More brofic junk
My headcanon is that Jack and Hajime sent at least part of the two years on the Sunny. You know it's an awesome idea.
I was going to write more about Haji's reaction to being back home but I'm not totally sure what it would be so I just kind of let him go. |'D
“Good morning, Jack.”
“Mmm… good morning.”
Jack rolled over and smiled at Hinata, who was propped on her elbow, smiling back at him.
“What do you want to do today?”
Smile widening, he rolled over and pulled her into a tight hug. “Nothing.”
“Hee… okay.”
Jack snuggled in even closer, enjoying how nice and warm everything was, how fuzzy and safe he felt. Nothing could ruin this moment, not even the sun, streaming into his eyes, so bright, making his face almost uncomfortably hot…
Jack blinked awake, then winced against the glare of the sun. He spent a minute wondering why his room had suddenly turned white, then he fully woke back up and remembered where he was.
He would have liked it better if the hospital was the dream.
“Good afternoon.”
Jack’s head flopped over to look at Hajime. “Afternoon?”
“It’s a little after three.”
“Oh.” Jack stretched. “Man, my sleep schedule is all wonky.”
Hajime smirked. “Funny, it seems exactly like your old sleep schedule.”
Jack stuck out his tongue, but didn’t get to say more before Hajime was tossing something gently to him. He fumbled to catch it, then blinked at it a second.
“Wha- a Jack Cube?” He sat up, immediately fiddling with it, a small grin on his face.
“They’re selling them in the gift shop. The worker said it’s one of their most popular items.”
“Really?” Jack’s grin widened to childish levels. “Huh.”
Hajime watched with satisfaction as Jack solved the cube ridiculously fast, but then his friend’s grin faltered, and Hajime’s brow furrowed.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” Jack answered absently, then he shook his head and looked up at him. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
Hajime didn’t believe that for a second. “Jack, what’s wrong?”
Jack cringed. “It’s just… production is going to be so far behind.”
“Don’t worry about that.” The Ouendan waved it off.
Jack worried his lip. “But I need the money.”
Hajime smiled. “Well, you’re in luck; I have something I need to tell you.”
“What?”
He looked very serious. “I’m rich.”
Jack raised an eyebrow, then laughed. “Wow. I’m shocked.”
“I know. I hide it well.” His smile returned. “But I mean it, Jack. We’ll take care of you. Both of you.”
“I know. It’s why I keep you around.” He still didn’t look very happy, though.
“Jack, what else is bothering you?”
Jack lay back down against the pillows, turning the Jack Cube around in his hands. “I… I want to go home, Hajime.”
He hadn’t meant for his voice to crack, but it had. He bit his lip again, turning the cube over even faster.
It wasn’t long before he felt a comforting hand on his shoulder. Without looking up, he leaned against his friend’s arm.
“You’re getting better; you’ve started walking again, and you’re off your IV. It won’t be much longer now.”
Jack nodded. “But what then?”
“What do you mean?”
He sighed. “I mean, we have to start planning, right? We have two years… less than two years.”
“Whatever you’re thinking, don’t think it.”
“Huh?”
He did look up now, to catch Hajime’s eyes.
“That we’re wasting time. Don’t think it.”
Jack winced. Hajime could read him so well. “I’m… I won’t.”
The hand squeezed his shoulder. “We’ll go back to Japan before we start planning anything.”
Jack’s eyes widened. “But-“
“You’re not ready for sailing yet.” Another squeeze. “And that’s fine.”
“We still have to figure out what we’re doing, though.”
“We can think just as well in Japan as anywhere else.” Yet another squeeze. “You want to go home, right?”
Jack nodded. “But-“
“Stop with the buts,” Hajime scolded lightly. “There are people who want to see you, and you want to see them. That’s all there is to it.”
“…Yeah. You’re right.” Jack leaned even closer into Hajime, then smiled slightly as the other sat down next to him and slipped his arms around his shoulders. “Sorry for being mopey.”
“It’s cool.”
“I guess you’re ready to go home, too, huh?”
“…Yeah. I’m ready to see my family and the team again.”
“Great. We’ll just be homesick together.”
Hajime laughed. “It’s not that much longer.”
“Yeah. Almost there.”
…
Jack rushed through the crowded Tokyo airport, as quickly as he could with his still not entirely healthy body. Hajime hurried along right beside him, not even bothering to tell him to slow down.
They bypassed the baggage claim, not having anything other than a backpack each, got through customs as quickly as possible, and then ran outside, to where Hajime’s parents had come to pick them up.
It wasn’t just Hajime’s family, however.
Jack froze when he saw Hinata, standing next to Mrs. Tanaka. She spotted him at almost the same time, their eyes locking.
Then she was darting forward, stopping a mere foot from him, looking him up and down as though worried one wrong move could hurt him. She gave a little gasp, like she was about to say something.
Jack didn’t wait for her to say it. He couldn’t wait, not anymore. Without a word, he wrapped his arms around her, barely able to believe that he was home, and she was here.
He felt Hinata’s arms go tenderly around his, and then she started sobbing into his chest. He held her tighter, rocking back and forth and whispering to her, tell her how much he missed her, how glad he was to see her, how much he loved her.
She echoed that she loved him back, that she had missed him too, so much, that she was so glad he was back. She didn’t let go and he didn’t either.
Not even when the others moved them on to the car. Not even when they got back to Hajime’s house.
They didn’t intend to let go for a long time.
I was going to write more about Haji's reaction to being back home but I'm not totally sure what it would be so I just kind of let him go. |'D
“Good morning, Jack.”
“Mmm… good morning.”
Jack rolled over and smiled at Hinata, who was propped on her elbow, smiling back at him.
“What do you want to do today?”
Smile widening, he rolled over and pulled her into a tight hug. “Nothing.”
“Hee… okay.”
Jack snuggled in even closer, enjoying how nice and warm everything was, how fuzzy and safe he felt. Nothing could ruin this moment, not even the sun, streaming into his eyes, so bright, making his face almost uncomfortably hot…
Jack blinked awake, then winced against the glare of the sun. He spent a minute wondering why his room had suddenly turned white, then he fully woke back up and remembered where he was.
He would have liked it better if the hospital was the dream.
“Good afternoon.”
Jack’s head flopped over to look at Hajime. “Afternoon?”
“It’s a little after three.”
“Oh.” Jack stretched. “Man, my sleep schedule is all wonky.”
Hajime smirked. “Funny, it seems exactly like your old sleep schedule.”
Jack stuck out his tongue, but didn’t get to say more before Hajime was tossing something gently to him. He fumbled to catch it, then blinked at it a second.
“Wha- a Jack Cube?” He sat up, immediately fiddling with it, a small grin on his face.
“They’re selling them in the gift shop. The worker said it’s one of their most popular items.”
“Really?” Jack’s grin widened to childish levels. “Huh.”
Hajime watched with satisfaction as Jack solved the cube ridiculously fast, but then his friend’s grin faltered, and Hajime’s brow furrowed.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” Jack answered absently, then he shook his head and looked up at him. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
Hajime didn’t believe that for a second. “Jack, what’s wrong?”
Jack cringed. “It’s just… production is going to be so far behind.”
“Don’t worry about that.” The Ouendan waved it off.
Jack worried his lip. “But I need the money.”
Hajime smiled. “Well, you’re in luck; I have something I need to tell you.”
“What?”
He looked very serious. “I’m rich.”
Jack raised an eyebrow, then laughed. “Wow. I’m shocked.”
“I know. I hide it well.” His smile returned. “But I mean it, Jack. We’ll take care of you. Both of you.”
“I know. It’s why I keep you around.” He still didn’t look very happy, though.
“Jack, what else is bothering you?”
Jack lay back down against the pillows, turning the Jack Cube around in his hands. “I… I want to go home, Hajime.”
He hadn’t meant for his voice to crack, but it had. He bit his lip again, turning the cube over even faster.
It wasn’t long before he felt a comforting hand on his shoulder. Without looking up, he leaned against his friend’s arm.
“You’re getting better; you’ve started walking again, and you’re off your IV. It won’t be much longer now.”
Jack nodded. “But what then?”
“What do you mean?”
He sighed. “I mean, we have to start planning, right? We have two years… less than two years.”
“Whatever you’re thinking, don’t think it.”
“Huh?”
He did look up now, to catch Hajime’s eyes.
“That we’re wasting time. Don’t think it.”
Jack winced. Hajime could read him so well. “I’m… I won’t.”
The hand squeezed his shoulder. “We’ll go back to Japan before we start planning anything.”
Jack’s eyes widened. “But-“
“You’re not ready for sailing yet.” Another squeeze. “And that’s fine.”
“We still have to figure out what we’re doing, though.”
“We can think just as well in Japan as anywhere else.” Yet another squeeze. “You want to go home, right?”
Jack nodded. “But-“
“Stop with the buts,” Hajime scolded lightly. “There are people who want to see you, and you want to see them. That’s all there is to it.”
“…Yeah. You’re right.” Jack leaned even closer into Hajime, then smiled slightly as the other sat down next to him and slipped his arms around his shoulders. “Sorry for being mopey.”
“It’s cool.”
“I guess you’re ready to go home, too, huh?”
“…Yeah. I’m ready to see my family and the team again.”
“Great. We’ll just be homesick together.”
Hajime laughed. “It’s not that much longer.”
“Yeah. Almost there.”
…
Jack rushed through the crowded Tokyo airport, as quickly as he could with his still not entirely healthy body. Hajime hurried along right beside him, not even bothering to tell him to slow down.
They bypassed the baggage claim, not having anything other than a backpack each, got through customs as quickly as possible, and then ran outside, to where Hajime’s parents had come to pick them up.
It wasn’t just Hajime’s family, however.
Jack froze when he saw Hinata, standing next to Mrs. Tanaka. She spotted him at almost the same time, their eyes locking.
Then she was darting forward, stopping a mere foot from him, looking him up and down as though worried one wrong move could hurt him. She gave a little gasp, like she was about to say something.
Jack didn’t wait for her to say it. He couldn’t wait, not anymore. Without a word, he wrapped his arms around her, barely able to believe that he was home, and she was here.
He felt Hinata’s arms go tenderly around his, and then she started sobbing into his chest. He held her tighter, rocking back and forth and whispering to her, tell her how much he missed her, how glad he was to see her, how much he loved her.
She echoed that she loved him back, that she had missed him too, so much, that she was so glad he was back. She didn’t let go and he didn’t either.
Not even when the others moved them on to the car. Not even when they got back to Hajime’s house.
They didn’t intend to let go for a long time.