Stranded
Pairing: Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru
Rating: PG-13
Summary: A Chrismas story in which the common cold and a snowstorm can't keep Oikawa down, and Iwaizumi's inner romantic shines through.
Author's Notes: Written for thetzz on tumblr, as part of the haikyuuwriters' secret santa fic exchange.
Iwaizumi is far from being in the Christmas spirit. He's tired, he's growly, he's hungry, he's cold, and just to make everything a little bit worse, he hasn't had the chance to take a shower in over twenty-four hours now, making him feel scuzzy and gross all over. What started out as a small, romantic getaway for Oikawa and himself quickly devolved into little more than a headache-inducing fiasco, one that Iwaizumi just wants to cut his losses with and go home. He doesn't care about their trip to a quiet resort in southern Kyoto, not when he'd rather do some proper relaxing in the comfort of his own home, especially since they both had had the foresight to take the entire week off until the new year.
But as sour as he's feeling, there's someone else feeling far worse, and that certain someone is currently standing at the ticket counter, angrily trying to get their flight situation figured out. Just yesterday, Oikawa had started developing cold symptoms, and while he'd tried to keep himself healthy by consuming as much vitamin C as his body would allow for, in addition to trying several herbal remedies recommended to him by his mother, all his efforts proved to be futile, as he's now suffering the full-blown symptoms of an upper respiratory tract infection.
Oikawa had woken up a stuffy and sneezy mess with sore, red eyes that resulted in him foregoing the contacts for today in favor of his glasses. While he knows Oikawa doesn't mind his spectacles, wearing glasses always accentuates how tired he is, and after the day they had, it looks like Oikawa could pass out from exhaustion right where he stands. Iwaizumi tried to get Oikawa to go sit down and let him handle this, but of course, when Oikawa sets his mind to something it's nearly impossible to change his mind, which leads to Iwaizumi taking the supportive role as Oikawa begins his latest kerfuffle with the airport staff.
"What do you mean, 'canceled'?" Oikawa's voice rings in his ears. As much as he tells himself he really doesn't care about this vacation, if the truth be known, he'd do anything to make this happen for Oikawa. He might not understand why Oikawa's pu5 so much emphasis on this particular trip, he knows it's important to him, and that's more than enough.
"I mean, the redeye flight to Kyoto's been canceled, as in, it won't be leaving tonight," the ticket agent responds cordially. He actually finds the employee's tone to be rather grating, but at least he's not the one trying to negotiate.
"And you have no other options?!" Oikawa's long since lost any sort of chill, and after the day they've had, Iwaizumi can't blame him. In fact, the main reason Oikawa's doing the talking is that at least he won't accidentally threaten violence. Things are bad enough as they are, they don't need the airport security on their tails too.
"Sir, all flights have been canceled or delayed until morning at the earliest due to inclement weather." Again, his voice is completely blase, and if Iwaizumi's not mistaken, he can see a vein pulsing in the side of Oikawa's head, causing him to worry.
"Inclement weather?" The edge in Oikawa's voice when he asks for an elaboration doesn't go unnoticed by Iwaizumi, and he can feel the exhaustion in his tone.
"There's a blizzard outside, haven't you heard?"
That particular tone in the employee's voice, the one that suggests Oikawa should have known doesn't escape him, and with the way Oikawa clenches his fist, he can tell that not only had Oikawa heard it too, but it's also the last straw for him.
"No," he starts quietly, "no I haven't heard about a blizzard. I've been stuck in here since two o'clock this morning. Our first flight, which left at five o'clock this morning, was overbooked, and get this," he lets out a mirthless laugh, "in honor of the Christmas spirit, my loving boyfriend and I decided to let the other passengers who had the same seats as us take the flight while we waited for the next one, but ha! Things just can't be that simple." As Oikawa continues to speak, his voice takes on a certain darkness that even strikes the fear of god into Iwaizumi, and before Oikawa can get any further, he slides a hand into Oikawa's and gives it a small squeeze, prompting Oikawa to return the gesture and take a deep breath. "Thank you," Oikawa whispers, turning to him and giving him a small, yet genuine smile that never fails to make Iwaizumi's heart soar.
He's so caught up with how adorable Oikawa can look when he smiles sometimes, that he almost misses the swift change in Oikawa's demeanor as he glances back to the airport employee, and just like that, he's back to finishing his piece. "We had to rush over to the opposite end of the airport in an attempt to reach another flight that of course we just missed by the time we got to the gate. And then when we finally get on another plan, we were delayed for three hours due to 'mechanical difficulties' only to be told to get off the plane eventually anyway, and now you have the audacity to call me out on not knowing about a blizzard that's canceled all flights for the rest of the evening," he pauses for a breath, "all without windows and terrible cell service. So no, I wouldn't know about what's currently going on in the world outside this prison you call an airport, but thank you kindly for asking," he concludes with sarcasm oozing from his voice.
To his amusement, the man behind the counter actually pales after hearing Oikawa's speech, as if he's suddenly become sympathetic to the stress Oikawa's under, or at the very least, feels a bit guilty about his previous tone. Redirecting his gaze back to his computer, the man taps away at his keyboard for a few moments before looking back up at Oikawa.
"There's a direct flight to Kyoto that leaves at eight o'clock in the morning, and there looks like there are a few seats left,"
"Looks like?" Oikawa's exasperated voice cuts the employee off, Iwaizumi takes note of a certain glint in his eye that says he might start a war if the attendant keeps messing with him.
"There is room left," he clarifies with a far more definitive answer. "I'd be happy to book the flight for you two."
"Please."
"Absolutely," the employee sounds far more congenial as he works, and after a few more keystrokes, their new tickets are being printed out and handed to them without any further trouble. "The plane will be departing from gate 4E."
"So here then," Oikawa confirms, stuffing the new set of plane tickets into his jacket pocket. "Thank you," he adds a second later with a polite nod before tightening his hold on Iwaizumi's hand and pulling him away from the counter.
"You wanna try getting a taxi or something?" Iwaizumi offers as Oikawa leads them back to the row of chairs near the gate, pulling their luggage along with them.
"No, I've had enough disappointment for one day," Oikawa sighs, sitting down and folding his arms across his chest. "I know you're trying to help, but even if a taxi service was braving this storm, and assuming they were able to get us back home safely, we'd have to jump back into a taxi a few hours later to come back, and even then, who knows if the flight won't be cancelled or delayed further too?"
"Yeah you're right, we're better off here," Iwaizumi replies as he takes a seat next to Oikawa, "but I think we need to stop dwelling on what could happen, focus on you resting up so you can get better."
"And you expect me to get better here, in an airport, of all places?" Oikawa inquires, the corners of his lips turn downwards, forming a small frown.
"Makes things a little difficult, I admit, but still, you should take the downtime to at least try to rest." Just then, Oikawa is hit with another sneeze attack, to which Iwaizumi responds by pulling out one of the tissue packets he'd stuffed into his own jacket pocket before leaving their house and handing it to Oikawa while he carefully pats his back. "Do you have a better way to kill time?"
"No," Oikawa admits, donning a small pout as he accepts the tissues and takes a few out to blow his nose before bringing his knees up to his chest and wrapping his arms around them, letting his head rest against his knees.
"You don't look very comfortable." He doesn't know why he states the obvious so bluntly, but he supposes he's hoping Oikawa will take it upon himself to unfold his body into a position that doesn't look quite so painful.
Oikawa makes a small, unintelligible, muffled noise, but otherwise, he doesn't move.
"C'mere." Instead of waiting for Oikawa to move on his own accord, Iwaizumi takes it upon himself to wrap his arms around Oikawa's form and pull him into a hug, causing his legs to fall back to the floor as he does so.
"No, I'll get you sick." Oikawa's words are the only form of protest he gives, as Iwaizumi soon discovers he doesn't have the strength to push him away.
"I think I'll survive," he responds with a small chuckle.
Oikawa lets out a soft huff but doesn't say anything else as he gives in and scoots closer to him, allowing Iwaizumi to properly wrap his arm around his shoulders and hold him close.
"I just wanted everything to be perfect." Oikawa's voice is so soft that Iwaizumi has to strain his hearing to make out what he's saying.
"You know how it is, sometimes things just don't work out how we'd like." He knows saying generic phrases like this won't help, but he can't think of anything else to say.
"But this wasn't just something Iwa-chan! For goodness sake, it's Christmas Eve! We're supposed to be in Kyoto right now, doing something romantic we normally couldn't do here, but no, we just have to be stuck here in this stuffy airport!" Again, Oikawa references the fact that this trip holds some sort of significance that remains elusive to him, but even now he doesn't ask about what Oikawa had planned.
"There will be other vacations," he tries once more.
"Gah!" Oikawa exclaims, throwing his arms up into the air, only to have them fall back to his sides a second later. "It wasn't about that!" A pause. "It was," he begins before trailing off.
"About what?"
Oikawa sighs. "It's nothing."
With a reaction like that, Iwaizumi knows better than to believe him, but Oikawa also has that look about him that suggests he doesn't want to talk about it. "All right then," he replies after a few seconds, pulling Oikawa closer.
"I just wanted everything to go perfectly," Oikawa sneezes into the crook of his arm before settling back down, "for once."
"By now I'd say you and I are experts at you know, being flexible about things." There's a small note of humor in his voice as he speaks, but it's not enough to brighten Oikawa's mood. "We can't let stuff like this get us down, you know? It'll work out eventually," he adds in a more somber tone.
"Yeah, I guess."
Not having anything else to say, Iwaizumi simply holds Oikawa closer, trying to soothe him by reaching up to caress his hair. Neither of them says anything for a while as Oikawa eventually starts to relax in his hold, almost to the point where Iwaizumi gets the impression Oikawa might actually fall asleep on him. That is, until Oikawa stirs suddenly, moving so fast that he can't stop him from pulling out of his hold and turning towards him. Even though exhaustion is still evident in his features, there's a certain flair about him that keeps Iwaizumi from automatically pulling him back into his hold.
"You know what? You're absolutely right." Upon his declaration, Oikawa reaches for his carry-on luggage and starts sifting through the contents, clearly looking for something he's deemed essential.
"Hm?"
"I'm not gonna let anything keep me down. You're too important," Oikawa explains, somehow acting like he's not the least bit under the weather anymore. "Aha!" Finding whatever he's been looking for, he turns away from Iwaizumi, presumably attempting to hide it before zipping his bag back up and putting everything back in order.
"Me?" That catches Iwaizumi off guard. He's not sure what Oikawa could possibly be getting at, so he sits patiently, waiting for his explanation.
Finally, Oikawa turns back to face him, giving him a bright smile that is vastly different from his usual grin as he lowers himself to the floor, kneeling on one knee. The sparkle in his dark brown eyes holds nothing but supreme adoration for him, and him alone. Iwaizumi remains wholly transfixed on Oikawa's loving gaze, and it's only when Oikawa presents a small box to him that he's able to look elsewhere.
"Hajime," hearing Oikawa say his given name is such a rarity. He loves how the syllables roll off his tongue and just overall how his name sounds with Oikawa's gentle voice. At this point, he knows what's coming, and he can hardly believe this is happening. He wants to say something, to do something, but he's powerless to move and simply waits for Oikawa's proposal.
"Will you marry me?" Oikawa asks before opening the box, revealing a sterling silver ring.
At first, Iwaizumi doesn't say a word. It's not that he doesn't want to. For once, he wishes he could let go of his inhibitions and do exactly what his heart tells him to do, which is lunge forward and tackle Oikawa to the ground, pepper that gorgeous face of his in soft kisses, and declare his everlasting love and adoration for him. But he can't. He remains frozen in place, unable to move or respond in any fashion, almost as if his brain has short-circuited on him, rendering him unable to process the situation.
"Iwa-chan?" Oikawa blinks. The hesitancy in his voice is exactly what Iwaizumi needs in order to finally get a move on and give Oikawa the response he deserves.
"Get up off the floor, do you want to get even sicker?" he grumbles as he takes Oikawa by the shoulders and guides him back up to the chairs with him. All right, that definitely wasn't the reply he wanted to give, but Oikawa, being as perfect as he is, seems to know exactly what Iwaizumi's really trying to say.
"Is that your way of saying 'yes'?" In spite of the question, he's already beaming.
"Yeah," Iwaizumi nods, still unable to make his limbs behave and do the things he wants them to.
"That's my Iwa-chan, as unromantic as ever," Oikawa chides, but Iwaizumi hears a teasing lilt in his voice, "but I wouldn't have him any other way~"
"Shut up and kiss me." Normally he'd probably add one of the highly 'original' nicknames he'd given Oikawa, but surprisingly enough, he doesn't want to. All he wants to do is kiss his new fiance squarely on the lips, and he does exactly that - carefully cupping Oikawa's warm cheeks before capturing his lips in a gentle, yet passionate kiss. At first, Oikawa relaxes into his hold and kisses back like he usually does, however much to Iwaizumi's dismay, only seconds later he's breaking the kiss and trying to wriggle away from him.
"My germs!" Oikawa whines as he tries to push himself free of Iwaizumi's embrace, a move which is ultimately futile, as Iwaizumi isn't about to let him go.
"Don't care," Iwaizumi states, tightening his hold on Oikawa, making it impossible for him to escape.
"You will when you're the sick one," Oikawa replies with a huff, eventually settling back into Iwaizumi's hold, but turning his head away in what's clearly a last-ditch effort to keep Iwaizumi from catching his cold.
"Nah." He shoots back, leaning in for another kiss to Oikawa's sweet lips.
That earns him another one of Oikawa's special smiles. "I take what I said earlier about your lack of romance back. Who are you, and what have you done with my Iwa-chan?" For a split second, he thinks the look of innocence Oikawa gives him in that moment is the purest thing in the world. He loves the way Oikawa's eyes light up when he looks at him, even when he's teasing him like this. The reason doesn't matter all that much, just as long as he gets to see that gorgeous glimmer in his eyes.
And then he thinks that with thoughts like that, he might be getting sick after all.
"Are you trying to provoke me?" he frowns as his eyebrows knit together in a scowl, but in spite of his appearance, agitation never quite reaches his eyes.
Oikawa grins. "You wouldn't do anything to hurt me."
"Only 'cause you're sick," he agrees, nuzzling Oikawa's cheek.
"Yeah, sure," Oikawa seems to let the subject go as he snuggles back up to him. "Love you."
"Love you too," he replies without missing a beat as he scoots as close to Oikawa as he can, in turn, trying his best to keep him warm. For a few moments, they sit in silence. Interestingly, at this hour even the airport has become quiet enough that Iwaizumi thinks Oikawa might actually be able to rest a couple of hours, that is until a sudden thought comes to mind, one which he decides to ask while he knows Oikawa's still awake.
"You know, it'll take a little longer than we wanted, but we're gonna get to Kyoto eventually." Iwaizumi can't help a snicker as his fingers gently card through Oikawa's soft hair. "Yet you still had to propose at the airport?" He lands a kiss on Oikawa's temple. "You're one to talk about being unromantic."
Oikawa lets out a soft huff, but nevertheless, still snuggles in closer to Iwaizumi. "I'm sick so I get a pass." He reaches out to take ahold of Iwaizumi's left hand, and with the spark in Oikawa's eyes, he can tell that Oikawa's still marveling over the fact that he actually did it. "I was planning to propose after dinner tonight, and yeah, for romance's sake maybe I should have waited, but I couldn't stand the wait anymore, and I guess your line about not letting this keep me down was inspiring."
Iwaizumi find he can't really argue with that logic, and with another chaste kiss to Oikawa's forehead, he give Oikawa the peace he needs in order to properly relax.
Just as he suspects, Oikawa's breathing begins to even out after a while, telling Iwaizumi he's managed to fall asleep for the time being. Even when the foot traffic within the airport begins to pick up again (making Iwaizumi think the winter storm outside has come to an end) Oikawa remains asleep. Iwaizumi almost regrets eventually having to wake him up when their flight begins to board, but after what they'd gone through to finally get to this point, there's just no way they'll be missing this flight.
"It's a Christmas miracle!" Oikawa tells him with a snicker as they finally board their plane. While he doesn't refute Oikawa's claim, he remains skeptical about the notion. While he's not sure there's anything miraculous about the inner-workings of the weather, he is impressed with how much healthier Oikawa looks after just a few hours of rest. His nose is still stuffy and he's got a case of the sneezes that just won't seem to quit, but he manages to keep Oikawa wrapped up in a blanket and away from everyone else by making sure he has the window seat, which he thinks works out well enough.
When they finally make it to Kyoto, once again Oikawa mumbles something about Christmas miracles before being cozily nestled within warm blankets and passing out on the plush bed in their hotel room. Iwaizumi's not quite sure what Oikawa is referencing as a miracle this time around, but the next morning, when he wakes up to a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed Oikawa who's perfectly healthy and ready to begin their vacation (in addition to the fact that his own health remains unaffected, which Oikawa is all too happy to point out) he thinks that perhaps miracles really do exist, they simply have an odd, albeit profound way of making themselves known.