Chapter Text
The scene was familiar. They were crowded in the castle entrance, tension high and hearts racing. The others were crying, tear-streaked faces pressed into their hands as he looked on, concerned.
“Where’s Oikawa?” He asked. They looked up at him in silence. His heart stilled, eyes widening. Without a second thought, he ran out of the room and into the narrow hallway. The slamming of his feet against the linoleum was deafening, each step ticking away at an invisible clock in his mind.
He didn’t check the gardens this time, or the library, or the kitchens. He knew where Oikawa would be.
As he ran, the hallways seemed to narrow and stretch longer than he remembered. Lamps flickered, casting wide shadows across his field of vision, bathing him in darkness.
“Oikawa?” He called out, heart hammering. Something was wrong, something was painfully wrong. The hallways weren’t this long; he should be there by now. He called out again, to no avail.
The lights went out fully and he stopped. He looked around, eyes straining against the void. He wasn’t sure which way was right anymore, the familiar path to the king’s bedroom being lost to the darkness. He shook his head. Not wanting to hesitate any longer, he continued running.
All at once, the scene changed. A light flickered on in the distance, illuminating familiar grand doors. Relief washed over him as he neared them at last. Slamming his fist against the doors, he called out once again. At the silence, he went to knock again, only for the doors to slowly creak open on their own. He stepped back, hesitant, as the darkness of the room spilled into the dimly lit hall. He took a step forward, breaching the threshold.
“Oikawa?”
A candle burned on his large wooden desk, almost entirely burnt out. He picked it up shakily before turning, holding it out in front of him, and walking in the direction of the bed.
A rough outline of a body could be made out against the darkness and he stepped closer, sucking in a sharp breath. He held out the candle and felt his breath catch in his throat. Barely illuminated on the bed laid Oikawa, hair sprawled across a pillow and mouth slightly agape. His brown eyes, usually so warm and bright, were dull — lifeless — and stared at nothing. His arm dangled off of the bed, fingertips brushing the shattered remains of a teacup.
Dropping to his knees, he let out a choked sob. The candle fell from his grip, crashing to the floor, and snuffing out — bathing them in darkness.
Gasping, Iwaizumi jolted awake, heart stuttering. His eyes scanned the dark room frantically, unable to discern shapes from shadows. Something shifted to his right and he swallowed hard before turning. Curled up against the darkness was Oikawa, sleeping soundly, his back facing Iwaizumi as he clung tightly to his pillow.
Scooting forward, Iwaizumi pulled the brunette close, wrapping his shaky arms around Oikawa’s solid form. Oikawa shifted closer in his sleep, letting out a soft sigh. Iwaizumi pressed his face to the back of his neck, inhaling sharply before littering the skin with barely-there kisses. He squeezed the king tight, letting out a shaky exhale. He’s right here, he reminded himself. He’s safe; he’s right here.
The images from the nightmare flashed across his mind, glimpses of what could have happened — what almost happened. The dread that filled him was overwhelming and he shuddered hard, pressing himself impossibly closer.
Oikawa groaned at the pressure and shifted, letting out a groggy sound.
“Iwa-chan?” He murmured. Iwaizumi shuddered again, willing himself to calm down. Bringing a hand up to the arm taut around him, Oikawa’s eyes opened.
“You’re shaking,” he whispered in concern, “Hajime, what’s wrong?”
“I’m fine,” Iwaizumi replied. He cringed, hearing the unconvincing waver of his voice. Oikawa hummed.
“You’re not. Let me up, let me see you.”
Defeated, Iwaizumi loosened his grip and Oikawa turned, propping himself up on one arm. Even in the dark, Iwaizumi could see the fierce sparks dancing in the brunette’s eyes as he looked him over. Brows furrowed, Iwaizumi ducked away from his scrutinizing gaze. Oikawa sighed and brought a hand up to cup his cheek, stroking the skin softly with his thumb.
“Nightmare?” He asked quietly. Iwaizumi nodded, refusing to look up.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
He knew he should. Talking about these things was a good way to work through them, and wasn’t that what he was always telling Oikawa? But he had never been the eloquent one of the two — any thoughts he wanted to share got jumbled and awkward on their way out. He wasn’t good at talking about things, especially not things that upset him.
The distress must have shown on his face because the next thing he knew, Oikawa shifted and pulled the two of them to sit up. He sat with his legs folded underneath him before leaning forward and cupping Iwaizumi’s hands within his own.
“Take your time,” he whispered. Iwaizumi looked up then, eyes flitting around Oikawa’s soft yet concerned features, before returning his gaze to their hands. He took in a shaky breath.
“It was… about that day. When we got back, after the letter.”
Oikawa sucked in a sharp breath but nodded, squeezing his hands. After a moment of pause, Iwaizumi continued.
“We were — I was — too late. When we got back, I was too late.”
“What do you mean?”
Iwaizumi shook his head hard before looking up, frantic eyes meeting Oikawa’s concerned ones. He clutched tighter to their hands.
“When I got to our — your room, you had already been- were already- and I- I found you but I was too late ,” his voice broke then, heat burning behind his eyes, “I was too late.”
Without a moment’s hesitation, Oikawa tugged him forward, wrapping his arms tightly around the knight. Iwaizumi rested his forehead on Oikawa’s shoulder, trying to calm his ragged breathing. Oikawa stayed silent, bringing one hand up to card through his hair, letting the other run softly up and down his spine. Iwaizumi shut his eyes tight, forcing himself to take slow, deliberate breaths. His hands hung limply at his sides, barely grazing Oikawa’s thighs. Slowly, his racing heart began to calm down and he raised his shaky hands to return the hug, holding tight to Oikawa’s shirt. He breathed in deeply, letting the warmth and scent of the taller man fully encapsulate him.
After a few more minutes of silent comfort, Oikawa turned to press his lips against Iwaizumi’s temple.
“Hajime, can you sit back for me?”
Weakly, Iwaizumi nodded and leaned back, not removing his hands from Oikawa’s sides. Tilting his head slightly, Oikawa gave him a soft smile.
“Do you remember what you told me when I started having nightmares about this?” He asked. Iwaizumi fixed him with a confused look, causing a chuckle to bubble out of Oikawa’s chest. He shook his head.
“It was almost a year ago, so I guess I shouldn’t expect you to remember it much.”
He shifted, removing one of Iwaizumi’s hands from his hip and bringing it up, dusting his lips along the knuckles before settling it right over his heart. Faintly, Iwaizumi could remember doing something similar, but it was a hazy, distant memory. Oikawa looked at him again.
“You feel that, right? That means I’m alive. You weren’t too late, Hajime. I’m right here. You can see me. You can hear me,” He leaned forward, pressing their lips together briefly, “You can feel me. I’m safe and I’m right here, because of you .”
Iwaizumi let out a shaky breath, squeezing Oikawa’s hand. Oikawa squeezed back, bringing his free hand up to cup Iwaizumi’s cheek. He leaned into the touch, sighing.
“I love you,” Oikawa whispered. Iwaizumi blinked his eyes open slowly and hummed, nuzzling further into his hand.
“I love you too.”
Oikawa laughed lightly before releasing their intertwined hands. He leaned forward, brushing his lips along Iwaizumi’s forehead, the spot between his brows that was always creased in concern, and down the bridge of his nose before dragging to the apple of his cheek. Grunting, Iwaizumi raised a hand to the back of his neck and pulled him in, slotting their lips together. Oikawa laughed into the kiss before melting into it. He carded his free hand through Iwaizumi’s messy hair once again before pulling back, a lopsided grin on his face.
“Impatient, much?” He teased. Iwaizumi rolled his eyes but was unable to fight off a smile of his own. Before he could retort, Oikawa pulled him back in. They kissed languidly as they settled back down into bed. Iwaizumi wrapped an arm around Oikawa’s waist, tugging him as close as possible.
They pulled back and Oikawa grinned at the lazy smile that crawled across Iwaizumi’s face. Iwaizumi watched him fondly, eyes hazy with love and exhaustion. Pressing one final kiss to his jaw, Oikawa rested his head against Iwaizumi’s chest, right over his heart.
“Thank you, Tooru,” Iwaizumi whispered against the dark. Oikawa hummed softly, nestling further into him.
“Of course,” He breathed.
As the night stretched on, the pair fell into a deep sleep, bodies, and hearts entwined.