𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐣𝐢𝐦𝐚
part 1.
"Can you go pick some rosemary, 'Toshi?"
Ushijima nodded with a small smile, happily complying as he went out onto the balcony, Tokyo twinkling in front of him like the Milky Way, lights turning on as the sky darkened. He'd never really seen Tokyo like this, at the very least not from that high. When they did come for Nationals, or on casual visits, they'd generally stayed at some crappy two-story hotel. It was only when (Y/N) had brought him to Tokyo and dragged him up these tall skyscrapers that he got to look down on the little ant-like dots and feel big. Like he owned the world, with the girl beside him, of course.
His calloused fingers sifted through the sweetly smelling plant, picking the stems as the leaves tickled his skin. Once he got what seemed like a sufficient amount, he re-entered the large glass doors of the fairly large apartment. It was entirely different from (Y/N)'s old one, despite being of similar size in a similar location. She had filled it, though not too cluttered, with so many odds and ends. Books left and right, she had an odd affinity for bust sculptures, and plants. At one point they had had a giant urn delivered to them by accident, and it sat comfortably in the foyer for a good few weeks.
Through the door was the kitchen, which was never devoid of any sort of nourishment. It was always like those kitchens in movies where they had way too much food, yet the food was definitely going somewhere, because it wasn't like it was just disappearing.
At the moment, there was a whole pile of all sorts of vegetables on one side of the kitchen island, and then on the other, dough and flour and pie-filling and potatoes.
Ushijima had heard about couples having a 'thing'. He never expected it to be cooking. Every night, with very few exceptions, and most mornings, they cooked together. It wasn't like it clicked like two jigsaw puzzle pieces, rather, one night, they learned that they were very cooperative in the kitchen, making one of the best meals either of them had experienced.
He sauntered over to her, who was currently grating pepper into the pan of potatoes.
"Here you go," He said, handing the half a dozen stems of rosemary he had just acquired.
She looked up, smiling brightly, before taking them, beginning to sprinkle the leaves and such on the potatoes, "Thanks, hun. The pie's ready to be filled," She grinned, pecking him on the corner of the lips and he squeezed past her to where the pie was.
The tips of his ears turned red, but he nodded with a bashful smile and cooked. He liked their cooking.
♡
"It's incredible what you see these guys at the office get away with. Stealing money right out of their employee's hands, and if I have anything to do about it I'm going to hack right into the database and release every receipt and document I have on them, I swear. To see them butcher something that could be used for so much good. I mean, they have access to rich people's banks- Why not steal off of them? I mean-" She paused, her fork that she'd been waving around in the air faltering. Cringing, she grinned apologetically, "I'm ranting, aren't I?"
Ushijima chuckled breathily, shaking his head, "No, no. It's nice seeing you talk about something you like."
She softened, placing the fork down so she wouldn't accidentally poke someone's eye out, "Yeah, well, you're the one who said I should pursue what I wanted all those years ago. I didn't expect to enjoy business, of all things the one my mother wanted me to chase, so much. I guess when you do it your own way it's a lot better." She smiled.
"I'm glad I could help," He said slightly jokingly, though intention genuine, "It's not often a gorgeous woman comes to you asking for life advice, so I'm afraid I wasn't much help," His sense of humour had also grown alongside (Y/N)'s, though he still laughed at dad jokes and Facebook memes. An improvement, (Y/N) had sighed.
"I don't know about you, but women come to me for life advice all the time," (Y/N) said fleetingly.
Ushijima frowned, these women unknown to him, "What?" Because he still has trouble differentiating sarcasm and other tones.
"Joke," She winked, never pushing his lack of communication skills.
"Oh, yeah," He said quietly, "But there aren't people coming toward you for stuff...?"
Reaching over, she ruffled his olive-brown hair, a soft smile playing her lips (which was his favourite smile of hers, "No, 'Toshi. You're my one and only love,"
And once again, as she always somehow did, he was a pile of soft mush, "Uh-huh. Y- you too."
And she just laughed, picking up his empty plate to take away to the wash, "What do we wanna watch? The Art of Racing in the Rain? I know how much you like the dog ones,"
"Yeah, I do,"
(Y/N) turned by the door to the kitchen, looking a little hesitant, "Do you think it's sad? I can't do sad,"
And it was Ushijima's turn to just laugh, shaking his head as he went to set the movie up, "Sad ones are sweet. I like it when you bury your head into my neck," He smiled, tilting his head.
She bit her lip, looking oh-so very slightly flustered, "O- Okay, then."
♡
"Morning~" He mumbled, lips pressed against (Y/N)'s bare back as he let his eyes flutter open, being met with a dishevelled pretty woman, whose drooped eyes looked back at him lethargically.
"Morning," Her familiar voice said back, fingers playing with his that rested on her stomach, "Day?"
Nestling himself back into the crook of her neck, he smiled, "Sunday. We get to stay in," Sundays were some of his favourite, because neither of them had anything until the second half of their day so they got to be lazy and drowsy all morning.
She let out a hum in response, one hand lazily petting Ushijima's bedhead before she sunk into her pillows, probably returning to her slumber as quick as lightning.
He let out a soft chuckle, pulling her closer to him as he stilled, deciding that whether he fell asleep or not, this was possibly one of the best places to be. To him, at least.
It was a wonderful feeling. The fresh sun dancing in through the white curtains, the cool temperature that was comfortable in the way that you could bury yourself in a light blanket and still feel fine, that was slightly on the cold side, but provided the perfect weather for cuddling. The nice feeling of having a whole day, a free day, ahead of you.
And of course, a pretty (Y/N) right next to you with a hand threaded through your fingers. Not everyone had that luxury, unfortunately.
Ushijima considered himself lucky as he slowly drifted back to sleep, the tenderest smile playing his lips.
He recalled the clock reading eleven once they both unanimously decided that they needed to get up (though the decision was aided by a certain someone's grumbling stomach) (it was Ushijima, and (Y/N) had practically fallen off the bed in laughter at his sheepish face). And so, after (Y/N) had stopped laughing and apologized by kissing him (a nice atonement), they both found themselves in the kitchen, once again fitting like clockwork as they prepared brunch, (Y/N) passing him the coffee as he passed her a spatula, then rotation while he got two mugs and she got a bunch of spices out.
It really was like that one part of Monsters University, Ushijima had chuckled to himself. He liked that movie, and (Y/N) had always thought it was endearing.
She yawned, folding the omelette in the pan in front of her, "Do you think it's too early for wine?"
He gave her a look, "When has it ever been too early for wine in (Y/N)'s world?"
She placed the omelette on a plate, turning around with one plate in either hand. In the small space between the island and the sink, it was really easy for them to just kiss casually. So that's what they did.
His arms snaked around her waist, and fuck, his smile just grew naturally.
She pulled away, winking at him before- "Now, now. Let us not repeat last night. I was planning on finishing my presentation for work and instead I, well, finished,"
He snorted, "Okay, then. I preferred what we did last night over watching you decide on a colour for your background," He smirked, taking the two mugs of coffee and have (Y/N) follow behind him with a scoff to their little dining table.
"It's not the aesthetic that matters, 'Toshi, it's the content," She said.
He turned to her, a brow raised teasingly, "You must tell that to your two hundred different fonts downloaded," He was quite good at this sarcasm thing, now.
Placing the two dishes down and sitting on her side of the table, she shook her head with slight belief, "Betrayal. A stab in the heart. Worse than when my dad said he preferred you over me,"
He took his own place, smirking slightly, "That was fun. I'm grateful he saw me as a worthy suitor for you,"
"To be honest, if you're a good volleyball player and don't have a track record of dating many girls, you're pretty much in," (Y/N) laughed, "But you are a worthy suitor, by dear Waka-waka."
He softened.
"Still don't think your comment on my presentation was fair-"
And then he took a piece of his omelette and stuffed it in her mouth. A display of affection, he would call it.
part 2.
Hinata had been asked a couple of times what happened that particular night, though no matter who it was, he never really told them the truth. He remembered, sure, though he acted as if he didn't. It wasn't like they did anything mindblowing (a lie), but despite being rowdy, that night was probably one of his favourites. A precious memory, one that he would prefer to keep to himself, if possible.
It started with him recalling how stunning (Y/N) looked.
Apparently, to be part of this 'club' of sorts, there were certain rules to be followed, and one of those was dressing for the theme. Sakusa, Atsumu and Bokuto were apparently already in. So were all the other Schweiden Adlers, apparently. Hinata, unfortunately, was not.
He was especially mournful of his lack of participation in their own version of the Life and Death Brigade when (Y/N) stepped out of the sleek black limo wearing a sparkly silver '20s styles dress that hugged her body loosely with a matching feather sprouting from her hair and a gorgeously bright smile.
"If it isn't our latest member," She saluted with a wink, the pears around her neck clicking against each other, "My, you look snazzy in that large fur coat. Did the masculine options bore you? Because, in all entirety, I must agree,"
He laughed, shaking his head, as he made his way down the pavement toward the million-dollar vehicle, "Yeah. I'd rather not look like I'm either part of a men's quartet or part of the mafia, so,"
She stepped away from the door, gesturing for him to enter, "Fair enough, though I do have to admit 'Toshi looks rather dashing in that suit of his."
Hinata stepped into the large square space with comfy leather chairs, them being the only two there. (Y/N) followed suit, closing the door behind herself, and the limousine started moving. He settled, which was easy enough given the softness of the chairs, and looked at her, "So, any reason you're talking all fancy?" She dragged out her words and went unnecessarily low, like a British accent but American, which many rich people supposedly spoke like back then, so.
She grinned, winking at him as she got one of those long cigarette holders and held it loosely, "I merely sticking to the theme, boy. Part of the experience,"
He shifted, frowning a little, "Uhm, alright then. Let us experience this marvellous night to its fullest,"
Her grin brightened, "Atta boy. Though I do suspect by tonight we will resort to slurring and passing out in bushes rather than our initial classy selves." She paused, glancing at the phone on the black leather chair beside her, "Ah. It seems there will only be eight of us for today. Only Toshi and Tobio-chan from the Adlers. Yachi, too. I didn't want such a big night for the inauguration of my second favourite boy."
"Well, they're the ones I know best," He laughed lightly, though edged with nervousness. He had no idea what was expected of the night. From what he'd heard there were several volleyball teams that were in on it, and that sometimes quite a few ended up arrested. He'd heard how phenomenal the parties were and a few bits and bats of the wild things they did. Tobio had only been once or twice, and one time he'd stumbled into Hinata's apartment wearing a 5k Gucci suit that was most definitely not bought.
"You'll be fine. It's all people you know, and you're literally one of the craziest people I know. You'll fit right in, not that you already don't. You have nothing to worry about." She reassured, that charming smile of hers doing its job at easing his nerves.
She was right, after all. What was there to be anxious for? It was his teammates, Tobio, Wakatoshi, Yachi, and the ever so lovely (Y/N).
The Limo slowed to a stop, and Hinata stepped out to a bustling street of people, all queued up to enter a neon-glowing club with a scary bouncer at the front. Hinata hadn't even seen the inside, but he could tell it was most definitely 1, expensive and 2, exclusive. It looked like it was one of those luxury night clubs in Vegas or Dubai, most definitely not for someone like Shoyou to go into.
But (Y/N) merely led him by the shoulder right up to the bouncer, flashing him a smile, "Hiya Tatsumi,"
He grinned right back at her, completely ignoring the group of dudes waiting in line as he turned, "Hi! Is this another one of your excursions?"
She nodded, "Uh-huh. New member today,"
"Well, then, welcome," He said politely, turning to face the queue one again and having his face morph into the stone-cold scary one Hinata had initially seen.
He looked between the entrance they were now walking through and (Y/N), "You can do that? Just walk past that dude and ignore the three-mile line outside?"
She smirked, a certain youthful sparkle dancing around in her (E/C) eyes, having to be slightly loud due to the music that was blasting through the hidden speakers, "Perks of being in my Hara-Kiri Contingent,"
"You're- Huh?"
She didn't answer him, but merely led him up some stairs where there were only three lounge-like couches, evidently for the very important people that reserved it (or came with reputation).
In it sat familiar grinning faces, some already flushed with alcohol.
Atsumu, bleached hair poking over the top of the couch, had been calling for another round of shots when he spotted the two, sleazy grin curling his lips, "Why hello there good fellows! 'Tis the ever so gorgeous leader of our contingent, (Y/N) Ukai, and the ever so handsome ginger that accompanies her,"
Sakusa rolled his eyes next to him, "No one said 'Tis is the '20s, Atsumu,"
"Yeah, well half of us standing here would'a been hate crimed in the '20s but ya don't see that happening, do ya, Omi-Omi?" He shot back, crossing his arms.
(Y/N) blinked twice, seemed to think something along the lines of regret, shook her head and went past them, happily greeting her boyfriend with a kiss as she took the seat next to him.
"Shoyou! Sit next to me! I'll give you the layout of our night," Bokuto, looking as large and happy as ever, offered (with quite the accent, though Hinata wasn't sure what it was), patting the space next to him on one of the white leather couches. It was slightly quieter up there, though Hinata still almost collapsed due to the bright colourful lights that flashed. Kageyama scooched over, so Hinata squished between them.
"We don't have a layout of our night," (Y/N) frowned, getting comfortable in Ushijima's arms with ease.
"You don't. I have a brilliant plan." Bokuto said smugly.
She squinted at him, then shrugged, "Yeah, you know what? Sure. Hit me," Then mumbled, "Lord, please bring Yachi here, now,"
The prayer was not answered, and so they listened to Bokuto, Sakusa and Atsumu taking a break from their bickering to listen to what their teammate had to say, "I say we break into Roppongi Hills club, right? Go to whatever floor it's on and pretend like we own the place, yeah?"
Wakatoshi looked rather amused, but didn't say anything. Kageyama bristled next to him, squinting at the large himbo with slight disappointment. (Y/N) however, decided she would say something, "You see, Kou-chan... We practically do own the place."
He teetered, "Oh. Well, it's different if it isn't planned!"
Atsumu shook his head and stood up, a newfound blue cocktail somehow making its way into his hands, "(Y/N)! Hear me out, 'kay? Let's start a dating rumour-"
"No," Ushijima said simply-
"Okay... SO... We skydive right off 'a the Roppongi hills instead!"
It was then when a familiar blonde, who decided she would speak in an Irish accent for some reason, appeared behind them with a very, very concerned face, "Please tell me he was telling a funny joke rather than our plans for tonight,"
(Y/N) laughed, shaking her head as Yachi came over and enveloped the (H/C)-haired girl in a tight hug, "I wouldn't want to answer that,"
"Hello everyone," She simply nodded to the rest, before taking one of the singular armchairs.
"Favouritism," Hinata scoffed, glaring at the blonde girl teasingly.
"Guys, c'mon! I think it's a good idea!" The bleach-blonde argued.
"No, Atsumu,"
♡
"Who let me agree with Atsumu?"
It was later that night- Well, a lot later, and over four-hundred drinks and ten thousand dollars after Hinata's first drink, that they all stood on the roof with parachutes on their backs, entirely ready to jump off.
Kageyama: "We're gonna die!"
And Yachi, still embodying her inner Irishwoman: "Uh-huh! I think so too, though it's not the worst way to go out, right?"
"Uh... Where are we supposed to land?" (Hinata, trying to stop the world from spinning.)
(Y/N), squinting at the ground quite far below them: "There's a park they've cleared for us. Uhm... They did make me sign something, though. I'm not sure what..."
Ushijima, who had lost his jacket somewhere and still had a fancy cocktail glass from who knows where in his hand: "I say we do it. Yolo, right?"
"Uh-HUH! I'm first. So-" (Atsumu, who was sharing a parachute with Sakusa.)
That was before a very, very drunk Sakusa flung them off the building together, their startled screams faintly heard at the wind whisked them up, before a parachute deploying was heard, and then a bit after, a splash.
Hinata had hoped it was a splash and not a splat, anyway.
"Right 'o... Who's next?" (Y/N) grinned, eyes crazed to the point where Hinata would've done anything she said out of fear of getting murdered, "I mean, I know we're supposed to disembowel ourselves but... this counts, right?"
"I'll go!" Bokuto chirped, nodding furiously as he stood on the edge, brows furrowed as his dazed eyes tried to locate the green. It was at least five in the morning, so it was both very dark, yet the upcoming sunrise provided some sort of light. Not really. "To the Hara-Kiri Contingent, yeah?" He smiled, before jumping off with a howl. Very familiar noises, a parachute and a splash (how they heard the splash from up there might've been because the entire country was sleeping) (also plot reasons).
"I'm starting to regret this," Kageyama stated, fiddling with the string that was meant to open the parachute. "Nope. Let's go, yeah?"
"We need to be a few meters apart from-"
"No, we don'ttttTTTtttt!" The idiotic blue-haired boy pulled Hinata off with him, both dangerously close. This truly was an idiotic idea, as they never really had any sort of experience with parachutes or jumping off buildings. But, it was too late.
Hinata almost froze. Entirely. He swore his life flashed before his life as his stomach dropped and an unknown screech escaped his lips. That was it. He was sure to die. He would never play volleyball in the Olympics or marry Kageyama or-
All he recalled was a parachute noise from below, which triggered his hand to pull his out on instinct, his own body saving him rather than his mind. Suddenly he wasn't falling so fast, but his heart was still racing and he couldn't see anything. Sparks, but definitely not Tokyo.
There was a splash, cold water, spluttering, drowning, and then he remembered a sexy lifeguard rescuing him.
In all honesty, everything after that was slightly blurred. Yachi came down, and then (Y/N) and Wakatoshi. They landed in a deep pond, he remembered that.
But his heart was having trouble slowing down, and he was high on both unhealthy amounts of alcohol and adrenaline. It was all a fever dream, like he had rushed through the events and hadn't registered half of it at all.
He only seemed to return to earth an hour or so later, where there was an ambulance and... wow. The sun had started to rise.
They were all soaking wet, towels (and shock towels) wrapped around them, as a few medics tended to them and left them alone after they realized they were fine. Just coming down from their high in which they had too much alcohol and too much money (and not enough will to live).
Eight of them huddled, freezing cold, the effects of what they had just done hitting them.
After a moment of silence, (Y/N) laughed. Maybe the shock blanket wasn't doing its job, but she laughed. A full-blown giggle, everything catching up to her and hitting her like a bus. And it was contagious, because practically all of them were laughing now, doubling over on the grass next to the lake they had just landed in, trained life guards on standby to save them from under their parachutes.
(Y/N) gasped for air, smiling at them weakly, looking like an absolute mess yet still as beautiful as ever, "You know, I was going to announce something tonight,"
Hinata raised his brow, watching as both Wakatoshi, who seemed to have regained his composure (that was a lie, though he wasn't in gasping for breath) smiled proudly. "I was excited too. I didn't expect it to be right next to an ambulance," He shrugged.
(Y/N) raised her left hand, the bright golden rays of the sun catching something on her ring finger. An engagement ring, very clearly.
And as if that was the most shocking thing that happened to all of them that night, they all gasped collectively, mouths agape and smiling at the couple that had just jumped off 54-story roof and were now, well, engaged.
(Y/N) chuckled, "Well, what a day. But in the early hours of the best night of my life, I'd like to announce our engagement," She softened slightly, the tension slowly bristling away, "As much as I hold pride in the Ukai name, I don't think Ushijima sounds too bad,"