Chapter Text
The Princess Bride of Shiratorizawa: Chapter 1
Oikawa Tooru was raised on a small farm in the country of Shiratorizawa. His favorite pastimes were riding his horse and tormenting the farm boy that worked there. His name was Iwaizumi Hajime, but Oikawa never called him that. Nothing gave him as much pleasure as ordering Iwaizumi around.
“Iwa-chan, polish my horse’s saddle. I want to see my beautiful face shining in it by morning,” he said with a cheeky smile, using the nickname he had picked for Iwaizumi years ago just so he could see his face scrunch up in a frown.
“As you wish,” he said.
‘As you wish’ was all he ever said to him.
“Iwa-chan, fill these with water…” Oikawa paused, meeting Iwaizumi’s eyes. In place of the annoyance they usually held for him, he saw…fondness. “…please.”
“As you wish.”
That day, Oikawa was amazed to discover that when he was saying ‘As you wish’ , what he meant was ‘I love you.’ Or well, maybe more along the lines of ‘I tolerate you’ , but that was impressive coming from Iwaizumi. And even more amazing was the day Oikawa realised that he truly loved him back.
Iwaizumi was bringing in some firewood to the kitchen on a chilly day while Oikawa was kneading some dough. He watched as Iwaizumi effortlessly carried in the heavy logs that he had cut that morning, placing them down near the hearth, and adding a few to the blaze slowly warming the room. At the sight of him (and his muscles), Oikawa felt warmth bloom in his chest, though a small voice in the back of his mind told him that the fire was not the cause. He caught himself wondering when Iwaizumi’s presence became a comfort that warmed him more than any fire ever could.
When Iwaizumi turned to leave, Oikawa glanced around, looking for anything to ask the boy to do for him. Something he could use to keep Iwaizumi and his warmth from leaving again, even if only for a moment. “Iwa-chan,” he called, causing the boy to look back at Oikawa expectantly from the doorway. “Uhhh…fetch me that pitcher,” he said, glancing up, throwing Iwa-chan one of his winning smiles.
Iwaizumi looked pointedly at the pitcher hanging directly above Oikawa’s head before meeting his eyes again. He slowly made his way over, his face unreadable, stopping mere inches away from the other boy. Iwaizumi lifted his arms above their heads, grabbing the pitcher from where it hung on the rack. As he handed over the pitcher he leaned in slightly, whispering, “As you wish.”
Oikawa smiled as he watched him leave, a fuzzy feeling tingling in his chest and heat coloring his cheeks. “I could get used to this,” he thought.
That evening, when Oikawa looked out his window and saw Iwa-chan watching the sun set over the hills, he went down to join him. He stood by his side, unsure what he should say or do. Iwaizumi saved him the trouble though, reaching out to grab Oikawa’s hand without saying anything, causing the boy to gasp lightly in surprise. Oikawa turned to look at the side of the other boy's face and saw that he was smiling. It was a tiny thing, but it paired with a subtle pink to his cheeks made his face seem so much softer than his usual scowl. When Iwa-chan turned to find him staring, Oikawa leaned in toward him before he could talk himself out of it.
When their lips met, Oikawa felt Iwaizumi’s smile grow into a wide grin and a calloused hand cupped his cheek gently. When they pulled away, their foreheads resting against each other, Oikawa sighed happily, causing Iwaizumi to chuckle. “Took you long enough, Bossy-kawa.”
Oikawa gasped, “Rude, Iwa-chan!”
Their cheeks hurt that night when they went to their beds, but they couldn’t stop smiling.
Iwaizumi had no money for marriage, so he packed his few belongings and left the farm to seek his fortune across the sea. He wanted to prove that he could support his love throughout their lifetimes. It was a very emotional time for Oikawa.
“I’m scared I’ll never see you again!” Oikawa pouted.
“Of course you will,” Iwaizumi said, rolling his eyes, but Oikawa could tell that he was harboring the same fears.
“But what if something happens to you?” Oikawa asked, his eyes growing wet with unshed tears.
“Listen to me, Tooru,” Iwa-chan said, turning serious, looking the crying boy in the eye, “I will always come for you.”
“But how can you be sure?” Oikawa sniffled.
“This is true love,” Iwaizumi smirked. “You think this happens every day?”
Oikawa laughed as Iwa-chan wiped his tears away, murmuring “sappy, Iwa-chan,” under his breath. They leaned into each other, pouring all of their love into a kiss that would be their last memory of each other for a long time. Oikawa waved goodbye until his arm was burning and he could no longer see Iwaizumi in the distance. He went to bed that night filled with worry.
Iwaizumi didn’t reach his destination. His ship was attacked by the Dread Pirate Roberts, who never left captives alive. When Oikawa got the news that Iwa-chan was murdered, he went into his room and shut the door, and for days he neither slept nor ate. As he lay in the silence of his room, sobbing into the shirt he had secretly taken from Iwa-chan’s bag before he left, he whispered “I will never love again.”
Five years later, the main square of Shiratorizawa City was filled as never before to hear the announcement of Prince Ushijima’s partner-to-be.
“My people,” he began, “a month from now, our country will celebrate its 500th anniversary. On that sundown, I shall marry a man who was once a commoner like yourselves. But perhaps you will not find him common now. Would you like to meet him?”
The people shouted back in excitement. Whispers traveled through the crowd, rumors and gossip about who this man would be.
“My people,” Ushijima called out, “the Prince Oikawa.”
Oikawa walked out into the crowd on his rolled out carpet. The smile he wore plastered onto his face stung his cheeks. As the crowd clapped and bowed, Oikawa waved at children and blew kisses at babies. Amidst all the noise and the celebration, he felt utterly alone.
Oikawa’s emptiness consumed him. Although the law of the land gave Ushijima the right to choose his spouse, he did not love him. Despite Ushijima’s assurance that he would grow to love him, the only joy he found was in his daily ride. One day, during his ride, however, he was stopped by three men standing in his path. He pulled his horse to a stop a few yards from them.
“A word, my lord,” the oldest of them said, “We are but poor, lost sport competitors. Is there a village nearby?”
Oikawa shook his head. “There is nothing nearby…not for miles.”
The younger man with dark hair approached quickly as the older one stated, “Then there will be no one to hear you scream.”
Before Oikawa could screech or spur his horse into action, a hand was wrapped around the back of his neck and squeezed, causing the prince to fall unconscious into the arms of his abductors.