NEO-POP | Iwaizumi Hajime ✓

10 BEYOND TIMEZONES & OCEANS

warning: mentions of drinking

CHAPTER TEN
beyond timezones & oceans

Strangely enough, Iwaizumi doesn't know what's worse: hearing a constant series of fireworks being set off outside followed by a seemingly never-ending applause, or watching Oikawa flirt with his mini fanbase in the living room as if there's no tomorrow, like the world'll collapse in itself the second the clock hits midnight in about an hour. Whichever it is, he can't decide; both are feeling equally detrimental to his sanity at the moment, and the liquid calm seeping through the crevices of his brain doesn't seem to be helping very much — just adds fuel to the flame that is the buzzing in his ears and an upcoming migraine.

With another sip of his drink, he lets his eyes wander around. There's Mattsun sitting on the other side of the living room, playing some niche board game with a few of the former volleyball club members who graduated last year, and Hanamaki in his peripheral vision who's currently having the time of his life doodling dicks in permanent marker all over the unsuspecting face of someone taking a nap on the table. Seeing him snuggle against the decorative vase as if it's a teddy bear, Iwaizumi doesn't think he'll be waking up any time soon.

Then, a little ways from him is Oikawa, of course, still indulging his admirers' flattery, unfortunately for Iwaizumi as a sharp ache sears through his temples when the fanbase exudes a collective, shrill noise resembling something between giggles and cheers.

Shittykawa must've shown them his party trick, he scowls. Apparently, no one has ever seen a person roll a coin over their knuckles in real life before. The bitterness on his tongue suddenly feels too unpleasant to bear.

"I'm going to get a drink of water. I'll be right back," he tells his best friend, who squints at him like that'll help him hear Iwaizumi's words better over all the commotion.

"Uh-huh..." Oikawa says slowly, before stating with far too much confidence, "Go piss girl."

"No, the fuck?" Iwaizumi's eyebrows pinch together into his usual disapproving frown. "I said I'm going to get some water. Wa-ter. Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone." He isn't sure if Oikawa even hears him correctly or not, but regardless, he decides that is no longer his problem as he stands up from the couch he's been loitering since the start of this New Year's Eve party and makes his way to the kitchen.

Humming along to the background music quietly to himself, he empties out the cup he had been drinking out of into the sink before filling it up with water. Just as he turns around to leave the kitchen, though, you suddenly pop up beside him like a jumpscare from a low-budget horror movie, and the way he flinches nearly sends the water splashing out of the cup and onto the floor.

"[Y/N]—?" He blinks rapidly for a moment, trying to overcome the shock by your sudden manifestation. His eyes spare you a quick once-over before settling on your face. "Hi."

"Hi."

His index finger taps against the cup along to the beat of the music — a nervous action. "I wasn't expecting to see you here," he says.

"Me neither."

"Got any New Year resolutions?"

"No."

"Oh. Me neither."

He nods slightly, gnawing on his bottom lip and glancing around the living room once more after realising he's got nothing else to say. There's Mattsun still playing a board game. Hanamaki drawing on some asleep guy. Oikawa and his unofficial fan-meet. Another bout of piercing giggles erupts from them, clashing simultaneously with a mix of yippees and boos from Matsukawa's group and the cacophonous noises of a literal explosion outside. It comes off as no surprise that the buzzing in his ears persists, yet when he allows his eyes to follow you from head to toe again — before realising with crimson stained ears that he'd done that already, not even five minutes ago — he finds the ache in his temples ebbing away, like receding tidal waves.