if i've seen it, i'll write for it! focusing on anime, casual writer.
please feel free to message me with requests.
- haikyu - my hero academia - hunter x hunter - demon slayer - and more! -
Summary: Short story: You’re the life of the party, but sometimes you accidentally on purpose get out of hand and surprisingly Bokuto’s always chooses to take care of you.
Warnings: Alcohol. Smoking. Drunk behavior.
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Music blared loudly through the bar. The band playing had a bit of a pop vibe to them that made everyone dance around. It was a Friday night which meant konpa. This was a tradition your friend group participated in on almost a weekly basis, barring exam time. It was different than a traditional konpa. Instead of an izakaya, the group, fluctuating anywhere between twenty to forty people, frequented the same seedy little bar in Shinjuku where the only five employees were friends of someone in the group. It was known for having live musicians, usually in the indie, DIY, punk genre and being frequented by mainly college students. Everyone loved listening to loud music to let off steam.
You had a particularly difficult week and had been looking forward to getting absolutely smashed. You’d gotten some scathing remarks on a review you’d written from your Classical Literature professor that was pretty crushing and your boss at the publishing company you worked at went in on you for not being more available - despite having explained twice already that you were an active college student. Then there was the fact your mother wouldn’t stop calling you just to chat and your next door neighbor was an old woman who lived alone and seemed to always need help with something and your big old heart just couldn’t say no to either woman. Honestly you were constantly running out of spoons and you wanted someone to take care of you.
Drinking game after drinking game, you played them all. Win or lose, as long as you were having a good time, you didn’t care. It was past midnight now and trains had long stopped running. You were dancing in circles with a group of girls you knew, arms in the air and bouncing rhythmically to the beat. Opening your eyes, you scanned the blurry sea of faces around you. You didn’t see him so you just keep dancing. It wasn’t until the band stopped playing and house music played, did you make your way over to the bar to order a beer.
Blowing the bartender - a boy you had classes with a few times - a kiss, you took the glass bottle with you as you meandered to the small enclosed back patio. It was deserted save for a person who was headed back in. You made a motion with your fingers to your lips and he passed you a cigarette before disappearing inside, the shutting of the door barely muffling the sounds of music and partiers. You stepped onto the bench carefully, sitting down on the back of it. The cigarette sat between your lips and you closed your eyes, feeling the cool night breeze that rushed through the city’s alleyways. Tonight was a great night. Tomorrow morning not so much. Your brows suddenly furrowed, realizing you didn’t have a lighter. A blast of music signaled that someone had just joined you.
Opening an eye, you couldn’t help the blush and lazy smile that appeared on your face upon seeing the man before you staring at you with a familiar and intense gaze. He was definitely drunk. Bokuto Kotarou was two types of drunk. First he was a charismatically loud and fun drunk, and if you got enough drinks in him, he would become serious and if he had his eyes on you, completely romantic and passionate.
Reaching up, he plucked the stick from your lips and placed it between his own. Slowly he reached into his pocket and pulled out a matchbook, fumbling slightly until he could light it. He stomped out the match, taking a single drag of the smoke before giving it back to you.
“It’s bad for you.”
“Then don’t enable me,” you replied, taking a drag.
“Like I could say no to you,” he scoffed, turning to sit down on the bench and carefully inserting himself between your legs. He pulled your legs over his strong shoulders and relaxed, gripping your thighs to keep you from accidentally falling backwards.
“Bokuto, take me home,” you whispered.
“In a little bit. It’s only two. Since it’s almost the end of their shift, the guys want to play a few more drinking games with the staff before we go.”
Finishing your beer and cigarette, you and Bokuto walked back inside and sat on the couches where the drinking crew sat. After several rounds of Pin-Pon-Pan, you were officially thrashed and could hardly keep up. Your owlish savior excused you for the night and the two started the long trek home across Tokyo to his apartment. He had switched beer out for water long ago, lying and saying it was vodka every time you asked him. You were quite the difficult to handle type of drunk, constantly side tracked and absolutely bratty, full of demands. Despite it having been two years since the two of you met, you hardly changed from when you first met.
A boy you knew from one class had brought Bokuto to the third ever konpa your freshman year of college. There was almost an immediate spark and the two of you were all over each other, even going to his apartment afterwards. The morning after, you didn’t stick around and disappeared. He came to the next konpa, the same thing happened, and the two of you agreed that as long as you were both into it and were single, this could keep happening. The rest was history after that, and that’s how Bokuto became your weekly dick appointment.
You still caused this man the same problems as always. Bokuto, however, matured in a sense. It depended on the situation really, but he was more serious about certain things, like his career. He decided he wasn’t going to finish college. Instead, he was going to try out for the Black Jackals after this semester. He remembered how after he told you his decision, you had acted quite recklessly at the following konpa, more so than usual. You had said some nasty things to him, kissed a stranger, and had been such a nightmare that friends asked why he even bothered with you. He simply smiled at them and, when you passed out in a booth, took you home and put you to bed. That’s what confirmed to him that you cared about him and this realization made him feel even more strongly about you.
“Bokuto, why don’t you fix your roots?” you asked, reaching up to touch his hair. At first he attempted to swat your hand away before finally lacing his fingers with yours, trying to keep you from falling behind.
“What’s wrong with my hair?”
“Let me fix it for you. It was so cute when it was growing out.” Your free hand joined your intertwined ones, gently grasping onto his wrist. Pressing your lips to his bicep, you peered up at him. He was so handsome and tall and-
Looking down he smiled at you. “I’ll think about it.”
You grinned and your gaze wandered past him to the store window and your eyes widened, a burst of energy escaping you as you pulled him over, wanting a better look at the dress in the window. “Look how cute it is. Do you think it’d suit me?”
He watched as your eyes sparkled and he couldn’t help smirking at you. “You look good with or without clothes. Doesn’t matter what you’re wearing.”
You narrowed your eyes and playfully slapped at his shoulder. “You dog.” Looking back at the dress, you sighed, “This store’s so expensive. Let’s go.”
The two of you continued on your way. It had barely been another fifteen minutes when Bokuto realized he was basically dragging you. He sighed, realizing you were getting exhausted. Peering back at you over his shoulder, he stopped walking, casting his gaze upward as if to ask God why. Your eyes were closed, head tilted back.
Opening one eye, you smiled at him. “Piggyback, please.”
“Come on, (Y/N), I’m tired too,” he pouted.
Stomping your feet you frowned at him, “I said please though!”
He sighed and squatted down enough for you to hop onto his back. “You’re lucky I love you.”
“No, you don’t,” you replied dismissively, climbing on.
Bokuto reached back and gave your ass and firm slap before standing up straight. “If I didn’t, then how do you explain why I always put up with your nonsense?”
“I hate you,” you pouted, resting your chin on his shoulder.
He sighed, "When are you going to finally admit you love me?”
“When you mean it,” you mumbled.
“Silly girl, don’t you know I mean it every time?”
By the time you made it to his apartment, you had sobered quite a bit. The two of you cuddled up on the couch in your underwear, making out and watching Japanese game shows between intimate physical moments and sweet whispers. You didn’t want to bring it up, but you’d been thinking of what he said when he was carrying you the entire time. Don’t you know I mean it every time? It was hard for you to digest.
He was a very honest guy, but you spent years digging in your heels when it came to having feelings for him and becoming anything other than friends-with-benefits. You remembered he hadn’t been mature or serious enough for you when you first met. He was that fun guy; the one you fooled around with, not married. You had been nursing a broken heart from a high school sweetheart at the time as well, deciding that you weren’t ready yet and you certainly weren’t going to date the first guy you slept with after your break up.
But you weren’t broken hearted about that boy anymore, and he wasn’t an immature goofball anymore. For the first time, during the span of knowing him, you opened your eyes that night and re-evaluated him; how he always seemed to be the one to take care of you, how whenever you freaked out on him he stayed by your side. Bokuto was always there for every meltdown and he was always the one you thought of when you needed someone to help you fix your problems. It’s why you can’t stand the idea of him leaving school for pro-volleyball. It feels like he's leaving you and... You never want to be without him.
Oh fuck.
Like clockwork, you woke up first with strong arms wrapped around you. Stretching out, you carefully slipped from his grasp. He slept like a log for the most part so it wasn’t difficult to make your morning after escape. You managed to shower, find the aspirin, and make a pot of coffee before you headed home. Setting some aspirin and a glass of water on his nightstand, you took a marker from his desk and wrote on his hand before pulling on your clothes as you walked out the door.
Several hours passed before Bokuto awoke. Groaning, he turned to his side and saw the empty space where you’d been and sighed. Just once he wished you’d actually stay long enough for him to wake up to you. As he reached up to rub his face, he paused at seeing the black marks on his hand. Fully opening his palm, he stared in disbelief.
Summary: A short tale regarding the struggles of young love, being honest about your feelings, and getting out of your own head.
Warnings: None. Awkwardness.
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Want to get lunch together sometime?
The message felt daunting to respond to. If you responded too quickly, you’d look desperate right? Swiping the notification away, you put your head down on your desk and watched the clock tick away until the seminar was over. The class was Psychology of Art and Creativity and focused on the intersection between art and psychology and explored the connection between insanity and creativity. At the end of the course you were to submit an art piece that expressed you; your emotions and psychological state. You shifted to rest your forehead against the cool surface of your desk and sighed. If you had to create something to turn in at this moment, you’d take a chunk of charcoal and smear it across a blank canvas until you ran out.
How could one simple text message tank your whole mood? It wasn’t even a bad message. You should have been excited. Your crush, Goshiki Tsutomu, asked if you wanted to get lunch sometime. Together. If it weren’t for the other students in class, you’d groan out loud.
Goshiki and you met by chance at the bookstore you worked at. You worked in the café there. It was “crush at first sight” when you spotted him walking in looking for books for his classes. He ordered a latte and the two of you got to chatting. It turned out the two of you were going to attend the same university and after comparing your schedules you actually had a couple of core classes together. Being not the most self confident person, you never thought he’d never be interested in you, but he would visit you at work sometimes, and in your classes you sat together. Then the new semester started; you mostly saw him randomly throughout the week on campus after that, and on weekends he would come by the café for a latte, but other than that it was rare to talk to each other.
You’d just text him on your way to work.
It was 10pm when you finally closed up the café in the bookstore you worked at. It wasn’t far from campus or your apartment, thankfully. Waving to the cashier in the bookstore department, you headed home. Checking your phone, you frowned at the notification on your phone; you still hadn’t texted Goshiki back. Sighing, you shoved your phone back into your purse. It was too late to text him back now; better wait for tomorrow.
A few more days passed like this and it seemed easier and easier to find excuses. You woke up too late and had to rush, or you had to focus on your studies, or you needed to clean, or maybe you needed to take some time to yourself and your hobbies. These things were all critical top priorities and you couldn’t spare a second.
At least that’s what you told yourself.
Are you okay?
You flinched at seeing the follow up text. It’d been four days since the first one and you had honestly hoped he’d let it go by now. Biting your lip, you considered opening the message, but your thumb hovered over the screen and you just couldn’t, deciding it was best to just lock your phone. What if you went to lunch with him and he didn’t like you after getting to know you? Or now that you hadn’t responded, would he even still want to get lunch? He asked if you were okay, so that meant he was concerned right? Your anxiety was bubbling up again. Sinking in your seat, you lightly nibbled on your pen before forcing yourself to put it down, reminding yourself that was a terrible habit.
Taking a deep breath, when class was dismissed, you hurried out of your Art of Preservation class and bee-lined straight for the train station. It was Friday and usually after this class, if you meandered, Goshiki would find you and you could not let that happen. Briskly walking towards the campus entrance, your escape was right there and you felt your shoulders relax and your pace drop to your normal stride. Your heart was just beginning to calm when you turned the corner and ran face first into someone’s backside.
You backed up a few steps and bowed, not even looking at who it was you had run into. “I’m sorry!”
“(Y/N)! I found you.”
It was as if your heart seized in your chest. Nervously, you took a peek and felt the color drain from you face. You could only whisper in response, “Goshiki.”
“I rushed here and decided to wait in case you were at school today.” He seemed like he was holding back from expressing himself in that excited manner you thought was so endearing and sweet. “I’m glad you’re okay, I was worried about you when I didn’t hear back.”
“Oh, yeah I’m sorry I just...,” you paused and laughed lightly, something you did when you were nervous.
“I didn’t do something to upset you, did I?” he asked, eyes wide with some worry.
You immediately waved your hands in front of you, panicked. “No, Goshiki! No! Sorry, haha, I fell asleep; I just forgot to reply.”
“Good, I’m glad.” A look of relief seemed to settle on him, but he still seemed like he was holding back from saying something. A few beats of silence passed between you. You were desperate to get away before this got anymore embarrassing or awkward for you. As you were about to open your mouth, he spoke, eyes downcast and... shy? “(Y/N), if it’s not too much, I’d still really, really like to take you out to lunch. I understand if you don’t want to. I just... really like you!”
Your eyes widened as he seemed to shout that last bit, his voice rushed as he bowed to you deeply, stiff as a board. He shut his eyes tightly and waited for judgement. “Do you... really like me?”
“Yes,” he quickly confirmed, almost shouting.
Your face lit up red as your hand quickly moved up to try and cover your burning hot cheeks and that happy smile that stretched across your face.
Summary: U.A. High School was your dream. You wanted to save people. You never expected how wild your journey would be and you certainly never expected a hot headed boy to play as large of a role as he would.
Warnings: Swearing.
[1] | [2] | [3] | [4] | [5] | [6] | [7]
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Since the newscast of Endeavor defeating that Nomu, everyone was visibly studying and training harder to become heroes. Bakugou’s kidnapping was secretly your motivation for working harder than before. You could never tell anyone. It’d be a giant blow to your boyfriend’s pride and make him feel de-mascluinized. You knew it was a huge weight on him and no one had really helped him work through his feelings. Every day you did your best, but there was only so much you could do on your own.
Luckily, you understood pride. In fact, you hadn’t forgotten about the rematch you wanted against him. You were just waiting for Aizawa to conduct a sparring lesson. Both you and Bakugou had approached your teacher asking if you could fight each other, but your requests were consistently rejected. And despite Bakugou insisting that you should just break the rules if you really wanted a rematch so bad, you weren’t having any of that and you let him know quickly what was up. If you two were going to fight, you weren’t getting placed under dorm arrest for it and missing classes because of him.
It was a Friday when Aizawa announced that after lunch the class would be performing 1-on-1 battles. You could barely contain your excitement, practically buzzing from your seat with energy. Unfortunately, you were dejected as Aizawa explained that battles would be chosen at random and then follow tournament style where winners faced each other. A fight between you and Bakugou just couldn’t be easy, could it.
For the first round, the bottom 12 in the class fought and the six winners would move on to fight the top half of the class and thankfully that didn’t include you thanks to Bakugou’s tutoring. For your first round you had to deal with Mineta, who only made it because he had a BYE round from the luck of the draw. That little perv managed to stick one of his balls to your elbow and you got stuck to the ground while trying to slide away like a baseball player from his grabby hands, but you managed to palm his face and blast him, knocking him out and sending him flying into Iida’s arms. In the second round, you faced off against Tokoyami who’s a total badass in your opinion. Dark Shadow was a nightmare. It was only because of your new super move and equipment updates that allowed you to store enough energy to win, but dousing Dark Shadow in bright blasts until he was too weak and catching Tokoyami off guard with a physical attack combo when he was blinded by light was the right strategy.
“Ready to do this?” you chirped, sending Bakugou a flirty wink before settling into a fighting stance.
“Hell yeah.” He wore a confident sneer.
“Remember, don’t hold back.”
“You don’t have to remind me.”
Aizawa sighed and crossed his arms, “Go ahead and begin.”
Bakugou let out a blast with his hands, rocketing himself at your figure. With quick thinking, you barely missed him with a rolling dodge, feeling the heat from his quirk lick at your skin. As he shifted to make another run at you while you were still on the ground, your hands extended toward him, firing off a powerful two handed blast that sent you both flying backwards in opposite directions.
He was faster to recover, so you turned and ran to create some distance. Noticing he was closing in, you pulled off a round-off at the last moment, serving him with two kicks to the chin before blasting him again when your feet touched the ground again. The two of you were relentless sending kicks and punches, bolstered by your quirks. Your match was a demolition man’s dream.
Unlike your other matches, there wasn’t time for shit talking. Instead it was filled with grunts and screams. The two of you were too busy keeping up with one another’s movements. You knew that if you started talking, you’d slip up and you figured he thought the same. He was never one to be quiet in a fight. It felt good to know he was taking this as seriously as you.
You thought you could gain the upper hand until both of your hands locked with his own. You could feel the heat from his smoking gloves. Quickly, you attempted to send a blast to counter him, knowing that you couldn’t pull your hands from his locked grasp, but his quirk’s functionality was quicker than your own and your blast wasn’t large enough, so you were sent flying across the training field, your arms blackened by soot and possibly singed skin, but you couldn’t think on it or your stomach would turn. Luckily your hands and arms still worked, confirming with a few small sparks you released, before you ran head on to serve your boyfriend tenfold for that move. Timing it, you sent a flying kick in his direction, using your quirk to propel your velocity and up the impact damage. It slightly pained you to see his expression as specks of blood few from his mouth, but you couldn’t stop; not when he wouldn’t either.
During that split second as you observed the blood leave his lips, you felt his hands lock around your ankles and a vicious smile instantly lit up his face. With a twist of his body, he spun around twice before releasing you, sending you flying high upwards above him and the rest of class. As you felt your body fly, you evaluated your current position and calculated your next plan of attack, absorbing as much light as you could in the process. It was bad, you still hadn't managed to fully overcome your quirk’s side effect so you needed to end this quickly. With a twist of your body, you free fell head first toward your boyfriend, hands glowing and ready as you counted down in your head.
With a battle cry, you pointed your hands at him and released your super move: Celebration. A flurry of lights continuously reigned down upon him, whistles and whirring sounds screeched and rocketed through everyone’s ears. You couldn’t see him anymore, but you knew you were hitting him. It wasn’t until the last moment when a hand emerged from your lights and the smoke that you realized that hand’t been enough.
His hand blindly made contact with your face and he lit you up, blasting you parallel across the ground. You had barely opened your eyes when he ran up on you, swinging his fist. His knuckles skimmed your cheek, thanks to your quick thought of turning your face aside. A tree stopped your forward trajectory; a blessing and a curse. You didn’t have time to think, pulling yourself away and running back toward your classmates. You could see them talking about your fight, but you couldn’t understand what they were saying. All you knew was that you were extremely irritable and-
Were those your parents with Aizawa? Shaking your head, you blinked rapidly, the images of your parents fading away. This wasn’t good at all.
A rough yell from above you broke your wandering thoughts and you tucked into yourself rolling onto your back and raising your hands to blast him in the chest. You managed a shaky kick up and gathered as much energy into your hands as possible, running at Bakugou as fast as possible. He dodged your first punch and you managed to miss his as well. Your second punch landed and you used your quirk to blast him in the gut, but he suffered through it and locked your wrist in a viselike grip. Before he could punch you, you threw your free fist first at his face, but he caught it with his free hand and took your second blast.
It was this moment, with your faces so close, that you realized the gap between the two of you. You definitely did a number on him, but despite how much his arms must have ached, you were in the midst of a heat stroke and wouldn’t last much longer.
“Don’t be a jerk and hold back.” Your lips moved before your mind even comprehended what you were saying.
“Suit yourself,” he growled out. A head butt with two large blasts to your torso finally took you out. You could hear your classmate’s cries of disbelief as you lie on the ground motionless with your eyes closed. “Hey get up or they’ll think I killed you.”
Opening one eye, you guessed your expression must have really been something considering the way your boyfriend looked down at you. You were absolutely spent. You needed to get water in your system and cool down your body safely, ASAP, and you were pretty sure you were bleeding in a few places. Exhausted, you asked him to help you onto your feet. You wanted to throw up from your change in perspective, bracing against his strong shoulders and taking deep breaths as he walked you over to your classmates. Aizawa checked you over.
“Bakugou! She’s your girlfriend!”
“How could you be so brutal? You should have held back some.”
“Not cool!”
“Fighting like a villain again.”
You gently squeezed Bakugou’s hand, feeling some heavy emotions radiating from him. He pulled his hand from you, growling and turning away, getting ready for the final match against Todoroki. “She’s my girlfriend, not a weakling.”
Now that made you smile. It didn’t feel so bad to lose; you trusted he wasn’t holding back. Your eyes were gentle and seemed to sparkle as you caught him side-eying you. You smiled at your classmates. “If I thought Bakugou held back at all, I’d definitely break up with him.”
“Well congratulations, he didn’t. Your prize is a visit to Recovery Girl,” your tired eyed teacher spoke, motioning to Iida. As class rep and the fastest, he was told to take you to Recovery Girl’s office for treatment. She was shocked to see your blotchy red skin and beaten so badly - you had never had to visit her before outside of regular physicals the school had students do.
Iida got out of there as quickly as possible. The jerk could have stayed in solidarity. You had to sit through her tirade on being safe since you were just a student, knowing your limits, and getting help when you know you needed it. Her rant was so incessant you wondered if getting healed by her quirk was worth losing your hearing and mind over. In the end you were instructed to finish a gallon of water to rehydrate and rest for a few more hours until you recovered from your exhaustion.
For a few hours, you’d been sleeping soundly when you turned over, blinking awake. You froze momentarily before relaxing, realizing the head of blond hair belonged to your favorite King Explosion Murder. Sighing softly, you reached out and ran your fingers through his hair, surprisingly soft. Biting your lip, you held in your laugh as he nuzzled into your touch.
The door to the office opened and Recovery Girl walked in. She gave you a knowing look, glancing down briefly at Bakugou before scuttling off to her desk. “That young man showed up right after you fell asleep. Quite the quiet type isn’t he.”
Quiet type?
Bakugou?
You merely smiled at her. “Am I allowed to leave?”
The petite woman scuttled over to you and checked your temperature quickly. “Seems fine. Remember what I said to you today. Know your limits, you’re still a student.”
“Yes ma’am,” you acknowledged, turning back to your slumbering boyfriend. You pressed your lips to his ear and gently whispered, one of your hands rubbing his back to wake him up, “Katsuki, wake up; let’s go back to the dorm.”
He stirred and ruby eyes blinked sleepily at you. His usual pout settled onto his face and he pulled away, getting to his feet, hands shoved into his pants pockets waiting for you. Lying back, you stretched your limbs in relief before you slipped out of bed, pulling your shoes on. You offered your hand to Bakugou, but when he didn’t accept, you simply played it off, tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ear before leading the way back to the dorm.
As the two of you walked the long path back to the dorm, you slowed your pace until you stopped, letting him pass you by a few steps.
“What’s going on with you?” you asked. He stopped walking, but didn’t bother turning around. You continued speaking, watching as his shoulders tensed and raised with every word you spoke, “Bakugou, seriously. Tell me what’s wrong, I’ll listen to you.”
“Would you shut up already,” he spoke, his shoulders dropping as he hunched over. His voice held no animosity, but it was evident something wasn’t right.
You were stunned for a moment, until you realized what he actually said to you. “Hey! Don’t tell me to shut up! Stop being a jerk and tell me what’s going on. I’m only concerned about you.”
“Then don’t be.”
“You idiot,” you yelled at him, swinging your hand down toward the side of his neck for a swift karate chop, but you didn’t make contact with his neck.
He easily caught your hand in his and with a simple motion pulled you toward him, turning in time for you to collide against his chest while his arms wrapped around you tightly. “Yeah, I am an idiot.”
“Bakugou,” you spoke into his chest, voice muffled.
“I lost against Icy-Hot. I was too busy worrying about you,” he admitted, his fingers gripping you a bit more tightly. You tried to escape from his embrace, but he only clung tighter to your form, trying to prolong this moment just a bit longer. “I can’t let that happen any more. I’m going to be the Number One Hero one day so I can’t get distracted. I’ve decided we’re over.”
At first you weren’t sure you heard him correctly, but you knew better than that. You heard him loud and clear. How dare he? How dare he blame you for losing? How dare he try to make this decision on his own? You felt your body begin to shake, angry, and without a second thought you managed to pull back enough to slam your face forward towards his own. His arms released you in shock as he reached up to grab his nose. Stumbling back a few feet, you placed both hands over your forehead, tears falling from your eyes. You weren’t sure if you were crying before or after the headbutt, but you didn’t think it really mattered anymore. You couldn’t even look at him now that you were free.
“You’re a coward! Why don’t you just think about getting stronger instead of coming up with shitty excuses for losing? Don’t blame other people for your problems Katsuki. If you want to break up then fine, we’re broken up, but just remember that you wanted this and you’re a moron to ask for it.” You couldn’t bare to stick around, quickly making your way to the dormitory.
Yaoyorozu was the first to run into you. You really must have been a sight because she dragged you off to the bathroom, forcing you to sit on the counter as she tended to your forehead. You were thankful she didn’t ask you any questions and left you alone after neatly applying a square bandage to your forehead. How embarrassing. By the time the two of you left the restroom, Bakugou had returned and Kirishima was pestering him about how he got his bloody nose.
Somehow, everyone in 1-A knew the two of you were over by the time homeroom started the next day.
Summary: Kuroo found the love of his life, but now he has to learn to live on.
Warning: Deals with death & angst. I think this story’s a sad time. P.S. I Love You & After Life inspired story telling elements.
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“Anata-”
With quick reflexes, Kuroo shut his laptop, gripping onto the thin metal tightly.
“I... I need to do this in my own time,” he spoke, avoiding the gazes of his friends. “Alone. Another day.”
Kenma and Bokuto glanced at each other, unsure of what to say. Bokuto rested a hand on his shoulder. “Kuroo, her email said to watch it with us.”
“She always knew what she was doing. I don’t think she’d suddenly be wrong now.” Kenma reached for the laptop, prying it from his stiff grip. He took the laptop and turned on the television, casting to the larger screen in Kuroo’s living room.
Bokuto threw an arm around Kuroo’s shoulders in comfort, but also in part to make sure he stayed in place. With a nod of affirmation, Kenma hit play and rejoined on the couch, starting from the beginning again. There was a close up of the lower half of your face as the video began. Sitting back, you smiled gently at the camera, looking a bit nervous. You were beautiful, wearing a white dress, sitting by the window with sun beams casting a golden glow around you. You looked so soft. Unreal.
“Anata,” you spoke sweetly, voice filled with love. You paused for a few beats, sitting silently. “Anata, I love you. When you see this, so much will have already happened. You see, tomorrow, I have to share with you some news that will make you sad. Tomorrow will be the day I tell you I’m sick. We’ve both known I’ve been sick for a while. When I tell you what it is, you won’t take it well. I want to say I’m sorry for ruining our plans.”
Leaning forward, you pressed the stop button and the video cut to the same setting, but now you were wearing a pale blue dress.
“You’re resting right now, so this was the best time to record myself. I told you today. We went to the doctor to discuss the results and our options, but no matter what path we choose, the end will be the same. I can feel it, but I can’t tell you now; you won’t listen. You have so much hope. For you, I’ll agree to do all of these things because I don’t want you to feel you didn’t do everything you could to save me. If you’re watching this, I want you to know you did everything there was. You did so well. Kenma? Bokuto? My Tetsurou will really need you now. I need you make sure he isn’t beating himself up. Sometimes things are just out of our hands. You can’t fix things that aren’t meant to be fixed.
“Tetsurou? Make sure you get out of bed and wear new clothes during the day. Even if you don’t leave the house; don’t skip bathing either. You have to take care of yourself. You used to say something in high school. ‘We're like the blood in our veins. We must flow without stopping.’ So that’s my advice for you. Don’t stop. You must continue.” You stopped speaking for a moment, simply smiling at the camera. There was a rustling in the background out of view - it must have been himself. Looking down at your hands, you slowly spun your wedding ring around your finger, before looking up again. “I love you.”
The video stopped. The three men sat together silently, not knowing what to say. With a shuddering breath, Kuroo stood and went into the bedroom, shutting the door behind himself. Bokuto and Kenma exchanged nervous glances. The two of them cleaned around your old apartment. Proof of your life and existence filled every room. Bokuto wondered how much longer his friend could stand being surrounded by your presence; even he was beginning to feel suffocated from seeing your smile in every photograph. He kept to himself how he could still smell your perfume on your coat that still hung by the door when he entered. He wondered how long it would be before Kuroo tried packing you away only to regret it. Bokuto and Kenma locked the apartment door before heading down and outside.
At the front of the building, Kenma opened his email, catching Bokuto’s attention. “In two weeks he’ll get another email from her. She gave me instructions to find Yaku and wants us there again. I’ll send you details.”
Bokuto furrowed his brows in concern. “But isn’t that...”
Kenma nodded in affirmation. “See ya.”
“Anata, it’s been a month. In a few days you’ll need to intern me. Don’t do it if you’re not ready. It’s okay, I won’t be mad. I’ve reached out to my mother, your parents, and Kenma. They will take care of it for you. But, if you do decide to come, I’d like you to tell me about the walk there, what you saw, the scents you smelled, any people you meet.” You were silent, a sad smile gracing your features. “Remember in high school, you came with me to visit my father’s grave? I stepped away to throw away the old incense. When I came back you didn’t notice me and I overheard you talking. That’s when I knew you’d be the love of my life.” At the cemetery that day, he told your father that he wanted to marry you one day and promised to take care of you in his stead so he could rest easy now. There was a rustle in the background and you looked away. A male figure from hip down appeared in frame and you smiled brightly up at him. Large hands rested at the back of your head and pulled you forward so that your head was pressed against his abdomen and your arms wrapped around his thighs, hugging him.
“I’m off. I’ll meet you at your appointment.” It was Kuroo’s voice, confirmed when he backed away and leaned down to press a kiss to your lips. “I love you.”
“I love you, Tetsurou.”
The video ended and Kuroo seemed lifeless to his friends. You’d been filming right in front of him and he never noticed at the time. Tears stung behind his eyes. He leaned forward, hands folded together tightly with elbows resting on his knees. He rested his forehead against his clasped hands and he was still for a moment before his shoulders began to shake. Bokuto glanced at Kenma who was concentrated on Yaku. Bokuto recalled the former Nekoma libero as being short-tempered and serious, but he was honest and straightforward.
“So are you going or not?” Yaku asked plainly, addressing the question everyone in the room was wondering.
“Hey come on! Can’t you ask a bit nicer?” Bokuto yelled. “Have some tact!”
Yaku felt his temper flair and out of respect did his best not to unleash hell on the professional volleyball player in a grieving man’s living room, but before he could open his mouth, Kenma had Bokuto by the ear and was dragging him outside of the apartment.
“Kenma, what’s the deal?” Bokuto pouted, rubbing his ear until the pain subsided.
“(Y/N) asked for Yaku to be here and it wasn’t easy to get him to come either. Trust (Y/N),” he spoke plainly, taking a seat in the hallway and pulling out a pocket game system. “It might be a while.”
Thirty minutes, forty-five, and soon two hours had passed. Kenma was still concentrated on his game and Bokuto had long fallen asleep in the hallway when the door to the apartment opened and Yaku exited, a neutral expression on his face. He closed the door behind him and let out a breath he’d been holding. Kenma paused his game and looked up at his old teammate, silently waiting for him to speak first.
There was a faint growl before he spoke, “How (Y/N) ever ended up with that guy is beyond me.”
“You introduced them.”
Yaku huffed, crossing his arms. “Don’t remind me, Kenma. I’ll take it from here. We’ve got three days until the internment right?”
Kenma shook Bokuto awake. “Four days. We’re meeting at her mother’s home to walk together. Kuroo’s family grave isn’t far from there.”
“That idiot should be doing it himself.”
Yaku waited until the night before the internment before he made his move. He managed to get Kuroo out of the house. There wasn’t any pressure. In fact, he never brought (Y/N) up once. Yaku had taken Kuroo out for barbeque and beers and the widower allowed himself to indulge in alcohol, drowning his sorrow. His old teammate was patient, waiting for the moment Kuroo would speak his heart. It never came and soon Yaku had to take the inebriated man home. That was when he decided to take Kuroo the long way back to the apartment building, where they would have to pass by the cemetery.
Kuroo stood at the steps that led up to the graveyard. The torii gate large and overwhelming. Yaku watched in silence as Kuroo’s legs moved forward, taking him up the stairs. With a sigh, he leaned against the street light as he waited. The only light through the graveyard was from the glow of the city buildings, but Kuroo had visited this place before in his youth. His legs moved with memory and he found himself standing in front of the family grave.
Time passed quickly, what felt like five minutes had been an hour and Yaku was worried. He hated having to track down a man in a graveyard so late, but it had to be done. Thirty minutes had passed when he finally came across his old teammate.
He was praying aloud, eyes shut tight with tears running down his cheeks as he knelt on the ground before the family grave.
“Please take care of my wife until it’s my time.”
Quietly, Yaku headed back to the foot of the stairs to wait on the street again. It was probably best if Kuroo had no idea he’d witnessed that moment. Pulling out his phone, he sent a text, finishing in time to see Kuroo descend the staircase.
The next day, Kuroo was at your mother’s house early, dressed in black. She had been surprised, but said nothing to Kuroo about his absence. If there was anything she knew about the man, it was that he loved you beyond compare and that he was broken. You had spoken to your mother before your death, asking her to forgive Kuroo for how he would be when you were gone. The fact that you knew him so well and described his behavior to the T, told her enough about the love you shared.
Kuroo and your mother went to your altar and burned incense, setting down small bowls of food in front of your urn. Your mother sat at the dinner table and ate silently, watching as Kuroo ate his meal beside you. She watched as he seemed to whisper secrets to you as though you could still hear him.
When Kuroo’s parents arrived, he carefully wrapped his arms around your urn tightly. Your mother had incense and other items for burning, his mother had your favorite flowers, and his father had a bag of items for cleaning the family grave. Your parents walked quietly, listening as Kuroo whispered the things he saw.
At the cemetery, they met with the priest. Kuroo pressed a kiss to your urn before handing you over. Once the ritual was performed and your ashes were put away, the four of them spent the rest of the morning cleaning and paying their respects. Your mother and his parents bid their farewells, leaving Kuroo behind to finish up. He stayed for hours, leaving briefly to buy some snacks and returning to eat at the grave; he set aside your favorite onigiri for you. It wasn’t until he began falling asleep did he consider heading home.
Kenma was there, waiting outside of the apartment building. The professional gamer reached into his pocket and pulled out a couple of salt packets, opening them and sprinkling one on the ground for Kuroo to walk on and throwing the salt from the other packet onto him. It was something Kenma remembered his mother doing when his grandmother passed, to keep evil spirits away. The two men stared at each other briefly before Kuroo headed in, Kenma right behind.
The two of them sat on the couch, a few beats of silence passing before Kuroo turned to his friend. “How’d you know?”
“Give the people in your life some credit,” he replied, turning on the television and casting the video onto the screen. “This one’s just for you, so I’ll be in the kitchen.” With that, he handed over his phone and left the room.
Hesitantly, he toyed with Kenma’s phone, feeling the weight of it in his hand. Biting his lip, he tapped the triangle to play the video.
The setting was different, but he knew it. He’d recognize that bright white hospital room from anywhere, a vase of pink peonies - fresh cut - sat beside you. You were in the bed wearing a white gown with a tiny blue triangle pattern. Your skin was so pale, but it was the IV you were hooked to that gave away that this was filmed near the end of your hospital stay.
“Tetsurou, I’m so proud of you. I know that it was hard, and you don’t realize it now, but you took a step forward toward a new life. This isn’t a bad thing or something to feel shameful of. It makes me happy to know you did it. Because of that, these are my last words to you, so please take them to heart. Every moment precious to me has something to do with you. I’m happy with the life I’ve lived. You’ve filled my life with so much joy and I’m thankful for all of the time we’ve had together. But you must allow yourself to fall in love again. Don’t avoid it because of me. I can’t do anything for you where I am. Find someone to give you the love you need. Be grateful that people care about you. Please take care of yourself. Live well and find happiness in things great and small, especially the small. You have to do this so that I can rest easy until we meet again.” There was a strength behind your smile and despite your sickly complexion, he knew your image was still the most beautiful he’d ever see in his lifetime.
Summary: You’re Goshiki Tsutomu’s older doting sister, second year at Shiratorizawa and captain of the girl’s track & field team. At your brother’s first practice you sneak in to support him and end up meeting the impressive force that is his captain.
Warnings: None really. Mentions sex.
Spoilers: We’re encroaching on manga territory. Takes place after Karasuno v Shiratorizawa.
Author’s Note: Sorry for not updating in forever! I lost my original chapter and got discouraged. I started rewatching Ushijima episodes to refresh my grasp on his character.
[1] | [2] | [3] | [4] | [5]
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It was a shock. You never thought Shiratorizawa was capable of losing this year. Ushijima appeared unaffected, but that was just him. It was always mental for him and he had the ability to act with a sort of chivalric grace whenever faced with conflict. God, your boyfriend was really cool. Your brother, however, it broke your heart to see him cry.
After the award ceremony, you raced down to wait by the bus. Ushijima walked out first, his head held high. Noticing you, he simply rested his large hand on your head before getting on the bus. Quiet hello’s and thanks for coming’s were whispered to you. Your little brother could barely make eye contact, the last one to get on the bus. Reaching for his hand, you gave it a squeeze before letting it go and heading for the bus that brought the cheer squad.
The ride felt long. You spent most of it listening to music and playing with the sleeve of Ushijima’s spare team jacket he’d given you shortly after dating. You smiled and chatted occasionally with your fellow students, but the topics of discussion were focused on how Ushijima and the third years were doing. They expected you to have the answers and quite frankly, you thought it was obvious.
Getting back, you made your way into the gym to see the team working on serves. You sat quietly on the sidelines and watched as everyone gave their all, letting out their frustrations from the day. You never knew you could find the slams of volleyballs to be comforting to where they could put you to sleep. Or maybe you were just exhausted. Either way, you woke up from being carried.
“Wakatoshi,” you mumbled, snuggling closer to his chest.
The two of you snuck into your dorm room, stripping down into your underwear and entangling under the sheets. Ushijima’s body was like a radiator, warm and comforting.You ran your fingers through his hair patiently. If he wanted to talk, then he would. Until then, you whispered little praises to him, pressing kisses to his shoulder between sentences.
“I won’t lose again,” he spoke quietly.
Months passed and things continued to go well between the two of you. They were better than ever honestly. During Christmas you visited each other’s families at his request. You didn’t even have to prompt it! Your parents loved him. They thought he was quite the protector type and approved. His mother ended up accepting you once she realized you were intelligent and genuinely loved her son. Your personality had definitely thrown her for a loop.
Graduation was soon approaching and the two of you decided on a five year plan together. Long nights were spent discussing goals and dreams, wondering if they would be compatible with one another. He intended on going pro right after school; the Schweiden Adlers seemed most likely and they were based in Oita. You still had your third year of high school to finish, but you were applying to Kyushu University for architecture. It was in Fukuoka and closer than your other options to Oita. It was just a couple of hours by train or car. You also had plans to stick with track and field and keep your spot on the national team for as long as you could. You both had your eyes on the 2016 Olympics.
For a year the two of you managed to maintain a healthy long distance relationship.
After graduation, there were farewell and congratulatory parties almost every day, but the most fun for you was going apartment hunting, together. It was like a vacation, enjoying the beaches and hot springs. You spent a week staying at his apartment where the lease was ending soon. He said the two of you needed a new place together, that his current apartment wasn’t fitting enough for you. On your third day in Oita, Ushijima decided on the place, a 2 bed and 1.5 bath townhome instead of a one and one apartment. When you told him it was a bit expensive, he said it was perfect because he wanted you to have your own space at home to study for school without being bothered by him. You cried right there and he handled it like a champ. The two of you moved in a week before you started school.
“Wakatoshi!” you called to him from the rooftop terrace. He appeared, sticking his head out from the sliding glass door. You wiped your cheek, smudging dirt across your face. “Can you help me move this bag?”
He slipped on his outdoor shoes and walked over, lifting the bag of dirt and moving it to one of the two raised garden beds that he built earlier today. The two of you had plans for a small vegetable garden. “I thought we were going to plant seeds after lunch. I’m almost done cooking.”
“I know, I just got really excited. I was staring at your beautiful work and couldn’t help myself,” you cooed, giving him starry eyes.
Sighing, he set the bag down where you needed it before taking your hand and dragging you back inside. “We’ll do this after lunch. Together.”
“Aw, are you jealous I tried to start before you?” He didn’t say anything in response, making you grin. “My handsome farmer, I’m so sorry.”
After lunch, the two of you filled the garden beds with dirt and carefully planted seeds for carrots, lettuce, tomatoes, peas, basil, parsley, rosemary, thyme, marigolds, lavender, and scarlet plume celosia. Ushijima had done quite a bit of research on complimentary plants. Hours really. Hours spent doing online research and drawing diagrams of how the garden should be set up for its fullest potential.
You were watering one of the garden beds when you caught a glimpse of Ushijima squatting with a spade in his hand. It was so cute how concentrated he was and how much attention he was giving this simple task. Biting your lip, you sprayed him briefly. He blinked, as if not comprehending what happened and looked up, as if blaming the sky. A muffled laugh escaped you. You went back to watering the garden bed as he went inside. Minutes later you heard the glass door slide open and didn’t pay much mind to it. Suddenly you felt chilled and were thoroughly soaked. Moving your hair from your eyes, you looked up to see your boyfriend holding a bucket over your head.
“Wakatoshi!”
Soon you were off to university, moving into a small dorm room with a single suitcase. Your dorm was littered with photographs of you and Ushijima and it was hard to cope with the fact that you wouldn’t see him through at least the rest of summer, maybe not even until the end of September if your school’s track team did well.
For a month you and Ushijima would call or FaceTime every night and tell each other about your days. He was quite proud of the garden the both of you planted and would send you progress photos and then describe what he saw in fine detail. Honestly, you didn’t realize your boyfriend was capable of being so invested in something other than volleyball. There were a few times you tried spicing up your phone calls, but honestly Ushijima didn’t get it. He was terrible at phone sex. It was fine though. Summer break was.... just a few months away.
It was a Saturday night after track practice when you got a phone call from your boyfriend.
“Wakatoshi! You’re calling early. I haven’t gotten back to my dorm yet,” you spoke, excited to hear from him.
“(Y/N), I’m lost.”
Your brows raised in surprise. “Lost, how? Do you need me to look up how to fix something?”
“No, I’m somewhere on your university’s campus.”
You felt your heart skip and you immediately ran toward main campus. “Okay well tell me what you see.”
In thirty minutes you were in your dorm taking a shower and Ushijima was reading the newest shonen jump he picked up at the train station on your bedroom floor. You came out with your hair in a towel and one of Ushijima’s t-shirts you had stolen. He set aside his magazine and pulled you down into his lap, holding you tight.
“I’m so surprised you came. I’m so happy,” you squealed, burying your face into his neck and running your fingers through his hair.
“I missed you too. I can stay for two days, but then I must go home.”
Pulling back, you let your fingers run over the stubble on his jaw, pouting a bit, “So what do I owe this short visit?”
His stare was intense and a faint blush kissed his cheeks. “I recognize that a few times you’ve tried to... initiate some things on the phone. I admit I’m not very good at it, so hopefully my presence now can make up for my... lack of experience.”
“Wakatoshi,” you breathed out in surprise, gazing at him with so much love. He literally traveled almost three hours because you were horny without him. Pulling the towel from your hair, you knocked him over onto his back as you jumped him.
Visits like these happened sporadically and soon it was fall. Track and field season was over which meant you could make your weekend visits home to Oita. You’d leave Wednesday nights and head back to school on Sunday mornings. Despite the second bedroom serving as a private study for you, you found yourself curling up to Ushijima almost always - as long as he wasn’t busy.
This was life for a couple of years. The two of you had become quite the duo. In fact, throughout your relationship, you had only argued about two things:
You broke your phone once and he wasn’t able to contact you and he freaked out from not knowing what was going on.
He forgot your anniversary and cancelled on your date for volleyball and you laid in on him for it.
Things were great until the 2016 Olympic qualifiers came around. You had broken a metatarsal in your right foot at the first qualifying meet of the 2015 season. You were out for the next eight weeks and even then, you weren’t going to be in shape to qualify because you had to go through physical therapy and get your athletic abilities up to par. Your coach told you that staying on the national team, going pro, and qualifying for 2020 was still possible for you. It didn’t stop the feeling of complete and total devastation that wrecked you and you were jealous.
Ushijima wasn’t sure of how to help you; he’d never seen you so vulnerable before, never seen you so sad, but he did his best to support you, even if that meant being a punching bag. He was consistent, despite things he had going on for his own Olympic goals.
After two months it was summer break. You had to go through physical therapy and you moved back home to Oita, transitioning to online classes for the second term of the year. Because Ushijima’s love language was different from most, you found yourself being forced to do your PT homework exercises, no matter how down and bratty you got.
“Wakatoshi, I don’t want to do stairs,” you groaned, curling up into a ball on the couch.
“You must, or you won’t be ready to start training any time soon,” he replied simply.
Your foot was throbbing and you were on your period, and everything just felt like shit. All you wanted was to watch anime and eat the small bag of chips you had hidden under the blanket you were under. Ushijima had been so strict with your diet and honestly all you wanted were trans fats, sugar, and carbs. With ease, he ripped the blanket from you, exposing you in your underwear clutching a bag of Calbee honey butter flavored potato chips.
“You should get up and walk the stairs now,” he said, prying the bag of chips from your hands, “if you want these back.”
Throwing your legs over the couch, you winced, balling your hands into fists in frustration. You got up, favoring your left foot, which he noticed. He walked up the stairs and sat on the top step, waiting for you to follow. Biting your lip, you moved slowly, trying to ignore the pain. There were 14 steps to the top and you had to go up twice and down twice. You were doing fine until your second trek up the stairs. It was a misstep and you slipped and you were clinging to the stair case, crying. It was embarrassing for you to be like this in front of him. This sweet giant quickly enveloped you in his arms and had you lying on your side of the bed, gently caressing your foot as you sobbed through it.
When you were calm again, Ushijima left for a while before returning, dinner in hand. The two of you sat in bed and had the meal he made in silence. You’d barely eaten, but you waited until he finished before you curled up to his side.
“I’m so sorry, Wakatoshi.”
“I would be surprised it you took this easily. You’re a competitive person. It’s one of the things I find attractive about you,” he replied. He wrapped his arm around your shoulders, his fingers gently running up and down along your own arm.
“Really?” you asked, feeling shy. He hummed in affirmation, glancing down to make eye contact. Smiling, you played with the hem of his shirt that was beginning to ride up. “What else do you... find attractive about me?”
“You’re thoughtful, kind. The way you pursue your passions and you’ve encouraged me to pursue my own; you believe in people wholeheartedly.” A thoughtful expression settled on his face as he spoke on effortlessly. He paused and his brows furrowed briefly before settling into a relaxed expression. “You’re beautiful.”
Placing a kiss to your forehead, you watched as he got up and headed to take his evening shower.
While you couldn’t compete, you concentrated on therapy and school and finished your courses early for your degree. You picked up a simple class to stay enrolled until your four years at school were up*, this way you could go back to competing your last year of university. The summer of 2016, Ushijima took you with him to Brazil. Japan didn’t win, but the competition was incredible. You got to meet with track and field athletes and it reignited your passion for competition.
You’d graduate come spring and then your focus was on 2020 Tokyo.
-
*In Japan, early graduation doesn’t exist. It was explained to me that if you attend a 4 year university, you have to be a student for 4 years before graduating, even if you complete your degree early.
A choose your own adventure one shot! You’ll have a choice to make near the end and I’ll tell you where to read from there! This is my first attempt at this so I hope it was enjoyable for you.
Summary: Life is just a series of choices. Like when you needed a job and chose to apply at a certain small shop. Or when one of the Miya brothers asked you out and you said yes. And when he asked you to marry them you said yes.
Warnings: Another good seasoning of angst.
Spoilers: Spoilers from the manga; talks about their lives after high school.
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Walking into the shop, the familiar sound of the small bell ringing above the door brought a smile to your face. You tied the apron of your uniform around your waist as you walked behind the counter. Moving aside the curtain that blocked your view into the kitchen window, you popped your head in and smiled brightly.
“Good morning, Osamu!” you spoke happily, resting your chin on the sill and watching as his experienced hands continued to work on fresh onigiri to put out.
“Good morning, (Y/N),” he voice was calm. He offered a kind smile. “How’s my brother?”
“I guess he was tired again from practice. He was still sleeping when I left this morning,” you replied, sighing softly.
He didn’t say anything for a while, his smile fading from his face. He always looked so serious when he was working. Osamu was very particular about his rice balls being uniform.
The store bell rang and you quickly turned around, smiling at the customer. “Good morning! How can I help you?”
The morning was usually busy. Rice balls were a favorite for breakfast. You didn’t really get to relax until after lunch where Osamu would close the store from customers for a few of hours. He’d reopen again for a couple of hours at 5PM. Usually he let you go around then and he’d run the store on his own until he decided to close.
When 2PM came around, you locked the front door and flipped the store sign to show you’d be open again at 5PM. At the same time, Osamu emerged from the back with lunch he made for the two of you. You reached over the counter and got the tea you had steeping, carrying it and a set of tea cups over to the table by the window, using your thick art design textbook as a tray.
“Studying again?” he commented, staring at the book.
“I’ve got a big test tomorrow, but I won’t open my book until we’re done eating this time. Promise!” You blushed and couldn’t help but smile as you poured tea for the both of you. Sitting down, you pressed your hands together and closed your eyes, “I’m grateful for this food!!”
Thanking him for the meal when you were done, you cleared away the dishes and cleaned them before going back to sit with him and enjoying tea together. True to your word, you didn’t open your textbook until then, going over notes you made.
“(Y/N), are things still bad at home?”
Your body stilled as you thought of what to say, your gaze staring at the text but uncomprehending the words. Managing a smile, you looked up, meeting his gaze. Your right thumb and index finger found their way to your wedding ring, rotating it around your left ring finger.
He broke contact first, bowing his head in apology. “Forgive me, I shouldn’t have asked.”
“It’s okay. You’re only worried.” You picked up your tea cup, lukewarm from time. “Well, we haven’t yelled at each other, though, it’s mostly from him coming home late and sleeping in.”
He hummed, showing sympathy. “You still love him?”
Your face softened and you wondered why he would ask you that. “Of course I do, Osamu. It just hurts right now.”
At 5PM, you hung up your apron as Osamu came to the front counter, a box of a dozen onigiri for his brother in his hands. Handing it over, he rested a comforting hand on your head, a faint smile on his face. Reaching up, you gently patted his hand before stepping back and heading out the door. You were pretty thankful that you were able to keep your classes to Mondays and Wednesdays. You loved working at Onigiri Miya.
“Good luck on your test tomorrow.”
“Thank you, Osamu. See you Tuesday!”
That night, you sat on the couch, studying for your test tomorrow. Really, you were waiting for Atsumu to come home. As time dragged on you fell asleep on the couch, music lightly playing on the record player your father gave you and your textbook lying open on your chest.
The scent of coffee beckoned you awake the next morning. Blinking sleepily, you winced from the pain in your shoulder. Taking in your surroundings, you realized you slept on the couch, but you didn’t remember getting a blanket or turning off the record player last night. A shuffling from the kitchen made you crane your neck to look across the open concept apartment. It was Atsumu. A sad smile crept its way to your face. He had his back to you. His shoulders were relaxed and you didn’t want to disturb his peace.
Quietly, you crept into the bathroom, going through your morning routine. It only took a few minutes, but you certainly put in effort, even applying light make up. You slipped into an ivory high-neck short-sleeved top tucked into black high waisted shorts. You wore a pair of earrings handmade from paper that Atsumu had gotten you for your one year wedding anniversary.
Lightly spraying your hair with your favorite perfume, you walked back out to see Atsumu setting breakfast out at your tiny table meant for two. You and Atsumu had just gotten engaged and were apartment hunting at the time. He had found that table on the street and convinced you that it could be fixed. He spent a whole month trying to repair that thing and though it still had its imperfections, he made it functional again. It just needs some work, he had said.
He turned his head and rested his gaze on you, a smile tugging at his lips. Picking up your favorite mug, he held it out to you and you accepted the hot ceramic from him, your fingers grazing his own. Stepping forward, you cuddled up to his side as he rested an arm around you and you looked down at the table set for two.
“Good morning. It looks so good,” you whispered. He gave your shoulder a squeeze, motioning for you to sit. Sitting down, you said your thanks for the food, digging in. Just like Osamu, Atsumu was motivated by his stomach and was also a great cook as a result.
The two of you ate silently. You would sneak peeks at him while he outwardly stared at you as he ate. Even as he finished and you were still eating, he sat studying you, an expression of boredom on his face. Well, that’s not really good is it? Finishing your food, you thanked him. Raising your eyes to meet his, a blush crept its way across your cheeks, noticing him sporting a lazy smile.
“Let’s go out tonight, yome*.” You must have really looked as shocked as you felt as he laughed at you. “I’ll pick you up from school. We’ll have dinner. Promise.”
Agreeing to the date, you got ready for school, leaving the house with your leather jacket and backpack in hand and slipping your patent leather oxfords onto your feet. As you made it to campus, your phone pinged.
Osamu: You can do it.
The exam was easier than you thought it would be and the rest of your day passed fairly quickly. Remembering your text from Osamu, you replied back.
(Y/N): It was really easy! I think I did well. Thanks for your support.
Osamu: That’s great. Plans to celebrate?
(Y/N): Tsu said he was taking me on a date tonight! He’s meeting me at school when I’m done. I’ll tell him about my test then.
With no response from him, you put your phone away and headed to your last class. The hour felt agonizingly long. You were excited to see Atsumu. It had been so long since he picked you up from school. Since you first met him, he had always been there to meet you at the university gates when you were done, even after marriage. Then it recently got bad and he stopped. You started to forget how it used to feel. When class let out, you headed straight to the gates and waited on him. He should be there soon. Looking up at the cloudy skies, no speck of blue to be seen, your mind wandered to pass the time.
“(Y/N), let’s go.”
Lowering your gaze, your heart dropped. Osamu stood there, an umbrella in his hand. Your feet felt glued to the pavement as you tried to decipher on your own what was happening. A wetness slid down your cheek and you reached up to wipe it away, smiling at him. “Sure. The rain must be starting.”
Osamu didn’t say anything. You both knew it wasn’t raining.
A couple of blocks from home, the rain began to fall, pouring heavily onto the city below. You were so thankful. If he hadn’t showed up, you certainly would have continued to wait and ended up in the downpour. You invited Osamu in for some tea or coffee to wait out the storm and he accepted. The two of you sat on the couch in silence for a while, listening to the rain patter against the windows.Your gaze was focused on the coffee filled mug on the coffee table in front of you.
Suddenly you felt your breath catch in your throat. It started as sniffles as you felt tears forming, trying to hold them back. Soon you were crying into your hands. Osamu battled within himself between what he should do and what he wanted. He set his mug of tea down to get up when you slumped over, falling to rest your head in his lap. He was frozen as he watched you cry and a burning, achy feeling seemed to consume his heart. Relaxing his shoulders, he still seemed to hesitate before resting his hand on your head, running his fingers through your hair.
He waited until your wails had calmed and you were silent before speaking. “(Y/N), please take time for yourself tomorrow. I can handle the store on my own. You should get some rest.”
Sitting up, you kept your head downcast, not wanting him to see your face. “Thank you, Osamu.”
While you went to shower, he tidied up before slipping out quietly. As he stood at the entrance to your apartment building he growled in annoyance. The rain was picking up again. Pulling out his phone he texted Atsumu a single word: Idiot.
The next day, you woke up alone. Atsumu’s side of the bed had zero signs of having been slept in. Getting up, you poked your head out and saw nothing out of the ordinary. He hadn’t come home. Checking your phone there was only a message from your mother asking if you could see if Atsumu had free time to help your father with fixing something at their house. Flopping onto your bed, you went to social media for some detective work. Nothing strange; this account was filled with videos of volleyball practice and volleyball memes.
You laid there, your mind tiring you out as it ran through so many possible answers for last night. Unable to form your own conclusion, you decided the answer should come from the horse’s mouth. Dressed in a black, off the shoulder crop top and black mini skirt, you slipped on a Black Jackals wind breaker that was quite big on you. You did your make up and made sure your hair was styled and lightly sprayed with your perfume again. Taking a few minutes, you packed three bento servings of fatty tuna, rice, and veggies, before slipping on your shoes and heading out to the Black Jackals practice gym, arriving just in time for their lunch break.
It was easy to spot Atsumu, but before you approached him, you went over to #4, Meian the captain, to ask if you were interrupting.
“It’s been a while, Miya. Nice to see you again. No, we’re on break right now. Go ahead.” Bowing to him, you walked over to where he was chatting with Bokuto who was first to notice you.
You simply smiled brightly and gave a bow in greeting. “Excuse me, Bokuto, but would you mind if I had some time with my husband? ”
“Sure thing Miya.”
“Shujin* I brought your favorite for lunch,” you spoke softly, holding up your homemade lunch for him.
Bokuto’s eyes shined brightly. “Tsum-Tsum, you’re so lucky! I want a pretty wife like yours who cooks and calls me shujin!”
“As if someone would marry you, ya big baby,” Atsumu huffed, steering you away from his teammate.
The two of you went outside and across the street to the park, sitting together on a bench. He was silent as he ate and you sat with your body turned towards him, observing your husband closely. Knowing him so well, you reached into your purse and handed him his favorite drink. It wasn’t until he was almost done with his second bento box that you spoke.
“I’m your wife, aren’t I?”
He seemed to freeze, not really knowing what was going on. “Yes?”
“You’re sure I’m your wife?”
Sighing, he quickly finished the bento before setting it aside. No matter how much he wanted to eat the third one, he knew that he had to handle whatever was about to happen before that. “Tsuma* what is it?”
“Where were you last night that you couldn’t tell me you weren’t coming home? I don’t even care you broke your promise to me.”
He looked confused. “What promise?”
“Our date you asked me on at breakfast. Now answer my question.” Your face was turning red. He could be so infuriating.
His eyes widened for a moment with realization before falling back into his bored expression. “I’m sorry. We were really into practice and then I stayed with Bokuto. I didn’t think you’d care.”
“What makes you think I wouldn’t care?” you were surprised at his words.
He shrugged and let out a frustrated sigh. “We haven’t been speaking. I thought it was pretty obvious I was still mad. You should have double checked that I still felt like going out with you.”
“Mad about what? I thought you were over our last fight - that you started.”
He glared, instantly getting heated. “So this is my fault?”
“Yeah. It is. How could it not be?!” you whispered harshly. “I asked you to pick up groceries for three days because I was busy with school and you kept putting it off, then you yelled at me for not making dinner that night. What did you want me to make?! We didn’t have food to cook with! Oh! And for that matter, why should I have to double check on our date that you asked me out on?! If you wanted to cancel for still being mad, then you should have said you weren’t ready!”
He was absolutely pissed, but dammit he didn’t have anything to come back with. Fists balled up he growled, getting up. “You can be such a bitch.”
Stunned, you felt like you were having and out of body experience, watching yourself stare at your husband as he walked away. He’d never called you that before. The two of you had fought plenty of times before, and yes, he had a potty mouth, but he’d never cursed at you before. He never called you names. Regaining your senses, you picked up the bento-ware and headed home.
(Y/N): I think you should stay with Bokuto.
Atsumu: Why don’t we just get divorced.
You shoved your phone quickly into your purse. Had he really just said that? It felt as though your mind was erased. When you got home, you couldn’t remember how you’d even got there. In your bedroom, you sat staring a photograph of you and Atsumu on your wedding day. Setting it face down, you got up and packed him a bag with toiletries and enough clothes for a week. You went to bed early that night.
Why don’t we just get divorced.
In the morning you headed to school, the bag you packed for him sent a wave of fear through you and you wondered if you did the wrong thing by telling him to not come home. Did he really mean it? You felt so alone.
Why don’t we just get divorced.
The day was miserable and dragged on. Concentration was impossible. Soon, school was over and you were wandering around town. It wasn’t until your stomach growled had you realized you were starving. Seeing that you weren’t far off from Onigiri Miya, you pulled out your phone.
(Y/N): Can I come by the shop?
Osamu: Picking up some onigiri?
(Y/N): And someone to talk to.
Osamu: I’ll make tea.
(Y/N): I’ll be there in 10.
Despite the closed sign in the door window, you tested the door and opened it without incident, the familiar bell ringing above your head. Glancing over the usual window seat, you smiled faintly at seeing Osamu. A plate of different nigiri and sushi and a hot pot of tea sat waiting for you. You slid into the seat across from him and said your thanks. Osamu wasn’t a huge conversationalist - unlike his brother who sometimes couldn’t shut up without saying something snarky - so you ate quietly for a bit. Your hand began to shake and you set down your chopsticks.
“I told Atsumu to not come home.”
He blinked in surprise. You had whispered it so quietly he was unsure you even said anything. “What happened?”
“I told him not to come home. I went to bring him lunch at practice and I asked where he was last night when he didn’t come home. It turned into a stupid fight and he called me... He called me a bitch.”
He flinched and sighed, looking out the window briefly before letting his gaze rest on you. You seemed so much smaller to him. “He’s an idiot.”
“I’m so sorry. This isn’t appropriate and I always do this. I shouldn’t be talking to you about my problems with your brother,” you whispered, feeling embarrassed on top of everything else.
“We’re friends too, (Y/N). You’re not just my brother’s wife. You can rely on me as well,” he spoke. “So what will you do?”
Taking out your phone, you opened your messages and slid your phone over to him. “I think we’re getting a divorce.”
“You’ve been married for two years. Are you sure that’s what you want?”
“It’s not me. Read it.” You gestured for him to look at your phone.
Leaning forward to read, his brows furrowed in thought before sitting back again. “He’s such a child. You’re not getting divorced.”
“It would make sense though. We’re not communicating anymore, we keep fighting, and we’re so young still... I was 18 when we got married.”
“Take your time to think it over. Make the right choice for yourself.”
So you took his advice.
You spent more time at the shop with Osamu, coming in earlier and even staying until he closed for the night. In the morning you’d make breakfast together and help him make rice balls to sell for the day. After closing, you’d take inventory and schedule orders then go out for dinner, then he’d walk you home. It felt so familiar to when you first started working at Onigiri Miya, before you met his brother. You had almost forgotten how much fun Osamu could be.
Come to think of it, Osamu had changed quite a bit after you started seeing Atsumu. He became quieter and more observant over time, as if he were taking a step back for Atsumu to shine. You had gotten so wrapped up in your new relationship that you never thought to ask Osamu if he was going through something at the time. Seeing his smiling face and hearing his laughter now eased your thoughts. Whatever it was, he seemed fine now.
It was Saturday night and the two of you made plans to go drinking at a bar. You had done your best not to look so sad around the shop and despite Osamu willing to lend his hear to you, it wasn’t fair so you didn’t talk about Atsumu. That Saturday, however, just seemed so hard for you to smile so that’s when he suggested going drinking in hopes that you’d loosen up and share what was on your mind.
"I feel so stupid. I don’t think he loves me anymore.” You slurred, scrolling through social media. You’d just opened Bokuto’s stories and saw him taking photos with Atsumu and a bunch of random girls.
“Of course he loves you.”
“Then explain these pictures.” You leaned against him and tilted your phone in his direction, tapping through and showing him the posts.
He sighed and pressed a kiss to the top of your head. “I can’t.”
“They’re all so pretty and not me,” you cried, sipping on your cocktail. “I’m just a bitch.”
“Don’t compare yourself to those girls.” He sighed and gave you a thump on your head. “And you’re not even close to being a bitch.”
“I just... feel so sad.” A notification popped up on your phone and you swiped away. Atsumu had been sending you texts all night and you were ignoring them all.
“My brother doesn’t know how to care for the things he loves. I’m not like my brother when it comes to that.” His eyes were intense and you weren’t sure if it was him or the alcohol that made you feel so on fire. Wrapped up in this feeling, you barely registered that your phone had been ringing.
A. Kiss Osamu.
B. Answer the phone.
-
-
-
A. YOU CHOSE TO KISS OSAMU.
“Osamu, he makes me feel alone when we’re together. But with you... I know you’re there.”
“Can I be honest with you?” His gaze was unwavering and you felt yourself melting. Nodding, you only hoped you weren’t turning into a puddle. He drained the last of his glass. “When I introduced you to my brother, I didn’t expect you to fall for him. I just wanted him to meet you because I wanted to ask you out. (Y/N) I’ve had feelings for you. For a long time.”
You felt your heart pound. You were silent as you gazed at him. There were subtle differences between the two, appearance-wise, like their style and the way they wore their expressions, but their personalities could be light and day.
“I’m such an idiot. I should have noticed you,” you whispered, closing the gap between the two of you, the ringing phone a muffled sound in the background of your mind.
Kissing him felt like kissing for the first time: exciting, new, and intense.
A few days later, Atsumu caught you at home. The two of you sat down and talked about what’s happened and after another huge blow up, it was re-affirmed that you’d divorce. The two of you kept it simple and it was much easier than you expected, knowing how combative he could be. There had even been a moment where the two of you had gotten drunk together and you thought there was hope, but in the morning the two of you just couldn’t see each other as husband and wife anymore.
Just friends.
You continued working at Osamu’s shop. The two of you decided not to act on anything until after the divorce had been finalized and there had been a sort of mourning period. Honestly, it took two years for you before you were finally ready to bring it up. Osamu’s patience had been incredible the entire journey.
It was awkward at first. Osamu and Atsumu took a brother’s trip. It was then that Osamu asked his brother what he would think of him dating you. Atsumu simply laughed and wished him good luck. You dated for four years before marrying. That same year you had fraternal twins, a girl and a boy.
-
-
-
B. YOU CHOSE TO ANSWER THE PHONE.
If love isn’t the effort you put in, then what is it? Backing away from Osamu, you picked up your phone and slipped out of the bar to take the call outside.
“I don’t want a divorce; I want you.” Those were the first words to spill from his lips.
“Gaki otto*~” you mumbled into your phone, closing your eyes. “Why can’t you call me when it’s not so late? You always say what I want to hear at night. Why can’t you say it during the day?”
“Are you drunk?”
“I’ve been drinking.”
“Yome, where are you? Is someone with you?”
“I’m with Osamu. And aren’t you out with some girls right now? What’s up with that, you jerk.” You hung up your phone and crossed your arms, leaning against the front of the bar and letting the chilly air sooth your burning face.
Minutes later, Osamu walked out, leaning against the store front beside you. He was quiet for a while before he started speaking. “Atsumu called me. He wanted me to explain those were just fans that Bokuto invited to join them and that he thinks they’re scrubs.... He misses you.”
Pouting, you looked at him from the corner of your eyes. Atsumu wasn’t the type to just hang out with any girl - that was definitely more of Bokuto’s speed. He was pretty picky. “I guess that checks out. You didn’t tell him where we are did you?”
Looking down at your expression, he laughed lightly, resting his hand on top of your head for a brief moment. “Let’s just wait outside for a while. It’s hot inside.”
The two of you stood watching as people walked by on the busy street, taking in the nightlife in silence. There was a comfort in the loud sounds of people bustling by, laughing and chatting. Reaching up, you closed your eyes and felt your cheeks with your finger tips. So warm. Opening your eyes, a small gasp escaped you as you stood face to face with your husband. How long had you had your eyes closed.
It felt like time slowed down and everything blurred around you. You could only focus on him and his smiling face. Wrapping his arms around you, he held you tight. It was then you noticed that Osamu had left.
“Come on, let’s go home.”
Staring up into his eyes, you stood on your toes and pressed a kiss to his lips. They were comforting and familiar against your own and warmed your heart. He kissed you back and you felt like you could breathe again.
After that night, the two of you sat down and spoke for a long time, deciding that a divorce was quite rash and not what either of you wanted. Atsumu suggested the two of you started over at square one and get to know each other again. In fact, he begrudgingly brought up couples counseling. The two of you fell in love again and were reminded of why you two married in the first place.
Two years later, you were both ready to have children, ending up with a son then the year after, twin boys.
- - -
* Yome: a common way in the Kansai area of Japan to say bride/my wife - kind of country and backwoodsy.
* Shujin: socially appropriate way to refer to your own husband, means master.
* Tsuma: basic way to say wife.
* Gaki otto: bratty/lazy husband trope
Hey !!! I really really liked your how I met your father series it was so cute and since you knew the occupations of some of the guys like akaashi being an editor and some of them going pro, do you happen to know kuroo’s occupation canonically bc I legit somehow cant find it anywhere and I thought maybe you’d know by any chance ??? Sorry to bother you ://///
Hey anon!
Number 1: You are not a bother! I don’t get many messages so this is pretty awesome for me.
Number 2: I’m really glad you liked it! That makes me so happy! uwu
Okay, now regarding your question. If the author tells me what happens to a character, I totally have to use it, ya know? Like, their career says so much about who they are! Unfortunately, Furudate hasn’t addressed our baby rooster boy Kuroo and what happens to him. Right now, the only way to get a canon answer is to write Furudate a fan letter and hope it’s answered.
I can only speculate on what sort of field he’d be in. So let’s take what we know:
He’s super intelligent and knows the name of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid).
Also, Kenma has stated that he had never failed a test because Kuroo teaches him before them.
My guesses are that he probably ended up in the scientific/medical/academic field, like a scientist that studies phramaceuticals and developing medicines, or becoming any variety of doctor or surgeon even. Or maybe he just has a passion for learning and teaching others and becomes a science professor/teacher.
If you’re a Kuroo stan like me, please keep an eye out on my The Music Series collection! I’ll be writing and releasing Kuroo’s after I’m done with the Miya twins’ entry. :)
xoxo
-
UPDATE!
It was revealed that Kuroo works in the Japan Volleyball Assocaition sports promotion division as of Nov 2018!
Summary: You were always on and off with Oikawa in high school, but it was clear you were in love. However, it was hard knowing you would barely make the top three in his life.
Warnings: None, really. A seasoning of angst, for taste.
Spoilers: If you’re only caught up on the anime, this story mentions what happens to the characters in the manga after high school and their professional lives.
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“Toru! There’s a difference between putting volleyball first and just not calling me to say you needed to cancel our date. You straight up didn’t show!” you yelled, tears welling in your eyes. You willed them not to fall. “I know I’m not your number one priority, no one is, but for once can you at least act like you mean it when you say I’m - a - priority?”
He stood there silently in the living room of his apartment feeling small and terrible. He left you waiting in the rain for a date that he wasn’t going to show up to. Again. The coach had extended practice and it didn’t cross his mind to tell you, simply excited to play more. This was the same old fight since high school and he knew he should have known better by now. He had always made volleyball a priority and you honestly didn’t mind - he knew that, but being young and dumb and incapable of communication, he’d always tell everyone you broke up with him because you thought he was obsessed with the sport and not because he was incapable of thinking of others’ needs. Iwaizumi had always told him he was a fool when it came to you and honestly he wished his best friend was there to remind him of what to do to fix this.
“You’ve had so many chances. You don’t respect me and I can’t do this. Call me when you figure out how to dial my number. Or don’t. You probably won’t.”
You slammed the door shut and it absolutely destroyed you to go home alone that night.
“‘Hit it until it breaks.’ Huh. Just like your relationship,” Takeru snickered at you as he looked at an old sports magazine in the dessert cafe you were at. He found an old interview of Toru in it. “My uncle’s an idiot. I’m sure he’ll call you soon, big sis.”
It’d been two weeks since you broke up with Toru and you’ve heard nothing. Not even a blip on social media. Feeling bad about yourself, combined with the fact it was summer break, you went home to Miyagi for some R&R. You had a few things for Toru’s mom that you’d been collecting so you stopped by to drop it off. Takeru just happened to be staying there for the week and asked if you’d take him out to do something. Now you were sitting at a cafe having kakigori and honestly his company was incredible, despite being almost 11 years younger than you.
“I can’t believe my only friend right now is Toru’s 9 year old nephew,” you sighed softly. Your college friends were busy with their jobs, internships, and extra curricular activities that they hardly had time to sit on a phone call let alone come over to watch you cry over Oikawa Toru for the hundredth time. You weren’t even going to try calling Iwaizumi about it. Last time you asked his childhood best friend to knock some sense into the man, he simply replied back with an upside down smiley face emoji. What the hell did that even mean?
Takeru’s cheeks puffed up and he crossed his arms over his chest. “Hey! I’m almost 10! And I can leave if you’re going to be like that. I swear, you’re just as bad as uncle.”
“Hey. No swearing of anything,” you reprimanded him. “And don’t go.”
“Fine, but only because I like you.”
“So... got a girlfriend yet?” you teased, changing the topic.
“Big sis, I know we Oikawas are good looking, but aren’t you a little old for me?” he deadpanned.
Your face lit up red. “You little brat! I wasn’t asking for me!”
School was starting up next week so you went back after a couple of days home. The Oikawa family actually cried when you told them you were going back, having missed seeing you almost every day like when you were in high school. They were an incredible family with their own quirks who loved each other so much. It was similar to your own.
It was Sunday afternoon and you were cleaning your apartment when you got a phone call from Toru’s mom, asking if you’d talked to her son today.
“No, I’m afraid we still haven’t spoken. Is something wrong? Do I need to get to him?” you asked, panic levels rising in your voice.
“No, no, my sweet daughter. Nothing like that,” she sighed softly. “He should really be the one to tell you this, but Takeru said not a chance. He was drafted as a setter for Club Atlético San Juan today. My son’s going to Argentina.”
You dropped your phone in shock, the noise of it clattering to the floor interrupting your short meltdown. Quickly picking up the phone, you apologized before asking questions. “When is he going? W-what about school? And you and the family?”
‘And me?’ you wanted to ask.
Carefully, you listened to every detail she could give you. Your heart was so heavy you were sure you’d sink to the bottom of the ocean.
Time passed painfully. Days turned to months. Soon it was a new year. Then it was graduation. You started a job as a graphic designer that allowed you to work remotely and you did freelance photography, often shooting for travel magazines. You moved home to Miyagi to live with your parents when you weren’t traveling, cutting out unnecessary expenses. It wasn’t smart to have your own place when you weren’t going to use it for 3/4 of the year. The truth was, life was lonely without Toru around. Sometimes you found your vision blurring with tears whenever your phone pinged as a new article featuring the setter was published, or when you let your mind wander to old memories.
You were in Australia when June came around. Life had been pretty exciting for you since April, picking up a photo journalism job for National Geographic touring Southeast Asia and Australia. You’d briefly gotten away from thoughts of Toru when you received a photo late one night from Iwaizumi of Toru and that cute little tangerine from Karasuno on the beach by a volleyball net. Apparently they ran into each other in Rio
(Y/N): Thanks Iwa.
Iwaizumi: Np.
After Australia, you went home for a few weeks before you were on a flight to Bolivia to capture the Uyuni Salt Flat. It didn’t take too long to complete the job and you found yourself sitting in your hotel room and scrolling through Toru’s social media. Selfies on him throwing up peace signs, his teammates, sunsets, food, nothing out of the ordinary filled his feed. You didn’t scroll for long though; photos of the two of you would start appearing.
A notification pinged on your phone and your brows furrowed. It was his birthday tomorrow. Setting down your phone, you packed your bag. You were going home in a few hours.
While waiting for your flight, you wondered if that notification was a sign to call him. You stared at his number, unsure. Was it even his number still? You probably locked and unlocked your phone thirty times before setting it to airplane mode. It was time to board. The almost the entire flight home was sleepless as the need to call him grew and grew.
By the time you made it to Japan with over a day and a half of flying due to inconveniently timed layovers, his birthday was over. You wanted to look at his Instastory to see what he did. It was his 21st birthday. He’d been excited for that one because it meant he could “drink anywhere in the world.”
When you got home you unpacked and went about your day. It was midnight when you went to the rooftop terrace of your parents’ house and sat on one of the couches. You called stared at Toru’s contact photo for thirty minutes before you called, pressing the phone to your ear and waiting.
“(Y/N)?” You bit your lip, words suddenly leaving you. “(Y/N), are you there?”
“Yes! Yes, I’m here. Happy birthday, Toru. Sorry I’m a day late.”
“That’s okay, and thank you. It’s good to hear your voice.” His sounded sweet and gentle. There was a hint of a sleep as well, making you laugh quietly. Definitely partied. Definitely just woke up.
“It’s good to hear yours as well. So how was it? Turning 21.” You pinched your thigh out of nervousness.
“It was nice. My teammates took me out to a club. Definitely drank too much and stayed up later than I should have. Iwa would have been pissed.” There was a playfulness in his tone.
“Wow, wish I had been there.”
“Me too, (Y/N). I’m sure you would have done something cooler though. You’re really good at that stuff.”
You laughed lightly, “Well, you know me. I definitely already had a plan for your 21st when you turned 20.”
He laughed as well, boyish and familiar. “Really? What was your plan then?”
“I’d have thrown you a surprise party; invited Iwaizumi and your old teammates, our friends from college. The theme would have been Around the World. I would have set up a photo booth. We’d have drinks from different countries to try, play different drinking games, and dress like tourists.” Your vision began to blur and your voice wavered. “We’d stay up so late that-” You stopped mid sentence, covering your mouth with your hand as you tried to swallow your sobs.
“(Y/N)? Are you okay?” He sounded so concerned it killed you.
Sniffling, you wiped at your eyes furiously. “No. I miss you so much.”
“I miss you too. My whole family’s been on me since we... You know. They call me all the time to tell me what you’re up to and where you’re going next. They really love your postcards and little souvenirs. Seriously... Thanks for looking over them.”
“Of course. I mean, your mom calls me daughter,” you laughed sadly.
“Yeah, she does, doesn’t she.” He paused and the conversation lulled for a moment. Clearing his throat, he spoke up again, “I’ll be home next week if you’re in Miyagi. It’s just a quick visit.”
“I’ll be here.”
“Great. I’ll see you then.”
“Okay.” You had so much more you wanted to say, but you wished him good night instead.
“Good night.”
Days passed and you wondered when he’d be home. You hadn’t heard from him since that phone call and you weren’t going to bother the Oikawas over this. His original plan was probably to come home and see his family. You only became a part of it because you called him. You had to be patient. If you fit into his plans, then you fit into them. You couldn’t force it.
It was Saturday morning when the doorbell rang. You were still in your pajamas when you answered the door, speechless to see Toru standing there with your favorite flowers in his hand. He smiled wide. “Let’s go out, (Y/N).”
Letting him in, you told him to make himself at home while you got ready. It didn’t take you long as you put together a cute new outfit you’d gotten the other day in town. Applying light make up, you checked your hair before heading downstairs.
The two of you walked into town, going to a cafe that you both often frequented throughout high school. He ordered your usual and it was a small crumb of relief to know that he still remembered something as trivial as a drink order. The two of you sat quietly, hands cradling cups, observing each other and taking your appearances. You'd both evolved in over a year. Toru had always been capable of being serious if need be, but his default settings were usually stuck at high school drama queen levels. He was definitely more mature and he’d always been attractive, but he oozed sex appeal right now and you wondered if it was because you were already biased towards him. No, you knew what it was. He had more confidence.
“I guess I should explain what happened. I called Iwaizumi that night after you left. He was pissed it was so late. He called me an idiot, told me stop wasting your time and grow up. I hadn’t told you about it, but I was struggling with a few things. Remember Jose Blanco?”
You nodded, sipping from your cup. He and Toru connected in high school when Toru wasn’t sure about what to do with volleyball anymore. He’d helped so much and was a great mentor.
“I was talking to him about a few things that were on my mind. Then you and I broke up. He ended up talking to some people and I got a call that I was going to play for San Juan. I got swept up with interviews and press statements and moving. The next thing I knew, I was half way across the world with no idea how to tell you I was starting my overseas career earlier than planned. I decided it was best I didn’t call you. I mean, we broke up because I didn’t know how to include you in my life the way you deserve.”
Sliding your hand across the table, you let your finger tips brush against his hand. Instantly he held your hand, running his thumb over your knuckles lovingly. Tears welled in your eyes. You’d waited for so long for Toru to finally see you completely and acknowledge what it was that he spent so many years of your youth apologizing for.
“Not having you there with me this past year was so hard. It felt like not breathing. I still love you, (Y/N), and if you can forgive me, I’d really like to make it work this time.”
Nodding your head, you sniffed, a teary but happy smile on you face as you wiped the corners of your eyes. “I love you, Toru. Let’s make it work.”
Concept: The Music Series will be a collection of one shots based on a song or music video for each story. Titles will be hyperlinked to the song or a music video for your convenience. :)
Summary: You’d known Tendou since elementary school. It was obvious that the two of you would catch feelings some day; unfortunately, you were the first to fall and he wasn’t extending his hand to save you.
Warnings: Angst. Thoughts of suicide. Mentions sex.
-
It was chilly as you stood at the red post office box not far from campus, staring at it with several envelopes in your hands. With a sigh, you bit your lip, depositing them. You applied early for universities that were accepting far and wide. Anything to get you out of Japan at this point. Heading back toward campus, you stopped by a vending machine, buying a strawberry milk. Your nose and cheeks were rosy from the cool breeze that nipped at your face.
“Hi, (Y/N)! It’s so chilly out today for September,” a girl you knew from class commented as you stood on the corner together, waiting for the pedestrian light.
“Oh, yes it is,” you replied softly. The two of you fell silent.
“Ah- see you in class,” she spoke quickly, running ahead a few steps when the signal changed. You walked slowly, allowing the distance to grow between you. It was clear your classmate didn’t want to talk for any longer beyond the casual chitchat. Your life was filled with that now.
Walking into your dorm, you slipped off your shoes, and put away your coat and scarf before collapsing onto your bed. This melancholy cloud that followed you was old enough to feel normal, but new enough to still weigh heavily on you. Two more terms, you could endure it.
The next morning, you woke and moved on autopilot. You cared about your appearance still - that was a comfort to you. It meant you hadn’t lost all hope. Smiling at yourself in the mirror, you allowed the expression to fade away as you left the confines of your room. It was probably the only smile you’d muster today. The walk to class was lonely.
“Hey, that’s the cute girl I want to ask out,” whispered a boy as you passed in the hall. He was a third year as well, but in a different class.
“What? You’ve got to be kidding you can’t like her.”
“Why not, man? She’s a looker.”
“She’s that crazy girl from first term!”
Taking your seat, the fourth desk in the first column of desks closest to the door, you waited patiently for class to start, you stared at a spot on the chalkboard, spinning your pen in your hand without much thought to it. It was something you learned when you were small and it became a habit for when you had nothing to do. You almost fumbled your pen when a tall head of red hair walked in, laughing with a group of boys. You refused to let your eyes rest on him for long, turning your head to stare at the wall that separated you from the hallway. You were thankful his seat was next to the window and far away from you. It was almost funny now. You remembered a time when you wished he was much closer.
Tendou Satori had been your other half for all of your youth. You remembered the day you first saw him in elementary school during recess. There was something about the red haired demon boy with a bowl cut as he squatted by himself, using a stick to draw pictures in the dirt. Brave little you picked up a stick and squatted right beside him. You lost a lot of friends that day when you decided to hang out with the demon boy, but you gained Satori and he had been enough for over ten years. Honestly, you never realized he was your only friend until now. As the two of you grew older and volleyball helped him gain confidence, it was easier for him to make friends and the two of you were clearly a package deal. Both sets of your parents joked throughout your friendship that they hoped the two of you would even marry one day.
This past May, just at the start of your third year, had been the beginning of the end of the dynamic duo.
It was his birthday and you had just gotten back to campus from a dinner party with the volleyball club. Satori had been walking with his arm around your shoulders, something he’d done since you two first became friends.
“Ey! Best-chan and I are going to walk around some more. See you tomorrow!” he called out to the boys.
“Happy birthday again Tendou!”
“Goodnight (Y/N)!”
“See you!”
Soon it was just the two of you walking around campus, laughing and teasing one another. The two of you ended up in a game of tag before laying out on the soccer field, tired and breathing heavy. Reaching into your small purse, you pulled out an envelope and dropped it on his chest.
“Oh Best-chan, I though you forgot,” he spoke with a teasing tone, opening the envelope. Inside was a hand embroidered patch you spent weeks working on that said GUESS MONSTER. “I love it! You did this on your own didn’t you. You’re so talented. Will you put it on my sports jacket?”
“Of course!” You turned over so you lay on your stomach, propping yourself up by your arms so you could see his face better. Bending your legs at the knees, you casually kicked your legs behind you. “Sa-Sa, are you happy with your birthday this year?”
He thought carefully about his day. “Well, there’s one thing I want.”
“What is it?”
He looked over to you slyly and his voice was teasing. “I don’t know.”
You laughed at him and rolled your eyes. “I didn’t think you’d be embarrassed.”
“I’m not the one who’d be embarrassed, Best-chan.” He pouted and gently bumped your shoulder. “Don’t act weird when I ask you, okay? You can say no.”
You perked up a bit, realizing it had something to do with you. “Promise.”
“I want us to be friends with benefits, (Y/N).”
Shaking your head, you sat up to pay attention when the teacher walked in, standing to bow and say the good morning greeting. Taking your seat, you focused on your lesson and prayed for classes to be interesting and for time to pass quickly.
It was during your third class when a student came to deliver a note to the teacher.
“(Y/N), you’ve been requested to the teacher’s room.”
Standing, you bowed before leaving, ignoring the gazes of your classmates. As you walked the hall to approach the teacher’s room, you spotted Coach Washijou standing there, stern as ever. You bowed in respect.
“(Y/N), I’ll keep this simple. I need you to come back to the club,” he spoke.
“Coach, the boys don’t want me there.”
“Then they’re idiots! You’re the best manager I’ve ever had. You’ve been with us since your first year and these kids were spoiled by you. All they know is how to play,” he spoke loudly, clearly annoyed thinking about the team. “I don’t know what happened and I don’t care. This team won’t succeed if they don’t have the perfect support and that’s you. You graduate this year right? So I’ll also need you to train your replacement to do things exactly as you. I’ll see you at practice tomorrow morning. You should remember the time. Don’t be late.”
Did this grown adult just bully you? Holding back your sigh of annoyance, you simply bowed, understanding that was the end of discussion and headed back to class.
He barked at your retreating figure, “And learn to smile again, team manager!”
Excellent.
As you approached the classroom door, you stopped, hand on the door knob. You peered through the small window of the classroom, eyes floating over the faces of some of your classmates. Sighing, you backed away, and headed to your dorm to change. You needed to get out of here.
Throwing on a pink crop top and black overalls with the legs cuffed and slipping into some white Keds, you grabbed a crossbody purse and coat before heading into town. You walked along the river, kicking stones on the sidewalk. Crossing the river, you found yourself approaching the Gokoku Shrine at Sendai Castle. You followed the traditional religious practices by the book: purifying yourself with water, depositing a 5 yen coin for luck, ringing the bell, bowing twice and clapping twice, making sure not to skip a step. There weren’t many people around, so you took your time as you prayed. You felt tears well and slip from the corners of your eyes.
You were still gasping, taking in shaky breaths, your nerves still sending signals through your body. Arms and legs wrapped around you tightly as kisses were placed along your shoulder. Tendou nuzzled his face against your neck, pressing more kisses to your skin.
“You’re so good,” he mumbled into your ear, kissing your cheek. Turning your head slightly, your noses touched. He yawned and gave you an eskimo kiss before pressing his lips against yours.
“Really?” you whispered quietly, suddenly very conscious of yourself.
He laughed and nodded. “You feeling okay?”
“I feel... really different. I don’t really know,” you were honest with him. This had been your first time and now that it happened you were so thankful that it was your best friend. It made it so easy to communicate and you didn’t feel embarrassed for being unsure or telling him when you didn’t like something.
With a teasing smile, he blew a raspberry on your cheek. “Remember Best-chan, just don’t fall in love with me! You promised.”
Laughing, you rolled your eyes. “Who’d fall for you, Guess-chan?”
Stretching out, he got up and headed to the bathroom and left you alone. Biting your lip, you curled up into a ball, a sense of insecurity bubbling up within you. You heard the water running for the tub and he popped his head back out and your fears disappeared in a heartbeat. “Let’s clean up. I’ll give you a bath!”
Biting your lip, you bowed once more in thanks before stepping away. Wiping tears from your cheeks, you walked around the temple grounds.
“Miss?”
Looking up, you saw the shrine’s kannushi. He smiled peacefully at you. You bowed to him.
“How can I help you?” you asked, offering your own smile.
“Would you walk with me a bit?” he asked. Nodding, you walked with him silently. “The weather’s so nice isn’t it?”
“Ah, I suppose. It’s getting colder.”
“Yes, it is, but soon it will be spring again and everything will be new again. Bad weather will always pass. I saw you pray. I was very concerned to see the heavy cloud over you.” You said nothing in response, wringing your hands together. He stopped walking and you stilled as well. “Here. This is for you. I’ll be sure to ask kami to give your prayer extra consideration.”
Shiawase. A happiness amulet.
Arms were wrapped lazily around you as you lay in bed with Tendou after a very active evening. The two of you had bathed and Tendou put new sheets on the bed, the usual post intimacy ritual. Now the two of you were watching the newest episode of an anime he’s been following and cuddling. This had been going on for months now and it had been incredible.
The two of you had always been close, but now it felt like a different level. You knew so much more about him now. Both of you shared mindless and sometimes deep thoughts with one another that one usually wouldn’t speak of and gave each other the intimate affection you both craved. You hadn’t realized you were missing out on feeling loved in this way.
“Tendou, I have something for you.” You reached over into the drawer of your nightstand, pulling out a charm and hanging it in front of his face. “Kaiun. It’s a good luck talisman.”
His eyes sparkled as he looked at the charm that was as red as his hair. “You’re the best, Best-chan. Next match we win’s for you!”
Accepting it, you bowed. “Thank you so much.”
He hummed, a pleasing sound emitting from him as he nodded his head and bid you good day, going on his way. When he was out of sight, you headed back to campus. Tomorrow was going to be a long day with how early you’d have to get up.
It was 5AM when your alarm went off. Going through your routine, you put your hair up in a dutch braid and dressed in your maroon shorts and a white t-shirt. Grabbing your forgotten team manager jacket from the back of your closet, you headed to the gymnasium and punched in the code, opening it up. You found the lights easily in the dark from years of routine. It took only a few minutes to check your old notes and prepare drinks for the team. You rolled out the giant carts of volleyballs before setting up the net and getting towels for the team. Checking your watch, you headed over to the gym door and stood, waiting to greet the coach and players.
Ushijima was the first to arrive.
“Good morning, Ushijima.”
The towering captain acknowledge you, politely bowing in response. “I see Washijou was successful.”
“He’s not an easy person to reject.”
He hummed in agreement. “Do your best then.”
Soon the team trickled in, every one of them surprised to see you greet them; it seemed the captain was the only one the coach decided to discuss this situation with. Coach Washijou seemed quite smug and greeted you formally when he arrived. The only one missing was Tendou. Sighing, you went ahead and set up the safety net over the entry way to keep balls from escaping on accident. It was time to start practice and he was always late.
Fifteen minutes later you heard a series of apologies as Tendou slipped in, laughing off his tardiness. Coach Wahijou wasn’t having it and immediately had the boy doing flying laps until he said stop. Biting your lip, you tried not to take pleasure in him getting punished, or from the expression on his face when his gaze landed on you. You spent the morning running errands for Coach Wahijou, refilling sports drinks, collecting strays, and tossing balls for sets. It’d been a while, but you did your best to record stats for review and take notes of what Coach had to say. At the end of practice, Coach announced you were officially returning and dismissed everyone. He told you to just take care of water bottles and towels then to head off for school so you were out of there pretty quickly without having to talk to anyone.
Time seemed to tick by slowly. Tendou had made eye contact with you when he walked into class, sending you a look of pure confusion. You could feel him staring at you throughout your classes; a burning feeling. When school ended, you were quick to leave and get ready for volleyball practice, setting up just as you did that morning, except this time the boys were there putting up the nets. Coach Wahijou introduced you to the first year that would be taking over as team manager when you graduated. You had them pump air into the balls and take care of the laundry from this morning’s practice. Every once in a while, when there was time, you’d show them how to record stats and how they needed to keep notes on how each player had preferences, for example the way they liked their sports drinks made and how to tell when each player was getting tired; it was important to know when you were needed.
A few hours later, practice ended and you were putting things away in the storage room while your first year took care of the drink bottles and towels. You were looking for the push broom when a shadow fell over you.
“I love you.”
It was a whisper, but he heard it. His face was stoic and his body stopped moving, an extreme contrast from his wild and passionate expressions just moments ago. You laid beneath him in his shadow, breathing labored, eyes glazed with need and confusion. Without any further hesitation, he got off of you, slipping on his clothes and heading for the door.
“Satori wait! I’m sorry,” you sat up with realization, wrapping a sheet around you. “Please. I didn’t-”
Turning around, he gave you a look that had never been directed at you before and you felt almost fearful of it, stopping you from finishing your sentence.
“Get out. We’re done. Don’t be here when I come back.” Opening the door, he quickly left, leaving you to cry alone.
“So you’re back.”
Pretending not to notice him, you continued about your search, heading further into the room. Sighing, at not seeing the broom, you crawled over a couple of boxes, looking behind a shelving unit.
“When’d you decide to rejoin?”
Not there either. Bending down, your expression relaxed, finding the broom shoved under the shelving unit. Grabbing it, you turned around to find him in your way. The sight of him standing there gave you flashbacks of the intimate and compromising positions you’d been in with him in here. Your eyes fell to the patch on the shoulder of his sports jacket, the one you made for him.
Blinking, you spoke plainly, your voice more quiet than you had meant to be, “Excuse me, I have to sweep the gym and study before it gets late.”
“How’ve you been?” he tried again.
You raised a brow in response. Was he really trying to ask you that?
He laughed a little, clearly uncomfortable, and ran a hand through his hair. He picked up a volleyball from the cart and spun it in his hands. “Did you ever decide on plans for after graduation?”
Did he genuinely want to make small talk? Doubtful. Your face stayed expressionless, but your eyes spoke volumes and you wondered if he could see your pain. “Does it matter?”
“We haven’t spoken in months,” he stated, gripping the volleyball tightly in his large hands. “I just want to know what’s going to happen to you.”
“Satori, do you have a minute?”
He was chatting in the hallway with a few boys from class when you approached him. He didn’t even turn to acknowledge you. You stood there awkwardly, your classmates staring at you while your best friend ignored your existence. Biting your lip, you bowed your head, “Sorry for bothering you all. Please excuse me.”
“Tendou, (Y/N) looked like she had something important to say.”
“Did you guys get into a fight or something?”
“I don’t know what she wants and I don’t care. She’s crazy.”
Tendou’s words felt like being stabbed by a thousand knives.
Your gaze was fierce as you looked him in the eye. “You don’t get to do that. You don’t get to ask me those questions and you don’t get to know the answers. Now get out of my way so I can finish with practice.”
Stunned, he let you pass him. Thankfully he didn’t bother you again the rest of clean up. Knowing him, it was because of the first year’s presence around you. It created a buffer zone. You closed up the gym when you were finished. It took a bit longer so you decided you needed to go straight to bed in order to get up early enough to set up morning practice again.
Weeks continued on like this and soon it was nearing the Spring High Representative Playoffs in October. It only took a couple of weeks for your first year to get up to speed. You had them handling clean up for you, allowing you to get out of practices quickly. What you truly wished for was for them to already know how to organize and help run training camps so you could go home for a weekend instead of being stuck in a different prefecture at some other school with Tendou Satori for several days.
The bus ride to the training camp was insufferable. Tendou sat right behind you and burned holes into the back of your head. When everyone finally got to camp it only took a day for him to finally corner you alone. Thankfully, a few of the players from the university interrupted him and you could get away. Unfortunately, he was persistent.
“(Y/N), let’s talk,” he spoke seriously one evening. He had waited for you to finish your evening shower before bed and intercepted you in the stairwell on your way back to the female team manager’s room. When you said nothing, he continued, “Look, I know you’re still hurt-”
“Tendou!” you yelled at him, your voice echoing through the stairwell. “I confessed my feelings and you told me to get out. Then you wouldn’t speak to me when I begged you to and you even said lies about me. Hurt doesn’t describe it.” You still felt broken and beyond repair.
Soon after Tendou called you crazy, there were whispers, stories that got crazier and crazier with every time they were retold. Everything from Tendou being a victim of your lifetime of stalking to you being mentally unstable after he rejected you circulated around your class. You tried to approach Tendou to get him to stop the rumors, but he only ignored you and it fueled the stories.
So you stopped.
You stopped trying to talk to him before you made it worse. You did everything you could to limit being around him from changing how you walked to class, quitting as the team manager, and even asking for a class change - which was denied. You no longer looked in his direction if you could help it. You ate lunch alone. You kept to yourself.
People who you thought were friends avoided you, but continued to talk with Tendou, making you realize that you never had friends. You had Tendou and Tendou had friends. It made you laugh at how things had turned around. Before Tendou, you had plenty of friends and he had none. Now look at you both.
For weeks after school, you’d leave campus and walk to the Gokoku Shrine. When you crossed the bridge over the Hirose River, you’d contemplate your own end. You’d then go to the shrine and pray about it, asking for those dark thoughts to go away. It happened only once, but one night you even dared to stand on the parapet.
One day, out of the blue, the whispers at school no longer stabbed at you. When you crossed the bridge, you didn’t have dark thoughts anymore. You stopped going to the shrine as often. Slowly, you let yourself change, studying harder and making it a goal to leave Japan. You’d remove yourself from the situation in a different way. The world was too large to stay in Japan. You’d start somewhere new.
“If you want to apologize, then do it. Just leave me alone afterwards. I’m so tired of everything. I wish it never happened.” He stood there silently and you felt it was so typical of him to not even apologize. You moved to walk past him, but he stood in your way. Making a second attempt to pass him, he reached for your hand and you slapped it away. “Enough, Tendou.”
He left you alone for the rest of training camp. In fact, he didn’t try to speak to you again until after the Spring High Playoffs. Their loss to Karasuno was a heavy hit. He tried talking to you about something mundane like his sports drink not being prepared correctly by the first year, and even though you wanted to tell him to go figure it out, you silently took care of it, knowing how much the loss was hurting everyone. Coach Washijou immediately put you to work in organizing a First Year Training Camp to be held at Shiratorizawa in early December and thankfully that kept you busy.
It was the day before the training camp and you found yourself walking through town, headed toward the shrine to say a prayer. When you were leaving, you stopped at the top of the steps, looking out at the skyline. It was supposed to snow soon. You were half way down the stairs when you saw Tendou waiting at the bottom of the steps. Pausing before him, for the briefest of moments, you headed back to campus. He’d been silently walking with you until you got to the bridge where you stopped half way across.
When you didn’t move, he cleared his throat and spoke calmly, “We know I’m not the type to apologize. I did those things because I meant to at the time. But I look back and I’m filled with regret. I ruined our friendship on purpose. I set us up to fail because... I was falling in love with you every day. I was going to fix it, but I wasn’t ready yet, then everything got so bad from the rumors. I didn’t mean for it to explode like it did.”
Your shoulders tensed at his words. “Why did you do it? If you didn’t mean for it, why did you let it happen? Why did you want to sleep with me?”
“To know what love was... And I learned it’s painful. Before you even said it, I could tell you loved me too, just by how you looked at me, but as long as you never said it out loud, it was fine. Then, when you said you loved me, I remembered how lonely it was before you. I couldn’t look at you anymore. You got in my head. After I walked out, I thought about what to do. Loving me meant you could stop one day, so I chose when to end it to get it over with instead of going through these feelings again in the future.”
“You didn’t even consider that it could work out between us and doomed us from the start. That’s weak and so selfish. And you’re an idiot.”
“I guess I’m all those things.”
“I don’t think you’re justified in what you did and I know you'll never apologize, but you said more than I ever expected you to. So what do you want from me?”
He was silent, thinking hard about what he wanted. “Right now, I guess I just want to know if you’ll be okay.”
You leaned against the parapet of the bridge, looking down at the river as the icy water flowed. “I used to think of dying every time I crossed this bridge. I walked to the shrine every day and I’d think of jumping. Maybe the water would put out this fire I felt burning away at me and end it all. Then I’d go and pray for those thoughts to go away.”
“So praying worked?” he asked, leaning against the parapet with you.
“Maybe.” You exhaled and watched the cloud of warm breath swirl and disappear before your eyes. “You learn to stop loving me?”
“Maybe. I thought so for a while, but I’m not sure anymore.” He peered over at you. “Did you? Stop loving me, I mean.”
“I still cry about you, so probably not.”
“Oh.”
-
Let me know if you want to be tagged in any future Haikyū!! content I create!
Loved your latest ushijima post!!! If it’s not too much trouble could I pls get an imagine where ushijima’s gf convinces him to finally get Snapchat and he starts off with random af snaps like “this cloud looks like a bunny” and THEN JUMPS TO SENDING PICS OF HIS ABS LIKE “can’t wait to see you later” 😩😩
Aaaa~ this is so cute I love it. Lets do this.
No Filter | Request
Ushijima x Reader
Warning: None.
Sitting on a park bench, you raised your long legs a bit to kick them back and forth as you scrolled through social media, enjoying an ice cream cone. It was Sunday and it was beautiful out. You tried convincing your gentle giant and his friends to come with you into town, but Ushijima shut it down quick, breaking Tendo’s spirit. Volleyball practice strikes again. Snapping a cute photo of yourself, you posted it on Snapchat in the Shiratorizawa VBC group with the caption: wish you were here, xoxo.
With a sigh, you finished up your cone, heading to the department store to buy Ushijima some new clothes. It didn’t take long for you to receive several replies of the guys taking photos of each other. You saved the one from Tendo. He’d taken a selfie with Ushijima in the background, wearing his classic muted expression. You texted Tendo.
(Y/N): Sa-Sa~~~ get my boyfriend to join snapchat!
Tendo: What makes u think I can get him 2 join?
(Y/N): B/c I believe in u~~~ uwu
(Y/N): Besides, u got him to read shonen jump! U can do anything.
You didn’t hear back from him so you figured he was back to practicing.
After doing some damage at the stores, you finally headed back to campus with several bags in hand. You usually posted outfits you tried on and if enough people gave positive reviews, you bought it. It was a guilty pleasure of yours, but you loved getting couples outfits and taking photos of you and Ushijima wearing them, even managing a dedicated Instagram account. Being in your pictures was the closest your boyfriend got to being a part of social media.
Dropping off your bags at your dorm room, you headed to the gym to catch the end of practice. Goshiki was the first to spot you, waving in your direction. Waving back, you watched quietly, taking out your phone and posting videos of your boyfriend on Snapchat with a heart filter as he practiced his jump serves.
When practice was finished, you waited patiently for Ushijima who immediately approached you, pressing a kiss to your forehead before cleaning up the room and showering with the guys. You were in the midst of posting another selfie on Snapchat when Ushijima took your phone from you, putting it in his pocket. Pouting, you gently bumped your shoulder against his arm.
“Wakatoshi, give it back. I looked really cute in that one,” you whined.
He looked down at you and pulled you against his side, walking with you to your dorm. “You’re always cute. You don’t have to show everyone.”
“I know that you think that, but don’t other people deserve to see your cute girlfriend too?” Your pout seemed to be permanent.
“No.”
“Wakatoshi~ please get Snapchat. I’ll send you cute content all the time,” you tried to entice him.
“I’d rather see you in person.”
Skipping a few steps in front of him, you placed your hands against his chest, stopping him. Pressing your body against his, you let your fingers play with the hair at the nape of his neck. You stood on the tips of your toes to press kisses along his jaw. “Anata *, I just miss you when you’re not around. If you had Snapchat, you could send me pictures of things you see or like, or what you’re doing. I’ll feel closer to you.”
He was silent for a while before sighing. “Tendo says it won’t clutter my camera roll.”
You tried to not seem so excited. “He’s right. It’s very clever.”
Resting his hands on your hips, he pressed a kiss to your forehead before handing you your phone back. “Fine.”
Your eyes lit up and you jumped up, pressing a kiss against his lips.
The next morning, you woke up and checked your notifications, smiling when you gained a new follower, the name making you smile: @ushiwakaa_. Laughing to yourself, you knew this was Tendo’s doing. You smiled as you opened one of his messages to you and your heart felt warm. He had taken a picture of the sunrise for you with the caption: You always sleep in.
You sent him a selfie in reply, smiling sleepily at the camera and showing off your tousled bedhead: Sleep in with me some time!
Quickly, you took your time getting ready for school, skipping breakfast to organize the clothes you had gotten Ushijima yesterday. You checked your phone during breaks between classes, enjoying the wholesome content your boyfriend was sending you. He sent you photos of:
a leaf on the sidewalk: no caption.
a snail that was next to the leaf: Slow.
the third years on the volleyball team at breakfast: They told me you would want photos of them.
the tree outside his classroom window: no caption.
a hair clip some girl in his class was wearing: Would you like something like this?
a smiley face he drew in his notebook: no caption.
a cloud he saw outside his classroom window: This cloud looks like a bunny.
the same cloud but at a different angle: Do you see it?
Laughing softly, you wondered how you got so lucky that you ended up with him. You didn’t have much time to dwell on the thought as class ended and it was lunch time. Getting your food, you walked over to the usual table of third year volleyball boys, sitting down across from Ushijima. He preferred sitting across from you; on your first lunch date he said it was so he could enjoy looking at you. He nodded at you from behind a bowl of rice, eating peacefully.
“I love your posts, Wakatoshi,” you commented, smiling brightly at him.
He paused for moment in acknowledgement that you spoke, before returning to his meal. Giggling, you turned to Tendo to discuss the newest Shonen Jump, slipping off your shoe and gently running your socked foot up and down Ushijima’s calf, letting him know he was the one really on your mind. Despite how confident and strong he seemed, the VBC captain was just as capable of jealousy like any other mere mortal.
You were laughing at something Tendo said when you heard the sound of a phone snapping a picture. Looking over, you noticed Ushijima on his phone. “Wakatoshi, come on! I wasn’t ready. Let me see.”
He sent you a sharp look that told you to be patient, making you pout. There were some chimes around the table and you glanced at your phone, a notification reading that @ushiwakaa_ had just sent a snap. Quickly opening the app, you saw he had posted it in the VBC group. It was a photo of you and Tendo laughing, and surprisingly it was really good. Taking your phone, you sent him a private message: xoxo.
After school, you holed yourself up in the library, working on an essay for History. You scrolled through Ushijima’s stories: a photo of the empty gym, the huge basket of volleyballs, another photo of the gym. You took a photo of your study set up and posted it to your story: Wish me luck!
You then flipped to the front facing camera, taking a pouty selfie and sending it to your boyfriend: anata i wish you were here... uwu.
Sighing, you settled in and engrossed yourself in the the life story of Nobunaga. An hour and a half into your paper, you sighed in boredom, picking up your phone and procrastinating a bit. Checking your messages, you scrolled through your different feeds, mindlessly liking images that caught your eye.
A notification appeared, telling you your boyfriend had sent you something.
Opening Ushijima’s message, your face lit up brightly. It was a selfie of him, sweaty from his workout, winking at the camera with a smirk on his lips as he raised the front of his sweaty practice jersey, revealing his blessed physique. Biting your lip, you rubbed your thighs together, taking in every defined feature on his body, from his pecs down to his adonis belt: See you later.
Quickly packing your things, you headed straight to your dorm, knowing exactly what you were going to send back.
;)
- - -
*Anata is a very intimate term of address, like calling someone “baby” or “honey”, said by females to their male significant other or husband.
Summary: You’re Goshiki Tsutomu’s older doting sister, second year at Shiratorizawa and captain of the girl’s track & field team. At your brother’s first practice you sneak in to support him and end up meeting the impressive force that is his captain.
Warnings: Smut. 18+ Only. NSFW. I repeat: NSFW. Explicit content. S E X. You can literally skip this chapter and wait for 4 to continue with actual story content.
[1] | [2] | [3] | [4] | [5]
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Dating Ushijima was the greatest. Tendo had feigned being heartbroken “but at least it was his best friend” and Tsutomu wasn’t sure at first, but you proved to your brother that he had nothing to worry about. In fact, a week into your relationship, Tsutomu thanked you, because now Ushijima was a bit more patient with the first year at practice and a little less rough with his honesty. He was observant and quickly learned how to read you, sometimes knowing what you wanted before you did.
The two of you held busy schedules and were honest with one another about when either of you needed alone time or when you needed time together. Honestly if it weren’t for having lunch together every day and going to watch practices, you were positive you’d crash from withdrawal of him. Track and field season had ended so there weren’t anymore meets or competitions for you to worry about. The only reason you still did any training at all was because of your position on the national team.
Today was your lucky day though. The volleyball club had an off day to rest, coach’s orders from the team being gone the past week to train with a college team, and instead of letting him do some independent training, you begged for Ushijima to spend the day with you. The last few times the both of you had spent time together resulted in heavy make out sessions and getting a little handsy. You had figured something out about Ushijima. Being called senpai really turned up the heat for him.
The first time you did it, the two of you had been making out outside of the 7-Eleven while the volleyball team grabbed ice creams after practice. He was in the middle of leaving you a hickey in the alleyway when you heard the boys loudly conversing in front of the store, looking for you both.
“Better stop before they find us, senpai,” you had whispered in his ear, trying to save him from Tendo’s inevitable teasing. Ushijima’s grip on your hips had instantly tightened before he pulled himself away from you.
The second time you did it, the two of you were in the library, cozied up together and studying. Your hand was resting on his thigh and he had his own rested on yours. You were really stuck on a math problem so you asked him for help.
“Senpai, help me. I don’t get it.” He had gripped your thigh so tightly it actually left a bruise that he was profusely sorry for, but bingo you had a winner.
So now the two of you were snuggled on your bed, him in his boxer briefs and a shirt, you in his sweatshirt and a pair of tiny shorts, watching some god awful horror film Tendo had been begging Ushijima to watch so they could talk about it. You guessed this was Ushijima’s way of killing two birds with one stone, but dear god you hated horror films. Instead, you focused on him, trying your best to block out the creepy music. You were tucked into his side, between him and the wall. One leg was hooked over his thigh. A brave hand had found its way under his shirt, caressing and appreciating every ripple of muscle hidden beneath the thin fabric. Your head rested on his shoulder and you gazed up at his seemingly neutral expression, but you knew better now. His face was softer and at ease. It was barely there, but the corner of his mouth quirked upward. He was happy. You sighed gently into his ear. With no reaction you tried again. Still nothing. Fine then.
Shifting to lie more on top of him, you buried your face into the crook of his neck, leaving kisses as you continued to feel up his muscles. Your kisses moved upwards, before finally you found his earlobe, giving a lick before sucking gently. You sighed again with your lips against his ear.
“Senpai~.”
His hands instantly found their way to your thighs, just beneath your ass. He gripped firmly and it only got tighter as you continued to sigh and call to him between kisses.
“Senpai~ the movie’s so scary.”
“Senpai~ don’t you want to do something else?”
“(Y/N),” he spoke firmly, his voice low, making you pause. Leaning back you saw the seriousness in his expression and for the briefest moment you wondered if you crossed a line before his lips crashed against yours. He shifted for more comfort, bending the leg between your own, his thigh pressing against you, eliciting a gasp from you. Your face turned red, embarrassed.
A smirk found its way to his lips as he maintained eye contact. He repositioned himself and pulled your waist down so that you sat against his thigh. He leaned forward to kiss you again, using his hands to guide your hips to grind against him. You were sighing into his kisses and soon you were moving on your own. He leaned back and watched your expressions as you rode his thigh, his cock twitching and hard as you moaned out another “senpai~.” He flexed his thigh and a lewd moan made its way past your lips.
“Take this off,” he instructed, one of his hands rising up to tug at the sweatshirt. You quickly obeyed, discarding it on the floor. Your hands found their way back to his shoulders, working harder to find your release.
His eyes traveled from your face to your free breasts before settling between your legs. He gave out a groan, seeing the slick that had soaked through your shorts and panties now coating his thigh. His cock seemed to strain beneath his underwear and you weren’t oblivious to it.
You were so close, feeling a coil tighten inside of you, but you couldn’t let him lie there like that. Despite his protest for you to finish on his thigh, you swung a leg over, the width of his hips helping you spread wider as you settled onto his crotch, grinding down slowly and firmly. Moans escaped the both of you. As one of his hands moved to grasp at your ass tightly, his other hand trailed up to paw at your breast, eliciting an excited noise from you. You were so happy that you had foregone wearing a bra. It encouraged him all the more as he began grinding against you and your sighs became louder moans.
“Does this feel good?” he grunted, focused on his motions.
“Yes, yes senpai,” you whimpered as he continuously ground against you in just the right way. You were beyond wet now, feeling even your thighs becoming slick as he pressed against your clit again and again. Glancing down, the sight of his underwear now stained with your wetness made your heart race. You became clumsy the more desperate you became for release. With a shudder you cried out, your hips stuttering against his crotch from your first orgasm. He gave you a moment to regain your breath. You shifted and removed your ruined shorts.
“More?”
Nodding, you panted out, begging, “Please.”
He shifted so you lay beneath him and continued to grind against you. He accidentally shifted to where your upper thigh and groin met. One hand moved to the front of your underwear, feeling your folds through the wet cloth. He teased you for a time, watching as your face changed expressions, your eyes closed, unaware of his focused gaze. He was surprised as he watched you reach up to grip your own breast, the one he had neglected for some time, but the real surprise was the feel of your other hand reaching down the front of his pants.
“(Y/N).” He shuddered, feeling you grasp him firmly.
“Wakatoshi,” you murmured, eyes fluttering open to reveal glazed orbs gazing up at him, “Stop grinding against me there, it hurts.”
He laughed, leaning down to nuzzle his face against yours, he pressed a kiss to your neck as an apology. As you stroked his length, he felt his body react to your touch, thrusting with your hand’s movements. His lips brushed against your ear as he grunted.
Biting your lip, you squirmed as his fingers found their way past your soaked panties to your core. He did his best to concentrate on the attention he gave you, stroking deliberately and using your moans and whines as directions.
His actions became more varying and once he had found your clit, the tightening feeling in your core returned. It was almost too much as he slipped his middle digit inside, quickly followed by a second. You moaned as he thrust his fingers, adjusting to the new sensation. With a curl of his digits, he easily carried you quickly towards the edge. In turn, your grip on his length tightened and he became erratic with his thrusts.
He was first to finish, his body rigid and shaking as a strangled grunt clawed its way from his throat, choking out your name. You continued to stroke him, helping him ride his orgasm. You could feel him stiffen again. Gathering his composure, he continued to thrust his fingers inside you, coaxing you to your own finish.
“Come,” he breathed into your ear, placing light kisses against your skin. His voice was rough and you felt as though that alone could send you over.
That coil inside you was ready to snap. You cried out his name over and over, tears actually falling from your eyes. “Please, please,” you begged him. “Please, let me. Yes!”
A wave crashed over you, that tightening at your core liberated and your body quivered beneath his as you spoke nonsensically from your release. This one had felt so different than the one before. He continued his actions, loving the way you looked and sounded, reacting to him. The only thing he understood was his name. You were seeing stars and felt weightless, as though he were the only thing keeping you from floating away. Breath hitching, your hands gripped his wrist tightly, but he continued on. It was becoming too much, but you couldn’t form the words to stop him. Did you even really want him to? Suddenly you felt it. Another release washed over you and you were soaked, shaking and moaning. Your face was flushed. You couldn’t believe he made you squirt.
Something felt awakened in Ushijima from the sight and he needed you to do it again. He pulled you on top of him, sitting with his back against the headboard. Pulling you forward, he kissed you with a sense of urgency.
His fingers were teasing your nipples, squeezing and rolling them between his fingers before his hands moved lower - resting on your waist. Reaching down, you pulled down his ruined boxer briefs, freeing his hard member. Feeling him blindly was one thing, but seeing him with your own eyes sent your heart racing. Taking in his thick and long length and noting the vein that ran along his cock, you wondered if you could take all of him.
“Senpai, this is my first time,” you admitted, pressing your lips to his.
His eyes widened as you lifted your hips before slowly sinking down, both of you moaning into each other's mouths. Your hands were now resting on his shoulders, holding on for support. Taking your time, you almost cried at how full you felt. With a little help from him, he bucked up, fully sheathed within you. Your head fell back and you were tense, clenching around him and adjusting. He pressed kisses to your neck as he rubbed your back, holding himself back from just wrecking you like he wanted. You were almost painfully tight around his member. When you looked at him again, his hands wiped away the tears. Soon, you were riding him at a slow pace, still sensitive from your previous orgasms, his cock rubbed against your sweet spot every time, the tip - you were sure of it - pressing against your cervix. Ushijima lowered his head before he harshly bit down on your shoulder, sucking your skin.
Unable to handle the slow pace you were moving at, Ushijima easily shifted and had you pinned beneath him. He pressed a kiss to your forehead and told you not to worry. Your walls clenched, squeezing his cock and making him twitch as he groaned at the feeling. Your moans were spurred on by his grunts as he thrusted into you, harder and harder, slowly increasing his pace.
You were soon back to your previous state of being a jumbled mess as you whined and cried beneath him. At one point you had even lost the power to utter a sound, silently screaming as he shifted his hips for a new angle. He grasped your breasts, roughing kneading them, your hands clasped around his wrists, desperate to hold on to anything. Your eyes were rolling into the back of your head, drool escaping from the corner of your lips, and that coil from before tightened more and more until suddenly it broke again, your legs shaking, walls clenching, and back arching.
He continued his thrusts, determined to reach his own climax. You continued to writhe beneath him as he continued to fuck you through your orgasm, overstimulating your body and forcing you into another orgasm. You squirted just as he wanted, covering his abs, and tears fell from your eyes at how sensitive and raw you felt. The sight of you now seemed to do it for him as his hips stuttered and he groaned loudly, muttering curses as he bucked his seed into you.
Wiping tears from your eyes, he stayed buried in your warm walls, the weight of his body a comfort to you as he kissed you tenderly. He studied your spent expression and wondered if this was love he felt for you. When you opened your eyes, the way you gazed and smiled at him told him that it had to be.
Summary: You’re Goshiki Tsutomu’s older doting sister, second year at Shiratorizawa and captain of the girl’s track & field team. At your brother’s first practice you sneak in to support him and end up meeting the impressive force that is his captain.
Warnings: There’s a curse word or two.
[1] | [2] | [3] | [4] | [5]
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If you were honest with yourself, you weren’t really sure why you let it happen, but you did, and now you had to deal with it. Shiratorizawa was hosting the first track meet of the season, inviting five other schools to compete, and you were excited for it. Goshiki had mentioned to Tendo that your first meet was happening and apparently the whole volleyball team was coming to watch you.
The stands were pretty full, mostly Shiratorizawa students and members of all the different track and field clubs who weren’t competing today, but there for support. There were loud cheers when the Shiratorizawa girls and boys competing today stepped onto the field together. Not everyone was participating today for various reasons. It was mostly third years, half the second years, and a few select first years debuting this meet.
You stood with the boy’s team captain and waved at your fellow student body. A series of loud squeals erupted and chants of “Go-shi-ki sen-pai win!” sounded from the stands, making you laugh. You had your own small fan club and they were easy to spot, waving hand made signs with your name and phrases like “Fly Senpai” and “Dream Captain” written on them. A blush rose to your cheeks as you spotted your brother and the boys from the volleyball team sitting with your fan club. Tendo and your brother had even taken one of their signs and started waving it around together with large grins on their faces. It made you happy to see your sibling enjoying himself.
Turning to the boy’s captain, you held out your hand to him and shook his, wishing him and the boys good luck. Separating, you led the girls in doing stretches before wrapping up with a speech about how they should only think about doing their best and if they just gave it 100% of themselves, then there wouldn’t be any regrets at the end of the day. The whistle blew, signaling the start of events.
Your first event was the 100 meter dash. Heading over to the start, you did some last minute leg stretches before bouncing up and down to loosen up your limbs. Some of the girls from the opposing schools openly stared at you and you smiled at them, despite their judgmental gazes.
You wore maroon, high waisted bun huggers and the classic white school jersey with maroon accenting, the symbol for captain on your chest above your heart and the nation’s flag was sewn on your jersey as well, showing you were a part of the national team. Your long hair was neatly tied into a singular Dutch braid with a maroon ribbon.
“I saw in a magazine that she runs for the national team dressed like that too. How indecent!” a few girls whispered down the line from you.
Turning your head, you grinned and they gasped, realizing you heard them. “In fact I do. If I could compete nude, I would. Clothes just slow you down,” you spoke matter of factly. “Too bad our society operates on outdated patriarchal principles intended to suppress women, right?” Giving them a friendly wink, you set yourself up and waited for the signal.
Ready. Set. Go.
You were off in a heart beat and suddenly it was over as you crossed the finish line first. 12.45 seconds. Breathing deeply, you walked it off. You could go faster, but that was plenty to beat them this run. There were only four schools at this meet so according the schedule you had one more go at improving that time. You shook hands with the runners and headed onto the field where one of your team managers handed you a cool towel and water bottle, escorting you across the field to the other side of the track for the 110 meter hurdles.
13.07 seconds. You came in first, but again that was another time you wanted to improve your next go around. You spent the next 30 minutes relaxing and waiting on your turn for your final 100 meter dash, cheering on your teammates and congratulating them on their wins, encouraging them on their losses. It used to feel heavy to you, helping your teammates shoulder their losses, but now it was almost second hand to you.
Your 100 meter dash came and went quickly. You clocked a healthy 11.58 seconds, but you still weren’t satisfied. Your goal for all of your events was the world record and then to crush it. Walking around a bit, you wrapped a jacket around your waist and made your way over to your fan club to distract yourself, personally thanking the small troupe for coming out to support you as always. You chatted with them a bit before moving on to your brother and his teammates.
“Sister, you’re doing great! I’ve never seen you run so fast before,” Tsutomu exclaimed.
“(Y/N) I’m going to join your fan club!” Tendo shouted as he stood proudly holding up the sign he had. Semi grabbed him and pulled him back down to sit, clearly annoyed.
“We’ve never been to a track meet before so your brother and the fan club have been explaining things to us,” Ohira spoke, offering a smile. The other boys gave their compliments and you chatted with them all, sure to give each of them attention. Ushijima was the last to speak to you.
“Are you competing in any other events?” he asked.
“I have to run hurdles one more time then I have two events left.”
“Is it normal to compete in so many categories?”
You laughed lightly and shook your head. “Not really. Most will just focus on one event. I normally run two or three for high school level meets. For the national team I focus on two, but this is a small meet with a low number of competitors so I’m lucky and get to do what I want today.”
“Excuse me. Captain, it’s your turn to vault,” came one of the third year managers.
“Thanks, I’ll be right there.” Turning to Ushijima, you smiled at him. “I’ve got to fly now.”
“Goshiki, what does your sister mean by fly?” you could hear the volleyball captain ask before you were out of earshot.
You tied the tail of your braid up into a knot at the back of your head and secured it before dusting up your hands and testing out your grip on your pole. The schools agreed on 10 feet to be the starting height. Your standard run at pole vault allowed you to clear 12.5 feet easy so this would be child’s play for a little while. Taking a deep breath, you held up your pole and bent your knees slightly before taking off with full commitment. With a thrust and leap of faith you waited for that moment before letting go of your pole, arching yourself gracefully over the bar. A smile spread across your lips as you felt yourself airborne, suspended in air. It was a peaceful moment just before your body impacted on the safety mat.
The rest of the day seemed to speed up. You had a few more runs at pole vault before you had to run your final 110 meter hurdles. Your time barely improved. There was a small break for lunch and then it was back to pole vaulting and then you had the 4 x 100 meter relay. You were the anchor and the rest of your team consisted of the next three fastest runners - two third years and one first year. Meeting with your team briefly, you offered some encouraging words before heading to your respective places, though by the looks of things, the first year still seemed to be in her head about it. Thank goodness she was running the third leg, you could make up for her if needed.
With a bang the race started. You counted the seconds in your head. If they ran at their optimal speeds, you wouldn’t have to look back, but you knew that today wasn’t a perfect day. Glancing back you felt your heart drop as the first year runner stumbled and fell.
“Kitagawa, it’s okay, just get up!” you called out, reaching out to her.
The first year pushed herself up and your brows furrowed as the other teams passed her. As soon as you felt the baton grace your fingers, you took off, gripping tightly as you made up for the mistake. Your face flushed as you stopped breathing for a moment, pushing through the last few steps.
Second place.
Breathing heavily, you let your head fall back as you walked it off, hands on your hips. You could feel your blood pump through your veins and your stomach felt tight. Feeling physically better, you shook hands with the competition before you headed over to your coach, who seemed pissed.
Second place.
“C-Captain, I’m so sorry,” cried Kitigawa, covering her face in horror. “I let us down.”
At seeing everyone’s dejected faces, you smiled faintly, resting one hand on the first year’s head and with the other, pulling her forward in a hug. You let her cry it out.
“Kitagawa, you should remember this feeling. Don’t ever forget it. Always remember how terrible it feels as a reminder to keep working hard so you never have to feel this way again. We did well enough to have one more chance today. That’s one more opportunity for you to prove to us you deserve to be a part of this relay team,” you spoke, your voice gentle yet firm. You spent a few more minutes thanking the third years for running so hard and doing their best, asking them to help their first year teammate overcome her nerves.
You finished up pole vault, just in time to run the final 4 x 100. The last competitor you had to beat made a mistake and knocked over the pole at 18 feet which you cleared, but just barely. You’d forgotten to make sure your braid was secured into a bun and it fell loose, making the pole wobble dangerously. It was a huge sigh of relief when it didn’t fall.
“Kitagawa, are you still nervous about messing up?” you asked her. When she didn’t reply, you set a hand on her shoulder and smiled brightly. “You already did the worst thing possible and we still qualified for the last run today. So no more pressure okay? Just run. You’ll be fine.” With those final words you went to your anchor position and waited.
And go.
Closing your eyes for a moment, you took several deep breaths before looking back. A smile stretched across your face as the pass was made to Kitagawa and she ran as hard as she could, no mistakes this time. As soon as your fingers could feel the metal, you took off, taking and maintaining the lead until the finish. Your relay team quickly ran over, lifting you up briefly in excitement, causing a joyful laugh to escape you. When they set you back down, you handed Kitagawa the relay baton and tapped the tip of your nose gently and sent her a wink, before going off to shake hands with all the runners.
It was 3:30PM and everything was on track for awards to be handed out at 4:30, so you cheered for your school from the stands, standing with the volleyball club and doing your best to get them fully involved. Ushijima was a bit of a hard one to get into the spirit. You made him hold a sign while you stood behind him and waved his arms above his head. Your fellow peers looked at you as though you’d grown another head, but you didn’t care. He was letting you do what you wanted.
Awards weren’t anything too fancy. First, second, and third place winners were called for each event, handed their respective ribbons, and then the winners would bow and thank everyone for coming. As captain, you shook the hands of all the other captains, socializing for a bit before it was finally over and you could shower and get some rest.
Right after you bathed, you collapsed on your bed, exhausted. Your spirit wanted you to go back out there and run, but your body was in charge right now and it was screaming rest.
A groan escaped you as your phone pinged several times. Glancing at the screen, you sighed, smiling. Your brother said the volleyball club wanted to treat you to dinner. You texted back, letting him know you didn’t want to go out, but if the boys brought back take out, you wouldn’t mind hanging out in someone’s dorm. Mere seconds later you got a thumbs up emoji, time, and dorm number.
You dressed in a pair of black knit bicycle shorts, white cropped top, and a cute pair of pink socks with peaches embroidered on the ankles. Slipping on your canvas shoes, you snuck into the boy’s dorm and knocked on the correct door. A boy from your year named Kawanishi opened the door, his expression neutral as expected, he stepped aside and let you in, briefly wishing you congratulations for winning.
“Thank you, Kawanishi.” You smiled brightly and gave a polite bow to him. Slipping your shoes off, you set them out of the way before walking into the dorm room.
Yunohama, another second year you recognized waved you over to where he and your brother sat on a bed. “Hey, (Y/N). Welcome to me and Kawanishi’s dorm. Make yourself at home. You can sit on our beds or wherever you like.”
Tsutomu smiled at you. “We’re going to the club room in a few minutes. They’re setting up right now.”
“Tsu, you made your older sister walk all the way over here? The club building’s in the opposite direction,” you pouted at him.
He sighed. “I’ll carry you, old woman.”
True to his word, your brother gave you a piggyback ride the entire way there, his upperclassmen teasing him the entire way. You only hugged onto your brother more tightly, relaxed. Opening the door to the club room, your eyes lit up and you clasped your hands together. The guys were gathered around a table that had so many different ingredients and there was a large stack of nori and three very large bowls of rice.
“Temaki party!” you cheered, getting off your brother’s back and stepping inside, making sure to leave your shoes out of the way. Your eyes were basically hearts as you looked at it closer.
“Goshiki told us this was your favorite,” Yamagata spoke.
“You’re the best, little brother,” you stated, wearing a truly happy expression he’d seen for the first time in a long time.
“We’re all hungry, just start eating,” he lightly scolded, embarrassed as he shoved a plate in your hands.
You hummed delightfully as you made a plate, everyone else following suit. Sitting down, Ushijima sat on one side while your brother sat on the other. Soon everyone joined and chatted casually while eating. Watching Tsutomu interact with everyone made you happy. You were absolutely proud of him for growing up so well. A hum from beside you stole your attention and you peeked to see Ushijima clumsily rolling his temaki. He stared with slight irritation as his rice and roe fell out the other end, having rolled it like a tube instead of a cone shape.
Leaning over to him, you whispered quietly, “Ushijima, can I make you a temaki please? I want you to try this combination of flavors and see what you think.”
He stared at you quietly for a moment before nodding. Okay, so you lied a little. You weren’t trying to get him to try something new. You knew he was obviously the prideful type and he was struggling so you created an opportunity to show him how to roll the nori. Slowly, you constructed the temaki, aware of how he was watching your hands closely to see how you rolled it together.
Handing him the roll, you smiled. “What do you think?”
“Good,” he replied after taking a bite.
Satisfied, you went back to eating and chatting. You glanced over at Ushijima to see the state of his rolls had greatly improved and he seemed to be enjoying himself a bit more. You smiled and immersed yourself into the conversation, sparking up a game of pin pon pan where Semi was the champ for three straight rounds, much to Tendo’s displeasure.
“Does anyone know how to give a massage?” you asked randomly, biting into your last temaki. The boys looked around at each other before shrugging or shaking their heads.
“Yamagata knows how,” your brother spoke absentmindedly. “He helped me the other day when I hurt my arm.”
“H-Hey, don’t go telling people,” Yamagata huffed. “And that wasn’t a massage, dummy. I only helped you stretch your arm out.”
“Oh, sorry.”
You smiled a bit awkwardly and got to your feet. “Well, I think I should head to bed. I’m feeling stiff and sore. I was so focused on showering after today, I forgot to stretch out and now it hurts all over. Thank you so much for everything today. I’ve had the best day ever. I’ll never forget it. Good night, everyone.”
They bid you good night and everyone slowly got up to clean. You were putting on your shoes when Ushijima approached you. “I’ll walk you to your dorm.”
You weren’t going to say no that gesture. The walk was comfortably silent, and very welcomed after a loud and active day. It wasn’t until you reached the building door that he spoke.
“I know how to massage.”
Your brows raised in surprise, slowly relaxing as you thought it over. You didn’t have a roommate and as long as no one saw him, then there wasn’t a problem. Plus, even though you’d just begun to spend more time around him, you observed him enough to know he wasn’t the type to say something he didn’t mean.
Motioning for him to follow, you made it to your dorm without crossing paths with anyone else. Your room was fairly simple, decorated with a few cute knick knacks like snow globes and little plants, photographs, and books. You had a couple of posters on the wall of a boy band and the upcoming Olympics as well as a world map, but that was it. It was clean, cute, and simple.
“Thanks so much, Ushijima, I’m really feeling it all over,” you sighed, a small whine to your voice. “Make yourself at home, okay?” You kicked off your shoes and walked over to your bed as you tied your hair up, plopping face down onto the mattress. You turned your head to the side, watching as he walked over and sat at the edge of your bed. Smiling, you turned your head the opposite way to look at the wall.
Your heart began to race as he swept your hair out of the way. His large hands began to make work at your neck and shoulders. Sweet sighs of content escaped you as he worked, easing your pain. A breathy moan escaped you as his powerful hands reached a particularly sore area below your shoulder blades. A blush rose to your cheeks when you heard yourself. Oh boy. You managed to reel it back and almost fell asleep as he finished up your back and sides.
This quiet time with him gave you a clear moment to think about the gentle giant in your bedroom. It’d been a little over a month since you first spoke to him and started spending more time in his presence. It was normal for you to have lunch with the volleyball team, an unspoken rule that your spot was beside him. He said it was to make sure you actually ate something. You noticed him more around campus and he would actively acknowledge you with a nod. He even invited you to have dinner a few times, sometimes with the team, other times just the two of you. You even went with him on runs through town a few times. As you analyzed these moments with him, you wondered if there was more to it. Only one way to find out.
“Hey senpai...do you like me?” you asked, voice softer than you meant it. But it was silent in your room and you knew he could still hear your question. You felt your eyes begin to water and suddenly felt foolish for opening your mouth. This was definitely one way to ruin something.
“I do,” he replied simply and easily. It was a bit too easily in your opinion.
“Senpai... I mean... Do you like me as more than just friends?” Biting your lip to stop it from trembling, you gripped your comforter tightly.
“I like you, (Y/N).”
You didn’t move, you felt frozen in place. Say something, you idiot. Stop staring at the wall and just say something (Y/N), please.
“I’ll let you rest.”
There was some shuffling and the lights were turned off, then the sound of your door opening and closing.
Shit.
The next day at lunch, you sat outside, climbing up to sit on a tree branch. You were reading another book for Japanese class, Kokoro by Natsume Soseki. Engrossed with the content in your hands, you barely noticed your phone go off. Fumbling with the device, you sighed at seeing 6 messages from your brother wondering if you were joining them for lunch and escalating to the point of asking if you’d been kidnapped. Another ping and your eyes widened as you hastily sent him a reply, telling him he didn’t need to report you missing to the school. You snapped a selfie of yourself in the tree, smiling and holding up a peace sign, and sent it to him, adding that you were just eating outside. His response was an angry emoji making you laugh.
Closing your eyes, you sighed and enjoyed the breeze and shade of the tree. It almost made you forget you were at school. You watched as a bird landed at the end of the branch you sat on. Staying silent, you wondered what kinds of things it’d seen in its life.
“Ushijima,” a female voice called out, making the bird take flight.
You pouted and looked around, noticing between the leaves and branches a girl running up to the said man. Your face lit up. He was silent as he turned to faced her.
“I saw you at the track meet yesterday cheering for Goshiki’s sister,” she started. How curious to bring you up. “I wanted to know if you’d come to my tennis match to cheer me on.”
“Will Goshiki’s sister be there?” You placed a hand over your mouth and your eyebrows raised at his question. Shifting, you reached for another branch and leaned forward, trying to listen better. As the wind pass through, it it was harder to hear over the rustle of leaves.
“No. Why would she be there?”
“I won’t be attending.”
“Oh... Sorry for bothering you.”
You grimaced as you felt yourself slip - your book and hardly eaten sandwich falling onto the ground below you - and now you were awkwardly clinging to one branch with your legs and had your hands pressed against another branch that was too thick for you get a firm hold of, desperately trying not to fall. A loud gasp and squeal escaped you, eyes shutting tight, as your arms gave out from supporting the odd angle your body was in and you hung upside down, desperately trying to hold your skirt in place. This was definitely not the day to be wearing sheer panties.
“(Y/N). What are you doing?”
Oh hell.
You smiled and let out an uncomfortable laugh. “I slipped.”
“I see.”
Opening your eyes, you gasped at how close your faces were. If he were to just stand on his tip toes you were sure that- You bit your lip, not even entertaining finishing that thought.
“Do you... think you could help me down? I think I’m going to fall,” you confessed.
He nodded and walked around to stand behind you, reaching up to hold your waist. Tilting your head back, you let your skirt drop as you reached back for his shoulders, holding tightly as your legs let go. You felt your heart skip as he held you up seemingly without effort, and your mind was conflicted in whether you wanted him to put you down or not. He carefully set you down, but his hands lingered at your sides, as did your own on his shoulders.
As you stared into his dark olive eyes, you felt yourself break and there was no way to stop the flood of words that escaped you. “Ushijima, I have feelings for you. I want to have meals with you, and train with you. I want to talk to you all the time, in person, on the phone... I want to know what’s on your mind, no matter what it is. To touch you freely and be touched by you. And I want to support you at your games, and it’s selfish, but I want you to support me at mine and only mine. I want you to smile because of me. I want to know you.”
“I also want you to smile because of me,” his voice was quiet, but with conviction. “I accept your feelings.” He pulled you forward, wrapping his arms around you tightly. You buried your face into his chest and held onto his uniform jacket, relieved.
Summary: You’re Goshiki Tsutomu’s older doting sister, second year at Shiratorizawa and captain of the girl’s track & field team. At your brother’s first practice you sneak in to support him and end up meeting the impressive force that is his captain.
Warnings: None.
[1] | [2] | [3] | [4] | [5]
-
Glancing at your wrist watch, you quickly wrapped up your end of practice stretches with your team. Getting up, you motioned for a towel from one of your team managers, a nice first year boy that the third year managers scouted. Track & field was a large sports club with many events, so it was necessary to have several managers to take care of all of the members. He quickly brought one over to you before taking a few steps back, blowing the whistle.
“Okay ladies! Great practice today. Please check your emails later for notes I’ll be sending out regarding what I saw from you all today. Everyone’s dismissed,” you announced, smiling at your team.
“Thank you captain!” they replied enthusiastically with smiles as they bowed, despite having practiced hard this afternoon. Your leadership ability was revered, having the reputation as the dream captain.
During your first year, you joined track and field. The captain at the time had gotten injured and had to leave the team. The vice captain had only joined because of the captain so they left the team as well. This led to the third years fighting tooth and nail for the position. It was like your older sister instincts kicked in and you managed to impress the club supervisor and coach as you led the first and second years, giving them guidance and earning their respect. The rest was history.
Wiping down with the towel, you rummaged through your practice bag, re-upped on your deodorant, and slipped your hoodie over your sports bra, before tossing the towel back to the first year manager, flashing him a smile and peace sign before running toward the volleyball gym. You slipped in between the door frame and the protective netting, keeping to the wall as you found a spot in the corner. It looked like they were getting ready to practice spikes when you came in. This was perfect! It was what your brother was best at.
You watched as everyone seemed to move like clockwork, perfectly in sync as they tossed, set, and spiked, one after another. It kept everything in you to not cheer when Tsutomu’s hand collided with the ball. You remembered when he was first interested in volleyball. He asked you to play with him and be his setter. You were his biggest fan ever since.
A deafening slam echoed throughout the gym, grabbing your attention. Your lips fell into a perfect O as you watched that hunky powerhouse captain land back on his feet, jogging back to get in line for another go. You’d only seen Ushijima in passing every blue moon. As a third year, his classes were in a different part of the school, you didn’t play the same sport, and as opposite genders you lived in different dorms. Every once in a while you’d see him at lunch, or early in the morning while you were on the field training you’d catch a glimpse of him leaving campus to run in town.
You spent the rest of volleyball practice switching between watching your brother and on your phone typing out those emails to your teammates. You were on your last email when the coach blew the whistle signaling end of practice. Quickly finishing up that email, you got to your feet and watched as the team cleaned up. You leaned against the wall and stretched your legs, hoping to take your brother out for dinner.
“Hey first year, aren’t you related to Goshiki (Y/N)?” Shirabu asked, spotting you hanging out in the corner.
Goshiki looked up and his eyes landed on you, his hair standing on end in surprise. “What’s she doing here?!”
Tendo let out a low whistle, nudging Semi and nodding over at you. “Take a look at her.”
Growling Goshiki glared daggers at his seniors before stomping his way over to you. You spotted your brother looking at you and grinned, giving him an enthusiastic wave. Your doting expression didn’t change as he approached wearing an upset expression.
“Aren’t you embarrassed dressed like that?” your brother growled at you, his face blushing.
Blinking twice, you glanced down at your clothes. Your practice clothing, similar to your track uniform, was far from modest, but practicing in clothes similar to what you competed in helped you keep your head in the game. You wore black bun huggers and a peach colored cut off cropped hoodie over your sports bra.
“My practice clothes? No. Are you embarrassed?”
“Yeah!” he whispered harshly.
You laughed and ruffled his hair. “But Tsu, you’re not the one wearing this.”
“That’s not what I- Whatever!” He stormed off and you couldn’t help but smile as you watched him go back to cleaning up the gym. You really loved your little brother.
When the team was done, you watched as they headed to the locker rooms. It was another thirty minutes or so before your brother came back out laughing with some of his teammates. His laughter slowly died when he noticed you were still there.
“What are you still doing here?” Goshiki asked.
You laughed lightly and decided to tease him. “How rude, Tsu. You’re not even going to introduce me to your teammates?”
His shoulders stiffened. “(Y/N), this is Tendo, Semi, Ohira, and Ushijima. Guys, this is my big sister.”
You exchanged pleasantries with them, asking what they thought of your little brother and what advice they had for him. Goshiki’s ears turned, but he stayed silent, wanting to know those same things as well. You took mental notes of everything they said. Your brother watched in awe as you easily conversed with his seniors about volleyball in-depth. Soon, Semi, Ohira, and Tendo excused themselves so you turned to your brother, breaking him from his thoughts as you reached up to rest a hand on his head, despite him being taller than you.
“I wanted to take you to dinner to celebrate first day of practices. Up for it?” Your loving smile never left your face. Though he was clearly frustrated by you, he couldn’t help return the smile.
Adjusting the bag on his shoulder he sighed, straightening up. “Not when you’re dressed like that. Call me when you’re dressed.” He excused himself and headed to the dorms.
Turning to Ushijima - who was surprisingly still there - you gave him a polite bow. “It was nice to meet you, senpai. Lets hang out sometime!” Standing back up, you smiled honestly at him, giving him a peace sign and running to the girl’s dormitory. Biting your lip, you slapped your palms to your cheeks. Adrenaline rushed through you as you felt your cheeks burn beneath your hands. You’d never spoken to an upperclassman boy like that before. Were you an idiot? Who even asks to hang out like that?
Keeping it quick, you showered and got dressed, throwing on a sweater and a mini skirt. Applying some light make up and slipping your feet into some fashionable sneakers, you called your brother to meet you at the school gates. When you spotted him waiting, you snuck up from behind before jumping on to his back. “Go, go, Tsu-to-mu!” you cheered, punching the air with one hand as you clung to him with the other.
“(Y/N)! Come on!” he groaned, acting as if you were heavy.
“You’re my strong little brother! Carry your big sister! I’m weak with age,” you claimed dramatically.
“Fine, then hold on!” He laughed and gave a small jump, adjusting you on his back before taking off down the street. The two of you were oblivious to the pair of eyes watching.
You took your brother to eat boiled flounder, his favorite. Without the attention of his teammates on him, he was so much more relaxed and natural with you.
“Hey Tsu, I’m really sorry if I embarrass you,” you sighed as the both of you walked back.
He turned a little red. “You don’t embarrass me. I just wish you told me you were coming to watch. And that you were wearing real pants when you met my teammates.”
“I understand. I promise to cover up more, but for you. You should really be more body positive, little brother. Hey! Treat your big sister to an ice cream.” You dragged him over to the 7-Eleven.
“Yeah, yeah, okay, but you wait outside. I’m not buying you everything in there,” he chided you for past behavior.
Pouting, you waited outside, sitting on an empty plastic crate. You tapped your toes against the pavement, sighing from boredom already. Closing your eyes, you wondered what was taking so long despite it not having been a minute since he’d gone in.
“Goshiki,” a voice sounded.
Opening an eye, you were surprised to see Ushijima standing in front of you. “Senpai, what are you doing out late?”
“Getting groceries,” he replied. “Are you going inside?”
“No. Tsu thinks I’ll try to get him to buy the whole store if I go in. He’s just inside getting ice cream.” Laughing lightly, you shook your head. When he didn't say anything or make to leave, you quirked a brow, your smile ever present. “Did you need anything from me?”
“You said we should hang out some time. You can join me at lunch tomorrow.” He spoke simply and direct. Your smile seemed to widen and he wondered how that was even possible; did it hurt to smile so much?
“I’ll see you at lunch.”
He nodded and went inside. A minute or two later, your brother came back, giving you your favorite strawberry yogurt popsicle. Your eyes lit up and you hugged his arm, happily walking with your brother to the dorms. He truly was the best sibling you could ever ask for.
“Hey Tsu? Don’t freak out, but Ushijima invited me to have lunch tomorrow.”
“What!?”
The next day, you did a little something different from the norm, tying a cute purple ribbon in your hair. There wasn’t much else you could do. Shiratorizawa was strict about the uniform, so you had to be subtle if you wanted to do something different, like shortening your skirt and varying the length of your socks.
Heating up some purple sticky rice rolls, you found your brother and handed him one, walking with him to the school building. Bee-lining to your classroom, you sat and ate your breakfast, day dreaming about how lunch would be like today.
Once lunch came around, you headed to the cafeteria. Your fellow students and members of the track team waved and greeted you as you passed in the halls and on campus.
“Senpai!” One of the first years from track team waved you over from their place in the lunch line. “Please senpai, go ahead of me.”
“Oh, no, I couldn’t.” You waved your hands and laughed.
“No, please senpai! Go ahead. It would make us happy,” another chimed in. Two others in ear shot also gave their approval and you laughed.
You never really thought of yourself as popular, but you knew you were well liked. Life rewards you with great things if you are genuine; just show some kindness. That’s what your grandfather told you once when you were little. Nothing ever proved him wrong so you stuck with it.
“Only this once okay? I can wait in line like everyone else from now on.”
Sniffing the aroma of food happily, you smiled as you stared at your tray. They had hayashi rice as an option! You bid the younger students a goodbye as you walked through the cafeteria looking for the volley boys, having to stop and say hello every once in a while. Your brother spotted you and waved you over.
“Good afternoon, boy’s volleyball club.” Your expression was calm and cheerful as always. A laugh escaped you as Semi and Tendo pushed each other away, making room for you between them and across from your brother. Ushijima was a couple of people down from Tsutomu.
Your brother went to introduce you but Ushijima stood, gaining his team’s attention. “This is Goshiki’s sister. She’s joining us for lunch. Please treat her well.” With that said, he sat back down and returned to eating.
“Please call me (Y/N). Thank you for inviting me.” You gave a bow before sitting down, relaxing your smile and expressing content as you listened and joined in the conversation around you happily. You caught Ushijima’s eye and you smiled brightly at him. His face stayed neutral and you only wondered what he thought about.
Tendo had gotten you into a conversation about horror films. You felt a heavy shadow hang over you as he went into the lore and real life basis for some of these films and it had your hands shaking. You hated horror films, but you weren’t a wimp. This was just a conversation after all. You wouldn’t get haunted from just talking about a film. Right?
Your watch pinged and you glanced at the time. You had to leave for gym class. Your teacher expected everyone to be dressed and stretching by the time class began so you needed a head start.
“Excuse me everyone, I have go to. Thanks for today!” you spoke, standing and giving a polite bow to the table. You slid your untouched food tray - you’d been so caught up in conversation you didn’t even eat - over to your brother and smiled. “Eat up, Tsu.”
Throwing him a peace sign, you ran off to the girl’s locker rooms. There was a notice that your class would be swimming so you dressed in the school’s uniform maroon one piece. You neatly French braided your hair as you headed to the school’s pool. You loved gym class. It was just extra practice time for you. Honestly, if you could just train all day instead of going to lessons and studying, you would. Shiratorizawa really catered to their athletes when they organized the students’ classes.
Settling down, you started on stretches, other female students filing in not long after. You supposed they separated gym class by gender for some misogynistic reason based on tradition, but you were almost thankful for it. The girls were way more relaxed in your opinion when they weren’t trying to impress a boy. The lesson mostly focused on the four swim strokes and when it was over you headed back to the locker rooms for a shower.
A low whistle caught your attention as you were about to walk in to the girl’s locker room. Tendo stood at the entrance to the boy’s locker room with Ushijima, smiling cheekily at you. The volleyball captain’s expression was still neutral as ever. “Man I wish we had swim class today, Wakatoshi!”
“We did weightlifting,” Ushijima responded to Tendo plainly. “You should tell the teacher if you want to swim.”
“That’s not what I meant, Waka! Are you blind?”
Ushijima’s brow furrowed slightly. “My vision is fine.”
“Tendo senpai! It’s not nice to tease. Someone could think you’re a predator.” You laughed and threw your wet towel at the third year redhead who caught it easily. Before much else could be said, you smiled at Ushijima before hurrying into the showers, ready to be free of that chlorine smell.
You had a free period before practice so you decided studying would be a good break. It was no good to over do it and hurt yourself before the first track meet. Heading to the dorms, you did dress in your track practice clothes, the same style you wore yesterday, and packed a bag with your study materials. You made your way to the bleachers, sitting beneath them in their shade and settling in for the next hour and a half.
At some point you were lying down in the grass and enjoying the occasional breeze, reading The Dancing Girl by Mori Ougai, one of the required readings for your Japanese class, when the sound of foot sets approached. Peeking over the top of your book, you felt yourself smile automatically at seeing Ushijima standing there.
“Senpai, what brings you over here?” you asked, marking the page in your book and setting it aside. You leaned back on your hands, keeping your upper body propped up, and crossed your long legs at the ankle. “Would you like to sit with me? It’d make me happy if you would.”
“Would it?” he asked, taking a seat in the grass next to your feet and facing you, almost mirroring your body.
“Very much, senpai.”
“You may call me Ushijima, or Wakatoshi.”
You hummed thoughtfully. “But what if calling you senpai makes me happy?” It was subtle, but his brow twitched. He seemed unsure of how to reply so you continued. “I know, I’ll only call you my senpai on special occasions. How does that sound?”
A faint pink colored his cheeks and you were satisfied at the sight. He nodded without a word. Smiling, you scooted forward and closer to him, sitting with your legs crossed. Your bare thigh touched his hand and you desperately hoped that he’d take the hint. He didn’t move away, but he also didn’t say anything, simply staring into your eyes.
“So what did you need?” you asked softly.
“We didn’t speak at lunch.”
“Is this your way of making up for that?” He nodded and you smiled at his response. “It’s such an honor. I feel special.”
“You didn’t eat.”
Your brows raised and a blush crossed your cheeks. Mustering a smile, you laughed a little. “It happens sometimes. I get busy talking and just forget.”
“It’s not healthy. As an athlete, you should do better to take care of yourself.” Reaching into his coat pocket, he held out a protein bar to you. “Eat this.”
Studying the bar in his hand for a moment, you accepted it from him. “Thank you. I’ll try to do better then, Captain.”
“I’ll wait for you to finish it before we talk.”
Blinking, you laughed again, tearing into the wrapper and eating it in front of him. You openly checked him out while you ate, not even attempting to be sly. You studied his face, his neck and shoulders to his upper arms, his chest and abdomen. Licking your lips subconsciously, your gaze lingered on his thick, muscular thighs, before flicking up to meet his gaze, a cute and innocent expression on your face. Your watch beeped and you sighed softly.
“All done, my senpai. Unfortunately, I also have to start practice.” Tossing your things into your bag, you got up, offering him a hand. “Let’s do this again.”
Summary: How you met your husband-o! This is also the last part. Let me know if you’d like to see any dating / wedding / married life scenarios with any of the boys I featured in this HIMYMF series. I’m also not afraid to write something a lil spicy spicy dirty for these boys either, you just have to reply / message me what you want. ;)
Warnings: None. Sorry for any typos. I’ll be going back and editing. :)
Part 1: Ft. Kuroo / Bokuto / Akaashi / Yaku
Part 2: Ft. Oikawa / Iwaizumi / Ushijima / Tendo / Semi
-
Daichi Sawamura
A shove from behind sent you flying forward onto the ground, rolling your ankle on the way down. A cry escaped your lips from the pain and tears pricked at your eyes as you felt your knee get skimmed from the sidewalk.
A series of shouts became louder and were fast approaching. Glancing up, you watched as the person who had knocked you over scramble to his feet.
You tried to move out of the way quickly as a police officer tackled them back down. Another officer slowed to a jog, kneeling beside you while a third went to help the first officer make the arrest for petty theft from what you could tell.
“I’m Officer Daichi. Are you alright?” he asked, resting a comforting hand on your shoulder. He had sweet brown eyes and a kind smile on his face. Looking him over, you felt your mouth go a bit dry.
Hot cop.
You were today years old when you realized that men in uniform could do it for you.
“I... my ankle hurts,” you managed to say.
His eyes widened and he looked at your feet. He asked for permission before checking out your ankle. The hiss you made when he barely touched you told him it was most likely a sprain.
“Let’s get you to the hospital. Since you were injured, I’d like to get a statement for some paperwork. Is that ok?”
You nodded, allowing him to help you up. He was extremely thoughtful and careful with you as he took you to the hospital, holding your hand and making sure you didn’t place too much weight on your injury.
He stayed with you, even after he was done with his paperwork, and the two of you conversed.
Conversation with him was so easy and felt natural. He was quite enigmatic and mature, but every once in a while he’d let his silliness slip, telling jokes to make you laugh.
You talked about everything from your childhoods, your likes and dislikes, beliefs and motivations, work, and honestly no topic felt out of bounds.
When he offered to walk you home, you knew he was doing more than just his civic duty, but you couldn’t say anything other than yes.
You wanted more time with him.
“Miss (Y/N),” he spoke, taking his uniform hat off and holding it in his hands. “I don’t want to abuse my position, but could I freely call you and take you to dinner some time?”
And that was how you and Daichi Sawamura met, confidently marrying a year and a half later.
Sugawara Koshi
It was your first day of school.
Teaching that is.
You moved to Miyagi for an open teaching position for the First Grade.
Last year you were a teaching assistant, however the school didn’t have a classroom for you or a position teaching First Graders so you had to look elsewhere for work.
Invigorated by the excitement of your future here, you were all in and threw yourself into your lesson plans completing them within the first month before school began.
When you saw your classroom, you spent a two days decorating the ceiling of your classroom to reflect the solar system, hanging homemade planets and sticking glow-in-the-dark stars carefully so if you looked closely you could see the constellations.
You had 30 students, so you purchased picture frames, planning for the students to paint or draw something so you could hang them up on the blank wall. You had other art projects for the kids so they could decorate the classroom throughout the year, like making suncatchers and growing their own plant.
On the chalkboard, you wrote out the aisatsu (morning greeting) you wanted your kids to learn, as well as their homework for the first day:
“Good morning. If we try, we can do it. Let’s do our best today.”
With your classroom organized how you liked and prepped for tomorrow, you headed to the teacher’s room to review your lesson plans.
The teacher’s desks were grouped in fours and personalized in their own ways. On your desk were a couple of succulents, textbooks for your classes, a cute twin bell clock, an architect desk lamp, and a framed photo of you and your parents the day you graduated from university. Your office supplies were neatly locked away in your desk drawers.
“Hello, you must be (Y/N) Sensei. Welcome,” sounded a kind voice across from you. “I’m Sugawara.”
Looking up, you watched as a man with light grey hair, hazel-brown eyes with a beauty mark under his left eye, and a gentle smile, set his things down on the desk in front of you. Quickly you stood, bowing politely before extending your hand. “It’s so nice to met you, Sugawara Sensei.”
“Just Sugawara will be fine,” he laughed, shaking your hand.
You smiled sweetly. “(Y/N) is fine for me as well.”
“First Grade as well then?” He motioned to the cluster of four desks you were a part of. “We get grouped together by year.”
You nodded, sitting down when he also made a move to sit. “That’s right. I’m really excited. I can’t wait to meet the other teachers.”
“Well between us,” he pointed at the desk beside you, “Yamasaki’s much older than us and usually sleeps at his desk.” He then pointed at the desk beside him. “And Nakamura is also older than us and I’ve noticed she doesn’t get along with other women.”
Your lips formed an O, surprised at this insider information. “Thank you for the warning.”
“We’ve got to look out for each other,” he replied, tidying a few things before picking up his briefcase. “See you tomorrow, (Y/N).”
You could hardly sleep that night, excitement refusing to let your mind rest. When morning came, you were a bit early to school, a coffee and variety of pastries in hand. Dropping your things off at your desk, you left a note on the pastry box, letting Sugawara, Yamasaki, and Nakamura know they should help themselves, before dropping a few things off at your classroom desk and heading to the school gates to line up with the rest of the teachers.
“(Y/N)! Over here.” Looking around, you spotted Sugawara waving at you, that same gentle smile on his face.
“Good morning, Sugawara.”
“Good morning. I hope you have a great first day.”
“Thank you! You as well.”
You enjoyed greeting the students as the filed in through the school gates. They were so cute with their bright yellow bucket hats and wide eyes. It was almost too easy to tell who were first graders.
“Cute, right?”
You glanced at Sugawara and matched his happy smile. “Absolutely!”
When the gates closed, Sugawara asked to walk you to your classroom. It turned out his class was right next to yours.
You went through the morning routine with your class before helping them get settled in and assigning cubby holes and desks.
“Okay students, let’s get along, ok?”
“Okay (Y/N) Sensei!” You almost swooned at how sweet they were.
“The best way to get along is to get to know each other right?”
“Right, (Y/N) Sensei!”
“Today we’re going to go outside and learn how to make friends. Then at the end of the day, you’ll vote on your favorite person to be the class representative. Does that sound good?”
“Yes, (Y/N) Sensei!”
Lining your students up, they quietly held hands and walked in a straight line as you directed them to the grassy school yard that your classroom over looked, a volleyball in hand.
Having them form a big circle with you, class began with introductions around the circle consisting of their names, age, what was a dream they had for their future, what their favorite food was, and what was their favorite hobby.
Sitting in the grass, you started a game where you rolled the volleyball to a student and you would ask them a question about themselves, then they’d roll the ball to someone else and ask them a question. This game went on for a few hours and they were having so much fun, laughing and getting along.
Glancing up at the school building, you thought about how lucky you were to have such a sweet and well behaved class. A figure in a window caught your eye. It was Sugawara. He had opened the window and was leaning against the sill, grinning down at you.
He made a gesture down to you and your class, as if asking “What are you doing?” You bit your bottom lip as you smiled, throwing your hands up and shrugging back at him. Shaking his head, he ducked back inside his classroom, the smile never leaving his face.
Soon, the class went back inside and had lunch. Nap time was after that. Finally at the end of the day, you had them draw pictures you could frame and hang on the wall, and held a class election.
When school was over, you reminded them to do their history book reading for tomorrow and said goodbye to each student individually as they left the classroom, allowing them to hug your legs and say goodbye while you gave them a gentle pat on the head and told each one they did great today.
Leaning against the door frame, you sighed softly, smiling as the last of them disappeared.
“They’re great aren’t they?”
Glancing over your shoulder, you smiled as Sugawara approached you, leaning on the door frame opposite you, the toes of your shoes touching. “They really are.”
It was the end of your first week and the day ended the same, with each student hugging you goodbye and you telling them they did great. And just like every day this week, Sugawara leaned on your classroom’s door frame and chatted with you.
“You really have a special way with them.”
“Yeah?” You tucked a loose strand of hair behind your ear.
“It’s true. Even the other first grade students have started whispering about you.”
“W-What? Really?"
He began to list off the whispers he’s heard. “(Y/N) Sensei’s so kind. (Y/N) Sensei’s so fun. (Y/N) Sensei’s cool. (Y/N) Sensei makes me feel good. (Y/N) Sensei’s the best.” He paused, glancing up and meeting your eyes, “(Y/N) Sensei’s beautiful.”
Your heart skipped a beat, a faint blush staining your cheeks. “Oh.”
“I’m inclined to agree with our students,” his voice dropping low so no one could overhear.
And that’s how you met Sugawara and began dating, marrying two years later.
Asahi Azumane
“Who’s that guy?” you asked your friend who was the project manager running this photoshoot. You adjusted the settings on your camera, eyes dancing between the numbers you were programming and the man in question.
He was insanely tall and physical build was quite intimidating. You wondered if he was a delinquent in school as you snapped a series of test photos, using him as your subject.
“Asahi Azumane. He’s the apparel designer. He created the line you’re shooting today,” she responded, barely glancing up from her phone. “And don’t even think about it.”
“What? Are you worried about me? Is he a bad boy?” you asked, wiggling your brows at her in jest.
She paused and looked you in the eye seriously, before bursting into a loud fit of laughter and walking away. “Let’s get this started already!”
An irritated expression settled onto your features before you cast Asahi another glance, snapping a few more candid photographs of him.
The shoot was long. Drama with the models. You weren’t concerned though. Your rate was hourly and they were paying you big yen for this spread. No, you were more concerned with the tall babe hanging out at the snack table.
Adjusting your camera strap like you were wearing a crossbody purse, you moseyed over to the refreshments, picking up an assortment of things before standing next to the man casually.
“So you designed this line?” you asked. You almost dropped your plate when he jumped in surprise.
“Aha... Sorry, just, you’re asking me?” He smiled awkwardly, clearly embarrassed of his reaction.
You looked at him incredulously, before laughing, gently bumping your hip against the spot just below his own. Good grief he was so much taller than you. He was absolutely your type.
“Yeah. I don’t usually get to talk to the designers when I do these types of shoots. It’s usually an assistant, project manager, or a marketing rep, so this is a really cool moment for me.”
He smiled with more confidence, relaxing visibly.
“So... Tell me about what your vision for this whole line is.”
Just as he became fully confident and the two of you had finally gotten the conversation flowing freely, it had been thirty minutes and it was time to wrap up. You kept in mind your conversation with Asahi and used your knowledge and skillset to capture what it was he envisioned.
Unfortunately, you didn’t get to speak to him again.
You didn’t reach out to your friend to bother her about Asahi; you just weren’t that type of girl. Instead you resigned yourself to sighing thoughtfully as you daydreamed about him every once in a while, staring at the photos you’d taken of him in secret.
It was a week after the shoot when your friend called you to meet at her office to pick up your check. You were wondering if you should dress to embarrass her or not when you realized that you might run into Asahi in the same building. Fashionable it was; you even added heels.
You walked confidently into your friend’s office building, slipping into the elevator and pressing the button for her floor.
Glancing up as the elevator sounded, you sighed - someone was just getting on. You wore a bored expression as the doors opened, but the person standing there immediately changed your attitude.
He looked at you with realization and smiled as he stepped in. “Miss Photographer,” he spoke, his voice friendly and kind.
“Mr. Designer,” you greeted cheekily.
“It’s good to see you again.” He pressed for the floor above your destination. “I saw the photos you submitted. I really loved them. The pictures were exactly what I was hoping for. And I heard marketing is really impressed with your work. I might have overheard them tell the project manager she should hire you again.”
“I think you should give yourself more credit,” you spoke, leaning your head back against the elevator wall. “I wouldn’t have changed my approach if I hadn’t spoken to you.”
Asahi blushed and the two of you started to banter, but you were an observant person and you almost wondered if this man realized he was flirting back with you.
He gravitated closer to you, also leaning against the wall beside you. You watched from the corner of your eyes as he shifted closer and closer before his arm finally touched your own.
Bingo.
The elevator bell pinged your stop and you quickly pulled a business card from your purse and slipped it into his front pants pocket bravely.
“Call me and ask me out, okay? Or I’ll come down here looking for you,” you teased, walking backwards out of the elevator.
“W-What?” he floundered, blushing as he watched you with wide eyes.
You sent him a wink, “Don’t let me wait too long, okay?”
The doors closed and you were absolutely pleased with yourself.
And that’s how you met Asahi Azumane, going on a date two days later and marrying three years after, but this time, you didn’t have to ask.
Ukai Keishin
“Excuse me, do you have-”
“We’re out,” was the dull and bored cut off reply from the employee, his feet propped up on the counter and his face hidden by the newspaper he was reading.
Are you kidding me? Aha!
You snatched the bandaids and alcohol wipes off the shelf, walking up and setting the items on the counter. Your voice was monotone as you spoke, “Found it. Thanks for your help.”
He lowered his newspaper to peek at you before bursting out in large gestures, scrambling to his feet. “Is, uh, is this it for you?” It was almost cute how he was trying to be cool.
“A pack of Cherry cigarettes,” you replied, pulling out your coin purse.
“You know... it’s a bad habit,” he said, grabbing a pack and placing it on the counter.
“Says the man who reeks of smoke.”
“Touché,” he replied, staring at the counter and realizing he definitely messed up his shot.
With a sigh, you brushed your hair behind your ear, “They’re not for me.”
“Oh...” He tried to peek at you inconspicuously. “Boyfriend?”
“If you must know, they’re for my father.”
“Oh!” he visibly perked up at that. You had to restrain yourself from laughing at him.
“So what’s my total?” you asked when he hadn’t said anything for a while.
“Right. It’s 950¥.”
“Thank you,” you replied, pulling out some coins and bills.
“Keishin! Keishin, is that a young woman I hear?” a voice from the back room called out. There was some shuffling of footsteps and the man behind the counter visibly stiffened. “Keishin! Is she single?”
“Mom! Please!” he yelled back.
You bit your lip, trying not to laugh, but you couldn’t stop your lips from stretching into a smile.
“Keishin! Don’t yell!” An older woman poked her head out, her eyes landing on you, “She’s beautiful!” She quickly beelined to you around the counter, bowing deeply to you.
“Oh... thank... you,” you froze, unsure of what was happening. You glanced at the man behind the counter - Keishin, you assumed - who looked like he wanted the ground to swallow him whole.
“Young miss, my son looks rough, but he’s really a good man. He’s not the smartest, but he’s very strong and has a good heart. He’ll treat his future wife very good. Please consider him.” She stayed bowed and it was getting extremely uncomfortable.
He leaned over the counter and whispered, “She won’t get up unless you give her an answer. Sorry about this.”
You observed the way he looked at his mother and it struck a heartstring. He didn’t look mad or annoyed, or anything of the sort. You could just see that he loved his mother very much.
Turning back to older woman before you, you sighed softly, resigned, and bowed to her in return. “Ma’am, I will consider him.”
The two of them looked up at you in shock.
“WAIT YOU WILL?!”
And that’s how you met Ukai Keishin, marrying exactly one year later.
Summary: How you met your husband-o!
Warnings: I took creative liberties regarding Ushijima’s story and how the Olympics work. Also I’m sleepy and going back in and editing my mistakes. :)
Part 1: Ft. Kuroo / Bokuto / Akaashi / Yaku
Part 3: Ft. Daichi / Sugawara / Asahi / K. Ukai
-
Oikawa Toru
You and Oikawa met in university. You were studying for a degree in Kinesiology & Sport Science and your goal was to get into Sports Medicine and work for one of the National or Olympic teams.
It was by chance you joined the men’s volleyball team as their manager. You originally gunned for track and field, but a mishap with your train pass at the station made you late for sign ups.
On your first day of practice you arrived early to get a head start on things - ordering uniforms, getting sports drinks ready, gathering clean towels. You were coming back from the laundry room when a ball was headed straight for you. Fear reached your knees decided to lock them in place so your first instinct was to block, holding your palms out, but the sheer force and velocity caused your hands and the ball to be thrown back, still smacking you in the face and quite literally knocking you off your feet.
Lying there, you wanted the gym floor to open up and swallow you whole.
“Are you ok?! I’m so sorry!” Eyes fluttering open, you looked up into brown eyes, wide with worry.
“Well boys, this is your first year team manager. Oikawa! I thought I told you first years to stop showing off! Take responsibility and help her to the nurse’s office. When you come back you’ll be doing flying laps until I say stop,” the coach yelled, blowing a whistle and signaling the start of practice.
He picked you up easily in his arms, some of the boys who were out of earshot of the coach whistling at him. Now that you weren’t lying on the ground and he wasn’t so close in your face, you could really take in his features and god was he handsome. You really did wish the ground had swallowed you whole.
The nurse flashed a light in your eyes. “Well, you’re definitely going to have a bruise.”
“You don’t have to stay with me,” you told told Oikawa as the nurse looked you over for signs of concussion.
“I feel bad; I just want to make sure you’re ok,” he reasoned, giving you his most charming smile.
“If you feel bad, then you can make it up to me later instead of using me to stall facing your punishment.”
“It’s a deal. No take backs, my cute manager,” he sang, quickly escaping before you could rebut.
And that’s how you ended up going on a date with Oikawa Toru and marrying a year after he went pro.
Iwaizumi Hajime
You sighed, resting your chin in your hand as you watched Iwaizumi from across the library. While most girls at school fawned over Oikawa, you were absolutely smitten with his best friend.
Letting your shoulders drop, you turned back to your textbook, tapping your pencil eraser to the tip of your nose as you bit down on your lower lip, clueless that the boy who’d invaded your thoughts had noticed you.
Months later and graduation was today and it was official. You’d spent the whole year pining for a boy you’d never ever spoken to. In a month you’d be starting college and hopefully someone new would catch your eye.
The summer wasn’t exciting. You spent your time packing for Tokyo and wandering around town, hoping to catch even a glimpse of Iwaizumi in passing; no luck.
You were starting classes at UTokyo in a few weeks for two degrees in Creative Writing and Publishing. You wanted to write stories and if you couldn’t do that then you wanted to help people get their stories out there.
First day of classes were incredible. Everything was interesting and you were reignited with a new sense of excitement. You’d almost forgotten about why you were so mopey before.
It was Wednesday and you were on your way off campus to find lunch when you felt your heart skip. There he was just across the courtyard; Iwaizumi.
Was he seriously here too? Gripping your hands tightly around your book bag, you considered your options.
New school.
New city.
New you.
Right?
Breathing steady, you quickly crossed the courtyard. The closer you got the stiffer your body felt and the more your hands shook until you couldn’t walk anymore. Your feet were glued in place and you watched as Iwaizumi walked right past you.
Dammit.
As weeks passed it was like high school all over again. Now that you’d seen him once, he seemed to be popping up everywhere and it was driving you mad. You even saw him at a coffee shop off campus the other day.
You sat in the library, studying for your first exam. Nervously, you bounced your restless leg as you tapped your pencil’s eraser against your forehead, frustrated.
Things were supposed to be different.
You barely registered when someone sat next to you.
“If you aren’t careful, you’ll leave a mark on your face.”
Your face flushed and you dropped your pencil; that’s Iwaizumi’s voice. Almost mechanically, you turned your head and met his gaze.
He sat with his body turned toward you, arm propped up at the elbow with his cheek resting on his fist.
“I wasn’t sure it was you, but now I’m positive,” he said, smiling at you. Smiling at you. You’d only ever dreamed.
“You know... who I am?”
“Well yeah, we went high school for three years together.” His voice was teasing and everything you ever wished for. “I was always busy with school and volleyball, I never gave myself a chance to talk to you.”
“You wanted to talk to me?”
“I might have seen you looking at me a few times.” There it goes. Called out. You were a stuttering mess. There was no way you could play it off now.
Letting you flounder a bit more, he rested his hand on your bouncing knee, sending a jolt of electricity through you, and that expression on his face told you he might have felt it too.
“(Y/N) why don’t we go out and we can catch up for lost time?”
And that was how you and Iwaizumi Hajime became inseparable ever since, marrying a few years after starting your careers after college.
Ushijima Wakatoshi
The Olympics were almost every athlete’s dream.
You were raised to play, eat, breathe, and dream gold.
Gold medals that is.
All your life you’d been on national teams and qualified for the Youth Olympics in Track and Field at 14.
Now, four years later, you were off to the actual Olympics. You were boarding the plane to London for athletes who were heading over early. It was a long flight with a layover in Turkey.
Dressed in leggings, your Team Japan Olympic sweatshirt, and slipping on a pair of comfy house shoes you wore specifically on planes, you snuggled into your window seat, gazing through the small frame of glass.
You snapped out of it when you felt someone sit in the seat beside you. Turning, you felt your jaw slack slightly at the large and fit build seated right next to you.
Okay, full disclosure, you were boy crazy deep inside. Your parents didn’t allow dating and drilled into you that boys were just a distraction from your dreams.
“Go for gold. Boys come later.”
But holy shit. He was looking right at you too. Oh my god, was he talking to you? What was he saying?!
Oh right.
Smiling, you reached up and removed your earbuds. “Sorry, what was that?”
“My seatbelt.”
You felt your mouth run dry. His voice. Was life serious right now?!
“Sorry,” you laughed lightly, reaching under your thigh for the belt strap, handing it to him. You might have handed it to him in a way so that your hands touched on purpose. Maybe you didn’t. All you knew was that you wanted to keep talking to him and you definitely wanted to touch him.
“Thanks,” he spoke simply, buckling in before facing forward.
Okay, you mouthed silently, straightening up in your seat. Tucking a stray hair behind your ear, you turned to him again. “I’m (Y/F/N), Olympic Track and Field.”
He turned to look at you. “Ushijima Wakatoshi. Volleyball.”
A man of few words? “You know, I think I recognize you now.”
“We were featured in the same article in Number last month.” His voice was blunt.
Your eyes widened. “Wow! You remembered what article we were both in?”
He didn’t respond, but by god, he just said more than just three words to you and it was a full sentence. You gave a few more tries at making conversation, but he had no response. With a sigh, you shrunk into your seat and put your earbuds in.
You weren’t sure when you’d fallen asleep, but you were awakened by a jerking and shaking motion. An arm was wrapped tightly around you as the cabin continued to shake and rattle.
A ding sounded and the captain made an announcement: “Sorry passengers, but we’re currently experiencing some turbulence. We’ll be adjusting our flight pattern. Please stay seated with seatbelts fastened.”
The hand on your arm tightened, but you were tucked tightly into his side to where you couldn’t adjust your head to look at Ushijima’s face. Reaching over, you placed one of your hands on top of his and he adjusted to hold your hand tightly, as your other arm stretched across his torso, holding onto him.
Even when the plane moved into less turbulent air space, he continued to hold onto you and eventually you slept again.
He woke you up when you landed in Turkey and asked if you’d spend the layover with him in the airport while some of the other athletes left to explore. Though most of the conversation was one sided with you talking and him listening, there was a connection and when you finally made him laugh, you knew you wanted to always be the reason for his smiles.
When you finally reached London, you spent as much time as possible with one another before the events began; morning runs in the city, sightseeing, eating meals together, taking tons of photos together.
You’d won gold in the 500 meter. The volleyball team won bronze.
When the both of you finally returned home to Japan, the two of you stayed in contact as more than just friends, but he’d never label your relationship out loud.
That’s how you and Ushijima Wakatoshi, medal winning Olympians, ended up together, keeping your relationship on the down low and out of the press for two years and marrying just before the next Olympic Games.
Tendo Satori
As far as you were concerned, Tendo was an insensitive goof.
You had known him since you were babies, your mothers were best friends, and by god he was the most annoying force to ever appear in your life. Your childhood was filled with plenty of hair pulling and teasing.
It was embarrassing when girls started growing breasts and you were still flat as a board. His teasing was unrelenting. And when you finally grew some semblance of breasts? You didn’t even want to get started on that nightmarish period of life.
When high school came around, he was like a second shadow to you, never far. It was irritating, but you tolerated it.
He wasn’t an idiot, managing to also get into Shiratorizawa. He also knew when you were reaching your limit with him and he’d instantly change his behavior, turning into the sweet and gentle boy you first knew.
Hell, you even welcomed his attention at this point. There weren’t any other boys looking your way. As soon as you’d start talking to a guy, the next day they’d avoid you like the plague.
He was your best friend.
You hated him.
You loved him.
Second year didn’t seem to be any different from first year. Valentines Day came around and a boy you’d been crushing on rejected your chocolates. It was absolutely embarrassing.
You studied in the library, keeping yourself mentally preoccupied, while waiting patiently for Tendo to walk you home after school, you only hoped his practice didn’t run late like normal.
You heard girls whispering about your rejection earlier. It was so hard to not just break into tears. You’d been holding them in all day.
After a couple hours, you slammed your book shut, temporarily stopping the whispers while you packed and left, waiting for Tendo outside of the school gates.
“Hey washboard!” came his cheery voice.
Biting your lip, you kept your head down as you walked with him down the street. You hadn’t made it ten steps before stopping, trying to hold in your sobs. Reaching into your bag, you pulled out your thoughtfully wrapped rejected box of sweets and held it out to him.
“Weren’t you going to give these to that Suzukita guy on the swim team? Chicken out?” He turned the box over in his hands.
Balling your hands into fists, you snatched the box back from him. “Look Sato, if you don’t want them then just say so!”
He took a better look at your face, noticing streaks of tears down your face. With a small growl, he snatched them back before tearing into the box, eating a couple of pieces. “I didn’t say I didn’t want them!”
Shoulders trembling, you let yourself cry freely.
Tendo frowned, brows furrowed in worry. Stuffing the chocolates into his bag, he held your hand, pulling you along with him and walking you home silently. No jokes. No teasing. Just the sweet boy who always made you hold his hand when you were toddlers.
Your troubles weren’t over just yet though. White Day came along and you weren’t ready for the horror show of feeling alone again.
The day was uneventful. You hardly spoke to anyone. Even your girl friends avoided you so they didn’t accidentally make you feel bad.
White Day was lonely and it sucked.
Thankfully, the day didn’t drag out and Tendo didn’t have practice, just a quick team meeting, so you waited at the front gates like normal.
“(Y/N)! Ready to go home?” he asked, ruffling your hair.
You shrugged, running your fingers through your hair in an attempt to fix it.
“Hey.” He caught your wrist, gaining your full attention. Holding out his hand, he offered you a small white box with a white ribbon. “Here.”
Carefully, you accepted, removing the ribbon and handing it to him. You opened the box and a small smile made its way onto your face. Marshmallow chocolates. You got them once when you were little from your dad. You shared them with Tendo and hadn’t had them again since.
“Thanks, Satori,” you whispered, unable to meet his eyes.
He reached forward and grabbed a lock of your hair, clumsily braiding it before tying the end with the white ribbon from the box.
Reaching down, he took your hand, walking you home. As the two of you walked, the hand holding yours began to fidget. Glancing over you watched as he slipped a white beaded bracelet from his wrist onto yours.
Stopping, you let go of his hand to look at it. Peeking up at him, you caught the faint blush on his cheeks before looking at the hand made kid’s bracelet carefully.
SATORI <3 (Y/N)
“Sato...”
“It’s true. I... I love you, (Y/N).”
And that’s how you and Tendo Satori ended up attached to each other for life, getting engaged after high school and marrying after college.
Semi Eita
“What can I get you?”
Those were the first words you ever spoke to him. He was dressed casually and brooding at the bar you worked.
At night, you worked at one of the many tiny bars in Shinjuku’s Golden Gai, a huge tourist trap, and during the day you were a student at Bunka Fashion College.
He wasn’t much of a talker and wore an unmovable scowl, but he bought drinks all night and didn’t bother you unlike the other customers.
You were surprised when he showed up again the next night, and the night after that, and again after that.
When he stepped into your tiny bar for the sixth day in a row, on a Monday night, it was almost automatic the way you moved, pouring him a whiskey before setting the glass and bottle down in front of him.
It was pretty quiet tonight. And late. There wasn’t a ton of activity. In fact, your only other customer left within the next thirty minutes, leaving you and Mr. Serious alone.
“Let me know if you want something different for a change,” you said, laying out some books on the counter before hopping over the bar and taking a seat at one of the eight stools - the only seating in the whole place.
“What are you reading?” His voice surprised you. Honestly, you almost forgot he was there.
“Ah, it’s for one of my classes. History of sewing, basically. Kind of boring, but they say I have to learn it,” you shrugged, laughing a little.
“Where do you go?”
You smiled at him in a teasing matter, holding a finger up to your lips. “Can you keep a secret?”
He quirked a brow. “Promise.”
“Hmm... I guess I can trust you,” you teased, “I go to Bunka. Students aren’t supposed to have jobs so my life’s in your hands, okay?”
He scoffed, masking a laugh that almost escaped him. “Sure.”
From that night forward this was a common theme. He’d stay late and when it was just the two of you left, you’d have deep conversations and talk about anything and everything either of you could think of.
You learned quite a bit about him.
He was a musician in a band and a civil servant.
He was stressed about some projects he was working on, which was why he started coming to the bar.
He liked “your calm energy” and how you didn’t bother him; that’s why he kept coming back.
He played volleyball in school and was a setter.
His favorite food was tekka maki.
He was a Scorpio.
His friend used to tease him a lot in high school about how he looked in clothes so now he tried to be more conscious of how he dressed.
Soon your relationship evolved from just bartender-patron. He was inviting you to his concerts and asking to see you during your time between school and work.
You recalled him mentioning wanting to find a new casual jacket that didn’t make him look weird, so you spent a few days in your design class making him a jean jacket you thought would flatter him.
He met you outside of the school building one evening - the two of you had plans to go to a night market for dinner and try the different stalls. It was supposed to be chilly so it was the perfect time for you to give it to him.
“Semi! Here, this is for you,” you said, holding out a simple gift bag to him. You literally finished today, applying some patches and last minute details. “Go ahead and open it.”
“(Y/N)... This is exactly what I was looking for.” His normally grumpy expression was softer as he held it up, examining it. He noted there wasn’t a tag and he was pretty sure there was the tiniest bit of blood on the collar. “Did you really make this for me?”
You stuttered, “I-I know y-you were having a hard time finding something you liked so I thought you deserved something you wanted.”
“I... deserve what I want?” he repeated, looking you in the eye.
A blush flared across your cheeks. “Well... Yeah.”
He paused, taking in your face and how different you looked when you were flustered. “I want to date you, exclusively.”
And that’s how you became the musician Semi Eita’s girlfriend, marrying a year later.
Summary: How you met your husband-o!
Warnings: I think it’s pretty safe with a smidge of angst for Yaku.
Part 2: Ft. Oikawa / Iwaizumi / Ushijima / Tendo / Semi
Part 3: Ft. Daichi / Sugawara / Asahi / K. Ukai
-
Kuroo Tetsuro
You and Kuroo met in university. You were studying for a degree in Medicine, wanting to become a doctor.
The first time you saw him was in your English class. The next time you saw him was in your Organic Chemistry class. When you saw he was also in your Chem Lab, with an empty seat beside him, you approached the lab table, asking if the seat was reserved.
Looking up, he offered you a confident smile and motioned for you to sit. “Go ahead. I’m Kuroo.”
It turned out he was taking a lot of the same classes as you were, interested in Pharmaceutical Science.
It was a long semester and classes were sometimes difficult; just the briefest thought of looming exams triggered anxiety. Luckily, you and Kuroo bonded that first day of Chem Lab and he seemed to always be there for you after that, offering his help every step of the way.
Friendly late night study dates in the library and ordering take out.
Meeting at coffee shops and going on walks just to unwind.
He even taught you how to play volleyball as a way to release some of that negative stress you were carrying regarding school.
One particular night, he had invited you to his apartment to study for an exam, knowing you were having a hard time memorizing all of the formulas and certain compounds.
“I can’t do it. I’m going to fail,” you whispered to yourself, staring down at your thick text book, your fingers buried in your hair.
Kuroo looked up from his book, glancing at the clock. It’d been four hours since he last heard you say anything. Smiling at you, getting up from his seat, he walked around the table to stand behind you, resting his hands on your tense shoulders and leaning forward to see what you were looking at as he gave you a massage.
He grimaced; you were trying to memorize some reactions and there were over 500 of them. Calmly, he began reciting some, asking you to repeat after him. As you relaxed, he moved his large hands higher and higher, finally resting on your head and applying some soothing pressure.
A few hours later, “Well the trains are done running. Stay here. We can go to school together tomorrow. You’re going to do fine.”
This absolute sweetheart. He made you sleep in his bed while he took the couch so you were well rested for tomorrow, ran you a warm bath, gave you clothes to sleep in and a toothbrush, and in the morning he had washed your clothes so they were clean and even made coffee and breakfast, before going to school with you.
The exam came and went and you were practically biting your nails for Sunday to come around. The professor said he’d be posting scores then.
“Kuroo! I’m freaking out. It’s almost 5PM! When’s he going to post results?” you practically cried on the phone, feeling emotionally drained.
“Why don’t you come over and watch a movie? I’m ordering take out. You watch the movie and I’ll check for scores, ok?”
In 45 minutes you were at his apartment, on his couch, watching a Studio Ghibli film with him, his arm slung behind you with his hand on your neck, pressing his fingers soothingly.
At some point you’d fallen asleep on him and you were awaken by his gentle nudging. “Hey, scores are posted.”
You were awake in an instant, almost dropping your phone as you hurried to log into your student account.
48/50 points.
That was an A! You squealed in excitement before throwing yourself onto your friend hugging him tightly as you both laid sprawled across the couch, you on top.
“Thank you so much!” As you went to kiss his cheek, he turned his head, your lips meeting and eyes wide with realization, but neither one of you pulling away.
And that’s how you ended up with Kuroo Tetsuro, marrying the summer before finishing Medical School.
Bokuto Kotaro
Meeting Bokuto was like encountering a ball of energy.
Your friends, who were seeing some of the Black Jackals players, invited you to come to a tournament with them to hang out and socialize. All you ever did was study and work.
You were with the girls chatting outside the entrance of the arena waiting to greet the players. As the girls encouraged their boyfriends and gave them little good luck charms, you felt a bit awkward and stepped back a bit.
That’s when he struck.
“Lets you and me go out after we win today!” he beamed at you.
“W-What?”
One of your friend’s boyfriend grabbed the male by the back of his team jacket, pulling him back. “Sorry about him. This is Bokuto and he can be a little much.”
Your girlfriends laughed while you watched his excited expression deflate. For some reason, it really bothered you that he was down.
The girls dragged you off inside to get the perfect seats up front, not leaving you any time to say much.
As the Black Jackals match began, you easily spotted Bokuto. As the girls cheered loudly to get the boys to notice them, their respective boyfriends waved. Glancing between your friends and the boys, your gaze fell back onto Bokuto who seemed to have deflated again as he appeared to stare at you.
With an unsure smile, you raised your hand, giving him a small wave. His change in mood was almost instantaneous.
His skills were interesting and he was quite the kooky character. As you watched him intently, the girls took notice and encouraged you to go out with him.
After the match, you found yourself wandering around after a bathroom break and stopping by a vending machine for some drinks. That’s how you came across Bokuto and some of the guys hanging out and chatting. His senses seemed to have been triggered as his attention suddenly snapped to you.
Quickly, before the guys moved on, you purchased a second drink and walked toward him. He excused himself and seemed to skip over to you, meeting you half way.
“You played really well,” you commented with a gentle smile as you offered him the drink.
“For me?! Thanks!” he grinned. “And I always try to play my best. You never know when someone pretty like you could be watching me.”
Blushing, your gaze fell to his shoes before reaching into your purse. Holding your hand out to him, you offered him a good luck charm you had.
“What! Really?” he asked, eyes wide.
Smiling brightly, you nodded. “I got it to bring me luck in school. I hope it’ll bring you luck for the rest of the tournament.”
“With you here, I think I’m lucky enough.” He ran his hand through his hair nervously. “Hey, I was really forward earlier, but will you consider going on a date with me? Please?”
And that’s how you ended up dating Bokuto Kotaro and marrying four years later.
Akaashi Keiji
It was a beautiful day in March.
Was.
You had spent the day in Harajuku hanging out with friends before school started up again; you’d be a third year at Fukurodani.
Sighing, you stood patiently under the awning of the train station. You had been hoping to get home before the rain started, but dinner ran later than expected - you could never leave when the conversation was good. You even skipped out on dessert! The thought made you pout.
You’d been there for almost an hour and it didn’t look like it was letting up, but it was also too late to call your parents; they worked hard and needed to rest.
As you debated about whether to run or not, you were shoved from behind by an older man, sending you falling over into the rain.
Shutting your eyes for impact, you were surprised at the feeling of being held.
Looking up, you flushed a bright red.
“Akaashi?” you whispered.
His expression stayed fairly neutral, though there was a look of recognition in his eyes. The two of you were classmates, lived in the same area, and road the same train in the morning, though you’ve never spoken before.
“What are you doing out here so late?” he asked when he was sure you had regained your footing again. Shifting his umbrella so you were under it as well, he waited on your answer.
Glancing at your watch, you grimaced before looking up at him. “I was waiting on the rain to stop.”
He observed you for a moment, noting the lack of umbrella on your part.
He turned and you figured he was leaving, so you clasped your hands together, eyes downcast to wait alone again.
“Are you coming?”
Looking up, you studied his face as his eyes scanned the street, waiting for it to be safe to cross again. “Yes.”
The walk was pleasant. He asked you questions about yourself and you did the same. You liked the straightforward nature in which he spoke. Boys could be so confusing if they wanted to be, so it was nice.
There was a late night corner store not far and he asked if you minded stopping by with him. He was kind enough to walk you home so it was the least you could do.
With groceries in tow, the two of you continued on your way, stopping briefly at a street corner. He dug around in his shopping bag, but you paid him no mind as you watched for the crossing light to change.
“Here.” His voice grabbed your attention and you looked to see him offering half of his double strawberry popsicle, which you accepted.
As you were about to thank him, he gripped your wrist, shifting you behind him and to his other side as a car created a large splash that would have completely soaked you.
“T-Thank you, Akaashi,” you stammered, eyes wide as you took in his soaked form. You dug around in your purse for a kerchief to offer him.
“You’ll catch a cold if you get drenched out here,” he stated simply.
“But what about you? You’ll get sick because of me now!” you panicked, worried about his health.
He scoffed in amusement and offered a brief smile, reaching up to gently rest his hand on top of your head, caressing your hair. “Well I can’t have you getting sick.”
You studied him carefully, a blush staining your cheeks, before deciding you didn’t know what he was getting at. “Akaashi...”
“If you got sick, it’d be a while before I could ask you out.”
And that was how you and Akaashi Keiji started out as high school sweethearts and married a year after university.
Yaku Morisuke
It was finally summer break, thank goodness.
The last few weeks of school were unbearable. You had final exams, college entrance exams, and on top of that your dying relationship with your boyfriend had finally taken its last breath and he’d broken up with you. He had an existential crisis about not wanting to be anchored down throughout all of high school with the same girl.
That morning you woke up and stared at your reflection in the mirror and decided you needed a change; a new chapter, a new look. Grabbing scissors and mirror, you went outside so that you wouldn’t make a mess with little hairs everywhere.
Your backyard was shared with the other houses on the block like a communal garden.
Carefully dividing your hair, you bit your lip. It wasn’t until the first snip that you realized you were crying.
Was it sadness?
Was it relief?
By the time you were done, you were all out bawling. All of your emotions that you’d been holding in finally escaped.
“Hey are you ok?”
With blurry eyes, you looked up and made out that it was your neighbor. Holding your breath for a moment to try and calm yourself down, you choked and burst out into another fit of tears. “Momo, I-I’m s-so sad.”
You’d known Yaku since you were babies. He was only a few months older than you and was always just next door.
“Is it your hair? I saw you cut it, but I think it looks good. It could use a little touch up, but it’s cute!” he said trying to be comforting.
“N-No, but y-you think it n-needs to be f-fixed?” you cried.
“A-ah no!” He took a deep breath before he freaked out too, putting down his volleyball. “I’m sorry. Oh geez.”
Turning to him, you hugged him tight, crying into the crook of his neck as he rubbed your back. Breathing in deeply, his scent reminded you of when you were kids. His mother still used the same lavender detergent.
It was a while before you finally calmed down, sitting with him on a bench in the communal garden.
“So, you wanna talk?” he asked awkwardly.
You were silent for a moment. “Did you hear Kenta and I broke up? It happened just before exams and then I’ve been worried about college starting next month. I’ve been so stressed out ever since. I needed to do something so I just cut my hair because... I can't control a lot, but I can decide how I look. It’s stupid, isn’t it?”
“It’s not stupid.” He reached up and let his fingers play with your hair briefly. “Come on, let me even this out for you.” He took your scissors and he carefully and diligently evened out your ends, making sure it was just right.
“Thanks Momo. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“Well, you’re going to find out soon enough. You’re still leaving for Kyoto University next month, right?”
“Yeah. Perfect timing. I can just start all over. No shitty boyfriends... no stress from my family.”
“No childhood Momo.”
You laughed lightly, smacking his arm. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m serious! Don’t forget about me ok?”
“I promise not to forget you Momo.” You leaned your head against his shoulder.
“Good, because there’s no way I’d ever forget about you. You’re going to do great. You’ll start over in Kyoto. Make new friends. Fall in love. Start a future.” He pressed a kiss to your forehead. The gesture threw you off and you looked up at him, wearing a puzzled expression. He looked sheepish. “Sorry. It’s just... If I didn’t do that now, I’d probably never get another chance the rest of my life.”
“Morisuke, what’s going on?”
He stretched out his legs, crossing his ankles as he gazed at his shoes. He was quiet for a long moment before meeting your eyes; a seriousness you’d rarely ever got to see. “Growing up you were just a friend and I... Well... At some point I wanted you to look at me differently. But you kept going out with these other guys and you never seemed to look at me that way. Now you’re going away soon and I’m admitting all this stuff because, well... when you leave I won’t matter to you anymore. My feelings are important too and I just needed you know." His face was bright red at this point.
“I guess I really am foolish. I promise not to forget you. I promise to come home for you,” you whispered, leaning forward until your lips were pressed against his, sweetly kissing him.
When you pulled apart, he let his hand rest against your cheek, making sure you didn’t move too far away from him. He grinned happily. “And promise to keep calling me Momo, okay?”
And that’s how you and Yaku Morisuke became long distance lovers, marrying immediately after college.
Summary: U.A. High School was your dream. You wanted to save people. You never expected how wild your journey would be and you certainly never expected a hot headed boy to play as large of a role as he would.
Warnings: Swearing.
Spoilers: If you haven’t watched the School Festival episodes thru the end of S4 because they’re not dubbed yet and want to avoid spoilers (+ you haven’t read the manga), then you’ll want to not read this chapter.
[1] | [2] | [3] | [4] | [5] | [6] | [7]
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“A school festival! I hope one of the classes hosts a couples event,” you mused out loud during the girl’s only study group.
“I never expected you to be such a romantic,” Jirou commented, a few of the other girls echoing their agreement.
Smiling at them, you simply shrugged. “Never had a boyfriend before. All of these thoughts and feelings are new to me.”
Ashido perked up as her alarm went off. “Sorry girls, time for dance practice.”
She and a few of the other girls headed off to meet with the rest of the dance team. You’d been stuck with Aizawa and the rest of the interns making up work you missed while the rest of the class decided what you were doing for the festival. You didn’t mind your role doing special effects; it would be perfect to showcase your quirk.
Soon enough it was band practice and you were left alone. Thanks to you and Todoroki, the special effects team had their plan solidified a while ago so you didn’t have to meet very often. Putting your things away in your room, you headed back downstairs to make dinner and prepare snacks while everyone worked hard on their routines. Just two more days.
When you were hanging out the other week, Hitoshi had tried to get you to sign up for the beauty pageant. That caused quite the heated argument between the two of you, especially when he teased you about using his quirk to get you to sign up. When you brought the pageant up in passing with Bakugou, even he paused before acting nonchalant and yelling about how if you wanted to sign up it was up to you. You called Hitoshi immediately and told him you’d sign up so long as he helped you.
“Look Hito, you brought up participating in the first place. It’s only right you take responsibility for your part in this.”
The two of you spent forever deciding on clothing choices and what talent you were going to demonstrate. You recalled most of a dance routine from when you were in the dance club in junior high and you were positive you could make it work for one person. If that failed, you could maybe perform Ikebana (flower arranging), but that could be pretty boring to watch. Hitoshi asked for his mom’s help which she was more than excited to take you shopping for an outfit. Looking at Kenranzaki’s outfits from previous years, you settled on a colorful kimono that complimented you.
Soon enough the day of the festival arrived. At 9AM, you changed into a short robe with a pair of shorts and spent 45 minutes taking your time with your skincare regimen, having Hitoshi help you with your hair. He was awkward, but it warmed you how hard he tried. Running through the day’s schedule in your head, you’d have a little while longer after 1-A’s performance to get dressed and zen out to calm your nerves.
It was easy to ignore Kendo and Nejire’s friendly teasing of who would win, but it was almost impossible to keep your headspace clear as Kenranzaki cackled about how she was the sure winner. Kendo and Nejire’s moods seem to change and you decided it was time to go before the their energy could throw you off. Carefully tying a scarf to protect Hitoshi’s hard work on your hair, you and Hitoshi went your separate ways, agreeing to meet up later, before you joined the rest of 1-A in the gym; Midoriya a few minutes behind you. When no one was looking, you pressed a small kiss below Bakugou’s ear.
“You’re going to be great.”
Before he could pull you back, you had Uraraka use her quirk to quickly get you up to the rafters. You made sure to settle into a spot where you could clearly watch the performance and still do your part. The chanting and cheers of the students sent vibrations throughout the room and you could feel it.
At 10:00 the curtains opened and your eyes lit up. They were incredible!
On Todoroki’s queue, your hands extended to the stage and slowly began to glow brighter and brighter for the finale. As they struck their final notes you released sparks, careful so that they weren’t dangerous. The cheers of the student body sent a surge of motivation through you and to your heart. It was then you realized how capable everyone was, especially when you worked together.
Meeting Bakugo backstage, you pressed a kiss to his cheek as he held you tightly to his side. “That was incredible! Did you mean to create an explosion during the opening?”
The way his eyes seem to avoid yours and that faint blues told you that was improvised. “C’mon let’s get lunch before your pageant.”
“But we’ve got to clean up.”
“It’s okay (Y/N). We agreed that you should go ahead and get ready for the beauty pageant,” Iida spoke up. “The rest of class can handle this and we’ll be there to support you, but Bakugou, you have to stay and help! Don’t think you can use (Y/N) to get out of cleaning!”
As Bakugou fumed, your eyes lit up as you laughed. “Thanks, class rep!”
You made it back to the dressing room, meeting with Hitoshi who had gotten you some snacks to eat. Carefully getting dressed, you added hair pieces and jewelry to your look along with some light make up. You went on just before Nejire, which was a bit nerve-racking as she was also doing a dance. All you could do was try your best. Spotting your classmates and Bakugou at the front of the crowd cheering for you ensured you didn’t lose your smile during your performance.
Though most of the girls changed back into their school uniforms, you decided Hitoshi’s hard word deserved some more attention so you stayed in your pageant outfit. It wasn’t like you were planning on participating in any of the sport activities. You took photos with Todoroki, cheered Bakugou on while he competed in the obstacle course, shared a crepe with him because he won, and enjoyed 1-C’s haunted house - Hitoshi definitely giving you a good scare.
At the end of the day your class gave you tight hugs as you came in third place. Monoma definitely gave you an earful for beating Kendo, who simply shook your hand in the spirit of friendly competition. Bakugou held your hand tightly, loudly proclaiming that you were still his number one and anyone who disagreed could fight him. The two of you went off to do couples experiences during the rest of the festival, though you were sure a few of your classmates weren’t that far behind.
“You look nice,” he muttered once the two of you entered The Lovers’ Maze, the brain child of Class 1-E.
“Oh, thanks.” Part of you was disappointed and it was clear in your voice; if he was going to compliment you, you were hoping he’d put more effort into it. He should have kept quiet and ended on a high note when he yelled that you were his number one.
It was dark and difficult to see each other’s expressions. The only light was up ahead, leading the two of you on where to go. The light suddenly went out and he squeezed your hand in reassurance before cute, glowing pink hearts appeared, providing a gentle light so you could see each other.
“Are you... blushing?” you asked him, surprised.
He avoided your gaze. “So what if I am?”
“But, why?” you asked teasingly, leaning forward to try and get him to look you in the eye.
He growled to himself before grasping both of your shoulders firmly, locking eyes with you. “Any idiot who looks at you and doesn’t turn a little red doesn’t deserve to look at you! You’re beautiful, got it?”
Your face lit up like a red light on a traffic stop, unsure of what to say, “Katsuki...”
“I’m not really... good... at compliments... and stuff,” he mumbled, clear enough for you to understand. “So try not to get your feelings hurt if I don’t know what to say the first time. I’ll get it right at some point.”
A smile tugged at your lips. “Okay, I’ll be patient.”
The Japanese Hero Billboard Chart was one of the most talked about events after the school festival on campus. You’d be a liar if you said you weren’t excited about it as well. It was the best event to happen twice a year! There was just something wonderful about seeing your favorite heroes getting recognized. You tried more than once to convince Todoroki to get Endeavor to take the two of you, but he refused. You spent the last week being pouty and curled up to Bakugou’s side.
It wasn’t until the Wild Wild Pussycats came to visit with some cute Paw Pad Buns that you finally expressed any mood other than being bratty. You helped Sato prepare some tea for the Pros. It was great to hear they were back in business again.
The day of the the Japanese Hero Billboard Chart event, you seemed to be glued to the television in the common area, snacks and drinks surrounding you like your own little island, or fortress, of food. This was the first time that heroes were going to actually appear on stage and you weren’t planning on missing any of it.
“Isn’t this a bit much?” Kaminari asked, trying to sneak one of your rice balls away from you.
“First of all, Kaminari, you could ask me for a snack first! Second, I love seeing the rankings live! It’s exhilarating to see just how well the heroes have done between polls!” You paused at hearing Edgeshot’s ranking and cheered, attracting more attention from your classmates than you’d meant to.
“(Y/N) maybe... you should back up from the television. Your eyes will go bad from sitting close.” You sent a sharp look Iida’s way and he quickly backtracked, apologizing for disturbing you.
No one had the heart to tell you to quiet down, even Iida didn’t want to yell at you for being loud. It was a rare sight to see you energized or excited about anything. Your eyes lit up as Hawks was announced as number two, which only reaffirmed it: Endeavor was number one! You couldn’t wait for internships to start up again. Though he wasn’t the softest person out there, you learned so much from Endeavor and appreciated his strictness; especially since you were quite serious about your own future as a Pro. His entrance was certainly the coolest and his new armor pieces looked very cool, making him seem more menacing than usual.
Their speeches had your full attention, not even Bakugou annoyingly prodding at you with a finger could tear you away as you happily snacked on popcorn. You raised your brows as Hawks stepped forward to speak. He was always a rebel in everything he did. His speech had your jaw dropping. Tokoyami really did his internship with this guy? For the first time, you peeped at your classmate in question who seemed to have a pained expression on his face; it was incredible how different the two of them could be.
Your body tensed as Endeavor received the mic. How was he going to follow up that wild speech? It was certainly short and direct.
Just watch me.
Scrambling for your phone, you quickly sent a text to your mentor, telling him you thought he was quite cool for what he said. It was his work cell so you were sure he’d see it tomorrow or something. There had only been a few other sparing messages between the two of you, the last one being from when you asked if you could get permission to watch Todoroki at one of his remedial courses. During your internship, he hardly ever responded to you, preferring to address your questions briefly in person.
At the end of the program you sighed stretching from your terrible posture, before cleaning up the mess you made as you camped out in front of the television. With the fierce - and scary - Endeavor as the new Number One, villains would have to be crazy to start any trouble.
The next day, you went with Todoroki to the post office. You had sold a few little handmade items online and needed some help getting them mailed out. You’d normally annoy your boyfriend into helping you, but Bakugou was napping from his workout. Todoroki saw you struggling with your packages and said he had to mail a letter so he was happy to accompany you.
“Thanks so much Todoroki! You saved me from making two more trips,” you said, purchasing two drinks from the vending machine and offering him his favorite - something you observed from work study. The two of you sat on a bench and enjoyed your drinks.
“I think we’ve spent enough time together to be friends now. Please feel free to call me Shoto.”
Turning to look at him, you smiled. “Really? I don’t really have that many... friends that is. I mean, everyone in class is nice, but I don’t feel comfortable referring to them casually. You’d be like, one of four people total.”
“Yes. I’d like that.” He smiled faintly in return.
Finishing your drinks, you stood and offered him a hand up. “Okay, Shoto. Let’s head back.”
Returning to the dorms, you sat on the couch, turning the television on and browsing through the channels with a few of your classmates. You all decided to look for a movie to watch. An image flashed briefly on the screen and you had go back. It was the news channel and it looked like a fireball in the sky.
“Shoto! Come quick!” you called out, turning up the volume as your other classmates came over to join you. Your hands flew to your mouth, eyes wide.
Your mind seemed to blank as you watched events unfold. When it was over and that image of Endeavor appeared, still standing, you found yourself knelt beside Todoroki, your new friend, with hands on his shoulder and arm in comfort. Bakugou rested a hand on top of your head. It was silent as no one knew what to say.
Though it was a win, you had a feeling that not everyone would sleep well that night.
