lipstick || ushijima wakatoshi

37 • END

"Okay kids, I guess it's going to be Yusuke's turn to tell us about his parents!" The daycare teacher says and applauded along with the other children when the boy started walking to the center.

Asami sat at the far end of the classroom watching over her son. Her work finished earlier than she expected and decided to come before the daycare's end time. Whenever she looked at her son, she was reminded of her husband. He was the exact replica, a mini-me of Ushijima Wakatoshi himself! Despite resembling her husband way too much, his attitude was nothing like his. It was exactly what she feared during her pregnancy with Yusuke but Ushijima always reassured her that everything will be fine.

"Good morning. . . friends. I'm Ushijima Yusuke and I'm happy for my mommy!" She smiled as she heard her son talk in front of many kids. He didn't do well with huge crowds and was usually the shy type. Seeing him talk with the confidence he gained made her proud.

Asami takes a picture and sends it to her husband.

Asami
[ Our son's talking to his classmates! I miss you btw. ]

Wakatoshi
[ I'm proud of our kid. I miss you too, and can't wait to see you. ]

Asami
[ Why are you awake? You should be sleeping. Go to sleep, I'll facetime you later. ]

Wakatoshi
[ Okay, goodnight. Talk to you later. ]

She kept her phone and put it in her bag. She rests her elbow on the children's round table and put her face on her palm. She checked her wristwatch for the time and then listened to her son talk.

"I love my mommy! She's an architect-"

"Ooh, what's that?" one of the kids asked.

"Let me finish first. I wasn't done talking. You can ask me questions when I finish my speech about mommy okay!" That may be something he picked up when he was younger to which Asami laughed to herself.

"Sure sure Yusuke-kun!"

Her son continues, "Mommy draws and builds buildings because that's what architects do. . .  I think. She takes great care of me. She kisses my boo-boos and sings me my favorite songs! I love my mommy very much." Hearing her son talk proudly of her makes her insides melt. What shocked her though was after Yusuke talked about her, he already went back to sit on the floor with the others.

"Yusuke-kun," the teacher stops him, "You haven't told us about your dad."

And with a straight face, he answered, "Oh. I don't have a daddy."

Asami has gone through a rollercoaster of emotions that day.

They went home after his classes and Asami kneeled down to her son's height. She asked, "Yusuke, you have a daddy right?"

"I do," he asks back. She carries her son and makes him sit on the chair while she made him a sandwich.

"Yes, you do baby."

"I thought I didn't have one because he's never home." Yusuke pouted. Ushijima was busy working in Poland, but the couple was making their relationship work, although parenting was quite hard enough.

"He's on the other side of the earth, but he'll be back here tomorrow."

"He's not hanging, is he? Earth isn't flat right?" he said. Yusuke pouts again and crossed his small arms, "Daddy should be here!"

"He will be Yusuke."

"Will he stay here forever?"

"He has to go back there you know," she answers her son honestly. Just because her husband was a famous athlete, it didn't mean that he had all the time in the world, especially since he's playing in another country.

He ducks and covers his head refusing to look at his mother, and with a muffled voice he answers her, "Then I don't want to see him!"

That's quite the attitude for a five-year-old.

Would bribing him with ice cream work? Asami tests it and tells her son, "If you see your daddy, I'll give you ice cream."

He peeks at her and his eyes were twinkling. Asami couldn't help but laugh internally. To her son, Wakatoshi and ice cream were equals. Was her husband worth an ice cream?

"Can I have the ice cream now, please? I promise to see him!"

"Nope, you have to see him first."

"But I can't wait for tomorrow."

"Me too sweetie, but you haven't even brushed your teeth yet!"

The following day, Ushijima Wakatoshi's heart races as he steps out of the arrival zone. With his luggage behind him and another bag on his shoulder, he looked around to find his family. He sees Asami waving her hand along with their child and a smile adorns his face.

When he comes close, he first looked at his wife's face. He missed her a lot and seeing her not through a screen made him feel a lot better. Asami shyly looks down avoiding his gaze, expecting a quick kiss. Her intentions though weren't noticed and it just flew over his head.

So he looks at her one more time before kneeling down to his son's height. He welcomes him with open arms but Yusuke hid behind his mother.

"Yusuke, I'm here already. We can play vo-" Wakatoshi was cut off when Asami quietly hissed at him and gave a knowing look.

Right, his son liked soccer more.

He remembered watching some soccer games to familiarize himself with the sport but he just doesn't understand the concept of a ball being kicked and barely having a score in what felt like hours.

He was disappointed at first but he didn't hate that his son preferred the other. When his son showed potential, he knew he had to help him develop it just like how his father helped him fall in love with volleyball. So he continues, "We can play soccer when we get home."

Yusuke looks at his father and crosses his arms, pretending to be mad at him. "You should sleep first. The sky is tiring," he told his dad, referring to jetlag.

"I slept plenty on the plane. I want to spend my day with you first."

But Yusuke remembered the nights he slept beside his mother. He remembered the way he'd pretend to be asleep just so his mother can finally sleep too while hugging him, and the way her mother called out his father's name like a lullaby in her dreams. If there was anyone who his father should spend their day with, it was Asami.

"No, you should go on a date with mommy while I play with Uncle Daiki." Wakatoshi stands up and looked at Asami, communicating telepathically about what

His parents looked at him wide-eyed. Was their son playing cupid?

"A date it is then." Wakatoshi lovingly looked at Asami and even after all those years they'd been together, she still felt the butterflies.

"Okay then. Mommy buy me ice cream!"