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It’s Oikawa’s birthday and granted that he was once called the Grand King, he took it too seriously this time, insisting he go and have the grandest 23rd birthday there is. It wasn’t too extravagant in Iwaizumi’s opinion though, albeit every space in Oikawa’s apartment was pretty much utilized. It wasn’t too shabby either—Oikawa’s invited several people; Iwaizumi’s familiar with most of them though not familiar enough to know all their names.
From where Iwaizumi’s sitting by the kitchen counter, abandoned by people along with their littered forgotten cups half-empty with alcohol (Iwaizumi has made it a covenant each time not to even touch anything alcoholic with a class coming up the next day), and nursing a juice punch, Iwaizumi can see Bokuto laughing loudly by one of Oikawa’s sofas, patting Akaashi—Akaashi? Iwaizumi’s sure his name is Akaashi—enthusiastically. Akaashi on the other hand, looks as though he’s had enough of this. Kuroo is sneering back at Bokuto with that weird smile of his.
There were other people like them, from Fukurodani and Nekoma, whom Iwaizumi had seen strolling around. Iwaizumi couldn’t be bothered much though, partly because he doesn’t know their names and either way, Karasuno might only be the team Iwaizumi had even bothered to remember each of the player’s names.
(Also because of Kageyama too. Speaking of him, Iwaizumi thinks, he still can’t quite take it in for a while that he really did see Kageyama kissing Hinata by the corner a few hours ago.)
Iwaizumi had also lost Oikawa to a couple of guests hours ago. He thinks he remembers seeing him talking to Daichi and Sugawara and then it’s all a torrent of random people. Iwaizumi doesn’t actually for once. Let him trouble somebody else for an entire night. It’s his party after all.
“So this is where you’re hiding!”
Iwaizumi jumps, started when Hanamaki suddenly appears, grinning. Iwaizumi rolls his eyes at him.
“I’m not hiding,” he says because he really isn’t in the first place.
Hanamaki sidles next to him abruptly and Iwaizumi frowns as the motion upsets a few of the half-empty cups on the counter, sending them over the edge.
“Hmm,” Hanamaki mumbles, nodding.
Matsukawa follows suit afterwards, as per usual and he proceeds to ruffle Hanamaki’s hair in what Iwaizumi supposes to be a show of affection when Matsukawa comes closer to them.
“Stop that, asshole,” Hanamaki says, lovingly, as he swats Matsukawa’s hand away.
“I’m not doing anything, jerk.” Matsukawa replies, fondly. Iwaizumi supposes they’re not drunk but seeing how they’re always like this, it’s hard to tell.
Matsukawa seems to remember his intent for strolling over because he recovers, grinning at Iwaizumi gamely.
“Your boyfriend is crying for you over there,” Matsukawa says, pointing to a vague direction over his shoulder.
“Wow,” Iwaizumi says.
“Well not really crying,” Hanamaki amends.
“More like whining in that annoying way he does, ‘I want Iwa-chan’ this and that,” Matsukawa snorts, not even trying to imitate Oikawa’s voice in the slightest.
“He’s disgusting,” Iwaizumi sighs.
“Your one and only,” Matsukawa teases.
“Anyway, we’re gonna have to drag you over there anyway,” Hanamaki says conversationally. “We’re going to play a game.”
Oh now Iwaizumi is definitely cautious. He raises an eyebrow, glancing at Matsukawa and Hanamaki and back again.
“If this is another one of your nasty games, no thank you.”
“You wound me, Iwaizumi.” Hanamaki has the nerve to look offended.
“That was only one drinking incident it won’t happen again,” Matsukawa assures him. “It’ll be great, we swear.”
Great, he says. Right.
That’s how Iwaizumi finds himself sitting in a circle with the majority of Oikawa’s party goers, the mix of old teams and old rivalries long over, Oikawa firmly latched on his arm giggling at the next poor victim. Iwaizumi can say it’s a pretty comfortable situation.
Save for the game they’re playing.
When Iwaizumi had skirted into Oikawa’s living room, devoid of his sofas and the glass top table missing somewhere, he’s flanked by the two disgusting lovebirds who’re both drunkenly (definitely drunk, Iwaizumi decides) whispering sweet nothings to each other that are beyond doubt too loud for whispers. Oikawa spots Iwaizumi coming and he immediately bolts off from where he’s sitting on the floor and leaps into Iwaizumi’s arms, shamelessly ignoring the other people he had been entertaining just seconds ago.
“IWA-CHAN! I found you!” Oikawa cries into Iwaizumi’s neck and there’s a few giggles heard somewhere.
Iwaizumi pats Oikawa’s back messily in consolation.
“I didn’t leave though. I was at the counter,” he tells Oikawa who pulls back just the slightest to say, “Oh.”
“Iwaizumi!” Someone calls out and Iwaizumi tilts his head to make sure that it is indeed Sugawara whose smile is capable of dimming the lights. “We’re going to play Hanamaki’s game,”
“Oh yes we are,” Hanamaki says smugly from behind Iwaizumi.
“Yeah, yeah we are!” Oikawa chirps.
Beside Sugawara and Daichi it turns out, Hinata whoops excitedly. Leaning on him is Kageyama who’s staring at the bottom of his cup as though willing it to refill by itself, and then Kuroo’s ombre-haired boyfriend whose name Iwaizumi couldn’t remember who’s not really paying attention to anything.
“Are we now?” is the last thing Iwaizumi says before he’s dragged into a circle everyone is suddenly forming.
“The first whisperer,” Oikawa says smugly, apparently knowing the mechanics of this seeing how Hanamaki nods along appreciatively. Surprisingly, even the others are listening attentively. Maybe they are just too drunk. “Will whisper a question to the person on their right—”
“—and then the person on their right will say their answer out loud. The trick is that no one else in the circle knows what the question is. Exciting~”
There are hoots from the other side of the circle.
“And then,” Oikawa says, suddenly waving the flip flop in his hand. Where the hell did that come from—and then Iwaizumi sees Matsukawa holding the other pair of the flip flop and Iwaizumi inwardly groans. “Someone flips a flip flop in the air—”
Iwaizumi certainly interrupts this time.
“Okay wait up, why’s it a flip flop—” he hisses and there’s amused nodding among the people in the circle.
“—AND IF IT LANDS FACE UP the asker has to say the question out loud—”
“—why are we flipping a fucking flip flop coins are here for a reason—”
“—STOP INTERRUPTING, IWA-CHAN, RUDE,” Oikawa huffs, tossing his hair back. Seconds later he’s grinning again. “And then~ if it lands face down then the asker stays silent and everyone will wonder what on earth the question was!”
“Are we seriously flipping a slipper Oikawa used that’s so unhygienic—”
Oikawa gasps, affronted.
“Iwa-chan, nothing owned by me is unhygienic,”
“I’m not doing this,” Iwaizumi declares, shifting in his sitting position and Oikawa cries out, tugging on his arm.
“Nooo!” Oikawa screeches.
“Iwaizumi, you have ‘ta stay!” Bokuto yells and to Iwaizumi’s disbelief, there are even more urges of him staying.
“You gotta stay for your bae, right?” Kuroo grins at him and Iwaizumi plops back down to his seat, groaning audibly now.
“Don’t be a spoilsport, Iwa-chan, everyone is excited,” Oikawa croons.
And so half an hour forward, Iwaizumi is sitting there in between Hanamaki and Oikawa, Oikawa still clinging by his side as Iwaizumi’s trying to focus on where the bottle will stop for the fifth time, intensely. He’s just being cautious about this. The first five questions had seemed humiliating enough to go through.
That is of course if the flip flop lands upwards then shit will go down.
Iwaizumi stares at the bottle which is now slowing down terrifyingly close to his direction. He might break that bottle should it stop in front of him, if he were honest.-
(“But who’ll be the first whisperer?” Someone had the intelligence to ask earlier.
Oikawa had exuberantly raised a hand, volunteering and consequently elbowed hard on the ribs by Iwaizumi who’s conveniently seated by Oikawa’s right.
In the end, someone pitched in the idea of just spinning a bottle for the next whisperer. It went quite well save for the fact of being so tense watching the bottle go round.)
Inevitably, the bottle does stop spinning. It stops at Sugawara who smiles with such angelic intensity despite the new chorus of cheering. He blinks for a second in realization that it’s him with the power to make or break the person on their right—who is unfortunately, Daichi.
Sugawara grins, looking rather confident as he makes Daichi lean towards him to whisper in his ear. Daichi on the other hand, looks sweaty.
There’s a beat of silence with Daichi noticeably turning pink by the second and then he finally pulls away, looking scandalized.
“Koushi,” Daichi exclaims as Sugawara breaks into giggles.
Oikawa is laughing into Iwaizumi’s shoulder so Iwaizumi turns his head and buries his face into Oikawa’s hair, trying to hide his smile of amusement. The questions have been steadily veering off to a not so innocent path, not that anyone in this room could even be called innocent any longer.
“Come on, Daichi,” Sugawara prods, sweetly for effectiveness.
When Daichi groans in his hands, the others start throwing projectiles of tissues and cups at him.
“Alright! Alright, jeez,” Daichi relents when Kuroo throws an entire roll of tissue at him, full on blush spreading in his cheeks and he’s avoiding eye contact with Sugawara at all costs. “You know I’m allergic to peanuts right?” he tells Sugawara aside but he just smiles purely, unbothered and still waiting for the answer.
Daichi sighs defeatedly.
“Okay…um…,”
“Oh come on, Daichi-san!” Nishinoya complains loudly from his side of the circle, startling Asahi beside him. His is only one of the complaints that are starting to get louder.
“Yeah, Daichi!”
“Just say it!”
Honestly, Iwaizumi can’t blame him for being hesitant at all.
Daichi puts his face in his hands.
“Okay, you douchebags. My answer is….Suga.” Daichi grumbles, murmuring the last bit almost to himself. Sugawara squeals in glee and pulls himself up to kiss Daichi on the cheek.
Question marks are definitely hovering in the air from Sugawara’s obvious happiness and his unaired question.
And then there’s that god awful flip flop.
“Toss it! Toss it!” People are hissing like this is some volleyball game they’re betting their lives on and Daichi’s looking queasy again, probably hoping for the best.
“This is an awful game,” Iwaizumi calmly muses to Oikawa.
“It depends on the questions, Iwa-chan!” Oikawa grins.
“Yeah but you’re awful people.”
Daichi tries to get hold of the flip flop in attempt to command his fate and then Kuroo’s stomping over, taking it, and then it’s in Bokuto’s hands, then someone else’s until it’s suddenly flipped into the air.
Everyone freezes.
And the flip flop lands face down.
Iwaizumi’s sure Daichi’s loud yell of “YES!” could be heard till the next building. The cries of disappointment that follows has Oikawa chortling—Iwaizumi can feel the laughter rumbling through him. Well at least he’s having fun no matter how nasty his choice of fun is.
Matsukawa spins the bottle next, smirking snidely and then everyone barks a laugh when the bottle stops, facing Bokuto’s direction, whose, unfortunately, direct right is Kuroo.
Kuroo smacks him on the shoulder, mockingly betrayed expression on his face.
“BOKUTO, man I trusted you!”
“BUT BRO I DIDN’T EVEN SPIN THE BOTTLE!”
It’s snickering and a few thrown cup projectiles from one of Bokuto’s ex-teammates from Fukurodani to get Bokuto to proceed to his whispered question.
It barely takes a few seconds before Kuroo hoots out sardonic laughter, seemingly self-assured by how things will go. He pats Bokuto’s back, grinning smugly.
“Bokuto,” Kuroo starts, loudly. “Bro, dude…my man, why would I be embarrassed by such a thing? It’s so easy, so innocent, so docile—”
“Just answer it, man,” Bokuto says.
“—I am very much not embarrassed why would I be embarrassed over such a tiny thing, I’m smooth! It’s good—”
He’s babbling. He’s definitely babbling to get out of the question.
“Answer it, Kuroo,” Iwaizumi snorts.
“Kuroo is just being shy,” Akaashi says.
“What?!” Kuroo slaps the floor indignantly. “I’m not being shy! Why would I be shy about this I am mature! I just—I really—”
“You’re a chicken, Kuroo,” Daichi grins.
Kuroo inhales sharply, pointing at him.
“Now hold on for a second—”
“It’s not even a dirty question, man.” Bokuto is absolutely delighted about this.
“I need time bro—”
“Come on just say that teeny tiny name…”
Kuroo looks down, twiddling his fingers. And then away, looks at everything else but the people staring at him at the moment and when he looks down again, he murmurs in a tiny voice very unlike him.
“It’s…Kenma,” he mumbles, a suspicious flush rushing through his cheeks.
All at once, all the eyes on Kuroo shift towards Kenma who is a few persons away, sitting beside Kageyama and when Kenma hears his name being called, he straightens up, eyes wide, looking at Kuroo confusedly.
And then Kenma narrows his eyes warily.
“Flip it,” Kenma says.
“Ah, Kenma—”
Everyone’s scrambling for the flip flop then, Daichi grabbing it successfully in the end with a huge “GOTCHA!” and in one swift movement, Daichi tosses the flip flop—at a weird angle and instead of twisting in the air like it’s supposed to, it just sadly lands facing upwards.
Kuroo’s shriek of horror is rather unlike him. Nevertheless, everyone still has that glint of deviousness in their eyes as they wait for Bokuto to spill the beans. Kenma is looking at Kuroo too, eyebrows furrowed but still curious.
Bokuto clears his throat loudly as Kuroo groans in his hands.
“I asked my dear bro,” Bokuto announces. “‘Who is that only person who can bend your will almost instantaneously?’”
Kuroo uncovers his face.
“Hey! You were pushier when you asked me! You were like ‘Huh? Huh? Who is it huh?’ Don’t be unfair bro—”
“But that’s not embarrassing at all, Tetsu-chan~” Oikawa says with that usual teasing tone he has.
“Like I said I’m not embarrassed—”
“He’s not embarrassed,” Bokuto choruses sarcastically.
“Not embarrassed,” Daichi repeats.
“LIKE I SAID GUYS—”
“You shouldn’t be embarrassed!” Oikawa says, brightly. “Iwa-chan for example he—”
Iwaizumi who’s been staring amusedly at a blushing Kenma who’s being poked teasingly by his neighbors, snaps his attention to Oikawa at once and pokes him on the ribs, making him jump.
“Ow! Iwa-chan, you troll!” Oikawa whines morosely.
“Shut up, Shittykawa.”
Daichi is pretty delighted by these turn of events and declares he spin the bottle next. Possibly as a result of his previous flip flop throwing fail, Hanamaki cuts in.
“I’ll do it, Daichi. No sweat,” Hanamaki offers, smiling wide as he sets the bottle at the middle of the circle and eyes Oikawa and Iwaizumi meaningfully.
Very, very bad feeling about this. Iwaizumi has time to think as Hanamaki gives the bottle a spin.
It’s Iwaizumi’s absolute nightmare (and probably that weird Hanamaki-stare had been a premonition to said nightmare) when the bottle sways to a stop in front of Oikawa. Oikawa whoops in delight and Iwaizumi wonders if it’s too late for him to escape. By instinct however, he makes a run for it.
But he doesn’t even get to stand because struggling out of a sitting position takes more than a few seconds and with Oikawa’s clawing hand by his side, it might as well be a bear trap.
Oikawa has a hand tightly clumped on Iwaizumi’s shirt, his smile taunting as he pushes Iwaizumi back down.
“Iwaizumi, don’t run away,” Matsukawa tsks.
“That’s right, Iwa-chan,” Oikawa snickers, leaning close.
“Oi, no PDA allowed you nerds. We’re playing here,” Hanamaki chides, resulting to a simultaneous chuckling from the group from his supposed witty remark.
Oikawa pouts, shrinking back and huffs at Hanamaki. He pulls Iwaizumi towards him instead and leans close to his ear to whisper.
Oikawa’s lips and his warm breath against his ear makes Iwaizumi involuntarily shiver and he’s grappling all his self-control so it won’t happen again.
“Hajime,” Oikawa whispers and Iwaizumi goes still, self-control essentially gone momentarily. “Just pretend I’m whispering something ingenious when in reality all I want to do is to go to sleep already. Also please, please, stay the night?”
And then Oikawa pulls away, beaming so innocently, his eyes crinkling at the edges. Iwaizumi stares at him with a mixture of surprise and embarrassment and disbelief and Iwaizumi’s pretty sure his own expression is frozen trying to replicate the said emotions so he composes himself to a more accurate-of-him frown.
“Oh,” he says. “You wanted this though.”
Oikawa winks. Goddamit.
“You didn’t answer, Iwa-chan!”
“Heey, hey, answer it!” Matsukawa boos.
Hanamaki is snickering loudly because he has no shame. Iwaizumi scoffs and knocks Oikawa on the head once.
“Okay,” he says. “That’s my answer.” And he almost starts regretting it to but Oikawa looks ecstatic. Maybe a little drunk but gleeful anyway and for the millionth time in Iwaizumi’s life he accepts giving away another ounce of shame to please Oikawa’s childish whims.
It’s an ounce of shame immediately gained back however because after a short squabble with Matsukawa and Hanamaki complaining “THAT’S NOT A REAL ANSWER, IWAIZUMI” and they proceed to scramble for the flip flop to find out what Oikawa’s question is and then somehow manages to throw it together.
It lands face down.
There are several howls of disappointment, loudest of all coming from Hanamaki and Iwaizumi somehow feels proud of himself despite not having done anything.
Oikawa sidles closer to him again, hugging his arm and resting his head on Iwaizumi’s shoulder, laughing softly.
Iwaizumi watches as the bottle is being spun anew and while the others are busy shouting in excitement to whomever the bottle stopped at, Iwaizumi turns his head and presses a kiss on Oikawa’s head.
“Happy birthday, Tooru.” He whispers, smiling slightly.
Oikawa makes a contented noise, almost sleepy.
“Thank you, Iwa-chan.”