#iwakyou

[osamusbigtits]

kyoutani sitting at iwaizumi's feet, head resting on iwaizumi's lap. a simple black collar rests around his neck as he sits and waits for iwaizumi's commands, the ever obedient puppy...

[hqrarepairtournament]

Round 1, Bracket B

[kakkoweeb]

IT HAPPENED AGAIN

OH MY GOD HE LIKES IT

[picklevinegar]

who else

[teeth-and-more-teeth]

*lies on floor* thinking about KyoIwa,,,,,,,,,,,, sometimes Haji'll wear slippers with height insoles in them because they're the same height but puppy likes to feel small sometimes so Haji makes himself taller *loud ugly crying*

[highly-opinionated-ramblings]

I was never too, too big into Haikyuu, but I did read some of it and for a short time, I was very into shipping Iwaizumi x Kyoutani, for some reason. I figure if there are still any Iwakyou people out there, you guys are probably starving for some content, so here’s a little drabble from a couple years ago for you:

One day Matsukawa finds Kyoutani sulking, looking pretty upset, and asks him what’s wrong. After a little bit of additional promping, Kyoutani admits that he finally got the guts to go up to his crush and confess, but that he got rejected.

“They said they already have someone else that they like. But I don’t think that person likes them back, either. So we’re both just sort of...miserable.”

Matsukawa does what he can to awkwardly console Kyoutani, and walks away from that encounter sort of amazed that he would have ever confided that to him. 

Couple days go by.

Matsukawa notices Iwaizumi looking kind of down as the two of them clean up after practice one day and, because he apparently didn’t learn his lesson the first time, he asks what’s wrong.

“Someone told me they had feelings for me the other day,” Iwaizumi confesses, “but I turned them down, because I’ve had my eye on somebody else...”

‘Oh shit,’ Matsukawa thinks to himself, working Very Hard to keep a straight face.

“But the more I think about it,” Iwaizumi continues, “the more I realize, I’ve been waiting on this person to give me even the slightest sign that they might like me too. For years, I’ve waited, and I’ve never got the sense that they might be into me. And you know, maybe I would be happy with...you know. The other guy. But I already turned them down. I don’t know what I should do.”

Matsukawa glances over to where Kyoutani is mopping the floor, staring at the ground and looking simultaneously very, very angry and very, very sad.

“I don’t know, man. I think you should talk to them about it. The fact that you’ve put so much thought into this has got to count for something, right? They might still be open to giving it a try.”

So that’s what Iwaizumi does. He approaches Kyoutani and tells him what’s been on his mind, and they agree to...well, not date. They’re not quite ready for that, yet. But they hang out a couple of times, just the two of them.

Kyoutani is sooooooo stiff all the time. So worried that he’s going to mess it up. But he’s also super earnest and sweet, in his own way. Iwaizumi finds the whole thing very endearing, actually.

Eventually he flips it on him and asks, “so, do you wanna be my boyfriend, for real?” and Kyoutani nearly has a heart attack.

Despite their awkward start, they go on to develop a good, strong, happy and very loving relationship.

[simpingforseijoh]

okay but first year kyoutani with a tiny crush on second year oikawa who's fat bit jealous that iwaizumi is so close to him, so he starts challenging him to fights all the time only to realize that he ALSO has a crush on iwaizumi.

[hqrarepairexchange]

Rating: General Audiences Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: F/M, M/M Fandom: Haikyuu!! Relationship: Iwaizumi Hajime/Kyoutani Kentarou Characters: Iwaizumi Hajime, Kyoutani Kentarou Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, gender fluid, Mutual Pining, Fluff Language: English Words: 1278 Chapters: 1/1 Collections: Haikyuu Rarepair Exchange 2020 Notes: For @thatlowkeyhipster.

[notsuchasecret]

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) Iwakyou and purple

Me: Purple is a sad color, I think.My mom: Break the fuckers up!T rating for language and content warning for breakup-makeup.

Thelast of Kentarou’s bags were piled by the door. He made a lastsweep of the apartment, making sure he hadn’t forgotten anythingirreplaceable. He ignored Iwaizumi entirely, sure that if he so muchas looked at him it would be too much and he would stay.

Hecouldn’tstay. This was for Iwaizumi’s own good. He deserved to be withsomeone… sweet. Someone happy. Someone other than snarly,irrational, bitter Kentarou. Someone who made Iwaizumi happy.

Kentarouwasn’tthat person. So for both of their sakes, he was leaving.

Hepicked up his bags and stared at the door, sure that whether helooked back or he stepped forward, there was no going back fromeither. He heard a sniffle behind him and he just had to look.

“What’swrong.” It was gruff and rude, just like everything Kentarou eversaid. He winced. Iwaizumi deserved to be handled with gentleness. Heturned to apologize in some way or another, only to startle at thesight of Iwaizumi so close behind him. There were tears streakingdown his face and a heartbroken twist to his lips. He reached out andtangled his fingers in the hem of Kentarou’s shirt.

“Stay,”he whispered. “Please.”

“Ican’t.” Iwaizumi nodded and let Kentarou go. He turned away andpadded down the hall. Kentarou heard their bedroom door shut -Iwaizumi’sbedroom door, not theirs anymore - and what was left of his heartthat was still intact shattered into a thousand pieces. He shoulderedhis bags a little higher and walked out the front door.

Drivingaway down the quiet suburban streets, Kentarou didn’tlet himself cry. There would be plenty of time for that when he gotwhere he was going.

-

Forweeks, Kentarou avoided anything that would remind him of Iwaizumi.He stopped going to his favorite places, because they had been theirfavorite places. He stopped seeing his friends, because they had beentheir friends. He quit the community volleyball team, because it hadbeen their volleyball team. He threw himself into work, because workwas the only thing left to him that wasn’ttouched by Iwaizumi.

Iwaizumibehaved exactly as Kentarou expected him to. He didn’tcall, he didn’t show up at Kentarou’s job, he didn’t make anyattempts to contact Kentarou. He respected the distance Kentarou hadput between them. A part of Kentarou wanted to know how he was doing,wanted to check in on him and make sure he was okay, or maybe makesure he was as miserable as Kentarou was.

Itwas a thought that ate at Kentarou. Himself being miserable he couldhandle. He deserved it, after all. But Iwaizumi deserved to be happy.He deserved all the happiness in the world. And Kentarou couldn’tgive that to him.

Hestared at the water-stained ceiling of his new apartment in the dark, wishing himself away. There wasn’tmuch to do without Iwaizumi in his life; even things like watching tvand eating takeout hurt without him. He was just debating going tosleep at six in the evening when his phone rang.

Ithad been ringing off the hook since he’dleft, friends and former teammates calling to tell him to get his acttogether or whatever. He let it ring.

Itrang itself out, then rang again. Kentarou glanced at it, charging onthe nightstand, and something in him shriveled with foreboding. Hepicked it up.

“’Lo?”

“Isthis Kyoutani Kentarou-san?” asked a woman’s voice on the otherend.

“Yes.”

“Thisis Hamada Echiko with Saitama Hospital. I’m calling in regards toIwaizumi Hajime, who has you listed as his emergency contact.”

Kentarouwas suddenly very, very awake.  “Ishe okay?” he demanded.

“Iwaizumi-sanhas broken his leg in three places and needs someone to drive himhome and stay with him through the night,” Hamada said. “Can youcome and pick him up?”

Kentarouconsidered lying. He could say he was out of the country,unavailable, give her Oikawa’snumber, or anyone else’s. But Iwaizumi had kept him as hisemergency contact for a reason. Even if that reason was just that hehadn’t thought of it, or was too lazy. He still trusted Kentarouenough to take care of him if something happened.

“I’llbe there in twenty minutes,” he promised Hamada. She thanked himand hung up the phone.

Herushed through getting dressed. He barely made sure to grab hiswallet and phone before darting out the door and down the stairs.

SaitamaHospital was a thirty minute drive away, but Kentarou made it infifteen. He barged through the door into the waiting room, startlingthe nurses and waiting patients. He shrugged his shoulders up to hisears and tried not to glare as he made his way up to the front desk.

“IwaizumiHajime?” he asked the woman.

“Oh,are you Kyoutani-san?” she asked, her voice familiar. “I’mHamada Echiko. Come right this way.”

Hamadaled the way into the emergency room proper, passing down the hallwayat a fast clip. Kentarou had to half-trot to keep up with her, hisheart in a knot of worry. Finally, she stopped at a room where afamiliar figure was lying on a bed, a doped-out look on his face.

“He’son pretty heavy medication,” Hamada explained. “He may be out ofit for the next twenty-four hours, so we require someone to sign thatthey will stay with him through the night.”

“I’llsign,” Kentarou said, his eyes on Iwaizumi. He looked like shit.His clothes were dirty and he hadn’t shaved in what appeared to beseveral weeks. Hamada thrust a clipboard at Kentarou and he lookedaway from Iwaizumi only long enough to sign where she pointed.

“He’sall yours,” Hamada said. “I’ll have someone come round with awheelchair for him in a few minutes.” With that she was gone,striding away like she had more important things to worry about thanthe end of Kentarou’s world. Kentarou stepped into the little roomwhere Iwaizumi was laid out and closed the curtain.

“Hajime,”Kentarou said, then silently cursed himself for it. Iwaizumi’s namefelt too sweet on his tongue. “Hey. Wake up.”

“Kentarou?”Iwaizumi slurred, his bleary eyes focusing on Kentarou for a moment.Then they screwed up with pain and he burst into tears.

“Hey,what’s wrong?” Kentarou asked, his hands fluttering overIwaizumi’s prone form. “Do you need more pain meds? I can callthe nurse or-”

Iwaizumishook his head, slapping his hands over his face. “Whyare you here?” he wailed.

“BecauseI’m your emergency contact,” Kentarou said. “They’re sendinga wheelchair, and I’m gonna take you home, okay?”

“Promise?”Iwaizumi asked. A nurse came around the corner with a wheelchair andKentarou nodded.

“Ipromise,” he said, stepping to one side to let the nurse do herjob.

“Don’tleave, okay?” Iwaizumi asked, one hand reaching out for Kentaroueven as the nurse wrestled him into the wheelchair.

“Iwon’t,” Kentarou said. “I’m here. I’m right here.”Iwaizumi nodded and let his hand drop, letting the nurses help himinto the wheelchair. Kentarou nodded at them and took the handles ofthe wheelchair, wheeling Iwaizumi out into the waiting room forcheckout.

Whenthey got back to the apartment Kentarou argued with the cantankerousold elevator until it allowed them out on the third floor. Threedoors to the left and Kentarou found himself standing in the placethat had been his home for five years.

Itwas a mess. Takeout cartons were stacked everywhere, dishes piledhigh in the sink, dirty laundry all over the floor. It was as thoughIwaizumi hadn’tbeen taking care of himself while Kentarou had been gone. But thatwas an insane thought; Iwaizumi was always the stronger of the two ofthem.

Kentarouhelped Iwaizumi into bed, pulling the covers up over his waist butnot his chest, exactly the way he liked it. Sure Iwaizumi wassleeping peacefully, he set about cleaning the apartment.

Itwas well past midnight by the time Kentarou finished and made up abed for himself on the couch. There was a picture of the two of themon the coffee table, smiling and holding on to each other after a winwith their college volleyball team. Kentarou found himself smiling atit when suddenly the door to the bedroom opened and Kentarou heardthe tell-tale sound of crutches on the carpet.

“You’resupposed to be in bed,” Kentarou said.

“It’slonely in there.” Iwaizumi’s voice was clear, free of the drughaze. He hobbled out into the living room and stood in the doorway,considering Kentarou while Kentarou considered him right back. “Youcleaned,” Iwaizumi remarked.

“Youlet this place go to shit,” Kentarou remarked right back. Iwaizumishrugged.

“Notmuch point in keeping it up when you’re not around to hate themess,” he said.

“No,”Kentarou said.

“No?”

“No.”

“No,what?”

“No,you don’t get to do that,” Kentarou snarled. “You don’t getto fall apart without me. You were supposed to move on, to be thestrong one, to be better without me, or, I don’t know, something-”Kentarou cut himself off with a grimace. He hated how Iwaizumi alwaysgot him to babble like this, without even doing anything.

“Newsflash,genius, it hasn’t exactly been easy without you,” Iwaizumi said.“The love of my life just walked out without a proper explanation,and you expect me to be okay with that? That’s not how real lifeworks, Kyoutani.”

“Ileft because you deserve better,” Kentarou snapped. “Because youdeserve someone who-”

“Whowon’t leave!” Iwaizumi shouted. “I deserve someone who talksthings out with me, instead of leaving me thinking I had donesomething wrong, or-”

“I’msorry!” The words were out before Kentarou could stop them, andwith them came tears. He looked down, but he could still hearIwaizumi making his slow and painful way over to the couch. Heflopped down next to him and then flopped into Kentarou’s side.

“I’msorry too,” Iwaizumi whispered.

“Forwhat.” Kentarou grumbled through his tears.

“Formaking you think you had to go. For making you think I was anythingother than head-over-heels desperately in love with you. Foreverything.”

Kentaroulooked at Iwaizumi and Iwaizumi looked at Kentarou, and for a momentthe entire world hung in the balance. Then Iwaizumi looked down.

“Isthat my shirt?” he asked. Kentarou glanced down and flushed.

“Iguess it got mixed up in all my stuff,” he muttered.

“Itsuits you.” There was a playful seductiveness to Iwaizumi’svoice, and in it Kentarou heard everything he needed to hear.Everything was going to be all right. He just knew it.

[osamusbigtits]

iwaizumi cups kuoutani's cheek, stroking his cheekbone with his thumb when kyoutani leans into the touch.

"what happened?" iwaizumi asked softly. he leans in close, pulling kyoutani closer with his other hand.

kyoutani only closes his eyes. bruises are starting to form under his eyes, nose slightly crooked. his lip is cracked, and blood drips from the crooked nose. idiot probably got into a fight but won't admit it.

"kentarou," iwaizumi says, but he's firmer this time. "we said no more fighting."

"they were talking about us," kyoutani grumbles. "called us fags."

iwaizumi breathes out and kisses kyoutani's forehead. "let's go home, baby," iwaizumi whispers. the pet name causes some tension to melt away away from kyoutani.

"I'm sorry," kyoutani says. for ruining the night, iwaizumi figures. for fighting despite their new promise.

"it's okay," iwaizumi whispers and takes one of kyoutani's hands. "I'm not mad at you." more tension leaves his shoulders. "I'll make dinner and we can watch a movie."

kyoutani nods and finally meets iwaizumi's eyes. it takes everything in his power to not kiss kyoutani. he can feel the glares being sent their way. a moment too soft for the world to see. instead, iwaizumi pulls kyoutani out of the small bar they used to enjoy.

he'd rather have a night in with his boyfriend anyway.

[hqrarepairtournament]

After much deliberation, I have decided on the final ships for the bracket. I'm sorry to anyone whose ship didn't get in, it was really hard to decide! I considered doing a bigger bracket but for the sake of my own sanity, I'm leaving it at 32.

I did a poll on how to long to run the polls for the other and majority said a week. However, I've given it some more thought and for the first few rounds, I'm only going to run them for 1 day. Semifinals and finals will run for a week.

I'm going to repeat what I said in the intro post: Campaigning is absolutely fine and encouraged, just please be respectful and kind to each other. Cool? Cool.

If anyone ends up making any propaganda, I would love it if you tagged me! I'll reblog it. The inbox is also open for propaganda! I won't answer or reblog anything putting other ships down though.

I'm unfortunately busy this weekend so the tournament isn't going to start until Monday, April 10th.

ROUND 1, BRACKET A (Voting ended):

LevTsukki (Haiba Lev/Tsukishima Kei) vs. AoHina (Aone Takanobu/Hinata Shouyou

KuroMikaShou (Kuroo Tetsurou/Yamaka Mika/Daishou Suguru) vs. TanaNoya (Tanaka Ryuunosuke/Nishinoya Yuu) [POLL DECIDING WHAT I SHOULD DO ABOUT THE TIE]

AkiSae (Tsukishima Akiteru/Tanaka Saeko) vs. UsuKiryuu (Usuri Michiru/Kiryuu Wakatsu)

FukuKen (Fukunaga Shouhei/Kozume Kenma) vs. HiruHoshi (Hirugami Sachirou/Hoshiumi Kourai)

UshiIwa (Ushijima Wakatoshi/Iwaizumi Hajime) vs. OsaKuro (Miya Osamu/Kuroo Tetsurou)

FukuSaku (Fukunaga Shouhei/Sakusa Kiyoomi) vs. SemiTen (Semi Eita/Tendou Satori)

ShibaLev (Shibayama Yuuki/Haiba Lev) vs. KawaShira (Kawanishi Taichi/Shirabu Kenjirou)

SugaYaku (Sugawara Koushi/Yaku Morisuke) vs. TeruDai (Terushima Yuuji/Sawamura Daichi)

ROUND 1, BRACKET B (Voting ended):

InuShiba (Inuoka Sou/Shibayama Yuuki) vs. LevKen (Haiba Lev/Kozume Kenma)

KogaSaku (Kogangegawa Kanji/Sakunami Kousuke) vs. OsaSunaKomo (Miya Osamu/Suna Rintarou/Komori Motoya)

EnnoNoya (Ennoshita Chikara/Nishinoya Yuu) vs. YahaShira (Yahaba Shigeru/Shirabu Kenjirou)

KaoYukie (Suzumeda Kaori/Shirofuku Yukie) vs. SugaTen (Sugawara Koushi/Tendou Satori)

KamaFuta (Kamasaki Yasuhi/Futakuchi Kenji) vs. BokuDai (Bokuto Koutarou/Sawamura Daichi)

GoshiHina (Goshiki Tsutomu/Hinata Shouyou) vs. MiwaLisa (Kageyama Miwa/Haiba Alisa)

EnnoAka (Ennoshita Chikara/Akaashi Keiji) vs. BokuOsa (Bokuto Koutarou/Miya Osamu)

IwaKyou (Iwaizumi Hajime/Kyoutani Kentarou) vs. KanoYachi (Amanai Kanoka/Yachi Hitoka)

[picklevinegar]

people kept commenting on their nail polish so

[jenyifer]

Hello so on twitter I noticed someone posting some hate about my baby Kyoutani. Now I know that directly fighting with someone is petty so I decided to fight with love for Kyoutani. I am biased for kyouhaba I'm not going to lie but I figure since I am only speaking of cannon reasons to love Kyoutani I tried not to go too shippy. I just want everyone to give the boy the love and appreciation he deserves outside of the shippingverse. Still going to tag the major ships of iwakyou kyouteru and kyouhaba because we all deserve to see them.

[todorokipepsi]

REPEAT AFTER ME

JUST BECAUSE KYOUTANI KENTAROU IS YOUNGER

DOES NOT MEAN HE IS A SUBMISSIVE BABY

[ao3feed-hqrarepairs]

IwaKyou - Sure

read it on the AO3 at http://ift.tt/2ywnPte

by Dragona15

Kyoutani and Last!Quest Kyoutani end up switching places and find themselves dealing with a very different world from what they are used to. How will they go back home?

Words: 5029, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Haikyuu!!

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: M/M

Characters: Kyoutani Kentarou, Iwaizumi Hajime, Paladin Iwaizumi, Warriortani

Relationships: Iwaizumi Hajime/Kyoutani Kentarou

Additional Tags: Final Haikyuu Quest, Crossover, with Haikyuu!! universe

read it on the AO3 at http://ift.tt/2ywnPte

[ezzydean]

happy birthday, iwaizumi

“It is time,” Oikawa announced, voice loud in the small building, “for the Traditional Semiannual Birthday Camping Excursion Extraordinare.” He looked around proudly, not even a little upset when he saw no one was actually paying him any attention.

“Is is ‘semiannual’ or ‘biannual’?” Hanamaki asked, leaning heavily against Matsukawa and yawning; unlike most of the others he had needed to be up at just after four that morning to make it to the meeting point. Matsukawa shrugged, nearly dislodging Hanamaki.

“They both mean the same thing really,” Watari answered, “and then biennial means every two years.”

“My boyfriend is so smart,” Matsukawa cooed. Watari flushed a little but mostly just rolled his eyes and let Matsukawa drag him closer and bury his face into the hood of Watari’s sweatshirt.

“You’re making a huge deal out of this, like usual.” Iwaizumi batted Oikawa’s hands away from him, hands that held some sort of shiny sash that Oikawa seemed determined to get over Iwaizumi’s head. “It’s just my birthday.”

“Just your birthday?” Oikawa gasped, smacking Iwaizumi in the face with the sash. “Just your birthday?  Is that how you feel when we do this for my birthday too? That it’s just my birthday?”

“You like your birthday,” Iwaizumi snapped back as he tried to catch the sash Oikawa was now using to gesture wildly.

Kyoutani bumped Shigeru’s shoulder and winced in sympathy when Shigeru gulped thickly.  “Still recovering?”

“Why did no one tell me Kindaichi could drink that much?  Why did you guys let me go drink for drink with him?”  He asked between his teeth.

“Because it was his birthday and it was the first time you’ve been back in like three years and we were all having fun?”  Kyoutani patted his back gently and ran his hand down Shigeru’s spine.  “You know, no one here is going to be upset if you want to skip it.  We’ll all be back in a month for Oikawa’s birthday anyway.”

Shigeru considered it, really considered it, and he knew that Kyoutani was right.  For all that they might poke some fun at him and tease him a bit if he really didn’t think he could survive the weekend camping trip they’d send him off with promises of lots of photos and checking up when they got back.  But Kyoutani just said it.  This was the first time he’d been back in years - four and a half years actually, but who’s counting right - and he was done missing his friends’ events.

Even if the event was starting with Oikawa putting a giant sparkly ‘I’m the Birthday Boy’ sash on Iwaizumi before slapping his shoulder and marching out of the small shelter they had met at and into the woods.

“I’m riding this train of chaos and I will see the end destination, you hear me?”  He managed to grit out, eyes focused on the giant shining star near Iwaizumi’s shoulder.

“I hear you,” Kyoutani said with no small amount of amusement.  “I’ve got extra mouthwash and aspirin in my pack if you need either.”  His hand lingered against Shigeru’s lower back for a moment before he stepped away to swing his pack into place and follow Oikawa out of the shelter.  Shigeru closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he listened to the others leaving as well.  The sudden quiet rushed in on him and he relaxed for a moment until he felt a hand warm on his elbow and his eyes snapped open to peer down into Iwaizumi’s concerned gaze.

“You good?”  Maybe it had just been the four years he had been gone, the four years he’s had little to no friendly arm touches and hands warm on his spine and secret smiles, but he can’t help but feel like every touch he’d had the last few days had been lingering.

“I’ll be fine.  We better go before Oikawa comes back and drags you out by your sash.”

“Don’t be sassy, Yahaba, or I’ll make you wear this sash.”

“I’m not the birthday boy, though,” Yahaba answered easily as he led the way out of the shelter, “and if you don’t have that sash you know you don’t get any gifts.  Oikawa’s rules.”

It only takes a moment for Iwaizumi to follow him and they’re walking shoulder to shoulder by the time they make it to the trees.

—

“This is the last time I go camping with any of you,” Kyoutani was grumbling as Shigeru and Hanamaki stumbled back onto the campsite, arms loaded with firewood.  “The last time.”

Shigeru watched, heavily amused, as Iwaizumi teetered precariously on the picnic table bench with one hand on Kyoutani’s shoulder and the other pointing frantically at the ground near the fire pit.  Matsukawa and Oikawa weren’t doing much better, having clambered onto the stump a few feet away, and were clinging haphazardly to each other while they tried not to fall off.  Watari, predictably, was sitting on the ground laughing.  This had obviously been going on for a couple minutes judging by the tears in Watari’s eyes.

“I’m not sure I want to know,” Hanamaki muttered to Shigeru before glancing back over their shoulders.  “You suppose if we just move quietly they won’t realize we were even here and we can come back in like five minutes?”

It was a sound plan and Shigeru’s head still hurt just enough that he was debating going along with it.

“You gonna leave your boyfriend clinging to your best friend in fear for his life just like that?”  Shigeru asked softly.  Matsukawa and Oikawa teetered dangerously on the stump and yelped, clinging tighter to each other.

“You gonna leave your boys all alone?”  Hanamaki replied without hesitation.  Shigeru watched Kyoutani roll his eyes and pat Iwaizumi’s hand.

“Kyoutani’s got it covered and neither of them are mine.”  Shigeru ignored Hanamaki’s quiet “They could be” and turned on his heel.  They could use a bit more firewood after all, he decided.

By the time he came back the second time the scene is much calmer.  There was apparently a snake, Watari told him excitedly, that Oikawa shrieked was coming straight at Iwaizumi and himself.  Then minor chaos had unfolded as he and Kyoutani watched their former senpai scramble for higher ground while they were left to find the snake.  Things were going fairly well until Hanamaki came back and launched himself onto the stump with Oikawa and Matsukawa and sent them tumbling into a pile of limbs and shouts and cries of warning about killer snakes.  Hanamaki had barely avoided a black eye thanks to Oikawa’s elbow and then Kyoutani has spotted the snake and bent to grab it, knocking Iwaizumi off balance enough that he tumbled to the ground as well.

“And that’s how he got the giant scrape on his chin that Kyoutani is mother-henning him about,” Watari finished with a grin as he settled back against Matsukawa’s shins.

“I’m not mother-henning him.  It would just suck to have him get an infected cut like that on his birthday or something.”

“Plus he gets to touch Iwaizumi all gentle and lovingly,” Matsukawa teased as he mimicked Kyotuani’s movements against Watari’s face, a little clumsily with the angle, until Watari bit Matsukawa’s thumb.  His voice lowered and he leaned over til his head was between Watari and Shigeru’s.  “Just like you wish you could do,” he whispered.

If it had been anyone but Matsukawa, Shigeru would have most likely turned and decked them.  But Matsukawa and Watari had been the ones who had sat up with him before he left, the ones he had called every time he had started to waver while he was gone, the ones who had seen him at his worst.  The other four might have an idea of his feelings but Matsukawa and Watari knew.  So the most he could bring himself to do was shove Matsukawa’s face away and fall onto his side away from them with a groan.

—

Iwaizumi sat near the fire with his new hedgehog plushie in his lap - how Oikawa had managed to hide that huge thing in his pack none of them had figured out - with Kyoutani stretched out in a chair next to him tapping his foot against Iwaizumi’s every once in awhile.  Matsukawa had presented him with a air-horn that had ‘Oikawa-Away’ scrawled across the can with little pouting Oikawa’s drawn all around it.  Hanamaki had tossed him a box with “Extra Strength Growth Candy for Aces” printed on it that had been filled with candies.  He was perfectly content, or that’s what he told the others as they had gotten ready for bed.  The night was ticking towards it’s end and soon it wouldn’t be his birthday anymore.

“So did you get me a gift,” he asked Kyoutani playfully.  Shigeru was curled up in his own chair on Kyoutani’s other side, eyes glazed and distant as he watched the flickering flames.

“Shinji and I kind of went in on one together for you.”  Shigeru wondered when exactly it was that Kyoutani and Watari became Kentarou and Shinji to each other.  Wondered what else he had missed in the last four years since he left.  Wondered, not for the first time, if it had been a dumb choice, the wrong choice to leave.

“Together?  It’s not supposed to be anything extravagant, Kentaoru,” Iwazumi scolded playfully.

“I know, Hajime.  But believe me.  I’m pretty sure you’re gonna love it.  We both are.”  

Shigeru had thought about giving something whimsical to Iwaizumi like the volleyball plush or the Godzilla keychain he had seen at the airport.  Or something at least a little practical but still silly like the little pocket knife with the pink hearts on it at the train station.  In the end the only thing he could think of was nothing more than just showing up.  Which had been fine.  There was no rule about bringing gifts or any expectation to.  He just wished he could have done something to make Iwaizumi smile the way Oikawa had or laugh the way Hanamaki had.

He was wrapped up enough in his thoughts that he barely registered Watari stumbling back out of Matsukawa’s tent and digging into the one Kyoutani and Iwaizumi had set up as their own for a moment before humming happily and carefully making his way to Shigeru.  He wondered if Watari would actually be sharing his tent tonight or if he and Matsukawa had kicked Hanamaki out.  Watari’s fingers digging into his sweatshirt and latching onto his wrist pulled him out of his memories half a second before Watari pulled Shigeru out of his chair.  He followed along as Watari yanked him past Kyoutani and shoved him forward.

It took him a moment to register that he had just landed in Iwaizumi’s lap and by the time he does Iwaizumi’s already shifted the hedgehog plushie to the side and carefully slid his arm around Shigeru’s waist to keep him steady.

“Happy birthday, Iwaizumi,” Watari declared with a grin on his face.  Then he turned around and made his way cheerfully back to Matsukawa’s tent.

“My gift from you and Watari?”

“That was less subtle than he suggested and I agreed to,” Kyoutani grumbled, halfheartedly throwing his empty water bottle towards the tents.  Shigeru wanted to pull away, to yell, to growl at them.  But Iwaizumi wasn’t pushing him away or upset.  He was actually shifting to accommodate Shigeru’s weight and settling Shigeru closer to him.  Kyoutani was looking at them both fondly enough as well and Shigeru let himself hope for just a moment.  “But yes.  Yahaba is our gift to you.  More or less.  I was just going for bringing him back and maybe suggesting you guys go on a date.  Shinji insisted that shoving you together and demanding you kiss things out was the better option.”

Shigeru seriously considered smothering Watari in his sleep.  At least until Iwaizumi laughed softly and pulled Shigeru a little tighter against him.

“And what does my ‘gift’ have to say about this?”

“I might have to kill my friends,” Shigeru stated even as he shifted all the way down into Iwaizumi’s lap.  Then he turned and pressed a kiss to Iwaizumi’s cheek, ignoring the flush on his own and Kyoutani’s hand reaching out to ruffle his hair and run a comforting knuckle down his spine.  “But happy birthday, Iwaizumi.”