Archive of Our Own

The beauty of morning lies in the serenity of its’ surroundings.

The rising sun painting the skies in beautiful hues of orange and yellow, the slightly chilly breeze that signals the end of a long, blissful night, and the quiet but calm atmosphere, free from the timbre of the busybodies of Miyagi, are just some of the aspects that make these mornings so much more enchanting.

Yes, no matter how troublesome mornings could be, it was still your favorite time of day.

“I’ll be going to school now, mom,” you call from the front porch of your humble two-story abode, busying yourself with making sure your shoes were correctly tied, all the while chewing on a slice of freshly toasted bread.

After a few minutes, you stand up, stretching your arms and limbs to get them ready for the small trek to school. Your mother appears from behind you, hair tousled messily, while she attempts to rub the fatigue from her eyes.

“Do you always have to go to school this early?” She asks, stifling a yawn. “You do know that school doesn’t start for another hour or so, right? So why are you going through all this trouble?”

You send her a small smile at her concern, eyes squinting into crescents, and lips stretching from ear to ear. “I know,” you say, hoisting your school bag over your shoulder, a strawberry keychain dangling noisily from it. “But I have to water the flowers, remember? I’m part of the gardening club.”

“Oh right,” your mother says, nodding tiredly. “Well then, off you go, wouldn’t want to keep those flowers waiting now, do we?” You let out a small giggle, moving to approach your unexpecting mother and giving her a loving peck on the cheek.

“See you later, mom,” You say, opening the front door and stepping out into the cool, morning breeze. Your mom waves from behind you wishes of a safe journey and reminder to come back before the clock strikes eight falling from her lips.

You take a moment to savor the crisp, fresh air, breathing it in and letting it go shortly after. There was nothing like a good breeze to get you up and ready for the day. It’s refreshing, like a cup of chilled tea on a hot summers’ day, and fills you with the energy that you so desperately need.

Although it was challenging to take on the morning duty of watering the flowers at school, you didn’t particularly mind. The gardening club had only two members after all, with the both of you being third-years. And while you might have killed for some extra minutes of sleep, especially during college exam season, you didn’t particularly mind giving that up.

After all, you were part of a class that took supplementary tutorial lessons. Your study habits could make up for the lack of sleep that you had to endure.

And besides, morning duty was fun.

Not only do you get to spend your time around flowers, which always brought you great joy, but you could also get first access to the freshly baked goods in the school cafeteria.

That hour and a half between your arrival and the start of class would always be spent on simple joys that would liven up your mood, or in other cases, simple grievances like that one time where you had almost forgotten about some homework you had to submit on the first period and had scrambled like a mad man trying to complete it.

But more than that, the one thing you looked forward to during morning duty was when you would catch a glimpse of the men’s volleyball team on their morning run.

More specifically, when you would catch a glimpse of Iwaizumi Hajime, the ace of the Aoba Johsai Men’s Volleyball Team.

Iwaizumi Hajime was an interesting stranger in your eyes. You were merely acquaintances, with your classrooms being right beside each other during your first and second years. But in your third and final year, the arrangement had somehow shuffled just a bit, and now you were classmates who barely spoke to each other unless it was of importance.

You knew each other by name and would greet each other respectively when you would pass by each other on the hallways. But it never evolved from that stage.

There was always a clear line between the two of you; a barrier separating you from becoming close friends (or perhaps even more) with each other. And you always wondered why that was so.

Iwaizumi seemed like a friendly guy, despite his rough exterior. Sure, he would openly roundhouse with his friend Oikawa Tooru from time to time, but other than that, he seemed pretty chill. It was a shame that you had to be stuck within two opposite sides of the wall.

You grabbed the watering can and began to fill it with water, rolling up your uniform sleeve so that it wouldn’t get wet. By this time, the sun had started to shine clearly through the open sky, the once orange and yellow hues forming into brilliant shades of blue and white.

You hummed to yourself, a happy tune falling from your lips as you made your way to the flowerbed that lay near the entrance of the campus. Watering the flowers that you’ve carefully planted since the very first day you stepped foot into the school had become your favorite way to start the day.

Flowers gave you a small moment of euphoria, washing away all the fatigue that had accumulated throughout your mind and body after waking up to your morning alarm. The many colors and fragrances brought you so much joy, and your eyes would always light up at the sight of their vibrant colors amidst the dreary walls of the school campus.

It’s only when you're deeply immersed in watering the flowers do you suddenly hear the rumbling sounds of footsteps, and you smile lightly at the familiar tune. The heavy whines and complaints and the teasing voices that accompanied it were recognizable as it belonged to the same team you were just thinking about moments ago.

You take a peek behind you, deciding that this small interruption was a good enough excuse to stretch your limbs from the ache it had to endure from kneeling for too long. A small smile fell on your lips at the sight of the team, all clad in matching training suits, running in two parallel lines around the campus.

It always fascinated you how energetic they were first thing in the morning. Sure, you were more of a morning person due to your morning duty, but it was totally different from running five full laps around the campus. You had always admired how they still managed to pay attention in class after that seemingly hellish training.

You’re so lost in thought that you don’t notice you’ve been staring at them for a while, the only one who sees being Iwaizumi. He stares at you from where he leads the second line from right beside Oikawa, curious as to why you were staring at them.

He would always see you watering those flowers every morning. It had always interested him how content you look doing something so mundane. If Iwaizumi was in your position, he would have undoubtedly given up on doing so every single morning due to fatigue. Perhaps that was your natural charm doing the work. You could make the simplest of things looked natural, a trait he wished he could have.

“Iwa-chan~” Oikawa’s teasingly playful voice echoes from beside him, and he turns back only to find his best friend slightly ahead of him. Eyes widening in surprise, he picks up the pace, much to the disappointment of those jogging behind him.

“You’ll fall behind if you keep staring, you know? Oikawa whispers once Iwaizumi finally catches up to him. A sudden chill surrounds the duo. There’s a visible annoyance on Iwaizumi’s face as he kicks Oikawa on the shin mid-jog causing the captain to bend over in pain, making the whole team stop their jog.

“Shut up, Shittykawa,” Iwaizumi scolds, not noticing the way blood rushes up to his face. “Just focus on running, will you?” The whole team laughs at that, waiting for their captain to recover from the temporary pain Iwaizumi had caused him before taking off again.

It wasn’t like Iwaizumi was staring, anyway. He was merely curious. Yes, can’t one be curious about the well-being of a classmate? It wasn’t like the two of you knew each other that well for him to be noticeably staring at you.

But he was, and the two of you continue your morning, sticking to your own things.

“Oh (Y/N), can you do me a favor?” You look up to your teacher, who sheepishly stares back at you with an embarrassed gaze. You bring the lollipop you had been savoring since the bell rung away from your lips, looking at your teacher with curious eyes.

“Sure, Sensei,” you say, giving her a small smile. “What can I do for you?”

“Oh, Thank you!” She says happily, clapping her hands together in joy. “What would I do without you (Y/N), truly.” She then proceeds to usher you to the side of her desk, where a bunch of workbooks, specifically the ones your class had just been answering, laid piled up on top of each other.

“You see, I have another class in about ten minutes,” your teacher explains, still giving you a bashful gaze. “It would be more beneficial for me to just have someone bring your workbooks to my office, rather than having to carry them around campus and be late to class. Can you do that for me?”

You blink at the heavy stack on the floor, thinking to yourself if this task was worth the extra ten minutes of sleep you would have squeezed in. But at the hopeful gaze of your teacher, there was no way you could refuse.

“Of course, Sensei,” you affirm, giving her a reassuring smile. “I’ll be happy to help.”

In an instant, her eyes light up even brighter than when you had initially agreed, and a small smile rests on your lips. Surely, helping someone in need was worth the ten-minute nap that had slipped away from your grasp.

“Although, these workbooks are heavy,” your teacher muses, looking between you and the pile beside her worriedly. “I’m not sure if you can handle it alo— oh Iwaizumi! Just in time!”

You turn behind you, ignoring the way your heartbeat sped up just a little bit and how excitement suddenly coursed through your veins. There Iwaizumi stood, blue earphones dangling from his ear as he stared at the two of inquisitively.

His hand laid in his pockets, and he looked almost as if nothing could bother him, which was especially emphasized with the way he donned his white inner shoes, a loud cry from the prescribed black ones that lay within the written words of your school handbook— not that it mattered anyway.

“Would you be a dear and help (Y/N) here carry these workbooks to my office?” She asks, looking at him with those same pleading eyes that hardly anyone could refuse. “I’d love to stay and explain all the details, but if I do, I’d be late for my next class, so I’ll leave you two to it. Thank you in advance.” Her words pass by in a blur, and before you know it, she’s sprinting out of the empty classroom, leaving you and Iwaizumi alone together.

There’s a silence that envelopes the two of you a few moments after that. For a second, you fear that you might have accidentally made him do something that he didn’t want to do, even if it wasn’t your fault by any means.

But then Iwaizumi simply goes up to the pile of workbooks on the floor and picks a majority of them up, leaving some for you to carry. He heads to the front door of the classroom, looking back at you with questioning eyes.

“Well?” He simply asks, opening the door and looking at you. “These workbooks aren’t going to move themselves, you know.”

You snap out of your trance at his comment, scrambling to pick up the remaining workbooks from the floor and following after him, the warmth spreading throughout your cheeks at the prospect of seeming like an idiot, even if that wasn't how you looked at all.

Another silence befalls you two, but it’s not uncomfortable by any means. In fact, it’s rather pleasant, much like how a walk in the park on sundown would be like.

“I’m sorry you had to get dragged into this Iwaizumi-san,” you say, sighing softly as you bring the workbooks in your hand to your chest.
“I’m sure you had other plans before this. I would have been fine carrying it on my own.”

Iwaizumi takes a small glimpse at you, taking in your shorter frame and less than capable muscles. “Are you sure about that? He asks nonchalantly, eyes showing a bit of worry, which he tries to hide. “Because it looks as if you would have had a hard time carrying all of these.”

It goes awkward after that, with you being unable to admit the truth. Because he was right. If you were alone in carrying all thirty-five workbooks to your teacher’s office on the other side of campus, you would have definitely taken much longer.

But Iwaizumi notices the way your shoulders slump in disappointment and the way your lips tighten into a straight line. Did he somehow offend you? That wasn’t his intention at all. He knew you were capable of doing the task; he just didn’t want it to be hard on you. Gosh, why was communicating so hard? If it were Oikawa or literally any other guy he knew, they would have understood his intentions right away.

But you weren’t like that.

To Iwaizumi, you almost seemed like a gentle flower that would easily break with one wrong move, and he didn’t want to ruin the purity and innocence that was you.

“Sorry,” he apologizes, catching you off guard. You stare up at him, disappointed eyes lighting up in curiosity, which made Iwaizumi want to laugh. “I didn’t mean for it to sound like you’re too weak to do it. I just thought it would be easier for you if I helped.”

You blink, not expecting Iwaizumi to confess his true intentions like this. But when you see the way a beautiful shade of red blossoms upon his tanned cheeks, you can’t help but let out a small smile.

You hardly knew him; the two of you were mere strangers, and this was one of the only times where the two of you had interacted, but he was so kind.

Iwaizumi Hajime was indeed fascinating.

“It’s alright, I understand,” you say, reassuring him with a comforting smile. “Thank you for telling me. I appreciate it.”

Iwaizumi simply nods at that, too embarrassed to speak again, but it's not like you particularly mind, the silence the falls in between the two of you the remaining way is soothing, and a peaceful air surrounds the two of you.

So much so that you’re slightly discouraged when the two of you finally reach the faculty office, your hand lifted up, ready to knock on the metal door, but you hesitate, not wanting this moment to end.

Iwaizumi looks at you, taking in your perplexed features and your outstretched hand that was inches away from knocking on the door. Was something wrong? Were you too shy to knock on the door of the faculty office? Should he do it for you?

“What’s wrong?” He asks, a twinge of worry seeping out into his words. You jump a bit, startled, and automatically feel the warmth rushing through your face. “It’s nothing,” you reply, looking up at him sheepishly. “I was just distracted, that’s all.”

You give him a small smile, although Iwaizumi can somehow tell that it’s not genuine. You knock on the door, opening it a bit, and talking to one of the teachers inside. Iwaizumi doesn’t even pay attention to your conversation with the other teacher, finding himself lost in thought.
About what exactly? He can hardly tell, but were you always like that? Were you the type of person who would hide her pain behind a fake smile? He wasn’t the type to pry, and he knew that the two of you weren’t close enough for him to ask, but he was still concerned.

Someone as innocent and pure as you shouldn’t be hiding behind a mask.

Iwaizumi doesn’t speak a word the whole time, not when he sets down the stack of workbooks on the floor beside his teacher’s desk, nor when you do the same thing after him, and most definitely not when the other teacher asks the two of you for a favor in bringing down a box of supplies to the storage room just outside of the building.

Sure, he was annoyed for a bit that the teachers were making him do a lot of work, but he didn’t particularly mind since he had great company along with him.

When the two of you exit the faculty office, a box of supplies in each of your hands, you can’t help but let out a giggle at the predicament the two of you were in. It was supposed to be a ten-minute trip, but somehow, almost as if fate had intervened, it was on the way to becoming a twenty-minute one.

“Well, this is something. Isn’t it Iwaizumi-san?” You ask, giggling to yourself. The sun shined brightly through the hallway, lighting up your face beautifully, so much so that Iwaizumi almost felt his heart stop in place.

Gosh, why was he acting like this? It wasn’t normal.

He doesn’t say anything, fearing that he would make a complete fool out of himself if he did. But he does give you a small nod in return, and once again, the two of you fall into a comfortable silence.

It’s weird, you think to yourself. The two of you were merely acquaintances, so surely a silence like this would have been unbearably awkward, but it wasn’t. Like a soft lullaby, the silence was relaxing, almost to the point where you wanted nothing more than to bask in its’ brilliance.

When the two of you finally reach the seemingly empty storage room, you’re met with the sight of abandoned boxes strewn on the floor. It was strange to see the storage room in such a mess, especially for a school like yours. Surely there must have been someone who would clean up regularly, so why in the world did the storage room look abandoned?

So abandoned to the point that the dust accumulating throughout the room makes you sneeze, causing you and Iwaizumi to be startled from the unexpected action.

You immediately feel your cheeks grow warm. For sure, Iwaizumi was thinking of how undignified you look for sneezing without warning. But unbeknownst to you, he actually found it quite endearing, an embarrassing thought which caused another streak of red to form atop his cheeks.

“I’m sorry, it’s just so dusty in here,” you apologize, hoping that he wouldn’t take it to heart. To your surprise, Iwaizumi just gives you a small smile, immediately moving to set the box of supplies down so that the two of you could leave the storage room faster.

You quickly move behind him, setting your own box down when he’s done with his. It’s when you’re placing the box in its’ respective place do you notice a strange-looking watch.

It was a silver pocket watch, connected to a chain that lay messily on the floor by the looks of it. Usually, you wouldn’t have minded such a thing. Still, you couldn’t help but be curious over it as it had a sleek glow on its surface—something that was out of the ordinary, considering how dusty the storage room was.

“What’s that?” Iwaizumi asks as you stand up, dangling the pocket watch in front of you in interest. You simply shrug in response, too entranced by how sleek and new it looks to respond appropriately.

“Weird, isn’t it?” You mutter to yourself, although it’s loud enough for Iwaizumi to hear. “You would think that something like this would have been dusty, but it looks brand new.”

The pocket watch seems so unbearably appealing to you, and you just can’t figure out why that was so. It was almost as if something was luring you to this watch, whispering soft nothings of admiration for it into your ear.

Iwaizumi watches as you reach up to the watch, almost as if you’re in a trance, and wind the watch backward in interest.

Almost as if you were rewinding the hands of time around you, Iwaizumi feel his world spinning, his vision becoming blurry, and nearly everything around him not making sense.

And just like that, his world goes black.

When the two of you come to your senses, It’s almost as if you had been transported to another world. 

The last rays of the sun, as if it's saying farewell and allows the moon to rise, shine down on the two of you, which was odd, considering that you were in a storage room, where the sun wouldn’t reach you until you were outside. 

Furthermore, there was a sting in your butt, left from the sudden impact to the hard cemented floor. Almost as if someone had picked the two of you up and thrown the both of you to the floor, which was a feat in and out of itself. 

When you finally open your eyes, a shocked gasp leaves your lips at the sight in front of you. Gone was the dusty and messy storage room that the two of you were in. Instead, the two of you were outside, sitting foolishly on the sidewalk, almost as if it was punishment for the two of you to be there. 

When you look behind, you’re surprised to see your school’s insignia, eyebrows furrowing in confusion since you can’t quite remember when exactly did you and Iwaizumi head outside. But when you look down, the pocket watch that you had been admiring just moments ago rests in your hand, and something in your guts tells you that this was the reason why you were suffering. 

“Where the hell are we?” You hear Iwaizumi huff from beside you, rubbing his side to soothe the pain he was feeling. He looks around, confused out of his mind of what was happening, similar to how you had been just moments ago. “Weren’t we just in the storage room?”

You nod in agreement, staring agape at your surroundings as you try to take everything in. Just what was going on? It’s not like you had fallen asleep and walked unconsciously outside. And why was it sundown already? A few moments ago, it was lunchtime, so shouldn’t the sun be high in the sky? 

You didn’t even notice Iwaizumi standing up and dusting the dirt from his clothes off, stretching his surprisingly sore limbs before reaching out a hand to you. 

You look up at him, almost as if he had done something very idiotic, and Iwaizumi can’t help the blush that coats his cheeks at the innocent yet dumbfounded look on your face. 

“Aren’t you going to get up?” He asks, trying to wave off his embarrassment. “It’s not like we can just sit on the damn sidewalk all day like a bunch of idiots, right?”

His words snap you out of your trance, and you shyly place your hands in his, marveling at how easily Iwaizumi picks you up with his immense strength— a result from training for a majority of his life. 

You can’t help the warmth that blossoms on your cheeks, and you can only hope that Iwaizumi hasn’t noticed it. Gosh, what was happening to you? You usually weren’t like this. 

“So,” Iwaizumi says, coughing a bit as a final attempt to ward off his flushed state. “What are we going to do now?” 

You stay silent for a moment, looking back at the pocket watch in your hand, wondering if you should bring up your small theory to him. But now that you’re looking at it, it was probably an idiotic theory that made no sense anyway. What difference would it make if you told him?

“Should we go to our classroom?” You ask meekly, hiding the pocket watch in the pocket of your blazer. “School’s probably over. Although it’s weird that we’re outside…”

Iwaizumi nods in response. After all, when dealing with things that you can’t explain, it’s best to just move on with life like you normally would. The inexplainable would come to light sooner or later. 

The two of you begin to head inside the school, another profound silence falling between you, but this time it was definitely awkward. The two of you have no idea what to say or what to do. The situation you found yourselves in was too strange for the two of you to carry on like normal. The only thing you could do was act like it. 

“Oi Iwaizumi, (Y/N),” A familiar yet unfamiliar voice calls out, causing the two of you to pause in your tracks. The two of you look at each other, eyes screaming, 'What should we do?'

It’s weird, you think to yourself. It’s not like anything life-changing had happened to you, right? Sure, the incident that just occurred was strange, but it’s not like it’s unexplainable. So why were you acting like you had gone through something extraordinary and that if you turn around and greet the person calling to you, everything would change? 

But as you lose yourself in your thoughts, you don’t notice the person who called you two coming closer until you hear the heavy sounds of their footsteps and realize that there’s not just one person coming towards you; there were two. 

“Oi,” the voice calls again, and you just know that voice is familiar, but you can’t quite put your finger on it. “What are you two doing here?” 

“Oh?” The other voice chimes in, a bit rougher around the edges. “What’s this? Why’re you two wearing those old uniforms?”

Old? You think to yourself, confused. What in the world were they talking about? As far as you knew, this uniform you were wearing was the latest one you’ve bought. How could it be old?

“Ah!” The second voice exclaims, his voice lighting up in glee. “Are you on a date?”

The two of you freeze at his words, and you want nothing more than to deny what they’re saying. Still, for some reason, the thought of being on a date with Iwaizumi causes your heart to skip a beat, something that you don’t quite understand. 

But before you can say anything, Iwaizumi turns, face flushed red. “W-we weren’t on a date!” He exclaims, and you can hear the embarrassment in his words. But strangely, you can also feel the small disappointment swell within you at his denial. 

But before you can push that disappointment down, you take a look at Iwaizumi’s shocked expression, and curiosity overwhelms you. Just who was it that thought the two of you were on a date? 

When you turn around, you understand just why exactly Iwaizumi was so surprised. 

Because standing in front of you, looking way older than you know they are, were two of Iwaizumi’s teammates: Matsukawa Issei and Hanamaki Takahiro. 

The two definitely look older, buffer even. Matsukawa looks like he’s gone through a complete transformation. His hair grew way more than it originally was, and it was styled slightly, with heavy bags under his eyes. His lean figure sports an all-black outfit, and if you didn’t know better, you could have mistaken him for a grim reaper. 

Hanamaki, on the other hand, looks older yet younger at the same time. His hair has grown, with bangs covering his once open forehead, and he seems way more mature than the times you had seen him walking around the school halls. 

But just why did they look so different? And why weren’t they in their uniforms? Shouldn’t they be in practice right about now? It was almost as if they had gone through time. But that was ridiculous. There was no way that was possible, right?

“Woah there,” Matsukawa says, chuckling a little bit. “Don’t act out on me, Iwa. Isn’t it normal for a married couple to go on dates? Although I’m not sure what kind of date this is…” 

The two of you blink, and you can almost feel the way the panic creeps up to both of you. Married? You and Iwaizumi? How? When? Why? Weren’t the two of you just classmates? How in the world did this happen? 

“Why do you two look like you’ve seen a ghost?” Hanamaki says, laughing awkwardly. “Is there something wrong with my face? I know I can’t afford my favorite facial wash, but the cheap drug store ones do just fine, you know?”

The two of you remain silent as Hanamaki touches the rough surface of his skin, trying to see if there was any blemish that was way too noticeable for his friends to react that way. But then he stops, blinking and squinting his eyes at the two of you, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. 

“And why the heck do you two look… different? Especially you, Iwaizumi, weren’t you like three inches taller? Did you shrink or something?” Matsukawa and Hanamaki laugh at that thought, and you two awkwardly join in, looking at each other in confusion. 

“It’s almost like,” Matsukawa says, taking a deep breath to calm himself down before continuing. “You went back to the past or some shit.” 

It was almost as if Matsukawa’s words were magic because the gears in your head began turning. You clasp the pocket watch that sat on your vest pocket tighter, shaking a bit from how absurd your conclusion was, but it was the only one that made sense at that time. 

It’s not that you had traveled to the past, but rather you had traveled to the future. 

A future wherein you and Iwaizumi Hajime were married. 

Oh, God. 

By the looks of it, it seemed as if Iwaizumi had picked up on what had happened to the two of you as well. It was noticeable with the way his features hardened and how the emotions of fear and disbelief swirled in his eyes.

The two of you looked at each other, uncertain eyes seeking to answer how you would escape from this predicament. It’s not like you could run away. Not when Matsukawa and Hanamaki were obviously close to the two of you.

Although to you, you barely knew the duo and had only gotten to know them because of how often they came to your classroom to spend time with Iwaizumi, it seemed as if they had gotten closer to you over the years, and you had absolutely no idea how to act.

So it was up to Iwaizumi to lead the two of you in this situation,

At the realization that he would have to take the lead, Iwaizumi sighs, trying to compose himself, hoping that no one would notice the way his hands were trembling in fright. He had to think quick, come up with an excuse that made sense.

“Yeah,” he finally speaks, hoping that his voice seemed more in-depth than what he was hearing and that Hanamaki and Matsukawa wouldn’t notice anything different. “(Y/N) wanted to try having a date in our uniforms, you know… walk back through memory lane?”

The duo in front of you stays silent, blinking before letting out hearty laughs, and you can feel the tension in your breath go away. “I see,” Matsukawa says, giving a nod of approval. “Makes sense since the two of you got together during our third-year.”

Got together in your third year? You think to yourself, unable to help how your face blooms in warmth. If what Matsukawa said was true, you and Iwaizumi would have started dating just a few months later. That fact unknowingly made your heart skip a beat.

“Although you should have told us,” Hanamaki whines, throwing a hand over Iwaizumi’s shoulder and rubbing his head affectionately. “If we had known that you’d dress up for tonight, then we would have done the same. Right, Issei?”

You watch Matsukawa pale slightly, letting out a nervous laugh. Although it’s fascinating to see how calm and collected he is despite the apparent nervousness in his voice. “I’m not so sure about that, Hiro,” He mutters, rubbing the back of his head.

“Oh, don’t be such a killjoy, Issei,” Hanamaki whines before giving the two of you a grin. “Speaking of which, let’s head over to Granny’s! I’m dying for a drink.”

A drink? You think to yourself, feeling pale once more. You couldn’t help your guts screaming at you to run away. You and Iwaizumi were minors, for goodness sake. Although you’ve had your fair share of alcohol sips from your parents, the thought of actually drinking outside the comforts of your home kind of terrified you.

But you take a look at Iwaizumi, and you feel majority of your fears wearing away. His eyes were firm yet gentle. Reassuring you that everything was going to be alright, almost as if his gaze was a calm tide, washing away any feelings of doubt that had begun to accumulate within you.

“Yeah,” Iwaizumi says, taking your trembling hand into his own and rubbing a finger over it reassuringly. You can see the red on his cheeks and find yourself having no idea whether to feel flustered or calm from his actions, but it does help knowing he was there and that you weren’t alone.

“Let’s go for a drink.”

You were beginning to think this was a bad idea. 

The bar the four of you went to had been a quaint pub, filled to the brim with friends and office workers drinking away the day’s woes. It seemed as if you were regulars in that bar because the moment the owner saw the four of you, she had squealed and ushered you to what Hanamaki calls your regular seats. 

She didn’t even think twice when she saw you and Iwaizumi in your school uniforms, much to your displeasure. You would think that she would question why two of her most frequent customers were donning school uniforms and looking like minors, but perhaps, in the future, you and Iwaizumi often did things like these. 

Oddly enough, it was endearing to think about. 

“So what can I get for ya?” The old lady asks, her smile wide, happy that her regulars had come on a slow day like today. You offer her a smile, eyes scanning over the menu that was written high above the bar’s walls for everyone to see, wondering what you should get. 

You hope that whatever you choose wouldn’t be too out of the ordinary. It was almost as if you were taking a gamble trying to see if you could get the exact same order as your future self, without knowing anything at all. 

“I’ll have a Shoyu Ramen please,” you say meekly, to which the old lady nods in approval, and you find yourself sighing in relief that it seems like you’d order the correct one. 

“So the usual then?” The lady asks, and you look at her curiously, urging her to continue. “One Shoyu Ramen for the couple to share, and a plate of half-spicy, half mild karaage, am I right?” 

Warmth coats your cheeks for what feels like the millionth time that day. You and Iwaizumi, sharing ramen? It was probably a normal thing to others, but it was strangely intimate for you. You’d grown up being unable to fully finish one bowl, considering how big a serving was. So it was comforting to know that your future self found someone to share with. 

“Don’t forget our Yakiniku and Beer Granny,” Hanamaki cuts in, looking at the two of you before looking at the old lady. “It’s been a while since I’ve had a drink, so it better be good!”

“Liar,” Matsukawa says, sighing, although the small smile he shows doesn’t go unnoticed by you. “Didn’t you just have a drink yesterday?”

“But that’s different!” Hanamaki whines, pouting slightly. It’s funny to see him like this, you think to yourself. You had always known Hanamaki as a relatively calm person. Perhaps he’d become more outgoing through the years, or maybe he only acted this way around people he was comfortable with, you didn't know. 

“Beer from convenience stores don’t even compare to Granny’s Beer, right Granny?” The old lady laughs, and you find yourself smiling at the warm ambiance that surrounded the five of you. You look to your right, and you’re shocked to see the calm expression on Iwaizumi's face. You have no idea what’s going through his mind, but surely it must have been something good for him to look the way he did. 

“Oh, stop flattering me, you brat,” The old lady teases, although you can tell that there’s a hint of affection laced in her words. “I’ll get your orders up soon, so just hang tight, yeah?” The four of you nod, and once she leaves, Hanamaki’s teasing smirk lies on the two of you. 

“So, Iwaizumi, (Y/N),” he begins, and you can feel a shiver run down your spine at the way he looks at the two of you mischievously. 

“How’s the married life?”

You feel yourself tense, and you can tell that Iwaizumi has too from the corner of your eye. To Hanamaki, it’s not an unusual question. You were a married couple in his eyes, so it was an obvious thing for him to ask about how you two were going.

But for you and Iwaizumi, it was almost as if he had asked something impossible to answer— the reason being at this current stage in your life, you and Iwaizumi barely knew each other aside from the bare minimum. 

You had no idea what he likes or what he dislikes and vice versa. You had no idea how he wanted his coffee in the morning, or even if he liked drinking coffee at all. Does he like taking naps? What was his favorite thing to eat on a cold day? Does he like staying in or going out?

The more you thought about it, the more you realize how unique your situation was. How often do you find yourself realizing that you’re going to be married to someone you consider as merely an acquaintance in the present. 

Love truly worked in mysterious ways. 

“It’s been good,” Iwaizumi says from beside you, and you look at him in surprise. He looks serious, but you can tell from the way he’s been shaking his leg for the past few minutes that he’s nervous. He doesn’t want to screw things up for the two of you, you realize. And your heart warms at how nice he was, even if he didn’t have to. 

“That’s good to hear,” Matsukawa says, leaning back into his chair. “I heard you’re going to be the official trainer of the National Team. Congrats, man, that’s a great offer.”

You look at Iwaizumi, and you can’t help but smile softly at the surprised look on his face. You didn’t know this, but at that time, Iwaizumi had been worried about his future. He knew that he wanted to pursue a career in sports, seeing as his best friend was doing so as well. But at the same time, he knew how rocky that career path was. 

So to hear that he was doing well after all these years, to the point that he was the trainer of the National Team? It all felt surreal. 

You didn’t know what came over to you, but your body moved on its own to grab Iwaizumi’s hand into yours. You didn’t care if he would be weirded out by your actions. All you had running through your mind was how you wanted to show him that you were here. And in a situation where he couldn’t really rely on anyone except you, you would stay. 

“You’ll finally fulfill your promise of meeting Oikawa at the court,” Matsukawa continues, immediately taking a swig of his beer once the old lady returns with your drinks. “Heard he’s setting for the Argentina National Team.”

Iwaizumi feels himself growing shell shocked once more. It’s surreal to him. Not only did he achieve success, but his best friend did as well. He didn’t know what to do with these overwhelming feelings. They crashed over him like a tsunami, raging over all his worries and doubts. He didn’t know whether to feel relieved or happy. All he knew was that he was overwhelmed, and it was a good thing. 

“Yeah,” he mutters, looking down at his glass of beer, although he doesn’t dare take a sip. “That’s really great.”

He stands up suddenly, much to the surprise of the three of you. “I’ll go take a dump,” he mutters before heading out to leave, leaving you alone with Hanamaki and Matsukawa. 

Logically speaking, it wasn’t the best decision to separate from each other, especially since you were in a time that was unfamiliar to the two of you. And the chances of running into your future selves was a cause for concern as well. But you knew that Iwaizumi needed his space to think— to allow the overwhelming feelings to settle in. 

So you’d forgive him for leaving you alone with two of his best friends who you weren’t familiar with. You’d bear with it. Besides, they would be your friends too in the future, and the thought brought a smile to your face. 

“Did we say something wrong?” Hanamaki asks, confused. His eyes follow Iwaizumi’s worried, wondering if he or Matsukawa had done something to upset the male. 

“No,” you say, cutting the two out of their train of thought. “You didn’t do anything wrong. I think he’s just overwhelmed with the fact that he’s finally there, you know?”

The three of you fall into a solemn silence, and you take a moment to compose your thoughts. It was honestly weird for you to be here in a strangely intimate moment for Iwaizumi. You hardly knew him aside from the odd fascination you had for him. 

But just because you knew nothing about him doesn’t mean you didn’t want to learn. You wanted to know more about his dreams and aspirations. What made him passionate? What made the light shine in his eyes? What was his favorite thing to do?

It was scary how quickly you were falling. 

“So (Y/N),” Hanamaki asks, breaking the silence that surrounds you. You watch with curious eyes as he takes a swig of his beer before continuing. “How’s your shop going?”

“Oh, um,” you could feel yourself internally panic, not knowing what to say. You had a shop? What kind of shop? What could you say that was a good enough answer without giving away the fact that you knew nothing?

“It’s going good,” you answer meekly. “It’s been busy the past few days, but nothing I can’t handle, you know?”

Hanamaki nods, leaning back into his seat and sighing. “Still, you’re amazing, you know? I was shocked when I saw you on TV the other day. Must be nice being a successful florist, huh?”

“You’re just saying that cause you’re unemployed,” Matsukawa chides, rolling his eyes as he takes his own sip of beer. Hanamaki glares at his best friend, pointing an accusing finger towards him. 

“As if working in a funeral home is any better,” he remarks, voice raised in annoyance, but you pay no mind, Hanamaki’s words ringing in your ear like a beat to its drum.

You were a successful florist? It seemed too good to be true. You had thought that you were going to give up on your dream of working in the gardening industry due to your parents’ disapproval, but to think that you would actually fulfill it and become successful enough to be on TV?

It almost felt like a scene from a movie. 

Now you could kind of understand what Iwaizumi was going through. The overwhelming feeling of knowing you had actually made it in life when you were going through a time of uncertainty was indescribable. You didn’t know if you wanted to laugh or cry or scream into the heavens.

You just knew you needed to be alone. 

“Excuse me,” you say, standing up and giving Hanamaki and Matsukawa a slightly awkward smile. “I’ll go check on Iwaizumi— make sure he’s doing alright, you know? I’ll be back” Your words are rushed as you scramble to make your way outside the bar, where the cool, refreshing breeze hits you like a wave, slightly cooling the burning beat of your heart. 

“That’s weird,” Matsukawa comments, watching your back until you turn the corner and can’t be seen anymore. “Doesn’t she usually call Iwa, Haji? What’s with the sudden formality?”

Hanamaki shrugs, taking another swig of his beer. “Who knows? Maybe they’re still pretending they’re in high school.” Matsukawa stays silent at that, nodding in agreement as Hanamaki suddenly screams in delight at the sight of the old lady coming to their table with their food. 

Outside, the night breeze pasts you by, allowing you to swallow yourself in silence. You didn’t even know where to begin in trying to settle down the erratic beating of your heart. You didn’t even notice how Iwaizumi had somehow settled beside you, hands in his pocket and eyes stretching into the stars above. 

“Hey,” he greets, and you look up at him with a blank gaze. “What brings you here?”

You look back, staring out into the closed shop that stood on the other side of the street, sighing. “I was supposed to check on you,” you say, voice shaky from the many thoughts that were racing through your mind. “But honestly, it’s probably me who needs checking.”

Iwaizumi chuckles at that before the two of you fall into a comfortable silence. He takes this moment to look at you from the corner of his eyes, admitting the way the breeze makes your hair flow in the wind like magic. It’s strange how ethereal you look at that moment, despite the sad, weary expression in your eyes. 

He’s so lost in the sight of you that he doesn’t even realize that you’ve begun to drag him to the side of the restaurant, hiding the both of you in between the two walls of the restaurant and the building next to it. When the unfamiliar darkness finally registers in his mind, he looks at you, confused. Wondering what exactly had gotten into you. 

“Hey, what’s wro—“ He can’t even finish his question because you quickly place a hand to cover his mouth, a finger over your lips to tell him to shut up. Iwaizumi does so reluctantly. But curiosity gets the better of him, and he takes a peek from the corner of the wall to figure out what exactly has you so surprised to the point where you needed to hide not only you but him as well. 

And the sight he sees shocks him. 

Because there, standing just by the entrance, was an older version of him. The Iwaizumi that stood in front of him was taller than he was at the moment, more muscular too. He donned a simple black shirt and joggers, his muscles bulging from the slight tightness of his shirt. 

It looked as if he had lost his baby fat as well, and in its’ place stood much more prominent features that highlighted his overall look. 

If Iwaizumi had to be honest with himself, he looked good.

But the sight that genuinely shocked him was you. 

You were absolutely gorgeous. Hair neatly tied into a loose bun that perfectly accentuated your mature yet soft features. You wore a simple white shirt and jeans, the plain look further enhancing your beauty. But as much as Iwaizumi was enticed with the sight of you, he was much more enchanted by what the two of you were doing. 

The future you had a pout nestled atop her glossed lips, looking up at the future him with pleading eyes. In contrast, his future self tried to keep in control, although a soft, gray hoodie was plastered in his hands. He watched how his future self sighed before giving your future self a soft, loving look and dressing you up in his hoodie. 

It was annoyingly adorable to Iwaizumi how easily your future self had slipped into the hoodie, head popping out from the hood cutely. The hoodie was obviously too big for you, as it rested just above your kneecaps with the arms stretching from your hands.

You looked so tiny in it that he was sure that the loving look on his future self’s face was mirrored unto his own. But what was even more endearing than the heartwarming sight of you snuggling into his own hoodie was the sight of your fingers intertwining with his own, two matching silver rings twinkling against the darkness of the night. 

It grounded the fact that the two of you were actually going to get married in the future. Iwaizumi hadn’t thought it through as much as he did the realization that he had succeeded in life. Still, as he looked at the present you, he couldn’t help but try to suppress the rapid beating of his heart. 

It’s insanely wild to him. He did have some sort of interest in you. After all, he was always intrigued by the fact that you would come to school early just to water flowers, something he would never do for as long as he was alive. But then he saw how the flowers blossomed into a beautiful garden the more you tended to it, and he couldn’t help but admire your devotion and passion for gardening. 

Because it was almost as much as he loved volleyball. 

“That’s really us, right?” You say softly, eyes wide open in awe as you watch your future selves looking at each other lovingly in the entrance of the old bar. It was almost as if they were in their own world, and the two of you were intruding on such an intimate moment, even if the ones conducting it were your future selves in the first place. 

“Yeah,” Iwaizumi replies, looking at his future self with longing eyes. “That’s us, alright.”

The two of you go silent after that, watching with blushes on your faces as your future selves shared a loving kiss before heading inside. Iwaizumi couldn’t believe his eyes. He had always thought that if he were in a relationship, he wouldn’t be one for public displays of affection, more so a kiss that anyone could spy on. But perhaps love really changed the way people think. After all, the more he looked at you, the more he could understand just what was going on through his future self’s head. 

And then your future selves disappeared into the pub. You grabbed Iwaizumi’s hand, catching him off guard. You urge him to lower his tall frame down to the point where he was squatting before dragging him over to the wall outside, where the windows showed just enough for the two of you to see just what exactly was going on. 

You watched as your future selves naturally seated themselves right where you were just sitting in front of Matsukawa and Hanamaki and immediately dove deep into friendly conversation. Although you could tell by the look on the duo's face that they were confused about the sudden change.

Your breath hitches on your throat as you pray to whoever was out there that your future selves would play along, and luckily they did. The confused and wary gazes were immediately wiped off their faces. Once again, the table bursts with life, and you can’t help the sigh of relief that leaves your lips, not even noticing the way your hands were still intertwined with Iwaizumi’s.

But Iwaizumi notices, and it’s all he can think about. He doesn’t quite understand why he’s acting this way. He was so sure that just before the two of you got into this situation, his heart wouldn’t beat so erratically around you. But it does. His heartbeat echoes loudly in his chest, resonating through every fiber in his being to the point where he feels as if he can’t breathe. 

But Iwaizumi can’t get enough of it. 

Your hand feels so soft in his, and your grasp on him is so tender and comforting compared to his much more rough and calloused ones. It’s strange how just holding your hand could make Iwaizumi feel like he was on top of the world. 

Is this what falling in love feels like? He wonders to himself. 

It’s not until you grasp his hand tighter and look at him with an excited and determined look on your face does Iwaizumi come back to his senses. He watches silently as you drag him along with you, sneaking into the bar and hiding behind the small wall where you wouldn’t be seen by your future selves and Hanamaki and Matsukawa.

A place where you could freely eavesdrop without the prospect of getting caught. 

“So when are you guys heading for Tokyo?” Hanamaki asks, and you can almost imagine the way he takes another light sip of his beer, his face resting on his hand with his elbow propped against the table. 

“In a few days,” Future Iwaizumi’s deep voice answers, and you can feel the warmth in you rise at how mature he sounds. “We’re just going to fix some last-minute things before we leave. You know, make sure the people we’re leaving behind to run our businesses don’t mess up.” The chuckles that resonate between the four of them are profound, and you marvel at how light and airy your own laugh sounds in your ears. 

“But man, y’all are really living the dream,” Hanamaki continues sighing. “Owning your own gym and flower shop, plus being celebrities and living the married life? Teach me your ways.”

“Oh, don’t be like that, Takahiro-kun,” you hear yourself saying, and you find yourself being mildly surprised at how happy you sound. “I’m sure you’ll get your big break soon.”

“Yeah, right,” Hanamaki replies, a teasing grin forming on his face. “And I’ll fall in love and kiss my future wife right in front of national TV for the whole of Japan to see. Sure, great.”

You can feel your heart momentarily stop at Hanamaki’s words, finding yourself dumbfounded at the revelation. Iwaizumi kissed you on national television? That sounded as if it came straight from a fairy tale but at the same time sounded oddly romantic. The picture in your mind that painted that very scenario made the warmth inside you build-up to the point where it was almost unbearable. 

“What’s wrong with that?” Future Iwaizumi questions, and from the corner of your eye, you can see the way Iwaizumi stiffens, wary about what his future self was going to say next. “I don’t see anything wrong with showing the whole world just who exactly owns my heart, you know?”

Iwaizumi can practically feel his body light up in flames. Every fiber in his being was burning. Was it from embarrassment? Or passion? Iwaizumi didn’t know. But what he did know was that his future self was madly in love with his wife. 

And his wife was the same girl who stood beside him, looking at him with worried eyes. 

“Damn,” You hear Matsukawa say, whistling. “Didn’t think you’d be such a sap, Iwa. Wait till Oikawa hears about this.”

It’s then that you hear Future Iwaizumi groan, and you boldly take a peek only to find the flames in your heart burning brighter at the sigh of Future Iwaizumi leaning his head on your future self’s shoulder. 

“Don’t even think about it,” he says, snuggling into your future self. “If Shittykawa knew, he wouldn’t let me live it down. And I am not in the mood to handle his flat ass.”

You watch with wide eyes as your future self smacks Iwaizumi lightly on the head, almost as if she were annoyed. But the look on her eyes says otherwise. You can practically feel the love burning brightly within them, and it causes your own heart to go on a frenzy. And you’re not exactly sure how to think about it. 

You’re so lost in thought that you don’t notice the way Iwaizumi runs out of the bar until you turn around just in time for you to see him vanish into the corner of the street. You immediately take off after him, unbeknownst to you that a pair of curious yet intrigued eyes were watching your every step with a smile on their face. 

When you finally catch up to Iwaizumi, it’s to heavy pants of fresh air as you try to catch your breath and regain your stamina. Iwaizumi was too fast for his own good. And his speed and resilience were too much for your unathletic body to keep up. But you somehow managed to chase him to a nearby park, which was void of people aside from the two of you. 

He sat against the tree, breathing heavily as his hands covered his eyes, sinking deeply into the depths of his mind. He had no idea what he was thinking. How could he leave you like that? You two were going through something that seemed as if it was a dream, when in fact, it was not, and he had the guts to leave you alone?

He should have stayed with you. Yet the more he did, the more he felt as if his heart was going to explode into a million pieces. 

Maybe it was the way he was so enamored with the sight of your future selves being so loving with each other. Or perhaps it was this whole situation forcing him to look at you in a different light. But no matter what the reason was, Iwaizumi couldn’t deny that his heart was beating for you and only you. 

He confirmed it as he watched you silently sit beside him, leaning back against the rough bark of the tree trunk. He knows that there’s a lot of questions you want to ask him. So many things you want to say, yet you let it rest within you, choosing to stop it from falling from your lips because it wasn’t in your nature to pry. And Iwaizumi liked that about you. He adored how selfless you were; how thoughtful you were about others’ feelings.

And as Iwaizumi sees the ways your eyes look at him almost as if you were reassuring him that everything would be okay, despite being uncertain of that fact yourself, Iwaizumi can feel in his heart that this feeling that was burning in his chest was something that had been happening for a long time. 

He liked you, and it only took him now to notice. 

He knew that deep down, his interest in you had been more than curiosity; it had been growing affection for you— the flower girl of the campus. 

It was almost as if you had planted a seed unto him, nourishing it with your soft smiles, and gentle eyes, allowing it to grow and prosper under your warm touch. 

Sure, the two of you had been mere acquaintances. Still, throughout the three years of exchanging greetings and helping each other, it had developed into something far more than Iwaizumi could handle. 

But he couldn’t deny it any longer. He liked you. He wanted you so much that he didn’t know what he was going to do with himself. The sight of the two of you as a married couple only sparked those hidden feelings, allowing them to burst into life once more. 

If only he could tell you.

“Are you okay?” You finally speak out, looking at him with a worried gaze. Iwaizumi simply nods in response, knowing that if he said anything, his words would fail him. 

The silence that surrounds you two after that is awkward but comfortable at the same time., You can’t help but take a peek here and there, checking to see if Iwaizumi was doing okay

And in a sense, Iwaizumi was doing fine. If not for the raging thoughts in his mind chiding him for being unable to settle your worries. He wanted nothing more than to comfort you. To tell you that everything was alright and nothing was wrong, But how can he do that when the very worries that settled deep into his heart were all about you? 

But then you take his hand into yours, just as you had done moments ago in the bar, and you give it a reassuring squeeze. Iwaizumi finally feels like he can breathe again. He can feel everything your lips couldn’t say through your gentle touch, 

I’m here. Everything is going to be okay. 

Who knew that he was the one who needed comforting? 

But then he sees your future selves around the corner. He brings you close to his chest as he hides the two of you on the other side of the tree, hidden just enough so that your future selves would miss the two of you. 

You look up at him, just as he looks down at the two of you, and Iwaizum can’t help the blush that coats his cheeks at how adorable you look, staring up at him with innocent eyes. 

He’s so lost in the depth and beauty that swirls within him that he almost fails to hear the hushed conversation between your future selves, but he manages to catch it. And he’s glad that he does. 

“Hey, Hajime?” Your future self asks, leaning into future Iwaizumi’s shoulders as he brings an arm to rub your own shoulder and hums in response. “Thank you,” your future self says softly, looking up at his future self with a tender gaze. 

“For what?” His future self asks, looking at you with a loving gaze as he places a soft kiss on the top of your forehead. 

“For loving me,” your future self continues, grabbing future Iwaizumi’s hand and lacing it with yours, smiling softly at the sight of your marriage rings glistening softly under the moonlight. 

“I should be the one telling you that,” Future Iwaizumi chuckles, bringing you closer into his chest. “Thank you for loving me every day. I know I haven’t been the best husband lately since I’m so busy. But thank you for loving me despite all of it.”

It stays silent after that, but you can almost feel the way your future selves share a loving kiss under the watch of the stars, and you can feel the warmth creep up unto your cheeks. 

It’s then that you finally get the chance to sort out the raging feelings inside of you. You look up once more at Iwaizumi, noticing the way he looks at the side, a deep shade of red coating his cheeks. 

He’s embarrassed; you notice and smile to yourself. But you don’t feel any ill intention radiating off from him. Instead, you feel nothing but warmth. The warmth spreads throughout you as if Iwaizumi were wrapping you in the fuzziest of blankets, keeping you safe from harm. 

It’s strange when you think about it clearly. For most of the three years you had known Iwaizumi, you had never been this close to him. He always felt so distant and so far away, like no matter how many steps you take to reach him, you never could. 

But now that you lay in his embrace, hearing the beating of his heart, you realize that the only reason that you couldn’t reach him was because you were the one putting distance between the two of you. 

Iwaizumi was blinding. He was like the sun, radiating light wherever he went. Although it was subtle when compared to his fried Oikawa Tooru, it was still there, radiating a warmth that attracted you like a moth to its’ flame. 

It was in the way he worked hard every morning just to keep up with practice. It was in the way he treated everyone with respect, regardless of who they were. And it was in the way he looked at you with the softest gaze despite his rough exterior. 

Yes, for the longest time, you had a crush on Iwaizumi Hajime.

As you recall the heartwarming events that had passed just moments before, you can’t help but feel that passion burn brighter than it ever could.

You’re so lost in thought that you don’t even notice the way your future selves had gone up and left after sharing a few more moments with each other. But when you do, you realize that you’re all alone.

It’s that realization that sparks something within you. You don’t quite understand it. And frankly, you don’t want to understand it. All you knew was that you had to get this raging feeling off your chest.

You had to tell Iwaizumi how you felt, even if it cost your own flame to burn out.

“Hey, Iwaizumi?” You ask softly, much like how your future self called to her husband just moments ago. Iwaizumi looks down at you, sensing the seriousness and desperation that laced through your hardened features.

“Yeah?” He asks, scared out of his wits. He didn’t like how your face looked as if you were about to tell him something that would cause his whole world to change in a bad way.

But, as he would soon realize. What you were about to say was something that would change his world in a good way.

“I like you,” you blurt out, feeling the warmth blossom on your cheeks from how abrupt and straight forward your words had come across. But perhaps it was better this way. If you had attempted to speak out elaborately on just how much your heart yearned for him, you were sure Iwaizumi would be frightened.

But Iwaizumi wasn’t frightened at all. In fact, he was over the moon.

You liked him? You actually liked him? Just as much as he wanted you? Was your heart beating just as fast as his was? Was your mind filled with thoughts of the future just as much as his was after seeing your future together?

Could you actually be his? Just as much as he was willing to be yours?

“I’m sorry,” you softly whisper, dejected at the lack of response from Iwaizumi. You should have known that you were the only one who felt the same way. Maybe that was the reason Iwaizumi had run off in the first place. Because he couldn’t bear to see the sight of the two of you married when you were nothing but strangers. “I shouldn’t have said that. If you’d like, we can just forge—“

“Why are you apologizing?” Iwaizumi asks frantically, snapping out of his thoughts. He brings you tighter in his hold, so close that you can practically feel him with every fiber of your being. His warmth spreads throughout you, and you can’t help but sigh in bliss at the feeling.

“Why are you apologizing,” Iwaizumi repeats, pulling you back a little to look at you in the eye. “When I like you too?”

You blink, trying to process his words before blinking again. He liked you. Iwaizumi Hajime actually liked you just as much as you liked him.

Damn. This was crazy.

“Really?” You ask, voice a whisper almost as if you spoke louder than that everything would break and crumble right in front of you. “You really like me?”

Iwaizumi nods, raising a hand towards your cheek and rubbing his thumb over your skin affectionately. “Of course I do, silly,” he chides, giving you a grin that you’ve never seen before, Yet somehow you can feel how special it is. “You don’t even know how much,” he whispers, gaze turning soft as he drinks your own lovestruck gaze in.

Gosh, everything felt like a dream. If it was, you hoped that you would never wake up because you wanted to cherish this moment for the rest of your life, even if it was fake. You wanted to savor the way Iwaizumi looked at you as if you were the only thing in the world.

You really hoped that this dream wouldn’t end.

You don’t even notice the way you lean into Iwaizumi, slowly creeping closer and closer to his lips. In contrast, he does the same, almost as if the two of you were in a daze, overcome with your pure desire for each other.

But as you lean in, you hear the tick of a clock ring loudly in your ear, and before you know it...

Everything turns black.

Perhaps this was fate’s way of messing with you; you didn’t know. But when you come to, you realize you’re back in that dusty old storage room, laying comfortably atop a sturdy ches—

Oh.

When you look up, you realize that you’re laying on top of Iwaizumi, hands circling him almost as if you two were cuddling. His own hands were circling your waist, keeping you close to him, almost as if he was afraid that if he let go, you would fade away, leaving him alone.

But you could never do that, would never even dream of doing that because your heart had been entirely captured by him, and you had no plans of escaping.

But the rumble of the shut storage door stirs Iwaizumi awake, and you look curiously at the door, wondering what exactly was happening.

Heck, you don’t even remember the storage door being locked in the first place.

When it opens, Iwaizumi is half awake, rubbing his eyes, confused out of his mind. But what wakens him is the screams of his best friend, Oikawa Tooru, who stands at the entrance of the storage room, gaping at the two of you.

“Iwa-chan!” He shrieks, shocked, his scream jolting Iwaizumi awake as he takes in what was happening around him. From the dusty room to the way his arms rested on you and how you looked at him with a small smile and a loving look plastered on your features.

“How could you!” Oikawa whines, pointing an accusing finger at his best friend. “You skipped classes and half of practice to spend time with your girlfriend?” He exclaims pouting. “That’s unfair! And besides, why didn’t you tell me you had a girlfri— AGH!”

Oikawa clasps his face in pain, and it’s only then that you realize Iwaizumi had thrown a small rubber ball that sat in a box beside the two of you at him.

“Shut up, Shittykawa, not my fault we got locked in here,” He screams, rubbing the back of his head. You giggle at his antics, feeling your heart warm when you realize that he hasn’t loosened his grip on you at all.

“So mean Iwa-chan,” Oikawa whines once more, the pout on his lips never leaving. “Now I have to go to the infirmary to get some ice, geez.”

You stifle a giggle at their lighthearted banter, and Iwaizumi can’t help but smile at the sight. Oikawa looks at the two of you before sighing, rubbing his sore cheek, although it didn’t hurt as much when compared to the time Iwaizumi accidentally spiked a volleyball to his face.

“You better be in practice by the time I come back to the gym Iwa-chan,” Oikawa chirps, giving Iwaizumi a playful yet sinister grin. “Or else more training for you!”

Iwaizumi groans, and you feel the warmth creeping up to you once more at the way he buries his head on your own, nuzzling it slightly. It causes a smile to once again grace your features, and you wanted nothing more than to sink deep down into it.

The silence stays adamant for a moment, and you realize that Oikawa has left the two of you alone to gather your thoughts. You watch Iwaizumi with curious eyes, content with following after him.

After a moment more of silence, Iwaizumi finally gets up, bringing you along with him as the two of you dust off the dirt that had accumulated on your uniforms.

“So, uh,” Iwaizumi begins awkwardly, looking at you bashfully. “Wanna grab some ice cream after practice?” He asks, and you looked at him, mouth agape in surprise.

“Not that you have to, of course! I’m completely fine with starting slow. We have all of eternity to get to know each other after all… unless that was all a dream, and we didn’t actually almost kiss…” he mutters the last part just softly enough for you to barely hear him. Still, the warmth spreads throughout you nonetheless, and you offer him a gentle smile, causing Iwaizumi to light up.

“I’d love to,” you say, knowing full well that today would be your first step into a beautiful future with Iwaizumi by your side.

“Haji?” Your future self asks, turning around future Iwaizumi’s hold to face him. Future Iwaizumi only hums in response, opening an eye and acknowledging your worried ones.

“Do you think today was the day?” Your future self asks softly, rubbing her thumb over her husband’s cheeks softly. Future Iwaizumi leans into your touch, nuzzling adoringly into it.

“What day?” He asks, voice raspy from how close he was to falling asleep.

“You know,” your future self continues, rubbing her noses with her husband, with future Iwaizumi sighing in bliss at the situation. “The day our past selves come to the future?”

Future Iwaizumi hums, pulling your future self into his bare chest, his chin atop your forehead as he rubs your back, comfortingly soothing you and lulling you into a peaceful state.

“Who knows?” He says, placing a kiss on your forehead. “Either way, that wouldn’t change the fact that we’re in love with each other, right?”

Your future self smiles in agreement, placing a gentle kiss of her own on her husband’s collarbone.

“That’s true,” she says, as she snuggles herself further into her husband’s embrace, feeling herself fall deeper into slumber, happy, content, and absolutely in love.