Work Text:
11-6-15
Prompt: Time Machine
Pairing: IwaOi
Rating: T
“IWA-CHAN IWA-CHAN IWA-CHAN IWA-CHAN IWA-CHAN-”
“I swear, Shittykawa, if you don’t shut up right now-”
“IWA-CHAN IWA-CHAN IWA-CHAN IWA-CHAN IWA-CHAN-”
“Okay, that’s it. I’m going home.”
“No, Iwa-chan, wait!”
Hajime bit the inside of his cheek to keep from grinning as Oikawa threw himself onto Hajime’s back to keep him from going.
“Get off me, Oikawa,” he grumbled, shrugging hard. Oikawa buried his face in the back of Hajime’s neck and shook his head.
“We said we would do it together!” Oikawa protested, clinging harder. “I can’t dig it up by myself!” Hajime did smile then, bringing one hand up to rest atop Oikawa’s.
“You won’t have to,” he murmured. He bent his head to kiss Oikawa’s wrist and Oikawa stiffened behind him, the way he always did when Hajime showed affection in public. Hajime pulled Oikawa’s hand away from his chest, lacing their fingers together and tugging him gently. “Come on.”
The tree that stood just outside their old elementary school had seemed a lot bigger when they were eight. Hajime frowned up at it while Oikawa chattered on and on, setting the blade of his mother’s shovel to the earth.
“Do you want to do the honors, Iwa-chan?” he asked. Hajime huffed and settled his hands on the handle, over Oikawa’s. He pressed gently until Oikawa got the idea and they both pushed together. Oikawa grinned widely and let Hajime take over, crouching down so that he could watch the hole grow. After a few minutes he let out a triumphant squawk and started scrabbling at the dirt with his hands. He pulled out a battered old metal lunch box and sat back on his heels with it, brushing the dirt off with a reverent expression. Hajime sat next to him and reached over with one hand. Together, they opened the box and peered inside.
There were stickers and action figures, an origami fish and two halves of a matching key chain, and all the way at the bottom, a pair of sealed envelopes, one marked Hajime and one Tooru. Hajime pulled them out, handing Oikawa his and opening up his own.
Dear Iwa-chan,
I hope you took your letter seriously. I can see you making a grumpy face while you write it! You better not say anything mean!
You probably won’t, though. I know you like to pretend to be a big grump, but you’re really the best friend ever! I’m really glad we’re friends, even if you do call me names and hit me a lot.
I know we’ll still be friends after high school, but since that’s so far away, Nee-san says I can’t be certain. So if you really are reading this, you’d better still be my friend! You pinkie promised after all! No take-backs!
I gotta go. You - 8-year-old you - are yelling at me to hurry up already. I hope you got some manners Iwa-chan!
Your friend,
Tooru
Hajime smiled down at the paper in his hands, covered in doodles and Oikawa’s bad handwriting. He glanced up to make fun of the fact that it hadn’t changed in all these years, only to see Oikawa crying.
“Wha- what’s wrong?” he asked, scrambling closer. Oikawa clapped a hand over his mouth and shook his head, waving the page in his hand around. Hajime rolled his eyes and plucked it out of his hand. He couldn’t remember what he had written to the future Oikawa, but it couldn’t have been anything that bad-
Tooru,
I asked your sister about this, and she said I had to wait until we were older. Out of high school is old enough, right? I hope so, because I don’t even think I can wait that long.
Anyway, since we’re old enough now, I wanted to make sure to ask you to marry me. So, yeah. Marry me?
Love,
Hajime
Hajime stared at the page incredulously. He glanced over to see Oikawa trying to jam a plastic ring onto his finger and laughed. He took Oikawa’s hand and eased the ring off.
“Don’t,” he said. Oikawa looked up at him wildly and he smiled, shaking his head. “That one won’t fit. Try this one.” He pulled the little velvet box he had been carrying around for weeks out of his pocket and held it out to him.
“Iwa-chan-”
“So, apparently I was an impatient child,” Hajime said over him, “because I wasn’t going to give you this until tonight, and it’s not really an engagement ring. I mean, we can’t really get married, and we’re going to different universities, so it’d be smart to wait until after that regardless. But, I bought this a while ago, because I thought that maybe you could wear it anyway, like a reminder. That you’re mine, and I’m yours.” He trailed off, his cheeks heating. Oikawa took the box with trembling hands and popped it open, revealing the thin gold band inside.
“There’s room here for two,” Oikawa said. Hajime blushed harder and tugged at his collar, lifting the chain with the matching ring out from under it.
“You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” he said. “It’s a stupid idea anyway-”
“Hajime, I know you don’t think that,” Oikawa said. He plucked the ring out and slid it on his left hand. The box he placed tenderly inside the time capsule before digging in his bag. “Did you bring your stuff?” he asked nonchalantly. Hajime snorted and nodded, pulling his own bag closer.
This time they buried a card from the team, cds and photographs, two halves of a matching phone charm set, a plastic alien figurine and a blue and white pennant, and all the way at the bottom, a pair of sealed envelopes, one marked Hajime and one Tooru, with a black velvet ring box on top.