After All These Years (Iwaoi)

Sunsets and Smile Lines

Tooru Oikawa. His Tooru Oikawa. Hajime stared at the letter. Why now? Why after all this time was he reaching out? He had countless questions, but for now, this was everything. The extravagant red seal on the back begged the question.

Are you going to open this letter?

Of course he was going to open it. Of course. But not now. Not in public when he was vulnerable and emotional. Aki pawed at his leg.

"Let's go." He tucked the envelope in his back pocket and stride forward. Pushing all thoughts of the brunette haired boy away.

.....

Just open it. He thought angrily. Iwaizumi sat at his desk gritting his teeth and running a hand through his hair. How hard could it be to read the damn letter? It's from Oikawa not the Queen of England. But the queen could wait. For now, this little letter was more important than anything.

"Oh for fuck's sake." He gently peeled open the letter.

Hajime Iwaizumi,

I've never been one for formal greetings, so as usual, let's skip the small talk. I'm sure you're wondering why it's taken me so long to reach out. No I'm not married with kids. And yes, I know what you think about.

Iwaizumi paused. How had he known exactly what his questions were? Oikawa somehow always knew what he was thinking or how he was feeling. Some things never change...

I want to see you.

Iwaizumi looked away from the letter. He glanced at the window and at the two little birds dancing around the feeder.

But not yet.

Of course. Always one to stall or try to buy time. Oikawa acted as if he had all the time in the world. But time was fragile. And Iwaizumi always seemed to be the one to break the hourglass.

I need you to do something for me.

A favor? They had been separated for a decade and he had contacted him for... a favor?

No, not buying me roses. Although, that would be a nice touch.

Hajime snorted. Typical Tooru.

I need you to go to the park. The one where we had our date for my 19th birthday. I love that park. I still go from time to time. I need you to speak to Ms. Amata. Just tell her I sent you. She will know what you mean.

Until then,

Tooru Oikawa

...And the letter ended. Iwaizumi flipped the paper over to make sure he wasn't missing some sort of secret code or message, but there was nothing. He ran a hand over his face and pinched the bridge of his nose. Leave it to Tooru to do something like this. What was this, some kind of treasure hunt? And at the end would be Oikawa sitting there, waiting to talk to him?

5:25 pm. Still too early for dinner, but if he went to that park all the way back in the Miyagi Prefecture it would be 8 or 9 when he arrived and midnight by the time he got home. But what if it was urgent? Anxiety squeezed at Iwaizumi's chest.

He stood up and paced around his office. 5:25 pm. Should he go now or wait until tomorrow?

"Ugh Iwa-chan you'll have time to do your homework this weekend! It's Friday night! Let's order a pizza and watch a movie. C'mon live a little!"

"Fine." He mumbled to himself. "I'm doing this for you Tooru. You better not make me regret this." Hajime fed Aki quickly and grabbed his car keys.

The things I do for you Oikawa. Insane. But as abruptly as the letter had arrived, Iwaizumi was somewhat elated. Of course the whole situation was bizarre and he could be getting completely made fun of, but he didn't care. Hearing from Oikawa was a good thing... right?

But as he hopped in the car and put the key into the ignition it dawned on him.

I want to see you.

A decade had passed. Hajime Iwaizumi was 33. Oikawa would be 32. Thirty-two. Maybe the lanky idiot would have finally grown into his height.

Iwaizumi was more muscular, his broad shoulders accentuated by his tight work shirts, his used to be spiky hair now gelled gracefully back. But he had small lines forming on his face now. A decade's worth of aging had come for Hajime. Still handsome, but slightly more worn. He couldn't picture Oikawa without flawless skin.

"Iwa-chan look at my smile lines! They're hideous!"

"Calm down Tooru, you look beautiful."