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Iwaizumi Hajime had never run so fast in his life.
Strike that.
Iwaizumi Hajime had only ever run so fast when he got the occasional distressed calls from his volleyball captain and childhood friend, Oikawa Tooru, that he "accidentally" strained his previously injured knee. Again. Hajime sucked in a deep breath and frantically pulled on the first jacket he could find hanging on the chair in his room. He should have suspected something like this would have happened, what with how Oikawa was acting lately.
Shittykawa, Hajime thought, why do you constantly push yourself to your limits when you know the dangers. He already knew the answer to that, though. He knew Oikawa struggled with feeling like he wasn’t good enough; for his team, his friends, himself. So he worked harder and harder, going far beyond his breaking point just to prove a point to himself that he was enough. It made Hajime cringe every time he thought about it because he knew Oikawa, arguably better than Oikawa knew himself, and he would somehow find a way to cement it into that asshole’s brain that he was one of the best damn things to ever grace this planet.
As Hajime ran wildly for his school’s gymnasium, he pulled the jacket closer onto himself to block out the strong wind gusts hitting him from all angles. The night air was chillier than the forecast let on, making every breath more painful than the last. But Hajime refused to slow down. Refused to stop and take a moment to suck in more air. All he could think about was Oikawa sprawled out on the gym’s floor in massive amounts of pain, holding onto his knee like it would fall off at any moment.
At long last the gym came into view. With a sudden burst of energy (and worry), Hajime increased his speed and stumbled through the open doors. He allowed himself a mere second to hunch forward with his hands on his knees and head down to breathe properly before he began sprinting to Oikawa’s bundled form on the opposite side.
Hajime fell to Oikawa’s side and swiftly grabbed his face with both hands. “Oikawa, what the fuck .” He began trembling lightly, his face twisted with both his skyrocketing worry and anger. Looking him directly in the eye, he continued, “How many times will you give me a heart attack by over-practicing and fucking up your knee?” His hands fell from Oikawa’s face to grip his shoulders, as he pulled him into his chest.
Oikawa instantly wrapped his arms tightly around Hajime, burying his face into the crook of the other boy’s neck. “I’m sorry, Iwa-chan,” he mumbled with a shaky voice, “I didn’t realize how bad it got until my knee gave out in the middle of a serve.” He pulled back slightly to look at Hajime’s face, a small smile gracing his lips. “I knew you would come to my aid, though.”
Hajime let out a deep sigh as his brows furrowed, flicking Oikawa in the middle of his forehead. “Idiot, of course I’d come for you. No one else would be able to put up with your shit.” He looked off to the side in the next moment, adding, “just please be more careful next time, Tooru. You’re doing just fine.”
Oikawa’s eyes widened as a soft flush spread onto his cheeks, his mouth quirking into a wobbly smile. Hearing Hajime use his given name made his heart flutter lightly in his chest, his injury all but forgotten as he took in the sight before him: Iwaizumi, hair and clothes disheveled from his drastic run, face red from the biting weather and - was he also blushing? Cute, Tooru mused. His beautiful Iwa-chan, saving his ass yet again from his crippling anxiety that continuously drove him to the edge. An overflow of emotions overtook him, along with the stinging pain in his knee that had slowly been subsiding. He grabbed Hajime’s hand and gave it a little kiss, only to entwine their fingers.
“Iwa-chan, give me a piggyback ride home?” Oikawa batted his eyelashes and gave Iwaizumi a sickly sweet smile. Hajime knew that this was one of Oikawa’s many fake smiles, but he found himself pulling away to kneel down facing away from Oikawa as he groaned and gestured with a nod. “Climb on up, Your Shitty Highness.”
Oikawa gasped, “Mean, Iwa-chan! You should treat royalty with more respect!” He climbed onto Iwaizumi’s back as best as he could with his knee and let his arms drape over his front. Despite the situation, Tooru always loved being carried by Hajime. It never failed to make him feel safe and warm and - dare he say it - loved.
Hajime held a tight grip onto Oikawa’s thighs as he hoisted himself up with a low grunt and started for the exit. He would never in his lifetime let Tooru know this, but holding him was always something he enjoyed. It was the only time he knew for sure Tooru was safe and sound, right there in his arms.
“Let’s go home, Shittykawa.”
Soft breathes sounded in Hajime’s ears. He figured Oikawa would pass out with exhaustion after all the stress he put his body under. He was also incredibly thankful for how often he worked out because Oikawa was much heavier than he looked. It made sense with how often he trained, but the product of his hard work didn’t show as easily as it did like Hajime’s. While Hajime was all hard muscle and bulk, Oikawa was much more lean… and beautiful. Oikawa was beautiful and it irritated the fuck out of Iwaizumi.
He felt like it was both a blessing and a curse to be the closest person in Tooru’s life; while he had to put up with his pompous attitude and numerous fangirls that constantly bombarded him, he also experienced the real Oikawa that no one else was allowed to see. Someone who was also weak and afraid of failure and defeat. And seeing his hair without all that perfect styling was a real treat. He snickered at the thought, his heart beating steadily as he held onto the sleeping boy on his back tighter.
About halfway through their descent home, Tooru awoke. He kept his breathing slow and even, so as to not give Iwaizumi any hints that he was awake. Perhaps he was being selfish but even with the pain in his knee subsiding into a dull throb he could barely feel, he wanted to continue being held by his Iwa-chan. His glanced up, seeing the moon shine brightly above them. It was rare to see many stars in the city, but tonight they shined brilliantly above. To think of all the aliens up there right now… He smiled widely to himself and held back the excited noises in his throat. Nothing could compare to this moment, being with Iwa-chan surrounded by the ever beautiful nighttime sky.
Tooru shut his warm brown eyes once again, slowly breathing in the all too familiar and homey smell of Iwaizumi Hajime and the crisp air around them. He started spacing out, not noticing that they had just walked onto Tooru’s front yard.
“Oi, Oikawa. We’re home.” Hajime quietly grumbled out as he nudged Oikawa’s legs. Oikawa picked his head up, just realizing they had made it back. “Already? So efficient and fast, Iwa-chan.”
Hajime halted, turning his head back to glare at the other boy from the corner of his eyes. “I thought you were asleep.”
“Well… I was, for most of the trip. And then I woke up and saw the sky and thought about all the aliens in space right now, totally jealous that Iwa-chan was giving me a piggyback ride home and not them. ” Oikawa screeched as he was suddenly dropped onto the grass, flailing his arms. “RUDE, Iwa-chan!! That is not how you take care of your very special and most important friend who HAPPENS to be injured!”
Hajime raised a brow, his face impassive. “You’ll be fine, Tooru. Go warm up inside, have some milk bread and rest.” Before Iwaizumi could walk off, Oikawa grabbed his arm, and looked up at him with a half-lidded gaze and gentle smile. “Iwa-chan would be a terrible doctor, leaving his patients alone while they’re hurt and in need of assistance. Stay the night, at least.”
“...Fine. But only because I don’t trust you alone.” He bent down to suddenly pick up Tooru bridal style, which caused him to squeak and cling to Iwaizumi tightly. Hajime opened the door with minimal difficulty and plopped Oikawa onto the couch, walking back to the kitchen to make some tea and grabs a few snacks as well as an ice pack. Oikawa proceeded to scroll through Netflix and settled on some shitty alien documentary. When Iwaizumi came back, he set down the drinks and food to situate the ice pack on Tooru’s knee and sit beside him. Tooru, in return, carefully scooted closer to lay against Hajime’s side, and held onto his muscled arm. “Thank you for always saving me, Iwa-chan. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” He murmured with fervor as he placed a kiss on his cheek. Hajime remained quiet, face starting to burn from Oikawa’s words. With slow movements he turned to face the pest clinging to him, resting his hand on the other’s cheek. Before he had any time to think and regret his actions, he pressed his lips against Oikawa’s for a small, gentle kiss. He pulled away after a few seconds, fear slowly rising within him because holy shit he just kissed Oikawa but it was soon squashed because Tooru’s hand went to cup Hajime’s hand that was still on his cheek. For once in his life, Tooru was speechless, not expecting Iwaizumi to do that out of nowhere. “Iwa-chan-”
Hajime covered his mouth before he could say anything else, his embarrassment growing. “Just shut up and watch the aliens.” Tooru grinned and put his head against Hajime’s shoulder, not wanting to ruin this atmosphere they created. “Aye aye, Iwa-chan~”
Tooru awoke in the early morning in his bed with an arm slung across his waist and a head pressed against his chest. His heart seized at the beautiful sight of Iwaizumi curled up into him. He looked so much more gentle in his sleep, his face devoid of hard lines and frowns. Tooru smiled fondly and pressed himself closer to the boy beside him, his happiness overflowing. Beautiful Hajime. My beautiful Hajime. I love you. Tooru softly sighed and pressed a chaste kiss to the top of Hajime’s head. He shut his eyes, falling back asleep quickly with his most important person by his side.
"I can't believe we're going to be late!" Tooru let out a frustrated cry as he and Iwaizumi rushed into their school.
"Hey, I wasn't the one who wanted to stay up all night and watch awful documentaries and movies!" Hajime growled back. His grip on Oikawa's arm was surprisingly gentle as he led them through the halls to the class they were nearly about to be late to.
"Iwa-chan, you brute! Eat my ass, aliens are always worth the lack of sleep!" He haughtily replied, sticking his tongue out at Hajime.
Hajime scowled and replied with a quick, "yeah, yeah", before letting go of Oikawa's arm. He glanced around and quickly gave Tooru a peck on the lips before ascending into the classroom.