Sorry, Iwa-chan. But I called eventually, right?"
"Yeah. At least you called eventually." Iwaizumi sighed, and Tooru smiled up at him. "You're gorgeous."
"You don't need to flatter me." Tooru murmured back, and Iwaizumi hummed, wrapping Tooru up in his arms and pulling them down to the bed together. Tooru quickly demanded the one thing he wanted right now, unapologetic and uncompromising, "Kiss me."
Iwaizumi's lips met his softly, and Tooru smiled, digging his fingers into his dark hair and pulling him closer, cradled in the dark in the soft sheets.
Walking out of the studio, Tooru beamed, bouncing forward and lifting a hand in a bright wave.
"Iwa-chan!" He cried, running down the stairs and zooming the short distance across the sidewalk to where Iwaizumi was standing leaning back against a motorcycle. "Hi!"
Iwaizumi caught him knowingly as Tooru tossed himself into Iwaizumi's arms, catching both arms around the mechanic's neck and kissing his cheek dramatically.
"Hey yourself." Iwaizumi replied, in the midst of catching a few of Tooru's fleeting kisses against his lips. "How did it go?"
"Fantastic!" Tooru informed him, beaming cheerily. He could feel everyone behind them staring, but he really didn't care. "As usual, I looked amazing, and really, if it killed you to buy one of my covers you would see how amazing I look."
"I don't have to." Iwaizumi replied, holding Tooru's hips loosely. "Clearly I can see how gorgeous you are right in front of me, thanks."
Tooru blushed prettily, giggling and hugging Iwaizumi around the neck, asking, "You finally fixed your bike?"
"Yeah." Iwaizumi agreed, even though that was clearly obvious given the motorcycle behind him. "And someone said he thought it would be really hot to see me on a motorcycle, so I thought that someone deserved to be the first person to see it. And I thought I'd take someone to lunch."
"Really?" Tooru asked, stars in his eyes, and Iwaizumi smiled, leaning up to kiss his cheek.
"Yeah, really. C'mon, gorgeous."
Iwaizumi caught him around the waist, swinging him around to the street beside the motorcycle. Tooru quickly climbed on behind Iwaizumi, hugging him around the waist and pressing a kiss to his shoulder before taking the helmet Iwaizumi handed him and putting it on without a care for ruining his perfect hair. With a laugh, Tooru squeezed him and Iwaizumi kicked up the kickstand, and without a care for the reporters shouting questions after them, Iwaizumi revved the engine.