Work Text:
“Oh my god, are you ok?”
Hajime groans, rubbing his head where the impact had been. All he’s trying to do is eat lunch, and the next second a ball comes flying into his face, knocking him flat on his back.
“Are you ok?” The voice comes closer. Hajime only has to wonder who hit him a few seconds longer before a wide-eye boy hovers over Hajime’s face.
“I am so sorry,” The boy hesitates, kneels, then grabs Hajime’s hand and sits him up. The first thought Hajime can process is how pretty he is. Fudge brown eyes to match his hair of an equal shade and his small yet pointed nose. He has small, clustered freckles around his nose and they crinkle when he scrunches them at Hajime.
“It’s alright, I guess,” Hajime sighs. As his middle school first-year luck would have it, he might as well get smacked in the face by some random kid.
Every day at lunch Hajime sat alone at the top of a hill under a huge oak tree, isolated from everyone else on the playground. It’s not that the other kids didn’t want to play with him- he just convinced himself he’s better off alone. He’s more of a people watcher, he decided, and has no problems writing a full analysis on what he sees below in a notebook that his mother gave him for his tenth birthday- The People Book, he calls it. He writes notes and observations on each of his classmates in it, deeming them worthy of his friendship or not. He sees each and every one of them as shallow- all of them are plastic and none of them pique his interest.
You could even go as far to say he has a little bit of a superiority complex, but nothing is ever that simple.
But it all changed when that ball hit him, because suddenly, he wasn’t alone on that hill anymore. His getaway from reality was hijacked by a doe-eyed boy with a lopsided smile.
“How did you even hit me? You must have kicked up a hill, which is damn near impossible.” Hajime says gruffly, pulling away harshly after the boy helps him sit up. He turns away from him and grabs his knees, curling inward like a ball.
“Well, I saw you up here,” The boy starts, and Hajime whips his head to look back at the boy. He had noticed him? Nobody ever really has before. Hajime blinks, and then squints his eyes. He’s never seen this classmate before. Could he have missed him? No, he has every single one of his classmates down in The People Book, he checked. He must be new.
“You looked lonely on the hill, so I’d thought I’d invite you to come play-“
“By chucking the ball at my head?!?!”
“Yeah,” The boy clasps the back of his neck sheepishly. “that was my bad, I meant to just get your attention, and I guess I kinda panicked and threw it hard.” The boy smiles up at Hajime, his nose freckles scrunching even more than before, and for a quick second Hajime swears his heart stops.
“So what are you doing up on this hill anyway?” He asks, now sitting on his legs in the tall summer grass.
“None of your business,” Hajime hisses at him, and hopes he gets the message.
“Ah, well, do you mind me joining you? I feel kinda lonely too.”
“Yes, I do mind.” Hajime growls, but feels a twinge of guilt when the boy’s expression falters.
“Ok then.” The boy lifts himself up, ball in hand. “See you around.”
Hajime scoffs. Like there’s gonna be a next time.
——
Hajime can’t help it.
He thinks about that boy more often than he would like. He thinks about how pretty he is, about how he noticed him, how he thought he was lonely, how he said he felt lonely too.
Throughout the next week, though, he quickly learns who the mysterious boy is because word of the new student flew through Kitagawa Daiichi middle school. How handsome he is, how intelligent, how friendly.
Oikawa Tooru certainly doesn’t seem like he’s lonely. Everywhere he went, a mob of girls would follow, complimenting him and giving him sweets throughout the day. Despite him being the reason most of the guy’s confession attempts didn’t end well, he surprisingly gains the friendship of every male classmate too. Every guy except Hajime.
-People Book Entry #54-
Oikawa Tooru:
Totally a snob, ugly personality and definitely knows it, and is everyone’s heartthrob. Probably the most popular guy in first year! I hate him. I’m sure he thinks the world revolves around him. No way is he actually lonely, he’s a liar. I wish he never came into my life and invaded my school. Like a parasite. He’s such an annoying bastard. I spent some time with him, and it was almost like he wanted to piss me off, damn brat. I hate him.
Hajime scribbles furiously into his notebook, loathing the way Oikawa could just walk into school and gain the affection and attention of everyone there. Sure, Hajime has proclaimed himself a lone wolf, but he secretly also wished he’d been given the same attention when he transferred at the beginning of the year.
“Whatcha got there?”
Hajime nearly jumped out of his skin at the sudden voice and scrambled to close the notebook.
“What the hell?” Hajime presses the notebook to his chest, hoping to protect it from a very nosy Oikawa shoving his face all into his personal space.
“I’d thought I’d come visit you again. How come you’re the only one not fawning over me?” Oikawa smirks, and Hajime’s cheeks feel hot as he scowls back at him.
“Wouldn’t you like to know.”
“I would, actually,” Oikawa sat down next to him, this time a little closer than he did a week ago. Hajime squeezed his notebook a little tighter.
“Why would I ever be head over heels for someone like you? Are you gonna force me to like you or something?”
Oikawa laughs, crossing his legs and picking at a dandelion.
“Actually, I’m glad you don’t. I’ve been so overwhelmed with all this attention, not that I don’t like it, but it feels nice to be around someone who doesn’t give you empty compliments all the time.”
“Don’t think this will be a daily thing, Oikawa. I’m not going to be your escape route.” Hajime glares his eyes into him, but to no avail because Oikawa’s just looking over the open field, humming to himself.
“We all get lonely sometimes,” Oikawa says slowly. “Some more than others. I don’t know why, but I’m drawn to you. I see you sitting up here every day, and I know you watch me too.”
Hajime freezes.
“You know that saying, it takes one to know one- I feel that about you, but with loneliness.” Oikawa finishes, finally looking over at Hajime, and the intensity in his eyes almost makes the other boy flinch.
“That’s such bullshit,” Hajime breathes, but his soft voice betrays his harsh words. He can’t actually be believing this, right? Oikawa shrugs.
“I’m just saying. By the way, you know my name, but I never caught yours.”
“I didn’t throw it.”
Oikawa laughs, bolder this time, letting himself crinkle his eyes and scrunch his nose.
Hajime’s never seen him laugh like that with others. Something as simple as a laugh shouldn’t be enough to crack him. And yet...
A small smile creeps on his face and before he can stop himself, he says:
“Iwaizumi Hajime.”
“Ah, Iwaizumi-kun,” Oikawa tests the name on his tongue, then shakes his head. “I’ll see you tomorrow then!”
With that, Oikawa left as quietly as he had come.
——
To his horror, Hajime finds out that Oikawa actually lives next door.
The house next to his had been for sale for a while, and of course his luck winds up with it being sold to the Oikawa’s, deeming the pretty boy as his neighbor.
When Oikawa found out that the boy on the hill was his neighbor, he couldn’t have been happier.
“Iwaizumi-kun,” Oikawa paused, frowned, and chewed the inside of his mouth like he had a distaste for that particular nickname. “You should come over to my house on Friday! Bring your family.”
“I barely even know you. Need I remind you, you took up my space on my hill. I was fine being alone.”
“I’m sure you were, but you haven’t really sent me away yet, so that tells me I’m doing something right.”
Hajime looked down- unable to even argue with that indisputable fact. For the past few weeks, Oikawa and Hajime have been sitting under that tree conversing idly about everything and nothing, and not once had Hajime really tried to push Oikawa away. Sure, he made underhanded comments and sabotage attempts, but Oikawa would shrug it off like he expected for Hajime to try and get rid of him. It seemed like he made it his mission to befriend Hajime- and once Oikawa Tooru’s mind is set, no force in the universe can stop him.
“Fine then. I will.”
—————
When Friday came, Hajime wasn’t really surprised that the Oikawa family was just as good looking as Oikawa was. His sister and dad only shared his big, brown eyes, but Oikawa was basically a carbon copy of his mom, who’s long brown hair sat comfortably in a ponytail.
“Iwaizumi-kun! I’ve heard a lot about you!” She was just as cheery as her son, her natural beauty and energy radiated warmth throughout the home. He nodded, and returned her smile.
The next thing he noticed after Oikawa-san’s stunning charm was a fat black and white cat that strutted up to Hajime regally, like he was one of her many subjects. She thoughtfully looked at him, purred in approval, and slowly walked back away.
“That’s Toki,” Oikawa’s sister piped up, noticing the cat’s brief assessment of Hajime. “I’m Kayano.” She extended her hand and smiled brightly. She’s 8 years older than Oikawa, and according to him, acts “like an evil dictator, her innocent smile be damned.”
Hajime took her hand, bowed, and quickly followed Oikawa up the stairs to his room while the parents acquainted themselves.
As they were ascending, Hajime heard his mother make a comment.
“I really was afraid Hajime would never make friends. I’m glad he found one in your son.”
Hajime scoffs. He’s barely a friend. Why won’t I get rid of him sooner, though?
They enter his room, and Hajime gapes at how nerdy it is. Constellation maps hang all along the walls, with small posters of terrible alien movies hanging in between. Blue LED lights trace the ceiling of the room, along with sticker stars that form a galaxy over his bed. His bed is full of E.T. and alien plushies, with the yellow “Star Wars” logo printed large on a black and star scattered comforter. The most humorous thing Hajime notices is a telescope, propped up right next to his bed, positioning itself to look out the window.
“I got that for my eighth birthday,” Oikawa says sheepishly, noticing Hajime’s interest in the telescope, moving to sit on his bed. Hajime laughs, and takes another step into the room, taking it all in.
“You must really like aliens, huh.”
“Love them, and you’ll probably think I’m crazy, but I think they’re real.”
“You’re right, I do think you’re crazy,” Hajime chuckles, and he swears he sees a dash of red on the brim of Oikawa’s cheeks and nose.
“Oh shut up, it’s not as far fetched as it sounds. Think about it, the universe is so vast and always expanding- how could there not be any other life force out there for us to discover?”
Hajime laughs again, but for a different reason. As Oikawa rambles on, he notices how animated he looks. He only had gotten this excited around Hajime one other time, and that was when talking about volleyball- which Hajime confessed he loves too- and they both promised to try out together.
Volleyball and Aliens, Hajime thought, what weird interests to have at the same time.
Oikawa catches him, and seemingly reads his mind. “Don’t look at me like that, Godzilla freakazoid!”
“Hey! Godzilla is a valid interest to have, he’s cool, and at least I know he isn’t real!”
Oikawa laughs as Hajime turns the tables and tries to defend his favorite TV monster. He doesn’t quite recall telling Oikawa about his monster obsession, but figures it was within one of the times by the tree. They had bonded so much already, and the time they spent on that hill together grew more and more everyday. In fact, it was the only time they really acknowledged each other in school, and Oikawa admitted he had gotten weird looks from other kids when he’d leave to join the lonely-looking boy on the hill top.
Hajime never expected to have as good of a time as he did, and they ended up having a sleepover, binge-watching Treasure Planet repeatedly until Oikawa fell asleep in the already sleeping Hajime’s lap.
————
“Hey, Iwa-Chan!”
There it was. That stupid nickname that Oikawa decided to call Hajime out of the blue. After that sleepover, Oikawa became more touchy with him, subconsciously touching his back when asking for notes or lying his head on Hajime’s shoulder when he needed a rest. Hajime always complained, but never really made the effort to shake Oikawa off. Since Oikawa became more comfortable with him, he suddenly started calling him that god-awful nickname as well.
“Would you stop with that?”
“Why would I, Iwa-Chan? Iwaizumi-kun and Iwaizumi-san are so boring and long. Why not spice it up a little!” Oikawa plopped down next to Hajime on the hill, poking a finger at his nose.
Hajime would roll his eyes all the way to hell if he could, but settles for the back of his eyelids, and sighs, exasperated.
“Don’t be like that, Iwa-Chan!” Oikawa chuckles at him, the name rolling off his tongue nicely like he’s said it his whole life. Hajime had to admit, it did sound smoother than Iwaizumi-kun, and he noticed Oikawa didn’t pause with distaste when he said the stupid nickname.
“I should call you a nickname then, to be fair.”
Oikawa nods eagerly, excited to find out what nickname Hajime would bestow on him.
Hajime rests a finger on his lips and hums, eyebrows knitted dramatically. He already knew what he wanted to call him.
Oikawa fidgets impatiently, disrupting Hajime’s fake deep thought and playing right into his hands. “Oh! What about Oika-Kun or Oi-Chan or Tooru-“
“Shittykawa.” Hajime looks up at him with a satisfied grin, devilish in its intent.
“Well you don’t have to be so vulgar,” Oikawa whines. “Why Shittykawa?”
Hajime smiles and flicks Oikawa’s ear. “Because you have a shitty personality.”
“Mean Iwa-Chan!” Oikawa rubs his ear and pouts dramatically, causing another eye roll from Hajime.
He’s somehow grown not to mind the nuisance named Oikawa Tooru, figuring that the good parts Hajime liked outweighed the annoying.
————
A few weeks had passed when Hajime went up on the hill, finding a sobbing Oikawa waiting for him. He immediately dropped his lunch box beside his friend and put his arms around him.
“Oikawa? What’s wrong?”
“It’s Toki,” He looked up at Hajime, eyes red and weary. “She’s dead.”
Hajime’s eyes widened as his grip instinctively tightened around his friend. Even though he now practically lived at Oikawa’s, He never grew particularly fond of that cat. He was more of a dog person himself, but he knew how much Oikawa loved Toki. “May I ask how?”
“She got out, and a car-“ he choked on a sob, and Hajime rubbed his back. “It was an accident, she died quick and painless though, but I can’t shake the feeling it was my fault.”
“What? How was it your fault?”
“If I had watched her more closely, more carefully-“
Hajime was stunned at how easily Oikawa could place blame on himself for something completely out of his control.
“Oikawa, it wasn’t your fault. There was nothing you could do.” Hajime grabbed his head and pulled it into his chest, his breath hitching and heaving short sobs.
“But Iwa-Chan, what if I had known?”
“But you didn’t. Stop blaming yourself for things you can’t even help.”
Oikawa tried to pull away, but Hajime just kept pressed against him, refusing to let go. Refusing to budge until Oikawa accepted that it wasn’t his fault, that everything was going to be ok.
Oikawa fought against his grip, but it was futile against the Hajime that had more than a few pounds on him.
“Fine,” he mumbles against Hajime’s shirt, a white flag of surrender held in his words.
Hajime pulled away, and smiled down at him. “It will be ok. I’m sure Toki doesn’t want you thinking like that either. Toki wants you to be happy, I’m sure of it.”
Oikawa cracked a soft smile, and wiped the tears from his eyes. “Thank you, Iwa-Chan. For being there when I need you.”
“Of course, Shittykawa. But you don’t need to-“
“So, what did you bring for lunch Iwa-Chan? I’m hungry.”
His words of hasty subject change were still raspy and watery, but the smile was genuine so Hajime let it slide.
He’s become better at reading Oikawa, and can’t help but wonder if Oikawa’s gotten good at reading him too.
———
It’s when Oikawa comes over to his house a week later that he finds The Book.
Hajime hadn’t really used it since Oikawa crash landed into his life, and hadn’t even thought about bringing it to school again. After all, what was the point of writing observations in a notebook when you had someone to tell them to?
Oikawa was so integrated into his everyday life now he forgot that he initially hated him at first.
“Iwa-Chan?”
Hajime steps out from the bathroom, preparing for a sleepover with his, as Oikawa described himself, ‘best-friend’. His hair was still dripping from the shower, and newly brushed teeth flashed a small smile at Oikawa.
“What’s up, Shittykawa?”
Oikawa looks up from a notebook, eyes glossy and brows furrowed. As soon as Hajime recognized the cover, his heart plummeted.
“What’s this?”
The People Book. Hajime automatically knew what page he had found, given away by his heartbroken stare.
“It’s-“ Hajime looks around, desperately hoping he can find an answer in one of his Godzilla posters. “It’s nothing, I told you not to go through my stuff-“
Hajime lunges forward to try and grab the book from Oikawa, but Oikawa twists away from him in protest and grips the book tighter.
“Is it true?” Oikawa's breath hitches between his words. Hajime lunges again, but Oikawa just crawls onto the bed and out of his reach.
“Is it true that you think I’m a snob? A liar?” Oikawa’s eyes flick up, and to Hajime’s dismay they’re brimming with tears. His guilt swells up in him, mentally kicking himself for not hiding the book better, or just not getting rid of it all together.
“Oikawa, wait-“
“Hajime,” That is the first time Oikawa uses his given name. Hajime’s eyes widen, realizing at that very moment that he had royally fucked up.
“Don’t lie to me. You hate me? You wish I never came to your school and screwed up your life? I’ve been truthful to you about everything since I came here, and you have the audacity to call me a liar? Do you know how hard it is for me to open up to other people? But with you it felt so easy.” He paused, refusing to meet Hajime’s guilty eyes.
“At my last school, I was terribly lonely, and I had no real friends. Sure, I have people following me everywhere but they don’t count for anything when I really need them. But you? You were different. You ignored me at first, but you stayed when it counted.”
Hajime opens his mouth, trying but failing to force words out, trying desperately to save the newly budded friendship from falling apart at the seams.
“And then I got to know you! I thought I finally had someone I could trust! But you hate me. You hate spending time with me. Not that I’d blame you, I know I’m obnoxious anyway. I’m tired of being Mr. Perfect and I really liked that I could just let loose with you. I just thought, maybe you could like my obnoxious side? I don’t know, it was stupid.” Oikawa’s sobbing now, mouth still open from his ramble and tears falling from a steely gaze. Oikawa always hated how much he over-shares when he’s nervous; cheeks bright with the embarrassment of basically telling his entire life story.
Hajime’s frozen. His stomach twists in on him. He can’t say a word. There Oikawa goes, blaming himself for things that weren’t his fault. Letting his insecurities eat at him. Hajime’s heart crumbles in self-hatred at the fact that he enabled Oikawa to get insecure.
He wants to grab Oikawa, shake him, hit him, tell him to wake up because of course Hajime wants to be friends with him. Of course he doesn’t hate him. He wants to hug Oikawa and whisper that if he had to spend his last day on Earth with someone, it would be him. That he likes him just the way he is, including his obnoxious side.
But none of that comes out. It’s completely silent. He can only hear his breathing.
“I just need to know one thing,” Oikawa shifted uncomfortably, eyes glued to the bed sheets. He clenched his teeth, balling his fists tightly. “Why did you hang out with me? Why did you let me invade your life? If you hated me all along, why string me on? To humiliate me?”
Hajime opened his mouth once again, praying anything, anything, would fall out of his mouth. He wanted so badly to give Oikawa the answer he was seeking, to tell him it was a terribly wrong paragraph that he had written a little over two months ago and that it didn’t mean anything now. He wanted to tell him it had been some stupid misunderstanding, to punch Oikawa’s arm and get back to having fun.
Hajime’s fingers shook as a response to his desperate state. His heart could have jumped out of his chest at that point, thumping violently against his rib cage. A huge lump made its home in Hajime’s throat and refused to move, words failing him when he needed them most. Even if he could speak, what would he say?
“I think I’ll go now. I had homework I needed to finish anyway.” Oikawa glowered, and rose quickly from the bed to grab his overnight bag and walked briskly out of the room.
Hajime wanted to reach for his arm, to stop him, but by the time he mustered the courage to move, it was too late.
————
Oikawa didn’t visit him on the hill the next school day.
They generally ignored each other throughout the day as they usually did, but Oikawa stopped sneaking glances at Hajime when he was talking to the other guys or huge mobs of girls. They stopped walking to and from school together, and Oikawa stopped paying him any mind when they passed in the halls.
Oikawa talked to him when in class, but only to say: “What was the page again, Iwaizumi?” Hajime never thought he’d be so devastated to not hear his goofy nickname.
The worst part of it, though, was lunch time. Hajime no longer had his hilltop companion, and once again sat alone on his tiny hill overlooking the school yard. Due to Oikawa’s company, he had stopped bringing things to entertain himself with, so now he just busied himself with the grass and dandelions.
Hajime had stopped looking at people.
People watching was not his thing, he concluded. If he had learned anything, it’s not to judge a book by it’s cover. He’d much rather be with people, experiencing things with said persons. Learning about them, and getting to know them before making any final analysis.
Maybe he is a people person. Which means he could easily make a new friend right? But every time he’d simulate being out in a social situation, every time he’d imagine an exciting event, somehow Oikawa would show up in his fantasy. He’d be daydreaming about karaoke and suddenly Oikawa’s the guy singing off-key. He’d think about volleyball tournaments and only hear Oikawa’s loud voice rooting for the Japan team, talking about how one day he’d be the starting setter. He thinks about hiking mountains and climbing hilltops, but can only see Oikawa complaining about the cold. Every place he could conjure up, somehow Oikawa would get thrown into the mix.
Hajime soon realized he wasn’t really a people person. A group of friends would be nice, but he only wanted one best friend. One stupidly pretty, obnoxiously petty, and absolutely perfect best friend.
And he’d do anything to get him back.
———
“What are you doing here, Iwaizumi?”
He should’ve had a plan. Hajime doesn’t really know where he summoned the sudden courage to storm over to Oikawa’s house and confront him, nor did he have any idea what he was going to say to him. That obviously showed when he suddenly felt panicked once under the boy’s judging gaze.
There’s no going back now.
Oikawa leaned on the doorframe, awaiting his answer. After a few seconds, Oikawa stood up straight.
“So you’re going to ring my doorbell, make me get up, and then just stand there like an idiot? Come back when you’re not as pathetic.” Oikawa rolled his eyes at Hajime, hand on the door ready to slam it in his face.
Hajime winced at those words, but immediately knew that they had no true venom behind them. They almost sounded... forced. Desperate. Like Oikawa wanted to say something else, but just couldn’t bring himself to. Must be that worthless pride.
That was enough to motivate Hajime to try.
“Oikawa, please! Just hear me out.”
“Haven’t you already hurt me enough?” Those words were desperate too. If you listened close enough, as Hajime did, you’d hear a soft ‘I miss you’ somewhere entangled with those meaningless words.
“Oikawa, I know you want to talk to me, so please just let me.” Hajime pushed his way through the door, took off his shoes, and looked at Oikawa.
“If you don’t like what I have to say, I’ll leave.” With that, he made a beeline to Oikawa’s room. As he ascended the stairs, he heard a soft groan and the door close.
Oikawa appeared in his room a few moments later, Hajime already comfortable sitting on the bed hugging one of Oikawa’s alien plushies. He doesn’t think Oikawa noticed, but he favorited that specific one. At sleepovers, he deemed it the “coolest looking plushie” and would always grab it when settling in to watch a movie, or fall asleep on the futon.
“Invading my house, invading my room? Who’s the parasite now?” Oikawa scoffs and sits on the edge of the bed, folding his arms.
“Let me explain. It doesn’t excuse anything, but please, shut up for five minutes and listen.” Hajime sighs and Oikawa opens his mouth, ready to protest, then closes it abruptly. He nods at Hajime.
“I had written that book more than two months ago when I didn’t know who you were. I didn’t even want to try to know. I tried to isolate myself from you and you were just so damn persistent that you came back every time. I’m glad that you did, though.”
Oikawa tried his best to keep his hard stare, but no amount of tough looks could cover the blush slowly creeping on his cheeks.
“Look. I wrote the people book because I was alone. Or at least, I thought I was. I figured that I couldn’t rely on other people because I believed the only one you can truly rely on is yourself. I was scared. I was scared to get close to people because I was scared of rejection. I was afraid of really knowing my classmates, to make close relationships with them. The People Book was just my way of making excuses not to talk to any of them. But I was also a coward. I was a coward for assuming all people thought that way, and never stepping out of my boundaries to try and prove myself wrong. I got so caught up in the lone wolf act I forgot that I could actually trust people, trust myself to pick the friends who would stick around. And you showed me that. You showed me that I can sit on top of my hill all I want but nothing will ever happen if I don’t come down. You showed me the kindness and loyalty I’ve always wanted in a friend, and I couldn’t be more grateful. I really, really, want my best friend. I know this won’t fix everything, but I’d love to have my Shittykawa back, if you’ll have me.”
Oikawa’s eyes were wide. As wide as the day he and Hajime first met, when he looked into those pretty brown eyes and saw nothing but light.
“Only if you stop choking the hell out my plushie, Iwa-Chan.”
Hajime was so happy to hear the nickname he didn’t even register what he said until Oikawa gestured at the plushie in his arms. Hajime hadn’t even realized he’d been holding a death grip on the poor alien plushie and released it along with a relieved sigh.
Oikawa stood from where he was sitting to wrap Hajime in a tight hug. As much as Hajime hated to admit it, he missed the faint blossom smell that resided in Oikawa’s hair. Hajime deepened the hug, burring his face into Oikawa’s shoulder, swearing to himself he’d never do anything stupid like that again.
“I’m glad you came back,” Oikawa breathed against his hair, “every setter needs his wing spiker.”
“You’re an idiot, Shittykawa.” Hajime blushed and chuckled, pulling him closer, if that was even possible.
“But I’m your idiot, Iwa-Chan!” Oikawa sing-songs and runs his fingers through Hajime’s hair. “You’re stuck with me.”
“I’m glad I am.”
——-
Epilogue-
“Babe! Come here, look at this!”
Tooru took a quick break from unboxing for their new apartment to beckon his husband over, waving a notebook in his other hand.
“Look at this Hajime, it’s your ‘people book’! How come you haven’t thrown it away?” Tooru pouts. He remembers the fight they had quite vividly and isn’t fond of that particular memory.
“Well I guess I never got around to it,” Hajime shrugs, standing over his husband’s shoulder. “I’m a very sentimental and nostalgic guy, you know.”
“Whatever, Iwa-Chan,” Tooru pokes up at Hajime and grins. “I think we should burn it.”
“You really don’t like that book do you?” Hajime chuckles.
“No! It almost took my precious Iwa-Chan away from me!” Tooru sticks out his tongue at the book, and Hajime bursts in laughter at his husband’s childish display.
“And what a shame it would be if it did. I don’t think I would have lasted without you though, book or not. In a way, I think it brought us closer together.” Hajime bent down to peck Oikawa on the cheek, hovering over his ear afterward.
Oikawa smirks and turns to give his lover a soft but passionate kiss.
“I hate it when you’re right, Hajime.”