Ushijima's known Iwaizumi for 6 years, but the definition of 'knowing' was more like a vague awareness. He puts a name to a face and a position behind the veil of a volleyball net and that's about it.
To the Ushijima Wakatoshi of Shiratorizawa, Seijoh's Iwaizumi Hajime is filed in a folder titled 'almost'. He was 'almost' six feet tall, he was 'almost' good enough to be great in no small part due to his setter.
There's no malice to the way Ushijima composes these little factoids. But after they cross paths in CA, Wakatoshi starts to notice some other things.
Unlike the exaggerated disdain showered on him by Oikawa or the intimidated awe he's often subject to by his peers and kohai, Iwaizumi is surprised to meet Wakatoshi but unruffled in making conversation and maybe even pleased to see a familiar face.
It's not the disquieting confidence radiated by the concrete crows either, it's something calmer, more comfortable. Wakatoshi isn't prepared to admit it yet, but he's a little ashamed of how he categorised the other man.
The only 'almost' here is how Wakatoshi 'almost' had an idea of what Iwaizumi was, and it turns out it was mostly wrong.
He learns that Iwaizumi is finishing up his 2nd year in the department of sports sciences at Waseda, he learns that Iwaizumi still occasionally plays a few casual matches with other faculty students and works part time at a physical therapy clinic ('mostly clerical' he admits).
He used his earnings to come all the way to the US to meet Wakatoshi's father and tour the campus to figure out his next academic step.
Iwaizumi works hard and sets difficult but realistic goals, he's mature but still knows how to have fun. Iwaizumi is kind, helpful and attentive to everyone, even total strangers and he does it as naturally as breathing.
"I don't really get to watch games live lately." Iwaizumi confesses a little embarrassedly on the second day they happen to meet for coffee on campus.
Between work and everything else, he catches the occasional online replay on the train while commuting or on the weekend while he relaxes.
Plus he can't afford the subscription while saving for all his future plans. Even outside the city, the greater Tokyo area is still quite costly to live in.
Wakatoshi takes the information and files it away. He likes talking to Iwaizumi, it feels like he has a friend again. Not a team-mate, but an actual friend. After coffee, they bid each other goodbye with separate itineraries to complete.
Iwaizumi flies home, Wakatoshi stays on a little longer to enjoy the off season with his father. They both become mostly wrapped up in their own lives again for a time.
A couple of months later, back in Japan, a still-sweaty but victorious Wakatoshi looks up from signing a kid's shirt to meet a familiar pair of brown eyes.
Iwaizumi, hands tucked into the pockets of his dark red Sōdai hoodie, grins at him in that way that makes the corners of his eyes crinkle. "I figured they were from you." he laughs, whipping out the ticket stub from his pocket. "Thanks. It was a good match."
They talk a little, and after some finagling with their terminally busy schedules, they talk some more. Wakatoshi sends more tickets, they meet frequently, sometimes not even after a game.
In fact, they're meeting more outside of the arena these days. Sometimes Iwaizumi has errands to run or things to do, Wakatoshi doesn't mind, he's content to tag along or just hang out while he works. It's relaxing, peaceful even.
Wakatoshi opens a new mental folder. Saitama really isn't that far: Iwaizumi Hajime is 'just' a mere hour away by train. Iwaizumi isn't a mindreader like Tendou, but he always knows 'just' what to say when he's having a rough day.
In fact, he's becoming increasingly convinced that Hajime 'just' gets him, and he thinks he's slowly but surely learning what makes Hajime tick.
One evening, while pressed against each other in the train, a thought occurs to Wakatoshi: Hajime was 'just' tall enough that if he looked up right this moment, Wakatoshi could just dip his head and...
content warning: personal, family/career issues, and misplaced anger.
Apparently, I have two years left here before I'm supposed to leave the country to further my career overseas.
A few weeks ago, for the first time ever, my dad asked me about my plans for the immediate future. It's not a topic I'm comfortable talking about--not because I don't have any plans, but because I don't like that when people get an idea of what I'm planning, they're automatically going to assume that everything will actually go according to plan.
So I laid it all out for him. I told him, "four years, more or less." The clock started ticking two years ago.
I'm fucking proud of that. A four year timeline is no joke. I thought he'd be, too.
Instead, my dad looked away from me, tapping mindlessly on the table. It was all I heard before he finally responded.
"Four years, max."
When I first graduated, I had a three year goal:
year 1: graduate, get a job
year 2: get a license
year 3: practice my profession, then work/study overseas
If you asked me about it two years ago, I'd say that's an absolutely attainable timeline, and I can almost guarantee it happening exactly the way I wanted to. If you ask me now, with all the shit happening for the past year, you think my answer will still be the same?
The thing I like about myself is that I set realistic goals ever since I was little. I can achieve whatever I want so long as I put my mind into it, as long as it's within the realm of possibilities for me. I do it by considering all the factors I know of that will have an effect on me achieving them, and, as an overthinker, that's not so hard to do.
So my three year plan became a four year plan.
year 1: get a job
year 2: not die
year 3: get a license
year 4: work/study overseas
It's simple. It's straight forward. A lot of allowances for me not to stress out over it (because I have decided that the only way I can stop me from off-ing myself is by giving myself more time and leeway to, you know, live.)
For someone of my (very, very low) caliber, I think this is a fucking feat if I ever achieved it. I will expect to have a week long fiesta at home, a bulletin outside the village, a large donation to charity in my name, the whole nine fucking yards.
It's a challenge I gave myself. No one else. So if I achieve it, then good for me. If not, well then, I'm not dying anytime soon, anyway.
The point of setting goals for one's self is so that NO ONE ELSE HAD TO. When someone tells me what to do, it takes away the intention behind everything I'm working for.
Because the thing is, the only reason why I'm rushing to get all that done is so my parents can be proud of something I did again. I'm rushing my way through life because I want to make them happy. I want to send home money they would hesitate to even touch. I'd build them a house. I'd make it so they will never have to want for anything ever again. Even if it means never seeing my family and friends. Even if it means I have to spend years of my life in a foreign land with no one else to rely on but myself. I'd sacrifice everything I want for myself if it meant I can make them happy.
My achievements, my goals in life are the ultimate expression of my love for my mom and dad.
And they responded with, "Well? Get on with it, then!"
In short, this is me, doing my absolute, fucking best, not for me but for them, always for them and only for them, and they're telling me it's still not enough.
PAIRING: Iwaizumi Hajime x fem!reader x Ushijima Wakatoshi
GENRE: college!au | wee bit of crack | smut (18+)
Minors DNI
TAGS + WARNINGS: threesome, oral (m and f receiving), mentions of vibrator, fingering, light degradation, cursing, light nipple play, masturbation (m and f), light manhandling, squirting, pussy slapping (like, twice), cum eating, double penetration, size kink, creampie, corruption kink if you squint, voyeurism, pining (sometimes subtle, mostly not), virgin!Ushijima
Let me know if I missed anything.
WORD COUNT: 9.2k
SUMMARY: Your desire to get in Ushijima’s pants doesn’t go unnoticed by your roommate, Iwaizumi. Having reached his breaking point, though, he decides to take matters into his own hands. All characters are 18+
AUTHOR’S NOTE: Minor timeskip spoilers, since this takes place when Iwaizumi’s in California for school. Also, I’m only making Ushijima a virgin here since I feel like with him being so focused on volleyball, he didn’t think much about relationships back in high school. Also also, some of the dialogue exchanged between Iwaizumi and Ushijima are in Japanese, but are written in English (it’s sometimes implied throughout the story). Also also also, sorry if you do speak Japanese: this fic has taken that ability away.
You don’t know how long you’ve been staring, but your roommate coughing into his fist tells you it’s been for long enough.
“This is Ushijima,” Iwaizumi motions to the man next to him. “We played volleyball against each other back in high school. He’s here to visit his dad, but he’ll come over from time to time.”
The handsome stranger–Ushijima–blankly stares at you as you feel your face heat up. He’s tall, taller than Iwaizumi, and just as muscular. His bone structure looks as though it was delicately sculpted; with a sharp jawline and high cheekbones, you’d argue he’d give Michelangelo’s works a run for their money. His eyes–a rich olive colour–continue to bore into yours, and you have to refrain from shivering under his gaze. With such a stoic expression, most people may find him intimidating. Maybe you do, too. But with the way his t-shirt deliciously hugs his torso, you can’t help but wonder what he’d look like on top of you without it, your nails digging into his back—
I’m just imagining ushiiwa cuddling and iwa falls asleep on ushi, full weight on the other, and ushijima is just like “this is fine” as his ribs are being crushed
Oh, a pairing I really like for some reason: Ushijima x Iwazumi. Domestic HCs please?
ooh, never really thought of them before but I like it! Domestic hc’s suit them perfectly. Since Domestic, they are older too!
not that they do this, but their relationship is the personification of an elderly couple sitting on their porch in their rocking chairs, relaxing their golden years away
but really, they are here for the simple things in life, as long as they get to do it together. Sometimes, their favorite evenings are just when they get to have a homemade dinner together, and then just sit on their apartment balcony having a drink and conversation until its time to wrap up and get ready for bed.
Ushijima has a really mature personality, so Iwaizumi thought it was going to be a breeze living with him, but he forgot to consider that Ushijima grew up with his mother, in a rich household, where he rarely (if ever) had to lift a finger to get things done.
In other words, Ushijima is a spoiled rich boy who is moderately nervous to change a lightbulb because “Hajime, what if I break it?” (He’s not trying to be stupid, he’s genuinely concerned. They seem so fragile.)
But honestly this results in the best possible situation, because 1. Handyman Iwaizumi fixing all the small leaks and breaks around the house. and 2. Iwaizumi finally having something he can teach Ushijima.
Ushijima is a very attentive student! He’s always amazed at everything Iwaizumi knows, and is very thankful to have him.
Speaking of that, Ushijima rarely says “I love you” because he likes to save it for special occasions. Instead, he always tells Iwaizumi “I’m thankful for you” or something similar whenever he is overcome with love and adoration for his boyfriend.
Iwaizumi appreciates this, because hes not the best at expressing his emotions either, and these more neutral words of affection are comfortable, but still clearly express how they feel about each other.
When they’re both home together, but still kind of going about their own thing, Ushijima always touches Iwaizumi in some way when walking past him. Touching his shoulder, running a hand over his hair. Just a little point of connection, a little touch that lets Iwaizumi know that Ushijima is there.
They rarely bicker or fight, but when they do, they both stew in uncomfortable silence, because they both hate being upset with each other. Even if they don’t make up with words before going to bed, one of them always reaches for the other when the lights go out. They hate being angry, and a soft little cuddle as they fall asleep really makes it better. At least better enough for them to fall asleep. They properly make up in the morning.
Ushijima is almost always the first one awake in the morning. He isn’t a morning person, nor a night owl, but he has learned that he needs to get up before Iwaizumi if he wants to take a shower before leaving the house in the morning because Iwaizumi stands in the shower, not moving, for at least 20 minutes after getting up. The actual shower takes another 20 minutes, and he is always pushing it to get to work on time.
They definitely have a big, fluffy dog that acts more like a child than some of their friend’s children do. They treat it better than some people treat their kids. And, they always feel bad when they have to kick their dog out of their room when they want to have private time, so they can never fall asleep right after because they have to clean up and open the door so the dog can come sleep at the foot of their bed.
Bonus : I thought it would be cute if they were both coaching rival volleyball teams, but, I think Iwaizumi would do best coaching middle school students. He wants to get them when they’re young and build them up. Then he passes them to Ushijima at the high school.
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