The two of them stood in silence.

Iwaizumi's weak answer to his sister's terrible question hung in the air like a fog, but it felt as if it was getting thicker and heavier by the second.

He could tell that his sister didn't believe him. How could she? His response was as shaky as a tower of toothpicks. His voice shook when he spoke, and there definitely wasn't very much conviction in his tone.

But he knows himself. And he knows his feelings. He likes Oikawa. Maybe even loves! But of course he does. Who else would he like if not his soulmate?

"Okay," said his sister. "So you do like him. Does he feel the same?"

Iwaizumi's brows furrowed. He gulped and wondered about a question that he never considered.

Does Oikawa like him?

That answer should be obvious.

• •

There's a common saying that bad things happen in threes, but for Oikawa, who never had much luck in life, bad things tend to happen in amounts larger than three.

For example...

They were on their way.

To where, Oikawa didn't really know nor did he care. All he knew was that they were leaving the mess at the hospital behind.

Yet, a mess was sitting beside him in the backseat of their car.

Mr. Mori was crying. It wasn't the dramatic sobs with snot everywhere and eyes redder than blood, but rather something seemingly more depressing.

He side-eyed his adoptive father. The older male was slumped against the leather seat; if the seat belt wasn't containing Mr. Mori, then Oikawa was pretty sure that the guy would be crumpled on the car floor.

Mr. Mori was staring out the window, looking as if he was in a complete daze. Stray tears constantly seeped out of his eyes, and Oikawa didn't think they would stop any time soon.

Oikawa sighed and wiped at his own tears. He was in a little better state than his adoptive father, but not in a great one.

He still couldn't believe it.

Mrs. Mori was dead. The witch was gone.

If anything, it was a miracle.

Gone were the days of abuse and belittlement. He wouldn't have to fear getting randomly slapped or dodging wine bottles thrown at him. Mornings wouldn't have to be spent using cosmetics to cover bruises, and nights wouldn't be spent counting scratches. He could stop treading on eggshells whenever he was home. He could breathe a little easier.

But along with her passing was the death of any future hope he had for a family again. Gone now was the daydreaming he'd think about in the middle of class and the stupid scenarios he'd imagine when Mrs. Mori wasn't all witchy.

Gone now was his adoptive mother, the woman who took him in and gave him a short glimpse of a true family.

But there was nothing that could make his painful past disappear like Mrs. Mori.

He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, trying to take a deep breath. But his chest muscles felt awfully tight—like something was squeezing his poor heart to death—and all he could manage was a choked gasp of air.

Even now, he thought bitterly, it stills hurts.

It seemed that Mrs. Mori was managing to take from him still, despite her death.

He would laugh if it didn't hurt so much.

"Sir," said the driver, "I think we're being followed."

Oikawa glanced over at Mr. Mori, who was still lost in his own depression. Since his adoptive father was clearly unresponsive, he decided to answer.

"Just lose them, can't you?" He croaked, voice raw from his crying earlier. "Where are we going anyway?"

"Er— I was heading on the way back to the house," nervously explained the driver. "But I can change course if you want—"

"Just drive," he ordered, trying to sound tough.

"Yes, sir."

He sighed and looked over at Mr. Mori again. The man appeared just about gone.

Of course, that was natural. His adoptive parents were soulmates, and Oikawa couldn't even begin to fathom the pain of losing your other half.

He bit his lip, blinking fresh tears out of his eyes. He couldn't imagine losing Iwaizumi.

His birth parents were gone. Mrs. Mori was gone. And from the way that Mr. Mori was acting, Oikawa could potentially lose his adoptive father too.

But he wouldn't—couldn't—lose Iwaizumi.

Oikawa swallowed the urge to cry again and tried to think of happy thoughts.

Me and Iwaizumi dancing...

Me and Iwaizumi watching a movie...

Me and Iwaizumi sleeping—

"We've arrived," declared the driver, snapping Oikawa to attention.

He turned to look out the window and sure enough, the great Mori Mansion sat at the end of their long driveway. The car drove slowly down the path until it came to a stop.

Oikawa sighed and moved closer to his adoptive father, tapping the man's shoulder.

"Mr. Mori, we're home. Can you walk?"

The older man didn't bother to look at him but instead continued to stare out the car window. Oikawa frowned and tapped Mr. Mori again.

"It's more comfortable inside," he said. "Come on, I'll help you out."

Oikawa pushed open his side's door, slamming it shut before heading over to Mr. Mori's side. He reached for the car door's handle and was about to pull when a voice stopped him.

"Are you Tooru Oikawa?"

He looked up and made eye contact with a man dressed in a crisp black uniform. Several other men stood behind the guy, but they were dressed in a different color of uniform. However, they all wore several badges on their shirts and one in particular caught his eye.

He casually cleared his throat, his heart picking pace.

"What can I do for you, officer?"

The policeman nodded towards the car. "Your dad here?"

Oikawa felt the rush of suddenly needing to lie. He knows he shouldn't—you should never lie to the authorities—but the urge was strong and he was weak.

"No, he's not," he quickly answered, shaking his head. His heart started to beat faster. "Do you need Mr. Mori for something?"

He casually moved a step closer to the car, using his body to block the door. Luckily, the windows were tinted darker than usual since the car was Mr. Mori's.

But why was he protecting his adoptive father? It's not like the older male had committed a crime or anything. As far as Oikawa knew, Mr. Mori was the most uncorrupted candidate.

Right?

Right.

The officer frowned. "Why don't you step away from the vehicle?"

Oikawa plastered on the best smile he could, trying to remain calm. But his lips kept twitching and he couldn't even maintain the expression, let alone appear neutral.

"Officer, could you tell me why you made the trip all the way out here today?" He asked as cheerfully as he could. "As you know, Mr. Mori is incredibly busy so—"

The policeman held a hand out for Oikawa to stop talking and began walking over to where he was.

Oikawa froze on the spot, unsure of what to do. The officer raised a hand out to him, probably going to pat his shoulder. But Oikawa saw the motion and instinctively flinched back, thinking of another action.

"It's okay, son," said the policeman. "You don't have to protect him. He's gonna get what's coming to him."

Oikawa stared, confused. "What're you—"

"WE KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE, MORI! STEP OUT OF THE CAR!" suddenly bellowed the policeman. "WE HAVE A WARRANT FOR YOUR ARREST!"

Arrest?

"Sir, what're you—" he began but was cut off again.

"WE WILL USE FORCE IF YOU DON'T COMPLY!" The officer warned. Oikawa saw the man reach for a baton on his waist.

"Wait!" cried Oikawa. He moved closer to the car door and held his arms out. "I'll get Mr. Mori out; there's no need to get—"

Once more, his words were interrupted but this time by the sound of the car door opening.

Mr. Mori stepped out of the vehicle, looking nothing like the powerful politician he was but instead like an old man.

Oikawa glanced between his adoptive father and the officer, feeling awfully confused. He had no idea why the police were here and why they wanted to arrest Mr. Mori. However, he did know one thing and one thing for certain.

He was not about to let them take Mr. Mori away. With the loss of his adoptive mother, Oikawa was not about to lose his adoptive father as well.

Oikawa sandwiched himself between the cop and Mr. Mori, arms raised defensively to protect his adoptive father. Plastering on his best smile, he turned to the cop.

"Sir, why don't we have a nice talk—"

The officer pushed him aside roughly, and he landed hard on his butt. Oikawa watched as the officer then grabbed Mr. Mori and forcefully slammed him against the car. Mr. Mori's hands were handcuffed behind his back as the officer gave the usual spiel.

"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can be used against you in court. You have—"

"Wait! WAIT!"

The officer snapped his attention to Oikawa on the ground.

"What!" barked the cop.

"Why—" Oikawa huffed, slightly out of breath, "why are you arresting him?"

The annoyance on the cop's face softened to a look of pity, as if Oikawa was the fool for not knowing.

"You don't have to hide it any longer, kid," said the policeman. "It's okay now. We'll protect you."

He stared blankly, absolutely baffled at the cop's words. Protect him? From whom?

"What're you talking about?" He asked.

"The truth is out," stated the cop. "We have video evidence of the abuse going on in that very house."

Oikawa felt his stomach drop.

"...what?" He breathed out. "Abuse?"

The cop nodded and placed a gentle hand on Oikawa's shoulder, the other still holding onto Mr. Mori. "I'm so sorry for what you've been through. I'll personally make sure that this disgusting man right here is put to justice."

Then the officer turned to face the other policemen and gestured at them. Two of them ran forward and took ahold of Mr. Mori before escorting him away.

Oikawa watched, his heart thundering so loud that it seemed to drown everything else out.

His feet were frozen in place. He didn't know what the hell to do. It's not like he could stop the arrest; that'd probably land them both into more trouble, but he couldn't just let his adoptive father go.

"Wait!" He called out. "Mr. Mori!"

At the sound of his name, the latter managed to glance back at Oikawa one last time and nodded.

Oikawa scrambled to his feet but could do nothing as he watched the officers shove Mr. Mori into the police car.

Alone, he stood. The rest of the policemen, including the one he spoke to, entered their own cars and drove away with the last member of Oikawa's family in handcuffs.

What else could he do but cry?

In the middle of his sobbing, he heard a soft voice behind from. It was their driver.

"Sir, what do we do now?"

Before Oikawa could get an answer out, he felt it.

The skin on his right wrist suddenly tingled with that prickly feeling whenever his beloved lied. He hastily wiped at his wet eyes before checking out the words.

And then he rubbed his eyes, not quite believing the new lie on his wrist.

Then he rubbed at the skin until it was red, as if trying to erase the letters off but no matter how hard he tried, they remained.

"I like Oikawa."

...four.

•

hii
thank you all for your patience while I attempt at writing :)

huge shoutout to beccafinsta <3
you guys can thank her for this new chap

random fun fact: I wrote a version of this chap where Mr. Mori is almost beaten to death by an angry mob

hope everyone's been well! see y'all in the next update! (whenever that is)