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The last thing anyone expected was for a power cut mid-party. Since Shibayama’s birthday had been on the 18th, the team had gathered a day or so late, once the snow had melted enough that they could safely reach his house, just so they could celebrate his birthday all together.
But apparently, the snow had other ideas. It had returned full force as a winter storm, and promptly taken out the entire neighbourhoods power with it. The first indication of it had been the lights flickering, before they gave out not even 30 seconds later.
Everything from the lights on the tree to the stereo playing a birthday party mix, to the electric whisk in the kitchen suddenly stopped. In the pitch black, Taketora tripped over Lev’s legs and crashed to the floor.
“I’m okay!” Snickering, Kenma nudges him with his toe.
“How about the floor? Your thick skull crack it?”
“Oh, shut up, Kenma.”
“Don’t tell me to shut up.”
“Shut up.”
“You wanna fight?” Yaku nudges Taketora in the ribs and smacks Kenma round the back of the head at the same time.
“Don’t make Fukunaga get the bucket. Sit still and be quiet until we get some light in here.” Fukunaga - who had been sneaking off towards the kitchen - froze in his tracks and subtly returned to his place, hoping no one had noticed his intent to douse his best friends in a bucket of water. The little giggle from next to him reveals that the birthday boy had been very much aware.
“Don’t worry, Senpai’s~. We have emergency candles in the kitchen, so Mam will bring them and some matches through in a minute.”
“Thank goodness it’s Christmas. I don’t know of any other time a person would put candles all over the house!” Kuroo laughs at Inuoka’s innocent statement.
“You should see our house. My dad is fucking crazy about candles.”
“That sounds fun!”
“Sounds like a fire hazard.”
“Yeah, especially at the moment, considering we lit the menorah. It was only two days ago we took the fire service off speed dial.” The team laughs warmly, and then there’s a small light flickering as it comes towards them, Shibayama’s mother bringing through a candle in a bottle.
“Yuuki, where are you?” The first year pushes himself off his chair and takes the bottle from her with a polite thank you and takes it over to the mantelpiece. He lights all the other little tealight candles they have dotted all over the place, knowing full well that this room is about to smell like the Spirits of Christmas past, present, and future shat all over the carpet and walls.
“If any of you are adverse to, uh, Holiday Sage, Crackling Woodfire, The Perfect Tree, Festive Cocktail or Cranberry Ice, you should probably vacate to a room without candles…” Kai eases himself out of the chair he’s been given, holding a hand up in apology.
“I’ll go help out in the kitchen. Sorry, Shibayama, I’ll get a headache with all those scents~.”
“It’s okay!” Disappearing into the kitchen, Kai stops to look back at Kuroo, who nods in return. The candle thing was just an excuse.
For Shibayama’s birthday, the team arranged a small surprise. A cake they’d made the night before, 8 of them in Kuroo’s small kitchen and practically wrestling each other to add what they best thought the cake needed. Hence, it had ended up… Slightly monstrous.
Like, Frankenstein's monster, but in cake form.
“Doing the surprise already~?”
“Mhm. The sparkler candles will look even more amazing in pitch black, thanks to the powercut. I guess that’s the only good thing about this.” Shibayama’s mother huffs with amusement, bringing out the tinfoil wrapped cake from the cupboard she hid it in when Kuroo passed to her as he first arrived.
“Not the only good thing~. Yuuki’s not very good in the dark. He… Used to be terrified. Seeing him so relaxed because he has his friends and precious teammates to keep him company is amazing~.” Kai blushes a little, rubbing the back of his head.
“He’s never acted afraid of the dark with us…”
“Like I said, because he has his friends there~.” She takes the tinfoil off, revealing a three tiered round cake, the top on with a fondant volleyball design, and the others covered with edible photographs of the Nekoma team, from the highs and lows of their year together, the day they got their new first years all the way to graduation.
The cake has so many memories and so. Many. Fillings.
The first tier was apple and chocolate chip, thanks to Kenma and Fukunaga deciding it wasn’t right to just have a plain cake like Taketora had insisted.
The second tier was… A disaster. Inuoka and Lev were not to be trusted baking together. It was rainbow funfetti, with sprinkles and chocolate chips of all three types of chocolate, popping candy, candy canes, and gummy bears, dirty-iced with chocolate buttercream before the fondant covering was put on top.
The third tier was supposed to be the third years design. But Kuroo and Yaku had gotten into an argument, and considering they were armed with buttercream… The 8 present had all needed a shower before bed. Kai, therefore, had been the one to really make the top tier, a red velvet base with buttercream and jam in the middle, like a victoria sandwich but with a different sponge.
“Here’s your candles.” With a nod of thanks, Kai puts the sparkler candles on top of the cake, surrounding it with a few ordinary birthday candles. The cake is too heavy to lift alone, and this is where he calls in reinforcements.
“Taketora, come help me with this!”
“Coming!” The ace skids into the kitchen with a candlelit grin, and Kai rolls his eyes as he gestures to the cake. It takes both of them to carry it, and then, Shibayama’s mother lights the candles. The bright sparkler lights up the room, and Shibayama gasps in delight.
“Ureshii na kyou wa! Tanoshii na kyou wa! Tanjoubi omedetou~! Outa wo utaimashou!” Shibayama laughs and buries his blushing face in his hands as the team sings, although Fukunaga only mumbles a few words.
“Guys~, you’re so embarrassing!” Taketora and Kai put the cake down on the kotatsu in front of him, and their youngest can’t help but look at it with a wobbling smile as his eyes water up, taking in all the edible pictures. The cake shows everything dear to him that happened this year, and he can’t help but be warmed by the love his team shows him.
Sometimes he worries that they don’t need him, but little things like this chase those fears away.
“Happy birthday, Shibayama!”