phantasmagoria - iwaoi

↦ JULY 16TH

"It's my birthday in four days, Iwa-chan!" Oikawa Tooru practically sings, as he swings around the lamp post like Gene Kelly in Singin in the Rain, which is coincidentally his favorite movie.

"So don't you forget!" he points out, now standing near Hajime, his arms crossed in front of his chest, his lips pursed into a thin line of annoyance. Hajime chuckles a little; Oikawa's antics may be silly and even childish in some aspects, but he can't help but admit that it's cute to see and that it brings a sense of fluttery warmth within him.

"Yeah, yeah," Hajime replies, dismissing it entirely, despite the tiny smile that's crept its way to his face. "Kinda hard to forget when you're literally rubbing it in my face every single day."
Oikawa grins, the same cheesy grin he always has whenever he's about to say something completely stupid.

"That's not the only thing I can rub, Iwa-chan~" Oikawa gives him a suggestive wink. Hajime rolls his eyes at him, stuffing his hands deeper into his pockets as he continues to walk down the street, his best friend practically skipping after him.

"Iwa-chan, don't leave me behind!" Oikawa yells after him, now running to catch up with Hajime's larger strides. He lets out a soft grunt in surprise as Oikawa now tackles into him from behind, arms coming over Hajime's shoulders and pulling him down to the ground.

Hajime is cursing under his breath as Oikawa breaks into sweet and pure laughter, his entire body shaking. He gets to his feet, dusting off his knees as Hajime gives him a dirty look, grudgingly taking the offered hand Oikawa gives him.

"Can't you at least warn me before you do something like that?" Hajime hisses, as Oikawa links arms with him now, resting his head on Hajime's shoulder.

"Then the surprise element will be gone, Iwa-chan," Oikawa replies, looking at him blankly. "Where's the fun in that?"

"I could have broken a bone!" Hajime snarls, giving him a dirty look. "And you would have damaged your knee even more, Shittykawa."

Oikawa barks with laughter now, throwing his head back in unadulterated glee. "Iwa-chan! Just because you're so much stronger than me does not mean you'll be able to make me into a cripple," he wheezes, ruffling Hajime's already messy hair. "You're so funny."

"Well, at least I can make you laugh. Your jokes seem to never have any comedic value in them," Hajime replies, looking at Oikawa directly. "No, correction. There is nothing comedic about anything that you say or do. It's just a big flop." He gives him a small smile as Oikawa's back to his usual annoyed face, furrowing his eyebrows in irritation.

"You're so mean, Iwa-chan!"

"Thank goodness no one was around to see that," Hajime says, completely ignoring Oikawa's outburst. The other boy balls his free hand into a tight fist, obviously dejected at his dismissal. "That would've been embarrassing."

"Iwa-chan, you're embarrassing," Oikawa snaps, as Hajime gives him a large grin, his cheeks flushing a light pink regardless.

They continue to walk, Hajime's pace slowing down as they reach Oikawa's lane. Despite living in the same neighborhood, they weren't on the same block, much to Hajime's disappointment (not like that's something he'd admit out loud).

"We're here," Hajime announces, stopping just outside of Oikawa's gate. The area is silent, save for the rustling of the wind chimes in the soft autumn breeze that blows this late at night.

Reluctantly, Oikawa unlinks his arm from Hajime's, pouting a little. It's partially cloudy, with the moon being discreetly hidden between tufts of dark grey. Its light still manages to filter through, and it's this light that lights up Oikawa's whole aura, outlining his figure in a pale silver that glints softly. His usually tamed brown hair is now slightly windswept, a couple of stray strands tickling the edges of his nose and cheekbones.

"Are we still on for that ice-cream place tomorrow?" Oikawa asks, not looking at Hajime anymore. His eyes are on his shoes, which shuffle back and forth in an anticipated manner, as though he fears Hajime's answer.

Hajime gives him a comforting grin, kissing his cheek softly as he does so. "Yeah. I'll pick you up in the evening," he replies, and Oikawa looks up from his shoes and at Hajime, his dark eyes shining with excitement.

"Great! You better not be late, Iwa-chan!" Oikawa exclaims, before pressing his lips to Hajime's cheek in an airy kiss.

It's light and fluttery, like when a butterfly lands on your nose for a few brief moments. And in those few brief moments, Hajime can feel his heart race, can feel his body warm up at the closeness of Oikawa's body to his, can feel his cheeks turn a darker shade of pink when Oikawa kisses him. Just like when Oikawa had kissed him all those years ago.

"See you tomorrow, Oikawa," Hajime says, just as Oikawa's lips leave his skin and the other boy turns to enter into his compound, pushing the iron gate open with a smile.

"See ya tomorrow, Iwa-chan!" Oikawa chirps, as Hajime turns around the corner, waving slightly. But there's no wave back, no sound of the gate clanging against its lock. Just the soft rustle of the wind chimes that Oikawa's mother had hung up on the front door, whose sweet melody rings in the air, like a distant call for someone who's come back home.

The moon comes out fully now, the dark grey tufts of cloud from before pushed back to let it through. Crickets that are hidden in the municipality-catered for bushes chirp softly, as in greeting to the light of the moon. It's an empty scene, one that feels hollow and devoid of any emotion, like something from a horror film.

But despite looking so morbid and death-like, the chills Hajime feels from the cool night air steady the angry storm that rages inside him, one that washes up all emotional and spiritual stability he's harbored through the years.