Chapter Text
It's 2:03 am and Oikawa still isn't back yet. He has a test tomorrow in history, his worst subject, and Iwaizumi hasn't seen him since he left at 8:47 pm with a quick "Be back soon!" before slipping out the door.
It's 2:07 am and Iwaizumi knows he should be in bed, but he can't sleep knowing that Oikawa is going to come back in a worse state than he left in.
It’s 2:32 am when Iwaizumi stands up from the couch and stretches, his phone dead from constantly checking the time.
It's sometime after 2 and before 3 when Iwaizumi finds himself standing in the kitchen making a pot of coffee, his phone plugged into the outlet by the small counter of their dingy college apartment. Their apartment. It doesn't feel that way with all the time Iwaizumi spends alone in it. Oikawa's room may be just across the living room from his own, but the apartment hasn't felt like their apartment for months.
It's probably around 4 in the morning when Iwaizumi finishes the pot of coffee and gives up on sleeping. He's sitting on the couch, history textbook open on the coffee table when he hears a key in the door.
Iwaizumi stares at the history book as the door is gently unlocked and pried open. Oikawa scurries in and softly closes the door, giving a sigh of relief when it shuts without a sound. But when he turns to see Iwaizumi, he almost jumps.
"I didn't expect you to still be awake," Oikawa slurs, his face flushed, his hair plastered to his forehead from sweat.
Iwaizumi can smell the liquor on him from across the living room.
"You need to study for your 9:00 am history test," Iwaizumi states, glancing up from the textbook to stare Oikawa down. Dark, angry purple and red marks race down his neck and into the collar of his shirt. Iwaizumi knows there are probably more, but he turns back to stare at the jumbled words of the textbook. He's been up since 8:00 am yesterday, and the world starting swimming around 1:00 am. The marks lining Oikawa's profile outline his vision in red and make him want to throw up.
Oikawa audibly fidgets, rocking back on his heels as he still stands by the door. To get to his room, he needs to pass by Iwaizumi, but by the way he's swaying, Iwaizumi is surprised he was able to even make it back to their apartment. The apartment.
"I think I'm just gonna wing it," Oikawa finally gets out, words mushed and small. He starts for his room when Iwaizumi stands up, blocking his way, eyes cast aside.
"Sit here while I at least get you some water," Iwaizumi grits out, cringing at the anger even he can feel draped around every syllable.
He goes to reach for Oikawa's wrist but his hand isn't there, the lithe man already arranging himself onto the couch with poise Iwaizumi wants to forget. Iwaizumi's hand dangles in air for a moment, two, before he lets it fall and heads into the kitchen.
He opens the cabinet, grabs a green plastic cup, and turns on the faucet to fill it with water. Their—the—apartment fills with the sound of the tap, silence overwhelming when Iwaizumi shuts it off. He knows Oikawa is still awake. Oikawa knows Iwaizumi knows, but he's going to attempt to fake sleep anyways.
Iwaizumi is tired of Oikawa pretending to sleep to avoid conversation when he comes home drunk. While drinking makes Oikawa sloppy, it doesn't make him tired, it makes him wired, wide awake, but Iwaizumi thinks he's the only one who knows this.
He returns with the green cup to see Oikawa lying with his eyes closed, attempting to regulate his breathing in a way that resembles sleep. Even while trashed out of his mind, Oikawa refuses to break down those walls Iwaizumi spent a lifetime watching him construct. Anyone who's spent the night with Oikawa knows he has soft snores—kitten snores as Iwaizumi named them when they were seven—but Iwaizumi doesn't want to think about anyone sleeping with—spending the night with Oikawa. Iwaizumi wants to believe that he's the only one who's cared enough to notice anyways.
"I know you're awake Oikawa," Iwaizumi murmurs, nudging aside the history book to take a seat on the coffee table.
Oikawa flinch is entirely noticeable, but they both know this part of the charade, and at this point Iwaizumi should stand up and sigh, leave the green plastic cup on the coffee table, and head to bed. Iwaizumi should not be reaching over to shake Oikawa's shoulder. He should not be leaning closer to stare at Oikawa's closed eyes. He most certainly shouldn't be thinking about the way Oikawa's eyelashes curl perfectly, even if Oikawa always complained about them being too long.
Iwaizumi needs to stop prying and go to bed.
Iwaizumi puts the cup of water down on the coffee table and shakes Oikawa again as his eyes flash open.
"I need sleep if I'm going to pass Iwaizumi," Oikawa smiles, a grimace in reality, edging away from where Iwaizumi is touching him. Iwaizumi lets go and leans back.
"Then why did you go out and drink until 4:00 am before a test?" Iwaizumi spits out, but the anger isn't there anymore, lost somewhere between Oikawa's lashes and mouth. Iwaizumi won't stop staring.
Oikawa is quiet. An alarm is heard through their (the) thin apartment walls. Someone shuffles around and the alarm is shut off.
Iwaizumi assumes it's 5:00 am, and Oikawa looks like he wants to cry.
"Why are you still awake Iwaizumi?" Oikawa bites his lip, glancing away from Iwaizumi's piercing gaze for a moment. "You have a test in biology at 10, you should have gotten some sleep." He stares at the wall, lips trembling.
Iwaizumi can no longer look at him, gaze turned to the industrial carpet scratching his bare feet. "It's hard to sleep not knowing if you're going to come back or not." Iwaizumi whispers, ignoring the way Oikawa sits up and turns towards him.
Oikawa attempts a laugh, stilted, choked. "Of course I'm gonna come back," he tries, reaching out to touch Iwaizumi's trembling shoulder. Iwaizumi looks up and Oikawa smiles, this one almost reaching his eyes. "What's a captain without his ace?"
It's sometime shortly after 5:00 am and Iwaizumi knows Oikawa is the one who should be feeling sick, but he's the one who wants to throw up.
"Come on," Iwaizumi stands, grabbing Oikawa's wrist and pulling him off the couch. "I'm gonna go make some breakfast and coffee while you go shower. After we've sobered you up, we're gonna cram like hell and you're gonna pass that history exam, got it?"
Oikawa looks at where Iwaizumi's hand is wrapped around his wrist, and nods, steeling himself.
Iwaizumi knows he needs to let go so Oikawa can shower and he can start the coffee, but his heart is racing, and Iwaizumi hopes Oikawa won't notice he if holds on for a moment or two longer in the living room of their apartment.
Oikawa notices.