"you don't pay attention to me at all anymore!" athena raised her voice at iwaizumi, the other just stared down at his feet, unable to face his wife. if he looked her in the eyes, he would yell too.

he could have just apologized, like he always does, but he was too tired of doing that. most of the time, it wasn't even his fault. yet he would apologise and apologise, maintain his perfect husband image and please all of athena's desires.

however sometimes it just builds up to the point where you can't do it anymore. as iwaizumi glanced outside he smiled at the view of red and yellow leaves, slowly snowing down from trees onto the ground, painting the sidewalk in all possible colours. ah, the view of freedom, a tiny puppy jumped into a pile of leaves, barking and licking his already wet nose - free and happy. that's all iwaizumi desired.

"are you even listening to me?!" athena yelled, finally gaining iwaizumi's attention. he looked at her wide-eyed, pupils dilated - much like a sad puppy. "you're so busy that you can't even spare me a few words. at least text me more often"

iwaizumi just nodded, he didn't have the spirit or energy to argue with her. every few days it's the same old stuff. first she one-sidedly argues, then cooks a nice meal and apologizes for raising her voice while still blaming him for everything, then she becomes the sweetest wife ever, until it annoys her that iwaizumi's working and not spending time with her. and so, the cycle repeats.

"i'm sorry... i have some business i need to take care of..." he half-whispered, expecting another flood of aggressive comments from athena, but she just sighed and murmured "go ahead" before stomping away in an annoyed manner.

there was no business.

he simply wanted to relax.

first free day after months of hard work and preparation, he deserves some peace and quiet, doesn't he? iwaizumi grabbed his coat and headed out, not even bothering to take his car, he wasn't sure where he would go, but some place was bound to welcome him.

the streets were littered and empty, the spray paint on walls had settled down and only the magic of pressure washing could help them now. there was broken glass all over the sidewalks - a riot is what they called it. rights for everyone. rights for people. and... iwaizumi was with them. his mind could not process how someone could hate another person just because his skin color is different or their gender is different, or their preference. insane.

he went where his feet took him in those awfully tacky and uncomfortable shoes, "they suit you" athena would say, so who is he to argue with his wife? she must know better. his rummaged through his coat pockets, picking up a couple of bills that seemingly appeared out of nowhere. an exhausted sigh escaped his mouth - why couldn't he relax? what was this tension?

iwaizumi finally lifted up his head, staring at a narrow street in front of him. liberty avenue, it was called apparently, a perfect place for a politician. if only the business on this avenue was still flourishing and drug dealers hadn't made it their area, but his eyes spotted a door. old, wooden, seemingly heavy door, it was dirty and probably hadn't seen water in month. but there was something about it.

he pulled the door and was instantly hit by the smell of....lavender?

sweet.

unlike the rest of the street.

the place was dimly lit, with a few einstein bulbs hanging from the ceiling, small wooden tables surrounded the walls, a chair or two next to each of them. the barista turned to him with a smile on her face, her apron was dirty and she had a billion coffee cups on the counter. must be experimenting.

"welcome to lonely beetle, please come in. take a seat and order a drink" she said cheerfully, but something was hiding behind her voice, a call for help, a partner. a lonely beetle, huh? the name suits someone like him.

he stepped inside and closed the door behind him, it shut close with a bang. iwaizumi scanned the room, looking for the best place to sit until his eyes spotted a familiar face. his brown curls fell on his forehead as he read some sort of article, the light from his laptop was the brightest source in this place, not even sure if one would call it a cafe.

iwaizumi took a few steps closer to him and tapped on his shoulder. a shudder ran down oikawa's spine. his eyes widened and he slammed his laptop shut, moving the hair away from his eyes.

"it's you" he said quietly.

"it is me, may i sit down?" iwaizumi gestured at the empty chair at the table and oikawa frantically nodded.

as he sat down, a wave of calmness washed over him, this place had a weird vibe, but not in a bad way. iwaizumi noticed oikawa staring at him, his eyes were glued on his face.

"i know we met that night in the park but... you look so familiar" oikawa wondered, iwaizumi simply chuckled and took off his coat.

the barista came by, handing iwaizumi a piece of paper glued on wood with a menu. it was cheap stuff, coffee, tea, juice, a couple of non-alcoholic cocktails and some snacks. he ended up asking for black tea and two cookies.

"you might recognise me from tv, if you are interested in politics" iwaizumi said, oikawa's head perked up, there was a glint in his eyes. suddenly, he jumped from his seat and practically pressed his face against iwaizumi's, getting a closer look at who the man was.

"no way... iwaizumi hajime, soon to be prime minister of this country... what an honor" oikawa suddenly changed his posture and held out his hand. "i am oikawa tooru, i am studying law and politics. it's an honor to meet you"

"please, no need for formalities, especially in a place like this" iwaizumi smiled.

"oh, uh, sorry. i'm just excited" oikawa quickly hid his laptop in his bag. he wasn't sure how to act, or if he even is allowed to speak to him, thankfully the barista broke the silence once  she brought iwaizumi's order.

the other pushed the plate with two chocolate chip cookies to the middle of the table. "one for you" he said, making oikawa shake his head.

"no, no sir, i cannot, this is yours" he smiled at him, but iwaizumi insisted.

"please, just iwaizumi or hajime is fine. this is not the place for formalities, let's just talk" iwaizumi felt at peace looking at oikawa's face.

there was something about this place, about this young man that made him feel relatively relaxed and happy. the two of them talked for hours, ordering more drinks and snacks as they went on. oh, what topics did they NOT cover? they talked about studies, about politics, about life, about the extraterrestrial life and finally about their personal experiences and surprisingly - the two were so similar. both struggling with their lovers, both struggling with their jobs, they shared interests..

as if they were meant to be, they were meant to meet a place like this.

the more iwaizumi spoke, the more entranced oikawa became. his speech was so fluent, smooth and convincing, the way his lips moved to articulate the sounds and the way his hands gestured - all so perfect.

many hours passed, many drinks were drunk, the two of them became indescribably close in just one day, so close in fact that iwaizumi invited him to his place and promised to help with his thesis.

in the corner booth of "lonely beetle" a reporter sat, snapping pictures of the two and already thinking of headlines:

"soon-to-be prime minister iwaizumi hajime may have a protege already"

they are both men with lovers.

they are both of different statuses.

no one would even know if something more happened between them.