Incapable of Love | IwaOiKage

Rewritten

"I can't."

Tobio heard Iwaizumi suck in a breath.

"What?" Oikawa asked, as if he wasn't expecting that.

"I can't", he repeated, "Not right now. You sound sincere, and I'm guessing that you are.... but I can't. I need time."

"Oh.... ok,, yeah", Iwaizumi replied, his voice small.

"We.... we'll be going. Goodbye, Tobio-chan." Oikawa's head was low.

The two elder boys walked themselves to the door. "If.... if you do decide to forgive us, just.... put down the wall. Thank you, Tobio", was Oikawa's final words before the door closed softly.

Tobio let out a breath.

He was... confused. Sad? Happy? Angry? He didn't know, it was just.. too much for Tobio. Questions spun in his head, dialogues he wanted to say swerved.

Why?
Why now?
Are they playing with me?
They rejected you! You don't owe them anything!
Maybe I could...
They'll hurt you, Tobio.
Maybe you should give them a chance?
You're just causing them trouble.

I want it.

After what seemed like hours of just standing there, processing what he just heard, Tobio sat down. He grabbed his phone and immediately dialled a number.

The phone rung.

"Tobio? What's wrong? You never call unannounced?"

"Hey Keiji-san"

"San? Tobio, are you alright?"

"Can....", Tobio said a soft voice, "can you come here? I need to talk to someone."

"I-" there were whispers in the background. Then he spoke up again. "Ya, of course. I'll see you then."

Tobio let out a shaky breath.

He skipped dinner and slept.

———

A soft knock on the door woke Tobio up. He groggily sat up, glancing at the clock. 3 am.

Suddenly the door unlocked. Tobio was already grabbing his volleyball, ready in case he had to serve into his intruder's face.

"Tobio? Are you awake?"

It was Keiji.

Tobio stood up and ran towards his stepbrother. He enveloped him in a hug.

"Tobio? What's wrong-"

"Hey! Hey! Heyyyy!!!"

"Shut up, Bokuto-san."

"Aghaashiiii!!"

Tobio pulled away, surprised by the sudden new voice. Bokuto? As in-

"Tobio, this is my soulmate, Bokuto Koutarou. He wouldn't let me leave alone so he followed, I hope you don't mind."

Tobio shifted awkwardly, he wanted the talk with Keiji alone. Keiji must've noticed this.

"Bokuto-san, could you grab us drinks? The kitchen is right there", Keiji pointed to kitchen.

"Okeiii!!" Bokuto jumped to the kitchen.

Keiji pulled Tobio to the couch. Tobio sat down, followed by Keiji.

"Tobio what's wrong?"

Tobio stayed silent again. He had too many thoughts, he couldn't think straight (cause he gay-). Keiji sighed, pulling Tobio into a short half hug. Then, they sat there. Keiji didn't ask, didn't push. He waited.

"I met my soulmate around four years ago."

Akaashi's eyes widened, but he didn't say anything.

"I had two. They were my senpais. And they were already together."

There was a pause, and Tobio could feel Keiji's gaze on him. It was painful to remember.

"They were happy. And they didn't need me to be happy."

Tobio felt Keiji's hand on his back assuringly.

"So- so I put up a wall. But- I wasn't strong enough. And I could still feel the bond, see the connection. Share their happiness because I didn't have any."

"Do..." Keiji spoke up for the first time", do you ever out the walk down?" Tobio shook his head, but he knew Keiji was thinking about their first encounter. Where Keiji talked to them without the wall.

"I-it was my final match of middle school..." Tobio took in a shaky breath. "Somethings... happened. I was so tired.... I let the wall down."

Tobio started to tear up, but the tears didn't fall. He couldn't let them fall. Maybe that's why he didn't notice someone sitting beside Keiji.

"It was the first time in years that I let the wall down, and because of my emotions, the noticed. And suddenly they were back in my life. We had a practice match against them."

Keiji squeezed his hand. "Seijoh?"

Tobio nodded slowly.

"They... they talked to me. Yesterday... they want me back.."

Tobio didn't notice the look Keiji sent to his own soulmate.

"I- I don't know what to do. I- I'm scared. That they'll throw me away again. They- they act like nothing happened.. I- they apologized but, it hurts and I-" Tobio felt a tear fall down. "They'll leave me alone again. When they realize how unlovable I am."

There was silence, and Tobio could tell that Keiji was silently communicating with Bokuto.

"You know how my father doesn't have a soulmate?"

Tobio nodded, bit really understanding why this information is relevant.

"Did you know children with at least one soulmateless parent has a higher chance of also not having a soulmate?"

Tobio has heard that, his teacher discussed it. But why is this relevant-

Did you know children with at least one soulmateless parent has a higher chance of also not having a soulmate?

"Wait- you?!"

Keiji nodded. "My mark was faded earlier than most soulmateless people."

"But you- and Bokuto-san? How? What?"

"I", Bokuto started, "was rejected." His voice was undisturbed. "I was twelve at the time. My ex-soulmate was a year older."

Tobio stared at him. B-but! He has seen their mark! It matched! It was coloured.

"But then... I got rewritten. When I was sixteen. When I met Keiji." Bokuto has a soft smile on his face.

"On that day", this time it was Keiji, "my school was touring his high school. That night, I noticed my mark changed. No longer faded, and now a different design. It was beautiful."

"My soulmark changed too. It wasn't black anymore. It was blank, and it was a different mark."

Tobio was stunned. He's heard about Rewritten before in biology class, but he didn't really pay attention.

"Y'know, I didn't plan on touring his school, I've went there before. But, something urged me. Made me go on that tour. It was my heart. My heart made me go".

"The point is.. listen to your heart. If it says to listen to them, to give them a chance, them I say listen. It doesn't have to be now, or, anytime soon. But unlike my ex-soulmate, who still hates me, yours doesn't. They know they're wrong, and they want to make it right."

Bokuto stood up, back towards Tobio. He turned his face.

"Plus, if they hurt you, I'll just hurt them back."

Tobio felt happiness fill his heart. That people cared for him.

Tobio thought about it for a while.

"Ok."