Chapter Text
The road ahead of Iwaizumi seemed to stretch out infinitely. On and on it went until it disappeared between the rolling hills they had been riding through for hours. Woods alternated with fields and meadows, small villages popping up along the way from time to time. It was not so different from what he was used to, and yet it lacked the familiarity his father´s lands held after having explored them for sixteen years.
It was a strange feeling, Iwaizumi thought, knowing that you had left behind everything you knew to start a new life. A new life in the palace, far away from home. A new life without the guidance of his father and the love of his mother. A new life as a royal guard, defending the King and his family.
A small smile, the first in days, tugged at his lips when he thought of the royal family, or more one member in particular. A certain loud-mouthed, sly little prince with chestnut hair and a dazzling smile. As scary the prospect of having to live in a completely unfamiliar place was, the thought of seeing Tooru again was what actually made Iwaizumi´s nerves buzz.
"It's only one more hour", the man on the horse next to him said. Mizoguchi was his father's advisor and trusted with the task of making sure Iwaizumi arrived at the royal palace safely.
"Did you hear that, Saya? We're almost there." Iwaizumi patted his horse's neck. The trip from his home to the capital was a long and strenuous one, for him as well as for her. He could hear Mizoguchi sigh next to him but ignored him. He knew that the older man thought that he spoiled his horse. Which was not true at all. Saya was in perfect shape.
"So, how are you feeling? Excited about your new home?"
"A little", Iwaizumi said and Mizoguchi raised an eyebrow.
"You know it's okay to feel nervous when you're away from home for the first time?"
"I know." Iwaizumi turned away, focusing on the road ahead of them, the one that would lead them to the capital and the royal palace.
Because while it was true that he was looking forward to becoming a royal guard, he didn't feel like telling Mizoguchi the actual reason why his mind was in turmoil.
It had been almost six years since he had seen his best friend and saying that Iwaizumi hadn't missed him would have been the biggest lie ever told. Just as Tooru had requested Iwaizumi had written a letter for him every day, without fail, for weeks and months. No matter how insignificant, he had told Tooru about every single detail of his days. And he had waited anxiously for the messenger that returned once a month with reports for his father and a new stack of letters from Tooru in his far away castle.
Over the time the letters had become less frequent, but Iwaizumi had still sent and received one each month. Tooru's curvate handwriting had become as familiar as his own and for each other's birthdays they had sent something every year. Iwaizumi still wore the small jade pendant he had found in the envelope on his 14th birthday. It's almost the same colour as your eyes, Iwa-chan. "It reminded me of you", Tooru had written.
But on his 15th birthday Iwaizumi had waited for his letter in vain. He had sat outside the house the entire day and then through the night until bis mother had literally dragged him back inside. He had kept waiting, thinking, hoping that the messenger was only late. But Tooru's present never came. Nor did any more letters.
Iwaizumi had been devastated, unable to explain why Tooru wasn't answering his messages anymore. Sure, he knew that Tooru was busy with all his duties, but until then he had always found the time. Finally, Iwaizumi had accepted that Tooru apparently didn't want to write to him anymore. Maybe he had found another friend and had forgotten about him. Or maybe he thought that Iwaizumi wasn't worth his time anymore. Whatever it was, it left Iwaizumi with very mixed feelings about his arrival in the castle.
Still, it couldn't completely erase the glimmer of hope the thought of his best friend ignited in his chest.
His mind kept him distracted, enough so that he didn't notice the towers and roofs appearing behind the next hill at first. But once Mizoguchi had pointed them out Iwaizumi couldn't keep his eyes off the city. From the top of the hills they had a spectacular of the valley below and the capital built in its middle.
Iwaizumi had been to quite a few big towns with his father, but it was nothing compared to Aoba Johsai. The capital was massive. Winding streets, wide and narrow, ran between the countless buildings. Even from afar Iwaizumi could see them bustling with people, more than he had ever seen before. And over everything loomed the castle. Apparently made from nothing but white and blue, the royal palace of Aoba Johsai looked like something straight out of a storybook. The spires and domes rising towards the sky reflected the sunlight, making them gleam like pearls. The front gates of the outer wall protecting it looked big enough to allow the entire city to pass through at once. And within an hour Iwaizumi would set foot into this incredible place.
“It´s quite the sight, isn´t it?” Mizoguchi smirked at Iwaizumi´s wide eyes. “I remember the first time I saw it. I swear they make the palace shinier every time I come here.”
“It´s beautiful”, Iwaizumi breathed. And it was true. The castle was the most stunning thing he´d ever seen. With one exception maybe.
“Just remember, not everything that shines is gold. Make sure not to get roped into any court drama. That shit gets really ugly.”
Iwaizumi nodded, remembering what his father had told him about the nobles living at the palace. Everyone was constantly squabbling for the favour of the King, no matter what it costed. Iwaizumi doubted that he´d have trouble keeping his distance. He had a clear goal and zero interest in getting involved with anyone from the royal court. With one exception maybe.
The city itself was no less mesmerizing. Shops selling absolutely anything from sweets to shoes to flowers lined the streets with interested buyers making their way from one to the next. Couples strolled around without aim, simply enjoying the warm weather. Children were playing on the cobble stones. Everything was filled with life.
Iwaizumi felt a spike of anxiety when they finally reached the palace. It was so big. He eyed the men standing guard outside the gate, marveling at the swords at their hips. If he worked hard, he´d soon be bearing on of those, too. Inside the castle walls it felt like he had entered a different world. He could still hear the noise from the streets, but it was muted. With all the arches and corridors and halls Iwaizumi knew he´d spend the first weeks trying to find his way around the palace. He was certain that without Mizoguchi he would have never found the guard´s quarters.
The captain of the guard still looked fairly young himself, yet he exuded authority. Iwaizumi had a feeling that training under him would be hard, but fair. Still, he felt uneasy when Mizoguchi left him to his new superior to attend some other business for his father. Everything here was new. He didn´t know anybody. And in such a huge place it was easy to feel lonely.
That changed though as soon as he stepped into the room he would be sleeping in. Two more beds were placed against the walls, an expectant boy sitting on each of them. Waiting for him.
Iwaizumi knew from the first moment on that Hanamaki and Matsukawa were trouble. He´d always been fairly good at seizing up people and though they seemed perfectly innocent introducing themselves, there was something telling Iwaizumi he was in for a ride. Still, he happily took up their offer to take him on a tour around the castle. Someone had to show him the ropes until he had settled into his new life, and he figured that making friends with the people he would share a room with for the next few years would be a good idea. And the two seemed more than enthusiastic about his arrival.
“It´s always nice to see a new face”, Hanamaki told him with a grin. “And you seem fun.”
Fun to annoy, apparently. All the way through the castle his new friends pestered him with questions. And when they found out that he knew Tooru, they got even more interested.
“You´ve met the Prince?” Matsukawa stared at him and Iwaizumi shrugged. To him it was not a big deal, but other people liked to make it one. To his surprise Matsukawa sighed and patted his shoulder. “Man, my condolence. The things you must have been through…”
“…what?”
“I mean, he´s already insufferable as he is, I can´t imagine how much worse he must have been when he was younger.”
Iwaizumi stared at Matsukawa. He had never heard anyone else talk about Tooru the way he did. Like he wasn´t a prince but just another silly boy.
“You´ve met him, too?”
“Met him? We´re his only friends”, Hanamaki said. “Apart from you, apparently.”
“You´re friends with Tooru?” Iwaizumi found it hard to believe. How had he come to befriend two guards in training? Although, if he had made friends with Iwaizumi, why not those two?
“Oho, you´re on first name basis? That´s cute”, Matsukawa said, and Iwaizumi fought the urge to slap him. “Don´t talk about him like that to the others, though, or you´ll get in trouble. He´s still royalty, even if he´s an idiot.”
Iwaizumi decided that he liked Matsukawa and Hanamaki a lot better than he had thought. There were few people he could trash-talk the Prince with. Maybe this really would be fun.
“It´s odd that he hasn´t mentioned you coming here, though.” Hanamaki made a thoughtful face. “He loves talking about anything else.”
Iwaizumi´s heart dropped a little. If Tooru hadn’t even told his friends about him, maybe he had really forgotten about him. Hanamaki gave him a pitying look.
“I mean, we haven´t seen him a while, either, he´s always busy with princely stuff, so he probably just didn´t know you were coming yet.”
“But if you want you can help us tie bells to his clothes. It annoyed the hell out of him last time.”
Iwaizumi smiled at their effort to cheer him up, even if what Hanamaki had said was unlikely. His father had messaged the King about his arrival weeks ago. Tooru should have been standing on the outer wall waving at him with that impossibly wide smile of his when Iwaizumi had reached the palace. He really had some yelling to do when he finally got a hold of his best friend.
Yet with his new friends continuing their tour though the castle he quickly forgot about the Prince. There was just so much too see, and Hanamaki and Matsukawa told him all sorts of stories about the palace and the people dwelling in it until his head was spinning. When they finally made it back to their room it didn´t take long for Iwaizumi to fall into a deep sleep, grateful for a proper bed after a week on the road.
He spent the next few days trying to adjust to his new life, meeting the other novices and letting Matsukawa and Hanamaki drag him around the castle in their spare time. It was easy to fall into the routine, and even though training turned out to be as hard as he had expected, he enjoyed it. This was what he had dreamed of for years. And with his new friends by his side he hardly had the time to miss his home.
Yet there was still no trace of the elusive Prince. A week passed and Iwaizumi still hadn´t caught a single glimpse of him. Hanamaki had said that he was busy, but this? Iwaizumi knew that if Tooru had visited him nothing would have kept him from seeing him. He concentrated on his new duties, telling himself that it didn´t matter. He was here to become a royal guard. And if Tooru couldn´t be bothered to come see him that was his problem.
Yet the morning he stepped into the courtyard in front of the palace and saw the Prince standing there he almost stumbled over his own feet. Tooru was in full royal regalia, apparently greeting some Lords alongside the Queen. Iwaizumi stared at him, unable to tear his eyes away. He didn´t know what to do, his brain short-circuiting at the sight of his best friend. In the six years Tooru had grown tall and in his azure robe he looked every inch the high born he was. Everything about him was so familiar and yet so different from the bubbly boy he had chased through their meadow.
Yet it was unmistakeably him. The same chestnut hair, ivory skin, stubborn chin held high. Iwaizumi didn´t even realize he was smiling until he remembered that he was supposed to be mad at him. That didn´t quell the giddy excitement he felt at seeing his best friend, though.
“Oh, would you look at that, he is still alive.” Hanamaki stepped up next to Iwaizumi, eyes on the Prince as well. “I knew it was too early to start hoping.”
Matsukawa chuckled as he joined them.
“We could always finish the job ourselves, just saying.” He eyed Iwaizumi. “You´re making kind of a weird face, you know that?”
Iwaizumi quickly turned away, his cheeks warming. When he looked out into the courtyard again he froze. Tooru was staring straight at him, eyes blown wide in surprise. For a moment the rest of the world faded as they gazed at each other. Iwaizumi opened his mouth to say something, even if he had no idea what, but then the Queen spoke to her son and Tooru turned back to her again. And didn´t look at Iwaizumi again.
He released a breath, his hands clenching into fists. He hadn´t necessarily expected an overjoyed reunion, but this was just cold. Tooru didn’t even bother to acknowledge him. Wasn´t he happy to see him, too?
“Come on, Iwaizumi, we still have work to do.” Matsukawa touched his shoulder, pulling him out of his thoughts. He nodded, but still couldn´t help but glance over his shoulder as he turned and followed his friends. He could see Tooru´s eyes flit over to him for a second. Iwaizumi told himself to ignore it. He wished he could do the same to the thorn in his heart, too.
**********
The rest of the day went by without any more disappointing encounters. Iwaizumi welcomed the distraction of the sword practice, the threat of getting stabbed enough to ban a certain Prince from his mind. By the time they made their made to dinner his mood had improved significantly, at least partly due to his friends making a contest out of pulling faces behind their instructors back.
Iwaizumi followed Matsukawa and Hanamaki down one of the castle´s countless corridors, half-listening to their chatter when something on the other side of the hall caught his eye. A familiar figure was standing there, half hidden behind a pillar, yet Iwaizumi instantly recognized him. He frowned, wondering what Tooru was doing there.
When the Prince noticed that Iwaizumi had seen him he motioned for him to follow. Iwaizumi opened his mouth, but before he had time to react Tooru already vanished through one of the many doors.
“Hey, Iwaizumi, what´s wrong?”, Hanamaki asked, looking back to where he was standing. “If we don´t hurry we´ll be late for dinner.”
“You guys go ahead, I have something I need to check first”, he called out to his new friends. Hanamaki exchanged a look with Matsukawa and shrugged.
“Your problem if you go to bed hungry.”
Iwaizumi rolled his eyes, then he turned around and started walking to where he had seen Tooru. After a few steps he picked up his speed and by the time he had reached the other side he was running. He skidded to a halt in front of the small door tucked away into the corner, the one Tooru had vanished through. So, he hadn´t forgotten about him. Suddenly he was very aware of what was about to happen. His best friend that he hadn´t seen in years, and that he was still kind of angry at for not answering him, was behind that door and Iwaizumi had no idea what he was going to say to him.
He shook his head. He couldn´t overthink this. All he had to do was go in and ask Tooru why had stopped sending letters. It was not that hard. And besides, Iwaizumi really wanted to finally talk to him again.
Taking a deep breath, he pushed the door open. The room was quite small, the only light falling through the window on the other end. And on the window sill a brunet boy was perched. His head shot up when Iwaizumi entered, and a smile spread across his face, although he quickly schooled his face back into a neutral expression. He slowly rose from where he was sitting, his motions fluid and graceful.
“It´s been a while, Iwa-chan.”
For a moment they just stared at each other and despite having met him earlier, Iwaizumi felt as if he was seeing his friend for the first time in six years. He took his time to look him over. They had both grown quite a bit. Iwaizumi suspected that they were about the same height now, even if he wouldn´t admit that. Yet Tooru held himself in a completely different way. He stood proud and tall, demanding respect. It seemed like he had grown into his role as a prince.
But although Tooru´s face was more defined and his hair was a little longer than Iwaizumi remembered, the spark in his eyes remained the same. He was still the same person Iwaizumi had caught butterflies and played hide and seek with in the meadow. For a moment they just stared at each other. And then all poise vanished, and the Prince flung himself at Iwaizumi, wrapping his arms around his neck in a fierce hug.
“Iwa-chan! Finally! I´ve missed you so much!” He loosened his hold just a little, grinning at his friend. “You look so different from last time. But your hair is still a mess.”
Fighting his own smile, Iwaizumi nodded. “And you´re still as annoying as ever, idiot.”
That obviously hadn´t been the reaction Oikawa had been anticipating, because mouth twisted into a familiar pout.
“And you´re still as horrible as six years ago! It´s Prince Oikawa to you now. When will you learn manners, Iwa-chan?”
Iwaizumi almost burst out laughing, but then he remembered that he was actually supposed to be angry with his friend. He let go of the Prince and crossed his arms.
“You don´t get to lecture me on manners when you can´t even greet your best friend properly. You didn´t even look for me when I arrived here a week ago!”
Oikawa´s eyes widened. “Wait, you´ve been here for a week?”
“Yes, I came here last Sunday. And I didn´t see until today. I- I thought you didn´t want to see me. Or just didn´t care.”
“I didn´t know!” The distress on Tooru´s face looked genuine. “I only learned about your arrival when I saw you in the courtyard with Mattsun and Makki. I had no idea you were finally here.”
“Then why didn´t you come over and talk to me? I spent the past days wondering what the hell I had done to you to be ignored like that.”
Tooru sighed in exasperation. “I couldn´t just run over to you. There was a bunch of ambassadors I had to greet. I´m a prince, Iwa-chan! I can´t just run off whenever I feel like it. And I´ve tried to find a moment to sneak away and speak to the whole afternoon.”
“Alright, alright, I believe you”, Iwaizumi conceded and Tooru´s troubled expression brightened. He didn´t like it when his friend was upset and now that he knew the reason for his lack of response earlier he felt a lot better himself. But there was still the thing with his unanswered letters.
“Now that you´re here I can show you around the castle, just like I promised”, Tooru said, grabbing his hand in excitement. Iwaizumi noticed that while Tooru´s hands still looked soft, he could feel the callouses on his palms, probably from his archery training. Iwaizumi´s heart dropped at the thought of having to disappoint him.
“I´ve actually already gotten a tour”, he admitted. “I made two new friends and they showed me everything after I arrived.”
Tooru´s smile turned into another pout and he crossed his arms. Suddenly he looked exactly like the spoiled little child he had been when they had first met. It was adorable.
“Don´t be mad, we can still spend time together. You can come out with me, and Matsukawa and Hanamaki, too, maybe. You know them, right?”
The Prince raised an eyebrow. “Makki and Mattsun? Don´t tell me those idiots are your new friends?”
“Yeah, they are the ones that showed me around.”
“Sounds like them to take away my chance to make you acquainted with everything.” He put a hand to his chest. “I can´t believe my new friends are stealing away my old Iwa-chan.”
“I´m only a month older than you”, Iwaizumi huffed. “And I didn´t know you made any more friends. Other than Yahaba I mean.”
“I wrote about them, didn´t I?”
“Yeah, but last time I heard from you all you said about them was that they were a nice change of company compared to everyone in court.” The anger he felt every time he thought about how Tooru had suddenly stopped writing started bubbling up in him again, seeping into his voice. “How should I have known that you were this close?”
“What do you mean, last time I wrote you? That was over a year ago!”, Tooru said, sounding slightly irritated himself.
“Yes. Over a year ago. You know, when you stopped answering my letters.”
“I didn´t- You were the one who didn´t answer anymore from one day to the next! I was so worried! It was like you had suddenly died or something. Which you hadn´t. I asked my father.”
Tooru had raised his voice, too, glaring at Iwaizumi. He returned the angry stare.
“I answered all your letters. I wrote dozens asking what was going on and why you weren´t writing to me anymore. I thought you didn´t care anymore.”
“Why would you ever think that?!”
“You didn´t even send me a present for my last birthday!”
“I did!”, Tooru protested, now looking more hurt than irritated. “Of course I sent you a birthday present. I spent weeks searching for the perfect one. And you never even said thank you. Or anything at all, ever.”
“I never received any presents. Or letters after that.”
“Neither did I”, Tooru said with a frown, but it was not directed at Iwaizumi now. “And since we both apparently did not stop writing each other something must have happened to the them.”
Iwaizumi´s anger at Tooru evaporated like dew in the sun. “You mean someone kept them reaching us?”
“It´s the only logical explanation”, Tooru nodded.
“But who? And why?”
“I don´t know.” His frown deepened, but then his face set with determination. “I´ll figure it out. I already have some suspicions.”
Iwaizumi looked at him expectantly, but Tooru shook his head. “I´ll tell you about it later. First we have a lot of catching up to do.”
“Isn´t there someone already looking for you?”, Iwaizumi asked, remembering what Tooru had told him about being a prince. But he just smirked.
“Let them look.” He took Iwaizumi´s hand again, dragging him over to the window. “Now, Iwa-chan, tell me…”
**********
They ended up talking for hours, sitting side by side as they told each other about what had happened to them the past year. The banter dispersed in between their stories came as natural as breathing, the two already sliding back into old patterns. Iwaizumi felt like they had never been forced apart.
He was only reminded of the invisible wall that existed between them now when once again there was no trace of Tooru the next day. Because even though they were finally in the same place again they both had very different roles to fulfill. So, Iwaizumi was glad for the distraction when their captain had a new task for the guard novices. That was until he heard what their assignment was about.
Iwaizumi liked being in the stables. Usually. He had always loved the time he spent with Saya and here in the palace there were so many more beautiful horses. But all those horses needed to be taken care of and as guard novices they sometimes had to help out. And some aspects of stable duty were just less appealing than others.
“Man, why can´t they find someone else to clean the stables?”, Hanamaki complained as they made their way back to their quarters to wash up. “We´re training to become knights, not horse whisperers.”
“Ask all the high nobles why they got to have so many horses”, Matsukawa said, and his friend huffed.
“Ask them why they can´t take care of them themselves! If they can brag about them they can put away their shit, too.”
Iwaizumi´s mind jumped to Tooru who wouldn´t let anyone saddle his horse for him and who had always spoken of Katsumi with not only pride but love. The same love Iwaizumi held for Saya.
Speaking of the devil, a voice suddenly called out behind him.
“Yahoo, Iwa-chan!”
When he turned around he found the Prince approaching them with bouncing steps, another boy with light brown hair trailing behind him. Tooru – no, it was Oikawa now – was waving at them, the usual cheerful smile gracing his face. Next to Iwaizumi Hanamaki and Matsukawa exchanged glances. He could hear Mattsun whisper ‘Iwa-chan?’ with a grin and he knew that he was in for a treat later.
He shot the duo a glare before he faced the prince again. Aware of the presence of Oikawa´s attendant he gave a little bow.
“Your Highness.”
Oikawa laughed airily. “Ah, Iwa-chan, there´s no need to be so formal. Not with only these two morons around.”
“Don´t you have to be at some tea party or something, Princess?”, Matsukawa asked with a lazy smirk and Iwaizumi almost choked on thin air. He expected Oikawa´s eyes to grow cold, for him to berate Matsukawa for addressing him like this, knowing full well how badly the Prince took to anyone implying he was weak. Yet Oikawa only smirked back.
“Don´t you have to clean a stable to clean or something?”
“Nope, just finished that one.”
“Too bad”, Oikawa hummed, turning to the other boy. “Do you think we can find something else to occupy them, Shigeru-chan?”
Ah, so this was Yahaba Shigeru, the servant and friend Oikawa had mentioned in his letters. He looked nice, all light hair and soft features. It also explained why the prince was so relaxed. Right now, he was surrounded only by people that he actually liked. That he trusted.
“Oikawa-san, you know that you shouldn´t use your position to cause trouble for others”, Yahaba said sternly, making the prince pout. Iwaizumi instantly took a liking to the boy. He didn´t put up with Oikawa´s bullshit. He wasn´t as harsh and straightforward about it as Iwaizumi, but it looked like he could and would put him back in his place if the Prince overstepped the line he was always toeing.
“You´re not supposed to be so boring as all the other stuck up attendants my mother has watching over me, Shigeru-chan”, Oikawa whined. “You´re supposed to be my free card to some fun!”
Yahaba shook his head. “Oikawa-san, I´m not risking my head so you can harass some guards in training. And besides, you have a lesson with Mabuchi-sensei to attend.”
“Iwa-chan, can you stab me please, so I don´t have to endure another two hours of calligraphy?”, Oikawa asked, clutching his chest dramatically as he leaned into his friend. Iwaizumi rolled his eyes.
“Oh, poor you, having to sit in your plush chair in your heated salon and remain careful not to get any ink on your silk robes. What a chore.”
Mattsun and Makki snickered and even Yahaba´s mouth quirked up while Oikawa stared at him in indignation.
“Why are you all so mean to me? At least you should defend me, Iwa-chan. Friends say nice things about each other, remember?”
Iwaizumi had to smother a smile at the memory. “You still believe that? You haven´t grown up at all over the past years, have you?”
Oikawa folded his hands on Iwaizumi´s shoulder, resting his head on them, and grinned up at him.
“I´m the same height as you now, you know.”
Iwaizumi ruffled his hair, much to Oikawa´s dismay. He grinned as the Prince tied to bat away his hand that was ruining his neatly styled locks. Just like when they had been younger. Out of the corner of his eye he caught Mattsun raising an eyebrow at them. Iwaizumi retracted his hand, suddenly very aware of the lack of distance between him and the Prince. Still he didn´t push him off.
“You´re still an overgrown baby.”
“His brain just didn´t realize it was supposed to grow along with his body.”
Oikawa shot a glare at Makki.
“You´re even worse than Iwa-chan! I honestly don’t know why I bother with any of you.”
“Because your life would be incredibly dull without us there to spice it up for you.”
“And you don´t have any other friends”, Mattsun added. Oikawa stuck out his tongue at them.
“Oh, what a truly princely response”, Makki whispered, just loud enough for everyone to hear it. Oikawa looked about two seconds away from slapping him. Iwaizumi would have liked to see him try.
“Iwa-chan, do me a favour and hit him for me?”, Oikawa asked with a saccharine smile that sent actual chills down Iwaizumi´s spine.
“Why don´t you do it yourself?”
“I´d like to, but that would not be a princely response.”
“Come on, Oikawa-san, or you will be late for your lesson. Mabuchi-sensei would not be pleased”, Yahaba said, interrupting their little quarrel. The Prince looked anything but happy, his hand clinging to Iwaizumi´s shirt, yet finally he allowed Yahaba to steer him back to the palace.
“Bye Iwa-chan!”, he called over his shoulder. “Bye you traitors! You´ll pay next time!”
“Can´t wait!”, Makki shouted back, but Oikawa was either already out of earshot or he simply chose to ignore him. It was most likely the latter.
“I always marvel at how Yahaba is able to endure him every single day”, Mattsun shook his head in fake disbelief, his expression turning into something devilish when he slung his arm around Iwaizumi´s shoulder. “Now, Iwa-chan, tell us how come you´re so close to our Princess.”
Iwaizumi groaned, knowing that nowhere in hell they would let this slide until he told them the entire story. This was going to be a long day.
**********
“Man, I still can´t believe you´re childhood best friends with the Prince of Seijoh.”
Iwaizumi looked at Makki lounging on the small bed next him, his head hanging over the side, so he was looking at Iwaizumi from upside down. Iwaizumi sighed. After discovering that he and the Prince were more than just acquaintances his friends had become relentless. He had spent the better part of the day telling his friends about the time he had spent with Oikawa that one summer week six years ago and answering their billions of questions. He was getting tired of it. It was not that big of a deal.
“You should believe it, after you bullied every little detail out of me”, he told Makki, turning away to put his clothes into the small trunk at the end of his bed.
“I know, but it´s just so surreal.”
“You´re friends with him, too”, Iwaizumi pointed out.
“That´s not the same! You two are way closer. Mattsun and I barely know a fraction of the stuff you know about him.”
“I already told you everything.”
“Liar.”
Makki gave him a knowing smirk and Iwaizumi rolled his eyes. Which didn´t mean that Makki was wrong. He had told his friends all about the adventures and shenanigans he and Oikawa had gotten into while they had been out playing, but there were certain things he had left out. Some of these memories just felt a little too personal to share. Like how frustrated the Prince had been with his mother treating him like he was made of glass. Or that Oikawa had come to Iwaizumi´s room in the middle of the night because he was scared of thunderstorms. How he had clung to Iwaizumi under the blanket they had shared. That was something to be kept between him and Oikawa only.
Makki´s smug voice pulled him out of his thoughts.
“But it´s not like I´m complaining, you gave us plenty of blackmail material. Next time our Princess gets too cocky I´ll ask him if he´s fallen out of any trees lately.”
“Great, then he´ll know I was the one who told you and he´ll chew my ear off complaining about it.”
“He´d definitely have no problem getting close enough, judging by the way he was hanging off of you today”, Makki smirked and Iwaizumi could feel his ears grow hot. He didn´t even know why. It was not like them hugging or something was new.
“Aw, Makki, are you jealous because Iwa-chan gets more attention than you?”
Iwaizumi wasn´t sure whether he should be relived or dreadful of Mattsun´s appearance. At least it distracted Makki momentarily.
“Why, are you?”
“Let´s just say if a handsome prince threw himself at me I definitely wouldn´t complain.”
“Too bad we that don´t know any handsome ones.”
Iwaizumi snorted and instantly regretted making any noise, because now Mattsun´s eyes found their new target.
“Good evening, Iwa-chan.”
“I told you not to call me that!”
“Why? Because it´s reserved for a certain someone?”, Makki asked with a smirk, mischief dancing in his eyes.
“Yes.” Both Mattsun and Makki looked at him in surprise at the conviction in his voice. “And just ´cause I can´t stop Trashykawa from calling me that stupid nickname doesn´t mean the same applies to you. Because unlike him, I can lay hand on you if necessary and no one will bat an eye.”
“Has anyone ever told you that you can be real fucking scary?”, Mattsun said, sinking down onto his own bed. Iwaizumi just rolled his eyes. It was getting late and he was too tired for their antics right now.
“I guess it´s only fair, though”, Makki said. “I mean, we´re not calling Mattsun ‘Mattsu-chan’ either. As for our Princess, he´d probably still call you Iwa-chan even if you threw him off the highest tower.”
“He definitely would”, Iwaizumi said, the corners of his mouth twitching up. “If only out of pure spite.”
Mattsun grinned lazily. “Good that everything we do is solely out of spite. And with you on our team now, I just know that we´ll have even more fun with him.”
Iwaizumi didn´t even want to know what his friends had in mind. He´d probably find out sooner than later anyway.
“Yeah, life is about to get so much more interesting with you here”, Makki agreed with the same grin. “This is going to be so great from here on.”
**********
“Shigeru-chan, hand me my comb, will you?”, Oikawa asked from his seat in front of the dresser, not even bothering to move his eyes away from his own reflection in the mirror. Behind him he could hear his maid-in-waiting move through the room and then Yahaba´s hand appeared I his field of vision, holding the required item. Oikawa took it, expecting the other to go back to organizing his clothes, but Yahaba didn´t move. When the Prince finally looked up at him he noticed how his friend was fiddling with his hands. He always did that when he was nervous. His eyes narrowed, but Yahaba wouldn´t meet them.
“Just ask. Whatever it is, I promise I won´t hand you over to the guards”, he said with a conspiratorial smile. Yahaba didn´t look reassured.
Oikawa sighed. “Shigeru-chan, say what you want to say or don´t, but make up your mind.”
Yahaba pressed his lips into a firm line, then he clasped his hands behind his back, finally meeting Oikawa´s eyes.
“It´s just- this afternoon…I didn´t know that you and Iwaizumi-san were this close.”
Oikawa blinked. That was what Yahaba was getting anxious about?
“I told you that he was my best friend ever since we were ten. The fact that we didn´t see each other for six years did not change that.”
“I noticed. He has a lot in common with Matsukawa-san and Hanamaki-san, he says just what he wants around you.”
“Iwa-chan has always been honest to a fault”, Oikawa said with smile Yahaba could not describe as anything but fond. “He doesn´t pretend to be anything he´s not, so I don´t have to pretend to be a well behaved, docile omega around him either. He´s just easy company.”
Yahaba nodded. “You looked really comfortable around him.”
“Hajime was the first who didn´t give a crap that I was royalty and had no problem wrestling me around. We used to tussle a lot. So much that I had to borrow some of his clothes because all of mine were dirty.” Oikawa thought back to that one week he had with his best friend that had changed him forever. The best week of his life. “We did everything together back then. We even snuck into each other´s rooms to sleep in the same bed. I wish we could still do that.”
He sighed wistfully, then his eyes focused back on Yahaba.
“Speaking of brawling, why don´t you join me tomorrow morning for sparring practise? You can´t keep refusing me forever.”
Yahaba ignored the offer as he had all the other times. It was not right for the Prince to train with the guards, but it was not like there was anything he could do if he didn´t want to cause the Prince serious trouble. Yahaba had learned early that if Oikawa Tooru was anything, it was stubborn. But just because he couldn´t stop him didn´t mean that he would encourage him. And that was beside the point right now, anyway.
“I see why he means so much to you. He seems like a great friend. Please just remember that you are not children anymore.”
Oikawa cocked his head, eyes narrowing. “What are you intending to say?”
Yahaba gulped under Oikawa´s heavy gaze, but the Prince needed to hear this.
“You are a Prince and Iwaizumi-san is a guard in training. And while there is nothing wrong with you being friends, you should maybe be a little more mindful of what your behaviour might look like to others. The court loves nothing more than gossip. And I don´t want you to get in trouble because you still act around him the same way as when you were children.”
“Shigeru-chan, I appreciate your concern, but I think you´re worrying a little too much. I can look after myself. And there was no one around today to carry anything back to my father. No one I don´t trust.”
Oikawa was still smiling, but there was something in his gaze that made Yahaba´s skin crawl. It was just daring him to go and betray the trust the Prince had put in him. To see what hell Oikawa would unleash if he did.
And then it was gone, Oikawa´s expression entirely innocent once again, his sharp teeth hidden behind soft lips and charming smiles.
“Besides, you never said anything against me being friends with Makki and Mattsun and they make fun of me even more than Iwa-chan does.” He put his hand on his chin in mock contemplation. “Maybe they´ll stop if I tell them you do not like the way they speak with me.”
Yahaba shook his head and quietly went back to his task. It was not the lack of respect in Oikawa´s friends that concerned him. It was the naturalness the Prince had leaned into Iwaizumi with, touching him as if it was the most normal thing in the world and how Iwaizumi, too, had taken it as completely self-evident. Like it was nothing to be thought of twice. They had this air of familiarity around them that defined all their actions. It was causing Yahaba a headache.
But he kept his mouth shut. The Prince knew what he was doing. He had to. So Yahaba went back to his task and tried not to think about all the ways this could go wrong from here on.