conversing tensions | oihina

16 | bubbling feelings

juliet - cavetown

⇆ㅤ ||◁ㅤ❚❚ㅤ▷||ㅤ ↻

I hope that he looks at me and thinks "shit, he's so pretty..." 

Oikawa's POV

"Are you sure you don't need to take a break or anything? Do you need something to drink?"

Shouyou placed the skateboard in his hand back onto the rack in front of him and turned to me in frustration. "Would you cut that out? I got punched, I'm not fucking dying!"

His voice was but a low whisper, but it still held a good percent of his annoyance that blossomed from my endless prying. I was just worried for him, perhaps a bit too worried.

"Yeah, and kicked and cut and-" 

"Shh!" A small hand pressed against my chest. Shouyou did a quick look-around before gently pushing me toward another aisle in the sports store where there weren't as many people.

"People are gonna think I'm a gangster or something! I'm fine, and it's not gonna happen again, so drop it! Sheesh!"

I wanted to snort at his almost flustered attitude but managed to keep myself quiet. "You still use a shortboard, right? Let's go over here."

He followed behind me as I led him to the shortboards. His footsteps are hard to hear unless you pay close attention. In a way, it was cute.

"Hey... To-San..?"

"Hmm?"

His mood changed, Shouyou was fidgety, bashful, I wanted to know why. "How does Auntie fair without, you know... Your dad..."

I lifted a skateboard and began observing it while continuously spinning the wheels to give Shouyou something to focus on rather than his feelings.

"Well, she never seemed to have any problems without him. If anything, I'd say she's fine. Why the sudden question, though?"

He tried to clear his throat, he tried to bite his nail and glance away. I took his hand away from his mouth and placed it back at his side.

"It's nothing, I just... I see Mom crying a lot with a picture of Dad, and... I don't know, yeah, I don't know, it's stupid, forget it."

But I didn't want him to forget it, I wanted him to confide in me because his version of "forget it" is burying it within himself and gradually turning it into poison.

Since we're in public right now, and I didn't know what to expect by drawing Shouyou's feelings out of him, I decided to let him rebury his feelings and talk to him about it later.

"... How about we get some ice cream? You can put some on your face to soothe that nasty bruise."

He chuckled. "Yeah, let's come back afterward so I can think about which board's the best."

"Oh, this one's definitely the best for you. It matches your hair."

We ended up arguing over skateboards for a good half an hour before we actually bought one, then, went for ice cream.

-----

We were walking home, it was pretty late, the sun was setting and the sidewalks were clearing up. Shouyou was clutching onto my shirt sleeve, I don't think he's feeling too good, so I'm trying to get him home quickly.

Still, he stubbornly held his new skateboard in his hand and, even more stubbornly paid for it on his own with the words "Make sure Auntie gets her money back. None of this was her fault, so I'd feel bad if she had to pay for something I broke."

Shouyou's breathing was pretty heavy, I could feel him leaning against me a bit more just as our houses came into view. I'm sure Shouyou got his selflessness from his dad, but there's no way I'd bring that up right now.

I tossed my arm around him and pressed him into me more in hopes of lessening his strain. He needs more time to heal, I'll remember that from now on.

I walked him to his door, then up to his room once Shouyou made sure his mother and sister wouldn't see him in such a weak state.

He flopped onto his bed immediately and nuzzled into it with a deep sigh. "I'm so tired~" The only thing I could bring myself to do was brush a hand into his hair with a saddened gaze.

Shouyou pulled his face off the bed and turned to look at me in question. "Should I stay with you tonight?" He turned around more so that his back was laying on the bed, I placed my hand on the side of him and gently massaged his scalp with the tips of my fingers.

"Are you going to be able to sleep?"

His eyes were wide with mixed emotions, my shadow looked beautiful plastered all over his body. I love it. "Ye-Yeah..?"

Soft lips were glossed with the saliva from his tongue, his small hand twitched to reach out to me- I wish he would. I wish he'd grab onto me and cry and tell me everything that's bothering him and everything that's hurting him.

I wish he'd confide in me.

His eyes fluttered closed as he leaned into my hand. Shouyou's neck was exposed, like he was tempting me, like he wanted my mouth there.

I had to calm down before I tried to do something and screw our realliance up, but, God, Shouyou's such a masterpiece...

My body tried to lean down to him, I refused to let it because I knew if I gave in Shouyou would be devoured in no time.

"That's enough, To-San..." Despite his words, he continued to press into my hand. "You need to get some sleep..."

"As do you, Sho-Chan."

I didn't move, he didn't move. Not until my heart couldn't take such teasingly close contact anymore did I finally place some distance between us. Shouyou continued laying on the bed.

"... If you have trouble sleeping, you'll come to me, right?"

He nodded. "If you have trouble sleeping, feel free to come here, too."

I tried to laugh the awkwardness off as I took the skateboard off his bed and got on it to slowly skate around his room.

"'Cause, you'll probably be awake anyway, right?" It was a joke, Shouyou chuckled and finally sat up. "Hopefully not, but who knows?"

Eventually, I had to leave because I had to put this money back in Mom's purse, but I made sure to wish him a good night's sleep.

"Ah, To-San..!"

When I turned, Shouyou's jaw slacked some as if he were surprised by his outburst.

"Uh, no, nothing... Good night."

"...Good night, Shou-Chan."

-----

Shouyou's POV (3:21 a.m)

I can't sleep. My eyes were painfully open, no matter how many times I tried to urge them close. In total, I think I've drifted off about four times now.

God... Maybe I'm restless because...

Slowly, I peeled my blankets off and carefully slipped my shorts off. Though it was minor, there was, indeed, a boner there, so I sighed and shifted my underwear down to my feet.

"This is such a pain..."

=====