someone knocked on his bedroom door, and iwaizumi groaned.

"yes?"

"sir, naomi has just pulled up into the driveway," the voice of akira kunimi — his 'butler' if you will — who mostly just helped him out where needed or where iwaizumi couldn't be bothered, drifted through the doorway, "and i believe you have a... visitor."

iwaizumi opened his eyes, blinking slowly as he adjusted to the intruding sunlight filtering through the blinds, tracing around the silhouette of another laying beside him. any other day he'd enjoy this moment, maybe even live in it for as long as he could — but he couldn't. and he had to get going. fast.

"fuck," he whispered, sitting up immediately, "akira, distract her please, don't make it obvious."

"uh... yes, sir," he said, obviously hesitantly, and as soon as iwaizumi heard his footsteps hurrying down the hallway he started shaking oikawa next to him, who was somehow shirtless and very close to being pants-less as well.

"tooru," he hissed, "get the fuck up." the brunet groaned, turning away from iwaizumi, blindly grabbing for the blankets, which he couldn't find. "i'm not kidding you daft brunet fuck, my wife's home, and you need to get the fuck out of here before she notices."

"iwa-chan~" he murmured, completely ignoring the stress iwaizumi was radiating as he grabbed ahold of the smaller's arm and cuddled up against it. iwaizumi let out an exasperated noise.

"i will throw water over your hair."

oikawa opened his eyes, looking up at him. "yes. i am awake."

"you're the vainest person i have ever met."

"thanks! anyway, you plan on sneaking me out how?" he asked with one eyebrow raised, sitting up and stretching his arms above his head, arching his back in a type of way that should be illegal, putting himself on display with no shame in the world.

"i don't fucking know, because my house is huge and i have nine million hallways?! and put some clothes on!" iwaizumi hissed back, flustered and blushing from head to toe as he hastily got off of the bed, finding oikawa's shirt and tossing it towards him.

"iwa-chan, i want fresh clothes~" oikawa whined, tossing the shirt right back at him, "lend me yours."

"what? no! you wanted to stay, you should've brought spares!"

"you're the rich one! i figured you wouldn't even notice," oikawa huffed angrily, crossing his arms, "fine, i'm staying right here then. all naked."

"you're not naked."

he gave iwaizumi a challenging look. "but i could be."

"oh my god," iwaizumi groaned as he angrily opened his cupboard, grabbing whatever he could find that he thought would fit the taller — which happened to be a very nice dark-blue sweater. "wear that. take your fucking shirt with you. now get out through the back door. i'll tell akira to take you there."

"akira?" oikawa asked, slipping the sweater over his head as he stood up, "who's that?"

"my butler or whatever you want to call him. and from now on i'm going to have to give him a raise for exposing him to whatever gay mess you are. he already thinks we had sex yesterday, so that's just great."

"how have i not seen him before? and won't he tell your wife?"

"this is a large house and there's a lot to do in it. and he won't. i pay him. she doesn't. he knows that. he'd be stupid to even consider it," iwaizumi said as he quickly put some gel in his hair, not caring very much how it looked, "he's been trustworthy enough. hasn't mentioned you showing up everyday."

"great. so we have another ally," oikawa chuckled, walking over to iwaizumi, "c'mere, you look like a mess." he grabbed iwaizumi's shoulders and turned him to face the taller brunet, eyes narrowed ever so slightly as he started working on iwaizumi's hair with elegant, soft touches. iwaizumi stopped breathing entirely to not let oikawa know that if he did allow himself to breathe, he'd be a shaky fucking mess. "there. much better. you're rather cute. did you know that?"

iwaizumi glanced away. he shrugged slightly. "i've been called good-looking on some occasions."

"well, that's an understatement," oikawa chuckled. the shorter rolled his eyes, grabbing the other by the shoulders and pushing him away.

"can we now—"

"but you should take care of your hair more. i'll bring you some special shampoo, cause what you're using now is... disastrous."

"tooru—"

"and you need a shave. i kind of like the stubble, but it'd probably look better when it's neatly shaven."

"hey tooru," iwaizumi said, taking a step closer to him, "wanna hear something?"

"what's that?" oikawa smirked down at him.

"know how i said that some other people find me attractive?" he asked, lowering his voice purposely as he tentatively placed his hands on oikawa's hips. he leaned up to oikawa's ear, continuing softly, "well, you should know..."

"yeah?" oikawa asked quietly. blushing just a little.

"that one of them is my wife. who just got home. so get out of my fucking house!" oikawa jumped at the sudden volume iwaizumi produced by yelling, rubbing his ear whilst pouting. "iwa-chan, mean!"

"look, just— she can't know. you got your stay. please just do what i say right now."

"fine, i'll listen to iwa-chan."

"thank fucking god."

—

his wife's return was awkward, to say the least. kunimi had managed to stall her long enough, and she only gave a mildly confused look as iwaizumi ordered kunimi to hurry and get that return package sent off quickly. that package being oikawa tooru.

physical contact started to make iwaizumi feel uncomfortable. before, he'd been more indifferent than unsettled — but now, he felt off. he nearly physically jumped when naomi leaned close to peck him on the lips, and the hug he gave her was extremely forced. she complimented his hair, saying it looked better than usual. his stomach twisted.

it made him worry, because she was a smart woman, and she would catch on to what was happening. wether he liked it or not.

he was worrying still when he heard a soft knock on his door. expecting it to be naomi, he simply said "what's up?", only to have the door open and reveal his trusted employee standing in its opening, before stepping in and closing it behind him.

"sorry for the intrusion," he said quietly, "but i'm afraid i have some questions i'd like answered. not out of personal greed, but in order to do what's best for you, sir."

"akira, you don't have to be so formal. you know that," iwaizumi chuckled, gesturing to the seat in front of him. "take a seat." he nodded timidly, taking a seat in front of him, posture neat and hands resting on his lap.

"it's regarding your rather... eccentric... how should i put this? companion? friend?"

"akira, what do you think we did yesterday?"

"i think you had sex," he said, only the faintest blush visible on his face — akira was neat, but he wasn't too shy. rather blunt, even. still, this was his boss, and they didn't usually discuss these subjects.

"we didn't have sex. we didn't do anything like that, i can assure you," iwaizumi said, leaning back in his chair, "you're probably wondering why he comes around so much if he isn't some guy i'm having an affair with. and why i'm having affairs with guys in the first place."

"i... yes. i am wondering that."

"i'm a private person. i like to keep things to myself. only my closest friends know most everything about me. so, naturally, i don't open up easily. but, lately, because of that brunet idiot that's been visiting so often, i've taken to be forced to open up and put all of my secrets on display." he looked kunimi in the eye, gaze intense, but nothing kunimi couldn't meet. "you've been good to me. you've never lied to me and you haven't tried to betray me. you haven't broken my trust so far, and i trust that you won't do so in the near future."

"what huge thing am i about to become a part of?" kunimi chuckled, "no, i wouldn't betray you. you got me this position. and really... i like you more. can i say that safely now?"

"yes, you can," iwaizumi laughed softly. "tooru — oikawa tooru, the man you escorted earlier — is something like a companion. i haven't done anything with him. but i can't guarantee that i never will." the grin slowly faded from his face, turning into something that resembled a grimace. "truth is, i don't care for women much. at all, really. only a select amount of people know this, and i want to keep it like that. so i trust you'll keep it like that.

"anyway, tooru has now forced himself into my life and i've let myself accept it. he'll be around more often. and i need you to be more discreet. i'll give you a raise. just, whatever happens, however far it goes — don't let her know."

"why him?" kunimi asked, "obviously i'll help out. you're my boss, not her. and besides that, you guys haven't been happy together for a long time. but why that guy? he's annoying."

"he's a fucking prick. and i can't explain the attraction other than that he's damn good looking."

kunimi narrowed his eyes, smirking slightly. "well... i think you might be able to."

"oh, shut up," iwaizumi rolled his eyes, "go fluff our millions of pillows before she gets pissed."

—

dinner was fine. it was neutral. not nice, but not bad, either.

naomi went on about her trip for a long time. fashion and stuff really got her going, and iwaizumi honestly couldn't care less. so he just nodded and played along when he thought was necessary. he didn't care for floral dresses or high heels or what length of boots was now officially acceptable.

he'd like to see oikawa in boots, though. the thigh-high ones with heels at the bottom, preferably black, preferably worn with shorts so that he could admire that amazing piece of thigh that would peek out from in betwee—

he was at dinner with his wife. this was hardly the time to start... fantasizing.

still, as his wife went on about various fashion items, he couldn't help but picture oikawa in short shorts and thigh-high boots, and whatever else she happened to mentioned. it was a way to drag himself through the story, really.

that would be his life now. thinking about another man whilst having dinner with his supposedly stunning wife, using images of him to drag himself through yet another boring day.

—

he hadn't been 'home' in a while.

home was a run-down apartment complex in a city that was a disappointingly far ride away from where matsukawa and iwaizumi resided. home was a crappy, tiny room that was attached to the one his roommate used, a tiny kitchen and a living space that was equally small and barely habitable. home was the stench of filth, an uncomfortable mattress, a strange sense of being cold and loneliness.

and just like that, he went from taking a spin in a bugatti chiron, eating privately-cooked steaks and sleeping in california king beds, to the domestic life of a struggling city boy who didn't have his shit together. he went back to that, making himself a cup of instant noodles and dropping down onto the couch, switching on the tv to distract himself from whatever situation he had placed himself in.

he could have money. he could ask iwaizumi for some. fine, iwaizumi may be tougher, but matsukawa would 'sponsor' him, and if matsukawa didn't, he had a whole list of other potential targets ready to go. it would be easy and it would get him out of here.

but it wasn't fair that way. he didn't want iwaizumi's money. he just wanted to pretend that he belonged in that ridiculous mansion for a few days a week before returning to reality again. just to pretend.

he missed him. he missed teasing him. and even though it was only to shout at him
in the end, he wanted to feel iwaizumi's hands on his hips as he whispered into his ear, and he wanted it to go further from there. sure, he was a home wrecker. he didn't care much about that. iwaizumi wasn't happy anyway. there wasn't much to wreck in the first place.

his phone buzzed and he checked the screen. it was sugawara, asking the group chat if they wanted to meet up tonight, the usual place. oikawa texted a confirmation and tossed his phone onto the other side of the couch, munching away lazily.

—

their usual place was kuroo's. kuroo had a pretty good job and dealt drugs, so he was able to afford a very nice apartment all by himself, making it private and spacious and pretty nice overall. kuroo was where he got his supplies — they'd met after oikawa moved to the states and had kept at it with a few other friends since. he was a good friend. it all worked out nicely.

sugawara was there, of course, accompanied by shirabu and home-owner kuroo himself. "hey tooru, long time no see," he smiled at the brunet as he stepped in, taking off his shoes and taking a seat at the kitchen table everyone else was sat at.

"yeah, well, i've been busy," oikawa sighed contently as he sat down, "i've had an eventful few days."

"you're wearing a versace sweater," shirabu noted, "everyone, tooru has found his new man."

"which rich guy'd you have sex with this time?" kuroo asked, setting down a drink in front of him.

"i had sex with the same guy from before. the important factor in this situation is the guy i didn't have sex with," oikawa laughed, "and i simply asked him for a sweater."

"you didn't sleep with him? he's gotta be something else," sugawara replied, "tell me! who is it?"

"hajime iwaizumi."

all three of them looked at him, absolutely dumbfounded. shirabu had to set his glass down and put his hands in his hair, elbows resting on the table, confused out of his mind.

"what the fuck do you mean, hajime iwaizumi?" kuroo asked, "you mean that guy you worked for? that super duper billionaire that built an entire fucking empire?"

"yes. that hajime iwaizumi. and you can't tell people, obviously, because that would fuck a lot up and make you shitty friends!" oikawa informed them cheerfully. it seemed casual, but there was a high level of trust between the group. whatever illicit affairs they engaged in, they never reached the light of day. they all liked it that way. they all needed it that way.

"holy fuck, you have got to be kidding. this cannot be real," shirabu said, putting his hands down, "isn't he married to that incredibly hot woman? what's her name, naomi?"

"that's the girl. she was out of town for a few days, so i used that time to make my move on him. he really didn't want me at first — because of her. but he's gay and he's already sneaking me out of the house early in the morning. hence the sweater."

"tooru, i'm one-hundred percent serious here," kuroo said, turning oikawa to him, "as soon as anything goes down between them, give her my number. she is the most attractive woman on this planet and i am not missing any opportunity to be in the same room as her."

"will do, tetsu," oikawa chuckled, "i only saw her once at a party, though. and she did not like me dragging her hubby off to the bathroom. or the look i gave her as i did."

"i've never been prouder," sugawara sighed happily, leaning with his head on oikawa's shoulder, "you're doing great, sweetie."

"only you two could bond over ruining a marriage," shirabu murmured.

"the man's gay. it's better for both of them," oikawa shrugged, taking a sip of his drink.

"so what happens after you finally get bored of him?" shirabu asked the brunet, sending him a challenging look.

"we'll see what happens when i do. but don't worry, i won't be bored in the near future. he's new. i haven't had anyone like him before. he's..."

"you like him," sugawara said.

"i didn't say i like him," oikawa replied, "i just said he's new."

"yeah. but you like him. or you will, at least."

"well, he drove me around in his chiron."

"my god, tooru, you are killing us," shirabu groaned, resting his forehead on kuroo's table, "i hate you and your stupid little schemes that make your life so fucking awesome."

"well, i believe tetsu has something for us all that'll make life a lot fucking more awesome."

"i do," kuroo said, "i'll go get it. i'm nothing but a plug to you lot."

"that's the spirit!" oikawa laughed, patting him on the back, "we all love you personally too, tetsu, don't you worry."

"i can feel the love."

it wasn't a luxury mansion, or a bugatti chiron, but even without the drugs, he loved being with his friends. and evenings like these made his beat-down life a little more bearable. still, he couldn't help but think about what sugawara had said about liking iwaizumi, and he couldn't help but think about iwaizumi himself. he wouldn't say he missed him, but he did yearn for him and the banter they had.

he wouldn't be gone for long.

—

"sir, you have a message," kunimi informed iwaizumi as he and naomi were dining together, "it's rather urgent."

"who's it from?" iwaizumi asked absentmindedly, continuing to read the newspaper he had in his hand.

"the manufacturer we sent those packages to earlier this week," the smaller replied, and iwaizumi's eyes shot up to meet his. the slight smile playing on kunimi's lips gave it away; oikawa tooru was up to something.

"see that this gets taken to my study," iwaizumi demanded, gesturing to his dinner, "i'll be there for the night."

he made his way out of the dining room, not even giving naomi as much as a glance in her direction, quickening his pace as he got closer to his study until he was almost jogging. he entered the room by flinging his door open, expecting to see him there, only to find a neatly-folded note on his desk reading, in perfect handwriting, 'meet me at the garage at 7:30. don't be late'.